Does anyone have experience with both a HP Indigo and a Canon Varioprint iX 3200 press?

[Printron9000]

Hi!, I’m wondering if anyone has used both an Indigo and the iX, and how they compare to each other in terms of quality, speed, uptime, and maintenance. I’m currently running Indigo 7900s.
Thanks!

 

[Dmiller35]

I was the primary operator on an Indigo 7600 (I think that is the correct model #) years ago and our shop purchased an iX 3200 last year.
We've run into a few uptime issues but that doesn't mean that every machine will be the same. The quality is on par, if not better.
Speedwise I believe it's faster. The iX is rated for 4500 12x18 4/4 sheets per hour. I believe the Indigo is rated for 3600 per hour for the same sheet.
I'm not the operator on the iX so I can't say for sure but my understanding is that it requires much less maintenance. Ink is coming from bottles so there are no tanks to clean. No blankets or PIPs to swap out.
There's pros and cons to both but I prefer the iX.
One thing that could be an issue is footprint. While a 7900 is large, the iX is a giant. (Even longer if you add an inline cutter on the end like we did)

 

[digidave]

I have several customers who have either augmented their HP Indigos with an iX3200 or replaced them outright that I would be happy to put you in touch with. You can either send me a private message here or via email at [email protected].

Dave

 

[holyoni]

What about pricing model? Does anyone have some info? Is it click based or is per liter (gallon) of ink?

 

[Dmiller35]

There are several different pricing models to choose from, I believe. One is fully click based and the other gives you lower rates depending on coverage. So, if you have a job that is only using 10% coverage, you get a much lower rate than something that has 40 or 50% coverage. This is useful if running things like letterhead or letters with text and maybe logo at the top.