Digital press recommendation

[ruffus161]

Hey guys My first post here and I'm asking for a recommendation.
I have a custom product designed by me which works and sells quite well. In the manufacturing process of this product there are two types of prints required: one are SRA3+ prints , full page color (full page digital illustrations), front and back, printed on 200gsm stock. The other print are also digital artwork done on 450x450mm 90gsm paper, full colour ,on one side only. Prints will then get a linen finish and applied on the product. The challenge is that the orders for this product are in the 100-500pcs range, and the prints are done to customize the product to the client's demands on each different order.
Now I've been looking for some digital solutions for this as I would like to do the printing in house to get a better control on the manufacturing process and on the quality. As far as I've what I've come up with there are some digital presses with whcih I could do the SRA3 prints and a plotter with a CISS system to the 450x450mm ones. But since I have no experience with these devices so far I kindly ask you guys for some recommendations. The initial cost of the machine is not such a relevant factor , rather these would be the top 3, as far as I have identified them:

- image quality since I would, in both cases, be printing full page digital artwork
- the production cost, my target would be to get as close as possible to offset printing costs
- the ink/toner capacity of the device should be quite large so that I don't have to change it that ofter, especially mid-job as these prints are consuming a lot of ink/toner.

So what would you guys recommend? Thank you all in advance

 

[kslight]

If you aren't currently working in the print industry I would recommend finding a (local?) vendor that meets your requirements and let them accept the burden. With those short of runs obviously anyone will run it digital, and once you set up your parameters/proof process I imagine any modern competent printer (probably not a "quick copy shop" like Kinko's or UPS) should be able to keep relatively consistent quality from day to day...especially if they know it is reoccurring work. You may have to audition a few print shops to find someone that works for you, but it would be well worth it.

I understand the appeal of wanting to control the print quality in house, but any professional printing device will not only cost you significantly more money on a lease/service/supplies than the cost per copy from a print shop, but also be significantly inferior quality to what an actual printer will have. And of course you will also be on the hook if said machine does not meet your requirements/goes bad over a run/requires service/you decide to quit producing this job...

 

[Keith]

I don't know of any toner device that can do 450mm x 450mm. You would have to use a wide-format inkjet and I don't think any of them are fast enough to do 500pcs. Producing it in-house will be a huge distraction from the other far more important things you need to work on, like design and sales. the money you would spend on equipment would be much better utilized on advertising and marketing. But I don't really know because I don't really understand your situation.

 

[wonderings]

I agree with what everyone else said. You are jumping into an industry that can have a lot of hassles if you do not know what you are doing. I would shop around your area, talk to the local print shops, let them know what is important to you and what you need from your prints and find one who will work with you.

If you buy a digital press you now need a way to finish your prints so now you need a cutter as well. You can be adding a world of headaches not knowing the print business. Sure you can do it, the question is are the headaches and learning curves something you really want to add when you could have a relationship with a local printer who you simply send the files to and get back a job that meets your standards.

 

[xcelprint]

Ditto all advice above

 

[Puch]

So many opportunists here... If you have a nice budget (I mean around 1,5 million EURs), you can fulfil this job's requirements with a Fuji JetPress.

https://www.fujifilm.eu/eu/products/graphic-systems/commercial-digital-printing/p/jet-press-720s

I know about a similar, almost market-ready solution from Konica, too. I guess the price will be in the same ballpark.

 

[msaeger]

So many opportunists here... If you have a nice budget (I mean around 1,5 million EURs), you can fulfil this job's requirements with a Fuji JetPress.

https://www.fujifilm.eu/eu/products/graphic-systems/commercial-digital-printing/p/jet-press-720s

I know about a similar, almost market-ready solution from Konica, too. I guess the price will be in the same ballpark.

The indigo 12000 does that size too . But really there are a lot of machines that do the A3+ and you would need a large format roll fed type machine to to the other prints unless you want to do them all on the large format device. Not sure if you need 100—500 of each size on each job?