starting a printing business

I currently produce a bi monthly and a monthly magazine, as well as printing, flyers, letterheads etc. I outsource all of this and as you can imagine it is a high cost of my business.

I decided as I have quite a large amount of empty warehouse space to look into printing these myself as well as then outsourcing the service to other people to reduce the cost of my own printing hopefully even make a profit on this.

The one magazine is 200-220 pages with a 150gsm glossy cover and back.

All of the products are full colour. In order to do this in-house what is the minimum equipment would I need?

I would also want to be able to product business printing services, such a business cards, letter heads etc in order to sell this service.

 

How many copies of the magazines do you currenylt have printed? 200 - 220 pages at what size?
If you're already producing this I'm guessing you allready have everything in PDF? if so then CTP, if not why not outsource your pre press work. This would dramaticly reduce the equip,ent, staff and skills and leave you with just printing and finishing. Press will depend upon first questions I asked. Finishin: Guillotine, folder, saddle stitcher?

 

Average run is 1200 copies a month, 220 a4 Pages, we do produce this in PDF formats at the moment and it is saddle stitched.

Although am I correct in thinking it will be printed on A3 paper then folded over to make it A4?

I would like to be able to take complete control of the printing process as we are looking at producing other media shortly.

As well as proving an outsourcing service for others.

 

If you're prodcing your own PDF then look to CTP. (sorry to stray off subject but has anyone noticed how our industry is looking like a text message with all these pdf, ctp, sapc, etc...)
Size of paper doesn't have to be A3 folded in half, it can be A2 folded twice, A1 folded 4 times, etc. although I'd go with an SRA2 / B2 press to start with. Personaly I'd also go with a 5 colour press for the following reasons: Possibility to add a custom spot colour for your cover or other possible clients, 5th unit can also be used for coating or spaot varnish and lastly, 5th unit can be canabalised for spare parts/rollers if and when you need them.
The size of sheet you print on will determine the number of sections you need to print for your magazine and in turn determine the number of hoppers needed on a saddle stitcher to finish the job.

 

Do you have any makes and models of machines you would recommend?

 

With CTP you'd be mad not to buy a press with cylinder cocking. Also depends on your budget. Do you want new or do you want older and more basic. The age of your press and level of automation is also going to dictate to a degree the level of "skilled" printer our going to need to hire. If you're looking at used it really is a buyers market out there. I originaly trained on Komori but do tend to lean more towards Heidelberg so I'd say Komori Lithrone or Heidelberg Speedmaster CD. Again, I wouldn't buy new when it comes to folder, guillotene or saddle stitcher.....not exactly a million and one things to go wrong there. You could utilise a company that deals in used machinery and buy the lot from one place, this'll put you in a great barganing position and you only have to make one phone call if you do have any problems with any of your equipment.

 

Good places to start:
http://www.grafitecplc.com/
http://www.westparkgraphic.com/
http://www.kenmartuk.biz/home.html
http://www.whitehorsemachinery.co.uk/
http://www.robertsgraphics.co.uk/
http://www.pressfinders.com/
http://www.pressxchange.com/en/

 

Give us an idea about your budget? This will dictate the level of kit that will be attainable.


CTP and a reasonable and reliable 4 col SRA2 press even if you buy second user can run into a couple of hundred GBP. Guillotine around 13k, folder around 25k, saddle stitching line around 25K and up.

We haven't even spoken about staff, training etc.

Of course you could always buy a company already in operation (plenty of those around)...that will let you hit the ground running with an instant order book as well as your own work.

Whereabouts are you based?

 

Saddle stitched? Are you sure you don't mean perfect bound?

Seems like a lot of pages to s/stitch.

 

That is a very good idea, even if you find somewhere that's up for sale but not in your direct area you could always asset strip the place and relocate the equipment and (if they & you want) the staff.
As Richard said, it's not only about the equipment but also the skilled staff to operate the equipment as well.

 

Your right I done a search for printing companies for sale and they are a lot cheaper than buying the machines themselves.

Thank you for the advise.

 

Also I can not find the spec for a HEIDELBERG GTO 52 would that be capable of my needs?

 

Considering your initial enquiry about the magazine you're already producing I'd go bigger and better than a GTO 52. Why not a 26" or 28" Komori Lithrone or if you want Heidelberg go for a Speedmaster74 CD. I say CD on the Heidy because it opens up more options with regards to what you can print. If you've found a printers for sale that has a GTO 52 why not look at part exchanging the press for something better although if you have found a printers for sale with this size press the odds are it's repro and finishing equipment will be at the same small scale as well.

 

There is two GTO 52's, just wondered if it was full colour?

 

The GTO 52 comes in various formats with regards to 1, 2, 4 colours etc. If you don't want to make it public you can pm the link to me or one of the other guys on here, the info you have will say somewhere what units the press has.

 

Usually if its advertised as a GTO 52 its a single colour
For two colour GTOZ 52
4 colour GTOV and five colour GTOF
and if they have a P at the end their perfectors

 

www.ink-me.com

Don't Forget also to get a sales force, because if you have all your equipment ready and installed you need a good sales force to push the product

Printing Solutions

 

i know of a 1998 28" 4 col komori with 75 million on it ready for export from australia. The machine prints sweet as a nut, with semi plate change, auto roller and blanket wash and very well priced.