Indigo for 1 & 2-color jobs

[GM PRINTER]

I have an already established digital print shop. We currently run 3- Oce 2090's, Canon Imagepress 6010, Konica 6500, NexPress S3000, and every finishing capability you can imagine. We have not gone the offset route yet, but I just cannot compete on some of the longer runs.
We were thinking of buying a refurbed HP Indigo 5000. We want to print 1 & 2-color jobs on it. Black and PMS inks for instance. Since the clicks will be about half of our typical 4-color click we should be able to go after longer runs.
We have never dealed with HP on any level yet, so this would be our first.
Any input or suggestions on our idea?

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Have you had a look at the colour gamut of the device, what Pantone colours it is capable of achieving when compared to the Pantone swatch book?

Bright oranges such as 021, dark/bright blues such as Reflex or 072, bright greens and many other common corporate spot colour hues should be evaluated to see if this device would be capable of being used for solid Pantone emulations.

Keep in mind that the RIP level defaults for Pantone look up's may not be ideal for all colours and that building your own colour lookup tables may be needed to do better (although you may not come close in all cases).

EDIT: If it was not clear, I was referring to Pantone emulation using process inks - however I know that one can also use "plus" spot ink to extend the gamut and the range of Pantone colours that are achievable (similar to the Kodak Spotless print method).


Best,

Stephen Marsh

 

[TheProcessIStheproduct]

PMS can get pricey, and make sure you fully evaluate the time involved to clean out a unit and get it ready to print, could be a deal breaker, Indigo is a beast for b/w and process, but I don't know of anyone running a ton of PMS for above reasons...

 

[RGPW17100]

If you have a lot of customers that use the same PMS you would do well however if not I doubt you will be able to compete with a printing press or duplicator even on small runs. Cleaning the bids for color changes is a pain and I believe each ink kit is over $100. I do a lot of the PMS printing in our shop and it is rare I run the same PMS even twice a week. I mix per job and pocket cost for ink on most smaller jobs is around $5 (usually only mix a 1/4 lb or less per job)

 

[GM PRINTER]

So there is a fare amount of work involved in changing colors??
I was told by the HP Rep that the model we are looking at, 5000, that the changeover is quick and easy.
Is he being a salesman and sugarcoating or is there a difference in the presses?

 

[DigitalJuan]

Hi there,
1. There is an option for "quick&easy" changeover but can't remember the availability for 5000. It runs on 5500 for sure. This is a kit that can be plugged into a section and can wash the whole section while printing another job.
2. Even this it's a bad idea to print light Pantone after been printing dark one.
3. On Indigo sometimes is far more cheaper to print a simulation job. Don't know what you mean after longer run. Simulation is always made by max 3 colors - 2 process and 1 special (orange/violet).
Hope I helped a little...

 

[chiricuzio]

Indigo 1 and 2 color jobs

Indigo 1 and 2 color jobs

The HP Indigo is awesome for spot color work, if it's the right work. Sharp, crisp, spot on color, accurate and consistent. It is best for long runs, or contract deals where you leave a particular spot color in the machine all the time (in 5th-7th units) can work out quite well.

If it is for shorter runs, it will be expensive for you (and your client). You have to buy or mix the spot colors, but the crew at RIT is quick and accurate in providing this service (through HP). When running spot colors, you pay for the click, but you must also buy the inks. Sort of a double jeopardy. Changing over from color to color is much faster than it used to be, but you will still use 30 minutes or longer for the entire process.

So, I am a big fan of the spot color application, have done lots of impressions this way, you just have to be prepared for the reality.

Mike Chiricuzio

 

[GM PRINTER]

So in some instances it may be cheaper to build the color than to put in a spot??
What happens printing a light spot after printing a dark spot.

 

[felixb101]

An old QM-DI (Heidelberg) is your best bet.

 

[GM PRINTER]

Does anyone have any experience with the HP ink mixing station?? Just wondering if that would be beneficial, so I could make up only what I need for each job. Or is that even an option?
I prefer to stay digital if possible, it's hard to find a good quality pressman now a days.