TRUEPRESS 344

Re: TRUEPRESS 344

If you wanted to talk to any of our users or even visit one in your area, that could be arranged. what company are you from/area

cheers
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

Hey guys, just found this site while searching for info in the TruPress 344. I have been comparing the available Di's in the market and the Screen keeps coming out on top.
I just signed the contract for one last week and it will be installed Jan. 7th. This was a very difficult decision, mainly because of the first few failures in the US market by Screen. From my investigation the machines were yanked because of dampening unit issues. We printers in the US don't use alcohol (in printing presses anyway) and the roller compounds and lack of skew adjustment on the pan roller led to emulsification and ink stripping problems. I was impressed with the demonstration and it appears these issues have been addressed.
There is a lot too like about the Screen press compared to the Presstek and I think I have made the correct decision, but I am still concerned because of the lack of penetration into the US market. In order for us to be successful with our new press it is important that Screen is successful with placing units in our market. The plates for the Screen press are not proprietary such as the Presstek but it wont make any difference if there is not enough units in the market for another plate manufacture to come on board with an alternative to the Konica/Minolta offering.
Not to mention the lack of support if they don't get these machines out there.

If anyone is interested, I will post our experience with the install and production issues once we get rolling.

So come on fellow ink dippers and buy this press, Its going to be tough starting a users group with no users!

David
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

Hello David,
we just install TP344N.
Some problems as yours, most by dampening problems
In South Asia, TP penetration so slow.
Now we only the one which use TP344
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

Hello arif. Slow penetration in the USA as well. I wish you luck with your new press. I'm sure Screen is all over the dampening problem, they want this press to be successful.

Hi Screen, what's up?
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

David,
Arif,
What has been your experience with the TP 344. How is the production and quality. Are you there in Drupa ?
Regards
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

Hello baratk,
The Production and the quality is good.
But having problem with plate supply for this month, they said KONICA have been late to delivery but they promise me to deliver the plate by this end of May.
Regards,
Arif
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

I think after drupa, there will be a lot more machines in asia, especially india. There are 50 working machines in EMEA now.
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

The 344 is a sweet machine. It could kick some butt in the USA also. Ptek is NOT the only show in the DI market.
Screen is a great company that could really capture the DI market if they tried.

OG
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

i personnally can't see the market for new di presses growing.
how much does a new ptek 52di cost. $450,000
about the same as a pm52 with consol and most automation. give me the versatility of the pm52
use any plates. use metalic ink higher running speed for long runs. even if it doesn't happen often you are going to have a 100,000 run some day. and with the presstek you are going to image 5 times instead of 1 set of plates. if you have a niche market sure go di. if you want a starter 4color go used di. but buying new Why?
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

My personal experience of the 344 is not good. I find it very user unfriendly, over sensitive, very unforgiving and obviously designed by a computer nerd who is probably a crap printer. Haven't seen a feeder set up like that since the old Multiliths and thought they had died a death. Good enough to print jobbing runs for customers who know nothing about what they are buying, but for quality...forget it.
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

Thsi is not the impression that I have. Could you be more specific. What equipment s do you have and what are the problems you are / were facing. When did you buy the machine?
You comments, I am sure, has surprised all of us in the forum.
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

Problems as such ,are an intolerance of variable temperatures in its surroundings which lead to variation of damping levels which in turn lead to dot gain and variations in colour especially in the neutral grey areas of which we tend to print quite a lot. It is almost impossible to print the same job in the same colour from one day to the next even with minder adjustments and even changes during the course of morning to afternoon printing. There is a variation in colours from grip edge to leave so variations in colour show up if printing two or four up.
Our press has shown a complete intolerance of our inks and chemicals (all of which have worked for years on our Speedmasters, GTO and Sorms.) and we now are running on Screen recommended chemicals and Van Son Inks which, just like our inks on this press, tends to emulsify very easily ,quite apart from the fact that the colours of the VanSon inks themselves vary from batch to batch. We have increased the Alcohol dosage which has gone someway to decreasing the emulsifying problem, which in turn does not help our ambitions of being alcohol free.
The instability of Ink/Water balance due to the inability of the machine to recognize that one has changed from a light to heavy ink density job means the minder has to be alert to potential problems and override automatic settings. The fact that you cant see anything thats happening on the machine means you dont realise the problem 'til the machine churns out the first sheeet. Always assuming that its going to come out in the first place.
The sheet decurler couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding so we have to hand decurl on some back ups particularly on the heavier stocks. This is obviously going to be a recurring problem given the size of the impression cylinder. That a quarter of a million pounds plus machine doesn't have adjustable angle pick up suckers on the Feeder just about sums the feeder up. Even Rotaprints had adjustable suckers for Gods sake. Feeder settings are quite critical to prevent misregister and nearly every job is run on maximum blow and suck which goes against the grain of everything I've ever been taught.
On the User friendly front. Well. When you've cleaned the blankets, and Impression cylinders by hand at the end of the shift, let me know how your back feels. Due to the fact that every guard on the machine prevents any visibility whatsoever of the print process, I've had more sheets round rollers and smashed blankets than in the last 30 years put together. And when you've had to take the inking and damping rollers out and back and reset them, then you can try telling me it's user friendly. It's handy if you are ambidextrous.
Lots of other, but niggly problems have arisen, not really worth mentioning but put together as a whole package contribute to the factors that make me say that this is the worst press I have ever had the misfortune to have operated
We've had the machine 5 months now. And I have worked many machines. New ones have come in and, yes, I've encountered teething problems. Nothing which has never been solved or common sense has not resolved. It is capable of printing a good solid, prints a lovely dot if it's not too hot under the collar and prints a nice job. Whether the job is MEANT to look like that or is the same as you've printed previously is another matter.
The Screen engineers and demonstrators are really nice guys and very helpful. I'm on first name terms with them all. What does that tell you?
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

What you say about inks and damping goes for any Offset press.
If you are not able to control and other locations can, it for you to evaluate where you are going wrong. It is incorrect to blame the machine if you have not been able to find the right combination. I would also like to point out that the TP 344. at Drupa seems to have worked without the problems mentioned by you. And if they came I am sure they were not of the magnitude manntioned by you.
And any offset press, if printing a job with light ink requirement after a job with heavy ink requirement will require more time to settle down unless you de-ink first.
Are you informing all of us that the Ryobi and the machine thats based on it i.e. the Presstek Di is any better ? Have you worked on any a Akiyama or a GTO or any size 52 machines where the space is also at a premium.
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

I've worked single and 2 colour GTO 46 and 52's virtually since they came out. My old company was one of the first in England to buy one. You're quite right about inking/damping settings being true of any press. But because you can see the plates on the GTO and other presses you can actually see that your settings are incorrect before you go on to impression and correct accordingly. Thus you dont start printing with an inked up cylinder. In the 4/5 months we've had the Trupress I still haven't found an average settting for the damping thats suits the job or start up. Our GTO for example, the damping is set to 10 and by the end of the day could be up to 12. The Sormz likewise and the Speedmasters were usually on about 30%. I also know the Ryobi well having worked alongside one for a few years and also a Sakurai - Oliver. I don't have much to say that is complimentary about either of them either. I've also worked on Komoris too. Please also reread what I said. I didn't say anything about heavy to light ink coverage. And why shouldn't I blame the machine. It seems other locations are having similar damping and temperature related issues. Its why I came on to these forums in the first place. To see if I was the only one. I feel very much better now after reading them.
My experience of Japanese machines is that they are full of technology but the machines are crap. Look at it this way. The 344 cost around a quarter of a mill. By the time you've taken the cost of the Imaging heads , the scanner, and the Baldwin Damping, you trying to tell me you have enough left to make a half decent 4 colour print machine?
I know all about the 344 at Drupa. There were four of them running it so I am reliably informed by senior staff from my company who were there. I also went to an on site demonstration. I was sold on it with all the pretty coloured lights and little dinky tunes it played. Isn't that cute? I wasn't sold on what came out of the dirty end. The end that the customer is interested in. I also wasn't sold on the wasteage before the machine reaches the so-called job spec. And now I'm actually running the damn thing, I can say I'm not sold on the machine. I reiterate what I've already said. Its a dinky little toy for customers who wouldn't know quality from a nice image or are just after a pretty and cheap job.
If it's making you money then well and good. I'm pleased that you like it and are having a good time with it. You'll never ever tell me that it is a good print machine capable of good quality work. Unfortunately, at the moment, I'm the poor bugger that has to run the thing. And I can think of easier ways of making a living.
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

Hello to all, we are company based in Slovenia, till now mainly in digital printing bussiness (XEROX). We just ordered a screen TP 344 this week
because the local volumes of the printing is from 1000 - 10000 pcs. which we can not do with digital printing machines. There are about 5 machines now in Slovenia. I would be thankfull for any informations about experiences and potentional problems about the machine.

regards

GOGI
 
Re: TRUEPRESS 344

Maybe ask your manager to take you off the machine and let a more qualified person operate it?
The TP344 is a sweet machine and your description of it seems like you are not able to grasp the techno ability to run it.
It is a step ahead of the Presstek 34DI using real ink and fountain solution vs. waterless ink and low gloss output etc.
With the new GREEN products being forced down our throats today by the save the planet freaks we must all get use to change. Give me a real offset press printing any day not the waterless type.
OG
 

PressWise

A 30-day Fix for Managed Chaos

As any print professional knows, printing can be managed chaos. Software that solves multiple problems and provides measurable and monetizable value has a direct impact on the bottom-line.

“We reduced order entry costs by about 40%.” Significant savings in a shop that turns about 500 jobs a month.


Learn how…….

   
Back
Top