DI vs OFF SET

Hello Everyone,

I hope you can solve my dilemma

I’ve been a magazine publisher for 20 years now, we produce a weekly magazine 80 pg 8.5x11
(size can be a bit smaller) qty 10,000 a week 12pg offset 80lb gloss and the rest newsprint

I would like to buy my own press, increase from 10k a week to 20k a week all on 60-80lb,
here is my question:

I understand that DI’s purpose is for short runs quick jobs, and it has a very short learning curve compare to offset, but they are simply too attractive not to consider.

Can DI handle 400,000 impressions (11x17) a week, or will I kill it.
What would you recommend which press it will be best for my purpose, obviously I would want to do other print besides my own.

I thank you in advance for your input

 

Hi

You can do this magazine on the QMDI without a problem, the press is heavy metal! an can do it.. the only issue of this press is it's size A3.

But for the run you need it you will do it fast, the advantage here is that you won't need prepress equipment.

The plates we have they can print 40,000 thousands run lenghts with out any problem..

Rgds

 

To do 400,000 impressions 1-up a week it seems like you'll be running the QMDI 60+ hours a week if everything goes perfectly with double shifts to leave time for bindery, etc.

Should you consider a matched pair?

 

The press is running 24 hours

 

DI plates

What kind of plates do you offer? I use Presstek's plates and maximum print was 25000. More than this plate must be reimaged. On some kind of papers plates can not live more than 10000 imp.

Do you know for some pen or gel for retouching DI plates?
I have heard for something like this but nothing found. Heidelberg in my country can not help me (or they wont).

 

400000 imp per week?

From my praxis (if i work allone): maximum i can make 50000 imp. on day (12 hours) 4/0. Print speed 6000 iph. Stock 90 gr/m2 gloss coated. Full format. Same image all day (1 imaging + 1 reimaging). 5 days in week 250.000 copyes. 400000 is too much for QMDI on week, i think. I made in 4 years 8 mil. imp. Usually 100.000 prints i made in 3 days (normal work)

Davor

 

I got about the same amount of imps off the plates.

A few times in a solid area I've used a sharpie marker to fix a spot/pinhole in the image. Lasts for a while. You first need to wipe the area on the plate down with alcohol and allow the marker to dry. Buff lightly with dry clean cotton pad if needed. If the plate has a area/spot after it was first imaged I'd simply clean the plate off (alcohol on cotton pad) and reimage that plate only. This on a Ryobi DI press/presstek plates.

 

That size run sounds better off on a conventional 40" press that can handle a 16 ppg imposition.

I run a Presstek 34DI and to run that quantity alone, I agree with the others you'd be married to the press 24/7 (if all goes smooth). We ran a 64 ppg 4/4 20,000qty on 80# gloss text and with prepress and post press production it was on for almost 2 weeks, with 4-6 people involved.

(3/14/08), just did the math: 400,000 impressions at 7,000 IPH = 57+ hours. That's not counting the time to load paper (the feed tray will only hold a shade more than 3,000 shts of 80# txt), imaging new plates every 15-18K impressions (depending on the image) so add an additional 15 minutes per plate burn (about 23 sets of plates = 7.75 hrs), so that's now 64.75 hours… long week

 

FYI - we have a Presstek 52 and in 8 months we ran 4.2 million impressions running only 12 hours per day. We also get 50m impressions + out of plates on a regular basis. Our rule his is to run press at 8500 sheets per hour.

We are buying a 2nd one I woul look into the 52 for your needs and you should be in like flin.

Good luck.

 

EWADP remember the 5334 is only capable of 7,000 sph, and Presstek only recommends using the plates for no more than 20,000 impressions, though we have never gone more than 18,000.

 

Hi thanks for the comments. We will also go for DI soon...

 

You would not run a DI for that type of application. You would get killed in the signatures. You would save a substantial amount of money brokering it to a 40" shop for 16 page forms. It would save you time and money both in stitching and printing.

That's like driving cross country on a skateboard. You may get the wheels spinning really fast, but in the grand scheme of things you aren't going very fast.

We've put 14mm impressions on our DI in the last year, and it's holding up to the abuse, but barely. We run 2 shifts and the banding and ghosting becomes an issue.

 

Additionally your plate costs would kill you. On that job it would be approx. $1440 in plates. The 2up format would mean you'd have to run that job all week almost 2 shifts the whole week just to get your mag out. If the press went down for even a day then you're mag is late.

A 40" would have that job done in an 1/8th of the production time.

 

okay boss, how about Screen Truepress 344. Does it sound good? Use of conventional ink would be very cost effective for medium impression work too. Any suggestion?

 

I have a 52 and also i am on my 2nd 34 i have been printing with a di for 4 years and we have never reached 50m on one set of plates. the most we ever printed on one set of plates was 35m and that was really pushing them to there limet. can you tell me how you are able to achive this on a regular basis. and i dont beleive the speed of the press has anything to to with it. we have 13 million on our 52 in 18 months. thanks

 

Getting 50m out of a set of plates is a dream....

 

The Presstek 52 runs 10,000 sheets per hour and Presstek 34 runs 7,000! Also you can use UV with both as an option..

 

I KNOW HOW FAST THEY RUN I HAVE BOTH THE 34 AND THE 52
MY QUESTION WAS FOR THE GUY THAT SAYS HE GETS 50,000 IMPRESSIONS OFF OF ONE SET OF PLATES HE MUST BE DREAMING PLEASE READ THIS FROM HIS POST THANK YOU JIM
Originally Posted by EWADP
FYI - we have a Presstek 52 and in 8 months we ran 4.2 million impressions running only 12 hours per day. We also get 50m impressions + out of plates on a regular basis. Our rule his is to run press at 8500 sheets per hour.

 

Well I don't know about 50 plates, I think on the 52 box set of plates you have around 44, but you always have extra meters, so maybe and with manual move you can have one or two more plates. Well this is happening with the box plates for the QMDI, so I think could be the same on 34 or 52.

 

do you not know how to read. it is not how many plates are on a roll its how many impressions can you get from the same set of plates PLEASE STOP BEING STUPID AND READ THE POST BEFORE YOU REPLY thank you jim