Basement Digital Printing services

[johny24]

Hi me and partner are designers, and we have lots of clients asking if we offer printing services. Now that we have a huge clientele and demand, we want to expand and offer printing services too, but we don't know where to look or how to start it? I tried googling but no luck. until I find this site

Basically we want to offers services like this other competitor is doing below... What machines do we need to offer the same services as below in the above? where can I educate myself about printing these type of works? and what machines you guys recommend



I did work as a computer IT Tech/ Office printer tech (ex: Lexmark all in one printers , dell all in one laserjet)
So I am not totally new about printing replaced a few laser heads, fusers, tone arm Assemblys, paper rollers etc.



Thanks

Johnny

 

[johny24]

Oh by the way before I get a bunch of Naysayers, and a side note about

I did some reading here and there, everybody recommends to outsource however our clients needs 24hr delivery so Vistaprint is not an option . So I will want to learn about print and will be doing the printing and maintenance while my friend does the design part. I am stubborn and see the shops around here in new york with alot of work and some of them with no clue doing pretty well. We will be printing alot of Club flyers and business cards mostly..

Thanks

Johnny

 

[jminrod]

I believe you could find a small digital print shop that would turn items in 24 hrs for you. Subbing work out really would be the best way, if you are doing great design work you can sell yourself as a professional marketing/media company and the mark ups would make not worth going through the hassle of taking care of machinery. As far as starting out I would recommend checking out as many companies as you have time for. From the work you explain I would check out xeikon, then xerox there are others but I know these 2 offer smaller color pieces of equipment with some acceptable quality. Get click/impression charges written out & and double check maintenance packages when comparing prices between companies. Do research the equipment once you narrow it down. The other option would be to contact a print material supplier like G.E. Richards or Fuji and put the trust into the hands of someone that sells all different brands of equipment that could fit your workflow. Best of luck, but I would also recommend dealing with vendors or joining ASI or SAGE

 

[Alith7]

jminrod has the right of it at the end.
Contact your local Fuji rep, (or I can ask mine to let me know who is good in your area), and sit down and talk strategy with them. Fuji sells/services almost everything you would need. And can guide you on a route to be successful. Look at it this way, if you're not successful, you're not buying from him, he's not making money. So it's in your Rep's best interest to make sure you do well.
In the 2,500 - 5,000 volume though, you really don't want to do those Digitally. The cost is too high per piece. Your rep should be able to point you in the direction of a local trustworthy printer that you can partner with for your larger run production.
Keep in mind though, if you stretch yourself too thin too fast, you will sink. My boss has always operated on this concept: Farm out work until the volume you farm out justifies the cost of the equipment to do it yourself. don't buy equipment and hope to get work to pay for it. that is almost always guaranteed failure.

To start small volume production in-house, you will need:
- Copier - Probably color, color & B&W would be even better because the B&W click charges are MUCH cheaper on a B&W machine. Knowing your volume BEFORE you sit down to negotiate your digital machine lease will be a HUGE benefit. the more you KNOW you are going to run, the better click rate you can get. but if you contract for a certain volume and don't run that much, you pay for the clicks anyways, and now you're throwing away money.
- Table top hand score machine. Our digital shops love the "Count" equipment. it's fairly inexpensive and works great.
- Table top folding machine. You can pick these up used fairly cheap. they are pretty easy to use, and fairly simple machines so cheap to fix. Don't be afraid of one that 15-20 years old. they are literally tanks.
- Cutter - NOT the elementary school art room paper cutter. they are horrible! a smaller Guillotine cutter is what you want to look for. there are electric and hand crank versions. if you can afford it, go for the electric. again, used is the way to go!

watch for auctions in your area. you're in a prime area for it right now. It sounds (and feels) horrible to take advantage of someone else's misfortune, but it's the best way to help your company grow.

And, use this forum!
we're pretty helpful.

 

[Possumgal]

I'll second what the previous two have said. Too many people get too enthusiastic, buy too many expensive machines, then wait for the business to roll in. The machines that produce product sellable to the public often cost way more than people expect, whether on a lease or purchase basis. The cost of consumables can be sickening also.

Get some quotes from various dealers based on your present volume, with room to expand, and sit down with the numbers to see what you can afford. If you buy equipment rather than lease, figure in the cost of tech service, whether on a service contract or by the visit – and figure in twice as many visits as you envision. These machine always need more service than you think. Also figure in the cost of training, if it's not included. Will the machine need special electrical capacity, such as a dedicated circuit? Does it need a temp and humidity controlled environment (almost all do)? How much will your utility bills go up?

Don't forget to get quotes on your most requested stocks.

 

[Craig]

I say go for it! Grab a wad of about $150,000 and go buy some basic equipment that will be needed to "print". Plan on stocking several thousand dollars in paper so you can turn those 24hr jobs! And remember, when you are playing "printer" you won't be designing.

 

[johny24]

Thank you guys especially at Alith7, and I would like to talk to fuji specialist someone that you recommend I live in the New york city area(Queens to be exact). The print number I estimated is about including business cards, 4x6 flyers, and 8x16 size posters are 300,000 month...

At craig what basic equipment you recommend?? (What printing machine I should be looking at?)

 

[Alith7]

Thank you guys especially at Alith7, and I would like to talk to fuji specialist someone that you recommend I live in the New york city area(Queens to be exact). The print number I estimated is about including business cards, 4x6 flyers, and 8x16 size posters are 300,000 month...

At craig what basic equipment you recommend?? (What printing machine I should be looking at?)

I could be wrong...but I think Craig was being VERY sarcastic... I was going to say something but originally decided not to. I really dislike rude unhelpful people. and if he wasn't being sarcastic, than I apologize.

300,000??? that seems a bit high. are you counting per-piece or total sheets? keep in mind, business cards run average of 16-20 up on an 11x17 sheet. If you really are running that volume, than you are well ready to start running your own. however, you ALWAYS want to estimate low. on my Xerox 700i, we are contracted for 50,000 clicks a month color, no minimum on B&W. we pay for those 50,000 clicks regardless of if we use them or not, and if you don't they do NOT get credited to the next month. There's no "roll over" clicks like AT&T lets you do with minutes. That said, unlike a cell phone, it's BETTER to go over. usually, your click rate stays the same when you go over, but on the lean months, (and they will happen) you aren't eating costs you can't cover.

I'll talk to my Fuji Rep and see what he knows...

 

[chad.trent]

A few other things...

These machines aren't small. You need a good amount of space to set them up.

Then you need to set up accounts with a local paper company to buy the paper you need in the sizes you need. And space to store it all.

You also have to think about how much electricity you're going to use. How much noise these machines will create. Heat/smells that are produced.

Then there's training on how to use them.

Have you ever worked in a print shop before? If not, I'd start there.

 

[JustinB]

It's probably worth mentioning that many digital printers and paper cutters are going to require higher voltage and or amperage than you can get in a basement (assuming you're talking a residential basement.)

In my particular situation, I have 2 suites in a building of 4, not because I need the space, but because I need the electricity.

I agree that Craig was being very sarcastic. If you want the equipment necessary to do all the things you see on that flier, you're probably in for 250k.

Digital press that will handle 13x19 sheets
Densitometer for calibrating press
Paper Cutter
Paper folder for making brochures
Creasing machine for creasing digitally printed sheets.
UV Coater
Light Tables
Paper Storage - Paper usually comes in big sheets (26x40, 28x40, etc.) not small sheets. You have to cut it down to use it.
Storage for boxes to put printed material in.
Possible Round Corner Machine
Possible Paper Drill
If not included as a finishing option on your digital press, a saddle stitcher.
Punch for punching coil bound books if someone asks for them.

This isn't simple like adding a beer tap to your fridge.

If you want to do 300,000 pieces per month, you're investing a LOT of money and staff into it.

Justin

 

[Rich Envelopes]

Forget VistaPrint - but - fortunately for you and unfortunately for the general printing industry - there are a number of on-line trade printers who turn jobs in 24 to 48 hrs and they are unbeatable on price and decent quality too. I shake my head in disbelief every time I check their pricing and wonder (worry) how the small and medium printer can compete.

 

[OkiTech]

Hi I am selling my 50% part of a Printing SHOP + Copier/Printer Service company. We're in Brooklyn, NY, Sheepsheadbay 11235. Service company is 10 yeards old, Prining is 8.
In printing we have Ryobi 3302H, Toko ProPrint R2SH 2 color presses, Heidelberg DI Plus, Konica Minolta BizhubPro C65HC color printer, Konica Minolta Bizhub 1050e b/w, RICOH 240W Blue Print copier, Saddle Stitch Booklet maker, Duplo Perfect Binder, Polar 66 24" proramable cutter, EZ Creaser, way to much to list everything... Most imopratnt - everything is owned, not leased or financed, because we're copier/printer service provider, we service our own equipment. Located in 2 story building 2000 Sq feet each floor, Over 600K/year gross, $220K send me a PM if this is something you might be interested to discuss. Roman.

 

[Possumgal]

A few other things to think about. Does your locale require a business license? You'll need a tax I.D. as well. If you're actually planning to work out of a basement, such as starting out in your house, you need to look at local zoning laws. You probably won't be permitted to run a business like this out of your house.

Whether digital or offset, there are environmental laws to be considered also. Will you recycle used toner? If not, will your trash company take it? Do you have to get some kind of permit or inspection to run the machine you choose out of the space you have? Some localities have rules about how much airspace you need, as these machines do give off fumes.

Fun, ain't it?

 

[arossetti]

Bare bones you will need the following:

Printer: $50,000 (Xerox 700) Uses 220v
A Cutter: $10,000 (Challenge Spartan 185) Uses 110 I think.
Scorer: $1,000 (Hand Operated)
Folder: $3,000 (Friction Fed Folder) Uses 110
Paper: Keep it simple with 2 stocks and run it all 12x18, 100# Text and a 100# Cover. Couple cases of each will be about $70/case.

Remember you will have a monthly maintenance and clicks on the printer but I don't see why you couldn't start with the essentials for under $75,000. Is it a sound investment? Probably not but who am I to say what your situation is.

 

[GotInk]

For 3k, you're looking at a nice table top air feed folder. Don't even bother with a friction feed.

 

[OkiTech]

true that, there is number of them on EBAY.
Before / if you take on high end printer as X700 please make sure that your local dealer will take on service contract, this pretty much goes to any machine your will decide to buy. Units these expensive is always better to have under "per click" contract VS "Pay Per call"
As far as cutter - You can pick up Polar 66 for $10-12K, you cant go wrong with POLAR.

Dear arossetti, i would be more than happy to follow your advice and keep it simple - 2 stocks but me and anyone else has to go where ever his clientele takes him, where as little as 20 different stock would be a lucky to have this little.

We have Konica Minolta BIZHUB PRESS C6000 with less than 200K pages on it with EFI Fiery PRO80, Large Capacity Tray, Finisher, awesome machine - $25K, Can set-up 39 or 48 month $1 buyout lease.

 

[Alith7]

true that, there is number of them on EBAY.
Before / if you take on high end printer as X700 please make sure that your local dealer will take on service contract, this pretty much goes to any machine your will decide to buy. Units these expensive is always better to have under "per click" contract VS "Pay Per call"
As far as cutter - You can pick up Polar 66 for $10-12K, you cant go wrong with POLAR.

Dear arossetti, i would be more than happy to follow your advice and keep it simple - 2 stocks but me and anyone else has to go where ever his clientele takes him, where as little as 20 different stock would be a lucky to have this little.

We have Konica Minolta BIZHUB PRESS C6000 with less than 200K pages on it with EFI Fiery PRO80, Large Capacity Tray, Finisher, awesome machine - $25K, Can set-up 39 or 48 month $1 buyout lease.

having helped open 4 different copy centers now for my boss, I don't think he needs to go as large as a Polar. Our copy centers have 14x20 cutters that work just fine.

And all in all, stop scaring the poor guy! it's an intimidating enough business decision, without throwing all the doom and gloom at him. The man I have worked for for the last 12 years started his company with a little AB dick in his basement and a manual crank guillotine cutter. He now owns a decently sized commercial print house that specializes in POP packaging and quick turn solutions, and 3 copy centers/digital shops (all 4 shops are currently quite busy and have been). Everyone has to start SOMEWHERE, and if he already has the client base, he's halfway there.

 

[gig0]

Hi johny24,

I work for trade printer and deal with print brokers. We will undercut you by margin of 50% because this business is so cut throat now. Nothing personal. Just trying to feed my family.

Love,

Reality

 

[JustinB]

In the original post he included a flier of items and prices. If that's the stuff he wants to do, then he needs to get the equipment that will do it.

Decent Digital Press
Creaser
Folder
UV Coater
Cutter

Even if he buys second hand/cheap, he still needs lots of electricity and floor space for it all.

There's a reason that there are half as many printers in America as there were a decade ago. This industry is brutally tough.

 

[chad.trent]

In the original post he included a flier of items and prices. If that's the stuff he wants to do, then he needs to get the equipment that will do it.

Decent Digital Press
Creaser
Folder
UV Coater
Cutter

Even if he buys second hand/cheap, he still needs lots of electricity and floor space for it all.

There's a reason that there are half as many printers in America as there were a decade ago. This industry is brutally tough.

This is the truth. In the past three years I've worked for one printer that closed and another that is close to closing. At one time 10-15 years ago there were more than 20 print shops in town. Now I believe I can count the number on one hand.