I am considering purchasing a used 4 color offset press. What are some good brands?

I am a broker that specializes in foreign language translation and printing. As of now we outsource everything. I want to start printing from in house. Does anyone have any suggestions on which machine I should invest in? Here is my website with some examples of the printed goods that we offer our customers.

www.japanprint.com

Keep in mind that most of the work requests that we get are for business cards, so a machine that is catered for that kind of requirement will be best.

 

If you are just doing short run business card runs like the ones on your web page...invest in a HP indigo Press. They are going for very good pricing off line from HP.....This digital press can print both sides of the card in one pass, up to 6 colors. It is also much cleaner to run and easy to maintain with no harsh chemicals and no plate processing. It is all done on Press...... I have several for under $60,000.00 USD I can also supply all the consumables far less than HP.

 

I run a Heidelberg Quickmaster DI 46-4. It is a 4-color, Aqua-less, Digital Offset Press. Prints just like a traditional offset press, but files are ripped to an on-board computer system, and plates are burnt directly to the plate cylinder. This is made possible by photosensitive plate material spooled around cylinder, being burnt by 16 diodes per unit. This press's Aqua-less feature is made possible via refrigerated rollers and cylinders that supply a sort of dampening. This press comes equipped with automated blanket/plate cleaners, and one shared impression cylinder. This press is the epitome of Heidelberg's superior engineering and quality and is great for a small commercial print facility. It only takes 5 minutes to burn a set of 4 plates at 1270 dpi, which makes turn around time very quick. This press can print up to a 18.1 by 13.3 in. sheet of paper, or as small as 3.5 by 5.5. The press is 10.5 feet long, 9 feet wide, 6 feet tall, and weighs almost 5 tons. This press is great to run, and does beautiful work, and you can find used for a very reasonable price. I highly recommend this press.

 

I am well aware of the specs of this press and the cost of maintaining it. The diodes themselvs ar over $1,000.00 each to replace(16 per head). Not to mention waiting for Heidelberg to send the part and then to wait for the tech. Remember..If you replace them yourself...It is on you and it no longer is under Heidelberg "warrantee." and unfortunately they go out on a regular basis. The rolls of Plate are expensive too....I Managed a company here in So. Cal. and so I was responsible for keeping it "on-line"

It does beautiful work and is truly an amazing press.....But if I were to find a used one for a customer...I could very likely pick one up for $45,000.00.

Today, there are alternatives that do the same thing....Some even Duplex!

 

I can agree with most of what you said ProPrint, there are alot of great alternatives out there, and it would be impossible to tell this guy what the perfect press for him is. All I can attest to is that I run this press on a daily basis, and have had a minimal need for a technician, when i do it is mainly for the rip(which is understandable). As for the diodes, I have not experienced any issues that warrant replacing any of them. As long as I clean them delicately with cotton and alcohol when I replace plate rolls all I have had to do is play with density settings to fill striping. As for the plate material, a roll cost about $300 and holds roughly 36 plates making each plate a little over $8. This is not to far off what a metal plate cost, and it is processed directly on your press and is ready to print in less than 10 minutes. This eliminates all harsh chemicals, equipment, labor, and time that is needed to process a traditional plate. In my opinion well worth it. Also you can find a similar press to this in Heidelberg's repertoire that has duplex capability, as well as an extra spot color. I am a Heidelberg guy and thats all there is to it. You pay more but yo get a far superior machine to anything else on the market. You just can't compete with German engineering when it comes to offset lithography.

 

Absolutely agree with you.....There is a Seat for every Butt! And everybody has different experiences. I ran nothing but Heidelbergs for the first 25 years of my Printing life....I lived and breathed Heidelberg.....called the rest of them "Rice Burners" Until...one day...I found myself having to run Komori's, Ryobi's and Shinoharas along with Heidelbergs, Millers and Rolands....Then...all of a sudden I became what someone told me was a "Real Pressman"(BS), able to run anything they gave me......I learned that Presses are like People....So many different ones out there...but each one with their own Personality and Baggage.

I have been fighting the "Digital Solution" for many years now...I am finding out quickly that the Market is changing and Printers are having to change their mindset.
My experience with the DI was probably jaded because I was the one that always got bitched at because the equipment was down...I never got to run one. Lately, I have been getting requests for more information on the off line HP Indigos that are coming out with some crazy affordable prices. This tells me that the times...they are a changing....

They will never be fast enough to compete with offset...but then...the market dictates smaller runs at faster turn arounds....Offset cannot compete with the pricing at this level and survive.