What to look for when you're buying a new digital press
- Thread starter TraciT
- Start date
MailGuru
Well-known member
Mmmmmm, I think you may be over-simplifying the issue. There are about a half-dozen major digital press manufactures. Each manufacturer produces around 4 to 6 different models depending on speed, feeding mechanisms, registration, duty cycle, paper size and weight, etc. So far, that's around 36 different machines. Now, each of those machines, will have 4 to 6 different finishing options (high capacity output trays, booklet-makers, folders, staplers, etc.) So, now, you're up to about 216 different possibilities. Not to mention that some of those possibilities also come with additional color stations other than the standard CMYK. These days, pretty much all of those possibilities will give you fairly decent color quality.
My point is this: Start with identifying your needs first (not what to look for in a digital press). Then use those needs to narrow down to a group of machines that fit those needs. After that, my top 3 considerations would be service, service, and service.
My point is this: Start with identifying your needs first (not what to look for in a digital press). Then use those needs to narrow down to a group of machines that fit those needs. After that, my top 3 considerations would be service, service, and service.
dabob
Well-known member
Ditto for what MailGuru said . . . but to add to that list of your current needs take a reasoned look at what you want to be able to accomplish on the new machine. You have to consider growth or a new option for your customer . . . we got a Ricoh with the 5th color - not that we needed it but it offered options for our customers that we did not currently have.
MailGuru great points, and helpful to know that service is a big consideration for you. How do you go about identifying your needs from a business perspective, if you typically do that before researching press options/what capabilities are out there? And when you get to the point when you've narrowed it down to a smaller group of presses that you feel fit your business needs, how do you make the final decision?
MailGuru
Well-known member
Just some questions that I can think of off the top of my head.
1) What kind of volume to you intend to put on it (average pages per month)?
Duty Cycle and recommended monthly volume
This will dictate whether you need a small light-production/office class press, a mid-range medium production press, or a high-volume large production press.
2) How fast do you need to print them?
Again, will determine the one of the three category of presses above.
3) What kind of things will you be printing? (major applications)
Will you need to print up to 350 gsm (up to 16-point card stock) or will you just be printing booklets & flyers?
Does this press need to be able to print envelopes?
If printing saddle-stitched booklets, do you need an inline booklet-maker?
If printing post cards or business cards, tight registration will be needed. Typically, light or office class production will not have tight registration.
High Quality Color Consistency for photograph books, art reproduction, etc., or "good-enough" color for direct mail.
4) Are you an in-plant operation, or, are you print for pay?
If you are an in-plant, your deadline dates on production usually aren't as stringent as if you are print for pay.
If your are print for pay, like us, then service and minimal down time are crucial.
5) What's your budget?
Office/Light Production class is least expensive. Mid-range medium production class is more expensive than light/office class. High Volume is most expensive.
I'm not going to discuss actual pricing, as this is frowned upon on this forum, but, the range across those 3 categories is around $20,000 USD on the low end,
to as high as $1.2 million on the high end. I never advocate actual machine "purchases", but, strongly suggest machine "leases" instead for various reasons
(you can research other posts on this forum about that subject).
"And when you get to the point when you've narrowed it down to a smaller group of presses that you feel fit your business needs, how do you make the final decision?"
Set up a demo of the final machines that you are looking at. Bring you're own art and paper and then see which one does the best job for your application, and, which ones you are most comfortable running. Ask about how many service technicians they have operating in your area, how big their territory is, parts availability, and service response times. After you have it narrowed down, NEGOTIATE, the deal with as low a click charge as you can get, but, lock it in over the life of the lease.
Good Hunting!
-MailGuru
1) What kind of volume to you intend to put on it (average pages per month)?
Duty Cycle and recommended monthly volume
This will dictate whether you need a small light-production/office class press, a mid-range medium production press, or a high-volume large production press.
2) How fast do you need to print them?
Again, will determine the one of the three category of presses above.
3) What kind of things will you be printing? (major applications)
Will you need to print up to 350 gsm (up to 16-point card stock) or will you just be printing booklets & flyers?
Does this press need to be able to print envelopes?
If printing saddle-stitched booklets, do you need an inline booklet-maker?
If printing post cards or business cards, tight registration will be needed. Typically, light or office class production will not have tight registration.
High Quality Color Consistency for photograph books, art reproduction, etc., or "good-enough" color for direct mail.
4) Are you an in-plant operation, or, are you print for pay?
If you are an in-plant, your deadline dates on production usually aren't as stringent as if you are print for pay.
If your are print for pay, like us, then service and minimal down time are crucial.
5) What's your budget?
Office/Light Production class is least expensive. Mid-range medium production class is more expensive than light/office class. High Volume is most expensive.
I'm not going to discuss actual pricing, as this is frowned upon on this forum, but, the range across those 3 categories is around $20,000 USD on the low end,
to as high as $1.2 million on the high end. I never advocate actual machine "purchases", but, strongly suggest machine "leases" instead for various reasons
(you can research other posts on this forum about that subject).
"And when you get to the point when you've narrowed it down to a smaller group of presses that you feel fit your business needs, how do you make the final decision?"
Set up a demo of the final machines that you are looking at. Bring you're own art and paper and then see which one does the best job for your application, and, which ones you are most comfortable running. Ask about how many service technicians they have operating in your area, how big their territory is, parts availability, and service response times. After you have it narrowed down, NEGOTIATE, the deal with as low a click charge as you can get, but, lock it in over the life of the lease.
Good Hunting!
-MailGuru
Start small. Machine suppliers will always be happy to upgrade you if the need arise, while scaling down can be problematic. Fortunately, the small machines tend to be the more versatile ones (like the Ricoh 5110 or the new KM 2060) so you can experiment with a lot of product categories before choosing a main product category (and a machine type fitting that activity). On top of that, entry-level machines nowadays produce very high (or better) quality than the medium range workhorses.
Think about backup, too. Two, relatively slow machines can be better than one high-performance flagship device.
Don't believe the marketing mumbo-jumbo, rather your own eyes. A high-priced, high-profile machine isn't always that good.
Service (if you go into a contract) will be key. Try to meet the actual guys who will be your field service persons, before finishing the deal. If you see that they're on the ropes that means you likely to get some unneeded risks due to extensive downtimes.
Think about backup, too. Two, relatively slow machines can be better than one high-performance flagship device.
Don't believe the marketing mumbo-jumbo, rather your own eyes. A high-priced, high-profile machine isn't always that good.
Service (if you go into a contract) will be key. Try to meet the actual guys who will be your field service persons, before finishing the deal. If you see that they're on the ropes that means you likely to get some unneeded risks due to extensive downtimes.
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