Understanding who is a good fit for DI press

Hi everyone,

Can someone explain to me who would be a good fit for a di press? My understanding is that the cost to operate the press is quite expensive with plate costs coming in at around $10. The cost of the machines look very attractive. Is it just a trap to get you buying all these consumables ??

Is there really that much value being able to image on press while skipping the CTP process? Is it the fact that the press is easier to run? Can a digital toner press operator easily learn the di process?

Any feedback is very much appreciated.

 

The years I have spent in printing," personally" I have found there is a cut off margin of 250-300. If you print 250 and under , it is cheaper to use toner. Over 300 it is cheaper to go di press. Cost wise, if you look at your production rate, you make more money on a di press due to the amount of work done in a short period of time. For learning to run a di press, it can be overwhelming to some who do not understand how to run a press."No offence intended" however there is a world of difference between pushing a button and fixing a paper jam, and running a di press. I believe if a new operator has an "open mind" they can learn the di presses, and become good operators. The computer knowledge will benefit the operator while running the press. Like with a 4-color pressman learning a di press, they benefit from knowing how a press operates but lack computer knowledge. Those who have made the changeover know what I am talking about. Open minded operators are a key here.

 

I went from all offset and I run the in house print shop by myself. We went from a 25 inch 4 color press to a 34Di digital press and have been running it for years with no problems. The deal with the plates is this, you don't have to buy an EXPENSIVE platesetter to maintain and upkeep and supplies and all. PLUS you don't have to mount plates and then get the job in register and then get the ink up to color so if you factor in all the extra time involved with a platesetter it really starts to pay off. And there is no water to mess with so that ink water balance crap is gone. I send the job over, hit the button and then go get a cup of coffee. About 12 minutes later it is in perfect register and I'm running. It really is that good and I can remake a single plate and it is in perfect register so If I need a new black plate I can do just that one and no problem. Is the press perfect, not by any means but it is a good, all around short run 4 color machine. Mine was installed in 2008 and still working great. I print a monthly newsletter on 11 x 17 70# offset 4/4 63,000 and I print 21,000 then back that up and so on so it takes 6 sets of plates to do it but that isn't really what the machine is designed to do, it is a short run quick turn around machine. I have been completely satisfied with this press. A few things I can tell you about the machine is that it has a pretty good feeder and like all portrait feeders with a push guide it isn't going to register perfect but it is pretty good. Also it has some unique characteristics like it tends to put more ink down on one side of the sheet than the other so I had to adjust it accordingly to help fix that. It will print even across the sheet just fine just not from the preset program. I always have to tweak it a little and after a couple hundred sheets it is close enough that it is insignificant. Also, the plates are not rated for very long runs and when they start to go bad, instead of losing copy it starts to gain junk on the edges and will start to kind of ghost image a little which isn't a problem if you are pulling sheets and paying attention. If you are doing runs of 10,000 or less it won't be an issue at all plus they have just developed a longer run plate or are working on a longer run plate so will have to see what that is all about. I can set up and print a 4/4 1,000 sheet job and flip it in 30 minutes and run it back through no problem. Last thing I can think of is temperature and cleanliness, the shop has to be kept no warmer than about 78 degrees or you will have issues. I haven't had any issues with toning and all but have read where others have and I'm not saying it's all temperature related but keeping the room at the right temperature and keeping rollers in good shape and keeping the press clean and as powder free as possible is important. We might be changing our shop and selling our machine but it isn't because we aren't happy with the machine but more of a space issue and wanting to get a set up that anyone can operate, like a high speed copier or something along those lines.

Banjoman in NC

 

DI presses are very different than offset machines. For short run (5000) sheets they knock it out of the park. I just started running an older ryboi DI and kicked the previous operator off coz he couldn't make it work. No computor knowledge and it showed. I run so many presses weekly and some heavily computor controlled. I took to this press in hours. Now after a coue of months have the bugs worked out and set up in 35- 70 sheets repeat orders less. I only wish it would run closer to the SM 102-8P speed All in all my printing friends these presses are Increditable

FSA

 

My biggest problem is I do a 63,000 4/4 every month, it is very fast setup and almost no waste BUT slow for long runs.

banjoman in NC

 

Banjoman

Ya it's not a speed deman the DI and I would say it's not a good fit for that job, unless you look at a larger sheet size machine. The tech drops in the see how I'm doing and is amazed that I run the press at balls to the wall all the time(7000). Like any tech they don't run machines. I have always pushed presses to the limit. I do have some long runs on this DI (150,000) and the plate cost is calculated into the cost Your 63000 is a long day and two sets of plates so if you were to do it you need to plan it proper

FSA