Replacing Offsett Press

[Ieperverdun]

Priport HQ9000

Priport HQ9000

NCR forms, card stock, letterhead & envelopes are about all we run on the press now.
Most newsletters are small runs that go on the copy machines.

This is a very small shop - currently 3 full-time & 1 part time - in a small 30,000 market with too many other print shops in town.
Along with printing & copying, I've added in-house posters, digital yard signs, car magnets & banners.
I do the graphics. Process color work is out-sourced along with color & thermo business cards.

Here's my thinking: I have seen samples of what the duplicator can do - the quality on text is fine. The halftones are a bit coarse....but they are better or equal to what my daylight Itek camera (with silvermaster plates) is producing. Yes, replacing the camera with a digital plate system would be one solution. BUT most of the digital platemakers are too pricey for the work we do.
I know quality-wise this is a step back - BUT since I am mostly printing forms & lower end stuff, I don't think it will be noticable. The duplicator will allow me to produce what we need with one less full-time employee.... unitl the economy gets back on track.

If the economy wasn't tanking, perhaps I would go in a different direction. No, I don't want to add a lease/loan payment at this time but I figure, with the reduction in payroll & insurance, it will pay for itself in one year.

I think a 1-2 month trial period is a good idea though....will have to see if that is possible.


(Offsetguy - I have a Hamada 660, 2 color not AB Dick. The quick printer who replaced his AB Dick with the HQ9000 duplicator in 2006 is now selling the AB Dick).

Sue

Hello, this is an e-mail from the Netherlands. Therefore I must apologize for any mistakes in my English! But I was wondering if anyone can tell me if I can upgrade my Ricoh HQ9000 myself by installing the Postscript 3 RIP (called the RCP 80 - RIP) - or does it has to be done by an technician?

 

[Quick Printer]

We had the technician install the Postscript. I don't know if you can do it yourself. IMO the Postscript RIP is necessary in print for pay situations. It vastly improves the output especially the halftones.

We have had our Savin 3590 duplicator (same as Ricoh HQ 9000) since May 2009 and it has been an amazing machine for our business. The quality on forms rivals and many times surpasses what our press could produce. It's ink not toner, no heat involved but it dries fast. It is quick, clean, no powder, no chemicals, no paper curling.

Yes, there are some things that it cannot do....we can't print tight register 2 color or PMS colors so I have to find a print partner for that. And right now I only have black, reflex, red and hunter green drums so, until we add more drums, my bright green, maroon and brown orders also have to be outsourced too.

The biggest plus is that it runs like a copier...my CSRs can run it off the glass or I can send computer files. This has been a good choice for us at this time.

Sue

 

[postnetnc133]

I would hold off on the duplicators if you have a press. I am a quick printer and we are doing less and less with our RISO RP3700 but we still keep it because we do newsletters for local schools with single color, as well as thicker stock but the duplicators or at least ours does not do great with graphics. text and clip art and that is it. So most of our printing is on our BW units or color. When I took over I thought the RISO was going to be such a great unit and it is and it is solid with no maintenance contract the thing is a beast and never needs service but the work is just not there. You need drums for the ink which last I checked each drunk new cost around $1000.

We just purchased a Xerox 252 and that is where we are today focusing on the digital color quick printing.

Personally I just dont think you want to go with a duplicator.

 

[ibler]

Hi! We have the same kind of set-up (offset and digital). We're just a small printer trying to maximize market capability thus we invested in these two types of technology.

For the offset, we have a couple of single color machines that run full color jobs on tight registration. The other machines are dedicated to run thick stocks as well as PMS colors.

On the digital side, we started with GR model from Riso. It was the bread and butter machine for the digital for a long time. When clients started asking for full color short run jobs, we invested in a digital color copier. It came with a service contract.

To make it short, you can survive with both technologies because they supplement each other. BW text jobs are run on the digital duplicators. BW images are run on the press. Plates are sometimes outsourced just to cut on overhead. But for full color jobs with very short runs, we load them on the colored printer.

It's a good set-up but as you guys mentioned, the issue now is what to do with excess manpower. That is something we are working on. And this forum just gave us good insights as to our direction.

Thanks guys and good luck to us all!!!

 

[GregNac19]

My 2 cents

My 2 cents

This would be a reason to look at digitial printing versus duplicators. I have a customer who sells Barack Obama calendars for $5.00 a piece. This is CS2 100lb 12X18 paper. The click rate for them is about $0.065 per impression and I'll go high of $0.10 for the sheet of paper. What industry can you turn $0.17 into $5.00. Now I know this does not include overhead but do you see where I am going here. A duplicator is a static image which can be inexpensive to run but also low return on investment.
If the duplicating system is what you would like to look at you need to at least look at the Xerox CoorQube. Xerox ColorQube 9201/9202/9203 for Low Cost Color
You can do highlight color for $0.0089 per impression. This machine allows you to pay for what color you use. Plus unlike the duplicator every page can be different.
When you want to talk workhorse, just imagine it only has the toner and the drum to replace.
Just a thought.

 

[Quick Printer]

The thing I don't like about toner based copies is that the paper gets curled and wavy with the heat. On the duplicator it's ink on paper and the sheets come out nice and flat like offset.

In good times, there is a place for duplicator, digital copier and offset press. But with this economy I don't have enough work to keep an offset pressman busy 3 days a week much less than full time. I had to make a choice.

Here is another entry in the digital short-run color area.
YouTube - PSI Laser Mail 3655 Full Color Printer

Sue

 

[GregNac19]

The ColorQube uses solid ink. It fuses at about 200F versus 350F for laser engines.

 

[TJPrinter]

I love the HQ9000 for what it is made to do. If you are looking to replace your press and labor to run it, then this is the best way to go. Try to put 9x12 catalog envelopes on a copier, or run 1,000 #10 with black ink in less than 10 minutes. How about reflex blue on 3 part ncr, this is no problem on the digital duplicator. It does not replace everything your press will do. I still run a press, but having the HQ9000 is like having a second press operator. There is a line of quality and price and the digital duplicator fills a specific need. You will need some good sources for outsourcing the work the duplicator will not do if you dump the press and operator though. I have over 500,000 clicks on it and not 1 problem. Maybe there will be an affordable sheetfed inkjet soon, don't know but when there is, the press is gone! Good Luck.

 

[X33]

The thing I don't like about toner based copies is that the paper gets curled and wavy with the heat.

This depends on the model. Some models, like the Xerox 700, have different decurler modules that you can even customize based on different types of paper, so you can get a flat sheet at the end.

 

[FastColorInColumbia]

Overwelmingly presses can print on materials printers cant and they can print any color you want them to, printers are only CMYK. If you can outsource your press work and make it profitable, its a thought. I think the 1 or 2 color press is going to be viable for some time though, at least in most shops. Updating that 430 with a smaller, dry plate system may be good though.

 

[Quick Printer]

TJ Printer -
Where is the setting to change the default lpi???
I have looked but can't seem to find that setting.

Thanks!
Sue

We've been running the HQ9000 for a little over a month now and purchased it to fill the gap between our AB Dick 9800's and copying. It's network connected and equiped with PS level 3. I can say that the screens and halftones are not as good as our Digiplates at 133lpi when run on the 9800's but I never expected them to be.

The HQ9000 is a huge improvement over past machines and this is the first duplicator we have purchased. With the PS3 installed you have the option to set your line screens, default is 85lpi and we have changed that to 106lpi and it works great.

 

[TJPrinter]

First make sure that you are printing to the HQ9000 PS (postscript printer) then go to properties, advanced, line density and change this to 106. This works best for us. Hope this helps. Yesterday I did 1,000 9x12 28lb clasp envelopes and from start to finish, including opening boxes and repacking it took a total of 16 minutes.

 

[Quick Printer]

First make sure that you are printing to the HQ9000 PS (postscript printer) then go to properties, advanced, line density and change this to 106. This works best for us. Hope this helps. Yesterday I did 1,000 9x12 28lb clasp envelopes and from start to finish, including opening boxes and repacking it took a total of 16 minutes.

Thank you!
I found it...it was in a little bit different spot on my Savin 3590DNP
but knowing that I was looking for "line density" helped. It was
under printing preferences>paper/quality> advanced and line
density was almost at the bottom of the drop down list.

I noticed there are two additional line density settings of 141 and 212...
have you tried those?

Nice to know that we can print clasp envelopes too!
I've really only had one problem with envelopes, ran 2500 2 sided
6 3/4 tithe envelopes...the tail corner of the envelope was too
sharp and wore a tiny hole in the master....ink came through
and left a small mark on the tail corner of the envelope....
haven't found a cure for that yet but we only run those every 2 years!
Doesn't happen on the larger envelopes.

 

[TJPrinter]

I have tried the higher line screens and found that the 106 is best. A little piece of cheap scotch tape on the master will solve your ink problem on the envelopes. Have fun with it!