Starting a printing shop

[xdelios]

Hello everyone,

Title might be a bit confusing.
We already have a digital services shop such as b.cards,flyers etc and all kinds of design (started from webdesign) but the thing is we give every print job to a different print shop with all the "big" printer and stuff. (quite popular in town)

Now we are thinking of getting our own machine to start with since the price here for a few b.cards varies and it can start from 5 EUR to 20 EUR (depends quality ofc).

So we thought since we have too many small quantity orders to get our own machine and make them on our own.
This is mostly wanted to reduce our waiting period since we rely on a third party to have them ready for us and sometimes 1 day delays happen which is not good for us.


So basically we are thinking of getting a machine for small jobs (and put more to it as time passes ofc) and I would like your opinion since most of you here are experienced with different printers.

We've looked in KM and Xerox and I personally prefer Xerox just because I have them in mind as a more "professional" brand and more reliable
(not that KM isn't professional or reliable don't get me wrong)

I've looked into:

Xerox Colour C60/C70
Xerox C75 Press
Xerox Colour 560/570

Which would you recommend from these? None maybe? Got something else in mind.

Budget is not actually a problem but we don't want to spend too much now since this is the first machine we gonna take for this purpose. We want something to start with, but we want something solid.

Excuse for my english if this whole text is kinda confusing.
If it makes any difference for anyone's thoughts we are located in Greece,EU.

Thank you all for your time.

Kind Regards,
George

 

[Craig]

Hey George - So you wanna be a printer. I hope you have good nerves and a great liver!

My first piece of advise is to get a grasp on what you will be printing on. Paper type, weight and sizes. Then try to look in the crystal ball and see what your volumes are/will be. At first blush I would say the C or J75, because running business cards that need to register front to back with some accuracy is important.

Now, just because you buy a printer doesn't make you one. There is a whole slew of finishing equipment you will need. Cutter, Folder, Drills, Corner Rounders, Saddle Stitchers....... Before you know it you might wrap up a pretty big wad of change. Then you will understand why the "big" printer is charging what he is.

Don't be discouraged, but at the same time make sure you find the deep end before jumping in!

 

[xdelios]

Hey George - So you wanna be a printer. I hope you have good nerves and a great liver!

My first piece of advise is to get a grasp on what you will be printing on. Paper type, weight and sizes. Then try to look in the crystal ball and see what your volumes are/will be. At first blush I would say the C or J75, because running business cards that need to register front to back with some accuracy is important.

Now, just because you buy a printer doesn't make you one. There is a whole slew of finishing equipment you will need. Cutter, Folder, Drills, Corner Rounders, Saddle Stitchers....... Before you know it you might wrap up a pretty big wad of change. Then you will understand why the "big" printer is charging what he is.

Don't be discouraged, but at the same time make sure you find the deep end before jumping in!

Thank you for your feedback.

So you're saying that with the other models I mentioned I might have a problem with the accuracy in b. cards printing?

Ofc buying a printer doesn't make me one. I am aware that there is a lot to learn and that needs time of course not just browsing the internet.
Thank you for advice and your time.

 

[woosh]

So you're saying that with the other models I mentioned I might have a problem with the accuracy in b. cards printing?

No... It just takes time to get good result.
But time is most expensive thing here

 

[Craig]

Woosh is correct. Even though our main production press is a Xerox 1000 that has all the bells as whistles we have a KM C6000 that we use as a back up (though it still gets 40,000/month on it). We hear a lot about F2B registration issues with it, yet my operator can get nearly as good registration on it as our 1000. He has taken the time to understand the registration adjustments and how to tweak them just right to get the best results. Recently we ran 5000 cards 4 up on 12x18 on the 6000 and were splitting the trim marks on the cutter. it's all about setting the equipment up properly.

Saying that, you can't have an office machine and expect it to be a production printer. It would be like putting a Ferrari sticker on a Smart Car, it ain't the same. They are not designed to take the punishment of cover weight stock running every day, they are made for 8.5 x 11 20lb. It may work for a while but you will be kicking yourself in the end.

 

[xdelios]

Saying that, you can't have an office machine and expect it to be a production printer. It would be like putting a Ferrari sticker on a Smart Car, it ain't the same. They are not designed to take the punishment of cover weight stock running every day, they are made for 8.5 x 11 20lb. It may work for a while but you will be kicking yourself in the end.

Yeah I definately understand that.
It just that spec wise (according to the brochures) these machines don't have too many differences.

Anyway I get the point...
Btw I got a call today with an offer (to start with as they said) about a KM Bizhub C452

I looked for it and it seems pretty simple to me...

They told me they offer it to me as a machine to start with and later on I can change to a bigger machine like the xerox mentioned above.
Is that KM any good? Will it print b.cards up to 300gsm?

 

[Keith]

I faced the same decision 5 years ago - a KM C652 or a Xerox DC252. I went with the Xerox even though the payment was much more, it had a lower click cost. Remember what Craig said about expectations and office machines? The Xerox was also capable of 13 x 19 which means you can run 6 x 9 post cards 4up with bleed. The registration was tolerable as long as you allowed a good 1/8" bleed and 1/8" safety area. the Xerox was also rated for gloss stock. That is important. I don't know what Greek customers like but over here in the states, a lot of our customers like gloss. Can you make money with the KM C452? Sure you can! I started with a Xante Ilumina before the Xerox. But a lot of it comes down to what your customers want and what you expect (out of the machine).

 

[xdelios]

Considering the lower specs machine like the c452 would you go with that one or a ineo+ 364?

Getting a bit off-topic probably just mentioning the 2 alternatives that I received offers about.

 

[xdelios]

Considering the lower specs machine like the c452 would you go with that one or a ineo+ 364?

Getting a bit off-topic probably just mentioning the 2 alternatives that I received offers about.

Any thoughts on that?
Got an offer for a 364 and I am wondering if its a good small machine to start with for b.cards up to 300gr and flyers.

Please share your thoughts

 

[h j commercial printers]

Any thoughts on that?
Got an offer for a 364 and I am wondering if its a good small machine to start with for b.cards up to 300gr and flyers.

Please share your thoughts

hi the rit machine i suggest is kmc6000.