Presstek 52DI and 34DI presses

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

 

Thanks for the info. That is so way out of my league.

I am really looking for a printer that is cheap to buy for now that can get me going, so I think I will have to work with an inkjet or XEROX phaser 7760DN or 8860DN. I'm also trying to get the cost of the docucolor 242.

P.S. I love your tagline!!

Again thanks.

 

quitamar, what is it specifically you are looking to print?

Is a copy machine better suited for your needs, or a high quality ink-jet copier like an iGen, or do you really require an offset press? what is it you have a market for?, what is the quantity your looking at?, most important, what is the "QUALITY" you need to reproduce? These are the questions (along with many others) you need to sit down and draw out a business strategy.

1. who are your customers?
2. what are their needs?
3. what equipment can you acquire to best fulfill those needs?

These are the thoughts you need to consider.

Then we can help you in the direction you need to go.

HTH (hope this helps)

 

Ok. This is really helpful. I'll actually print your comments and answer the questions after I've gone done some more research. The way you are suggesting I approach the purchase is a much more structured way than how I was thinking. Thanks.

Will get back to you.

 

I think the numbers being thrown around are wrong. I just ordered my 2nd Presstek 52DI it its not close to 750 - list price fully equipt with bells and whistles is only 650k. Pleases are expensive but they get minumum of 44 sets pre roll and can get more depending on size of run jobs. I would not rule it our it has a great ROI and we have 4.2 million impressions in only 8 months (that's why we ordered a 2nd one).

Call Presstek and double check your figures.

 

The 750 number was what my owner (boss) threw at me the day he interviewed me. So I'm not surprised if I was off. But I do know our plate material comes 4 rolls per box, 28 images per roll, and our price for the material is $1,400 USD per box (the invoice I was looking at was last years and I believe the boss man has gotten a better price, but those were the numbers I was aware of.

Good printing with your new 52, I wish I could find a better place to be here in the Northeast, the company I work for is, well lets just say I'd rather be sitting on hot coals sticking bamboo under my fingernails.

 

Thanks for the info. I am way way out of this league in terms of money. But thanks again for the info.