VIM plate, a cheaper alternative to Presstek

I am the UK dealer/technical support for the Vim plate. Many people are not aware there is now an alternative to the Presstek plate at a much more reasonable price. The product is being very well received by all of my customers and they are impressed with the quality and the price. Please do contact me if you would like to discuss further.
Thanks Steve

 

thumbs down on the vim plates...

as far those vim plates go. i have tried the old style and the new ones that are out now. i wish i can say they were as good as the real plates but i have had nothing but problems. ink toning excessive scratching and laser diode issues. i will stick presstek plates they work the best and there prices have down.

 

Hi there Stefdad, really suprised by this. What colour plate did you try? It is the new gold plate that gives a fantastic performance and is proven to scratch far less than Presstek? Or the value black plate which isn't quite the same quality? What press do you run? Our USA Vim technicians would be happy to call over and see where it went wrong for you. We would not want to leave you with this so wrong impression so then you can come back on and say how great they are
Maybe there was a problem with your press? Hard to say without somebody coming over. If you inbox me your details I will sort that out for you and I am sure Vim will happily provide you with a trial roll to see for yourself. Vim will also always be competitive on price so everybody is happy.
Best regards

Steve Hopkins

Uk Sales

 

We have tried the old vim black and the new gold plates. Same results both plates. If we take off our presstek plates and run the new vim and have toning sctratching and registration problems. Take vim off and put back the presstek plates and the problems go away Im pretty sure that means the presstek plate works better. I have been running DI presses Heidelberg and ryobi a long time as a owner and a pressman I like to think im a pretty good judge of what works and what does not on these DI presses.I have talked to other DI users here in the USA and they all have had the same results as us. Pressteks price might be a little more than the vim but you get what you pay for. I was reimaging every other plate when I was using the vim plates is not worth the difference in price or the time wasted reimainging. Its just not worth it in my opinion!

 

Sorry to say, but it almost sounds like "Stefdad123" is on Pres..... payroll

! Disclaimer: I am the Scandinavian dealer and technical support agent of VIM Technologies !

The facts is:
All users in Scandinavia is very satisfied with the product
All users in Scandinavia reports that they find VIM plates marginally better than Presstek
All users in Scandinavia uses the plates as a drop in replacement no adjustments required.
Some users report that they are able to lower their laserpower = lengthen their laser life and still get the same clear spot!
Haven't encountered one unsatisfied customer in my 4 years dealing with the VIM plates.

The only negative experience was when Presstek tried to scare us out of the business stating the VIM plates was illegal.
It's true that the DP-R plates are judged illegal in the states and in some German Bundesländer, but the new DOB plate material is legal anywhere.

I think Presstek should embrace VIM's contribution to keeping Pressteks DI technology alive.. and stop misinforming their customers.

 

Hi Mutti, I was thinking the exact same thing! It is too obvious and untrue!! ha haa. The lengths some folk will go to! At the end of the day the proof is in the pudding. I offered the guy technical help and requested his company details but of course no reply. All seems a bit spooky to me. Anyway I will get some of my customers to log on and state there honest opinions. Business is booming here in the UK for Vim and would not be if the plate still had problems. If any printer in the Uk has got a problem we can get straight over and find out what is going wrong. You cannot beat that!

 

Hi Hopkins, I was just wondering what sort of guarantee you offer on the lasers, because as far as I'm aware presstek will replace them at no cost if you use there plates.........are you able to offer the same deal if one failed whilst using your plates?

 

Hi Pressman1212
That was also the myth we encountered in Scandinavia, the truth is a little bit different!
The Presstek sales guy will tell you about the warranty on the lasers if you use their plate.
None of our customers were able to get this “warranty” in writing, does this ring a bell? I think so!

Come on guys, do you really think Presstek will warrant their lasers for a lifetime?
Consider lasers as a consumable, although a very long lived consumable if we are talking Profire Excel diodes. Presstek will not exchange your laser if it is at its end of life, regardless of your plate material.
The diodes on these presses are behind a glass screen and do not in any way come in contact with the plate material. If anything the lasers will have a longer life with VIM plates because you are able to reduce the laser power!
If any of my customers experience laser problems related to the use of VIM plates we will cover this!
Myth busted

Looking forward to next episode of Mythbuster
My guess is that the next episode will be about VIM Plates releasing gasses the slurs the lenses and in turn ruins the lasers…
Also busted!

 

In my experience there is rarely a laser problem and if there was we can provide at a very good price. The money you save on plates would more than cover a laser and you would still be quids in. Bottom line is anything Presstek can do we can do better Give us a try and see for yourself. We are all about helping printers in these tough times!

 

Hopkins I see from your post at the top you can provide technical support for DI's does this mean your able to service the press and provide trouble shooting for my press?

 

mutti how many DI's in Scandinavia are using your plate material successfully, I'm more interested in presstek DI's more than the QMDI because I'm led to believe they use a different type of laser?

 

Hi mutti
Don’t take it so personal Im just giving you my opinion based on my experience and other people I have spoken to here in the states. And no I don’t work for presstek. I would give my real name but I don’t the Israeli mafia coming after me because I said something bad about their plates. LOL! You might want to check your facts. I don’t know what the situation is over in Europe but here in the good old USA PRESSTEK and im sure this is also the case in Europe.
Will match vim pricing on the plates. And that’s a fact jack!
I hope you sell lots of vim plates and make lots of money. CHEERS…

 

mr. hopkins
The reason I did not take you up on your offer for the tech support was I do not need it. Thank you for offer Vim has there own mercenaries’ technicians here in the states if I need one. My point is if I can buy the better plate which I think is the presstek plate for the same price as the knock off brand vim. Why would I want to change? Can you tell me that!

 

Hey guys can't we all just along!
If anyone is interested we sell Presstek DI plates and will ship to any country. I dont have an opinion on which plate is better vim or presstek but I can try to match vim pricing. give us a call or email. Its not always about the price! Quality and reliability matters too.
anthony@qmdipress.com

 

Maybe what they sell in Europe is different than what we get here. The Vim plates I have tried have printed very well, but are no where near as tough as Presstek. They scratch much easier, meaning replateing and cost per job goes up to where, for me, Presstek was a better choice. I would tell others to try them once, they may work out well for some.

 

If you buy Presstek DI plates in the UK on a regular order and have an individual laser issue they will replace the laser free of charge, I'm not sure if that is the case for other Presstek markets around the world but at the end of the day stick with the original plates that the machine was designed to use.

 

plate count issue

I was talking to a customer in the Netherlands who is using vim plates on his 52DI, and he said that he has had a problem ever since he started using these plates, he claims since the seller put a software flash into the machine the plate can read 0 and when he changes it the roll have maybe 10 or less plates left on the roll to image, is this right and if so are you able to fix it ?

 

VIM DI Plates

I have been involved with Direct Imaging since 1994 with the original GTO DI.
Dealing with Ryobi and Heidelberg DI's.
Been a Presstek Dealer, Heidelberg Product DI Manager, and Ryobi DI Dealer. Sold serviced operated and installed all of the above.
Vim Plates are working fine at all of my users and they are very impressed with the performance and stability of this plate. There are many features, functions and benefits of this new and improved product.
It's about time in this Direct Imaging arena that there is a competitive, alternative and competitively priced product.
It only improves the market and keeps the plate pricing for DI in check.
For the past 15 years the biggest complaint from 100's of users I have worked with is that there was only one supplier of the plate product. VIM is a great product and worth the switch.

 

Why is it when a simple question is asked about this plate material every response I get just mentions of how GREAT VIM plates are?
But no one can answer the issues I mention in my post, guys if you want me to use the stuff please answer the questions I pose please.
Why is a software update causing plate count issues because this isn't the first case I heard of.

 

As a presstek dealer we can beat vim pricing give us a call or email.