Hi. I am trying to get a ballpark cost for Presstek 52DI and 34DI. Can anyone help.

I'm now getting into the industry in the Caribbean. Is this a good start-up printer. Or are there others in the market that have more value for money.

Quitamar

Hi,

Presstek presses are not cheap especially new ones but the Heidelberg DI presses are now getting to be very good value for money. As Heidelberg are no longer producing them and they were very costly when new, the secondhand prices are now in a position to reflect a good business purchase. Even the general running costs have come down so much since they first started.

Regards.

Thanks for the info!

To begin with, I'm from the Caribbean so I will incur a very high shipping cost for whatever large piece of equipment I buy. I am extremely sceptical about buying 2nd-hand equipment and then something goes wrong, especially in light of the fact that they are discontinued! I also heard that on some Heidelbergs, you have to clean the plates manually because the automatic function does not work well.

What do you consider to be 'not cheap'. I don't have a clue how much either the Heidelberg or Presstek presses cost.

Hi,

Buying good second hand equipment can be a risk, but as long as it is tested first then a lot of the potential headache can be averted.
The Heidelberg plate wash system is fine as long as it is maintained and the genuine wash clothes are used as some of the aftermarket plate wash cloths can cause issues.
Not too sure about the Caribbean (apart from it being a great place for a holiday ...... lol) but a lot of people in the UK buy an insurance for the DI which covers electrical and mechanical breakdown.
Generally the DI Plus goes for around £45-65,000
The Classic is cheaper and the Pro goes for around £20,000 more, obviously all this depends on the condition of the machines.

Regards.

That's valuable information. Thanks.
Is there a start-up press that is good for basic all-round printing suitable for a new-comer in the printing industry. 20,000 pounds is 70,000 my currency minus duties, shipping and taxes. I need to get a basic printer to start with that will not break the bank, but I'm not about manually doing any pre-press work such as burning negatives or plates or mixing ink. But I need excellent quality prints. Can you help.

Hi,

You will struggle to get a Heidelberg DI in the UK for that kind of money but you may be able to find a Classic DI in the USA for that amount if you are lucky.
The DI presses are relativly easy to run wether they be Heidelberg or Presstek but they do run better with a qualified pressman who is reasonably experienced in multi colour printing.

Regards.

Classic DI is what make...Heidelberg? Presstek?

Hi,

Sorry...... thats a Heidelberg.
It is basically the first generation, and will do within reason everything that the Plus and Pro can do with a few exceptions.

Regards.

Thanks for all of your help!

I'm running a Presstek 5334 DI (12" x 18" basic size paper) and have been told they run around $750,000 USD new. Don't forget to consider consumables also, plate material = $1,000 for 4 rolls 28 plates per roll, ink, wash, etc., etc.

Our machine is approaching 9,000,000 impressions and we just had a new set of rollers installed for about $4,000. lots to consider.

hope this helps

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