Finishing equipment for new Print Shop

[eddiebail]

Hi All

I am a newbie.

I have a KM Bizhub c451 and a very basic manual guillotine. I have been producing work and making pin money with this setup for about 18 months on a part-time basis. I am now thinking of taking the plunge to upscale my fledgling business. I have been producing booklets, leaflets, business cards, letterheads & comp slips to date with this setup.

The question I would like to ask is

What finishing equipment or any other equipment would you suggest I purchase for a digital print shop? (Forget about budget for now, what would be your wish list?)

As well as continuing to produce the items listed above, I would love to be able to also produce;

Books, brochures, reports, post cards, tickets, menus, calendars, greeting cards, PVC banners, stickers, posters and canvass print.

Your answers will aid me to develop my own wish list that I then can cut down to suit my budget. It will also aid me in deciding how much space I would need to rent.

If you want to suggest digital printing press and large format printers I would not mind either.

Eddie
UK

[sherry_xie]

Hi Eddie,

Glad to be the first one.

I recommend you to buy uv coating, paper cutter and paper binding machine . They are very helpful machines.

REgards and thanks,

Sherry

[eddiebail]

Sherry

Thanks for your reply. Why do you say a uv coater I have not come across this before (I must fix this light in my cave) what is it used for?

EddieB

[sherry_xie]

Hi eddie,

Thanks for your reply.

Uv coater is used for protecting the surface from water and other things and make it bright. For example, if you want to make some part of a greeting card special, you could use spot uv coating machine. The coated part will be obviously to be seen and it touchs smoothly.

Hope you would get a general idea about uv coating machine.

regards,

sherry

[eddiebail]

Sherry

Nice one.

Thanks

[Mike Micelotti]

if you plan on doing any numbering, check out my software. it's a real timesaver!

QUALITYPRESSSOFTWARE.COM

[eddiebail]

Thanks for that Mike. Looking into it now.

[CSimpson]

It really depends on what your doing and want you think you will be doing. If I were starting a small print shop in my area I would probably get the following:

A cutter is a must.
A folder is a must.
Adobe Creative Suite Design Standard
Microsoft Office Professional
Some type of imposition software, I personally like Ultimate Technographis products.
Some type of variable data program, I personally like Creo/Kodak's Darwin program.
Obviously whatever digital machines you need to get the work done. And that depends volume, quality, and color requirements.
Some type of punch with changeable dies so you can do spiral, double loop wire and GBC binding.
Some way of scoring and perfing, some folders can do this and you have dedicated machine that do an even better job at it.

If you were doing lots of saddle stitched booklets an offline booklet maker creates a much better booklet because you can dial it in and have a perfect fold and stitch placement. It is impossible to get that with inline booklet makers that come with a lot of equipment.

Offset is a completely different animal and would require a large investment. In my opinion you need the work to push a 26" press 12 hours a day before it becomes worthwhile. The reason is it will be hard to compete price wise with established shops at least in my area until you meet this threshold.

Wide Format really depends on what you think your work is going to be. If you are just going to do posters on paper than all you need is a roll-to-roll inkjet. If you going to do lots of banners, contour cut stickers, and some outdoor signage then something like a Roland Printer/Cutter would be worth looking into. If you are going to be doing mainly signs the UV flatbed like an Oce Arizona 250 is where I would start.

[sherry_xie]

Hi eddie,

If you are interested in these machines i recommend to you(uv coating, paper cutter etc), do let me know and i will let you know more details.

regards,

sherry

Sherry

Nice one.

Thanks

[eddiebail]

It really depends on what your doing and want you think you will be doing. If I were starting a small print shop in my area I would probably get the following:

A cutter is a must.
A folder is a must.
Adobe Creative Suite Design Standard
Microsoft Office Professional
Some type of imposition software, I personally like Ultimate Technographis products.
Some type of variable data program, I personally like Creo/Kodak's Darwin program.
Obviously whatever digital machines you need to get the work done. And that depends volume, quality, and color requirements.
Some type of punch with changeable dies so you can do spiral, double loop wire and GBC binding.
Some way of scoring and perfing, some folders can do this and you have dedicated machine that do an even better job at it.

If you were doing lots of saddle stitched booklets an offline booklet maker creates a much better booklet because you can dial it in and have a perfect fold and stitch placement. It is impossible to get that with inline booklet makers that come with a lot of equipment.

Offset is a completely different animal and would require a large investment. In my opinion you need the work to push a 26" press 12 hours a day before it becomes worthwhile. The reason is it will be hard to compete price wise with established shops at least in my area until you meet this threshold.

Wide Format really depends on what you think your work is going to be. If you are just going to do posters on paper than all you need is a roll-to-roll inkjet. If you going to do lots of banners, contour cut stickers, and some outdoor signage then something like a Roland Printer/Cutter would be worth looking into. If you are going to be doing mainly signs the UV flatbed like an Oce Arizona 250 is where I would start.

Fantastic CSimpson

Food for thought. Would an offline booklet maker make the booklet flat?