Hp Indigo as good as offset? as bad as my cheap Dell 2660dn laser?

I have had the chance to have a file printed from the HP Indigo 3050 and exactly the same file from the Dell 2660dn which is a $250 relatively old laser printer. I cannot tell any difference even under magnification. What could I be possibly be doing wrong?

The HP 3050 based on this test that I've done is definitely not as sharp as a litho machine.

I am looking for the best possible printer for graphics, something clearly better than my cheap and aging dell.

Any pointers?

 

To many possibilities here. How old are the bids, how old are the blanket and pip, what temp did you print at, which paper...

 

You cant evaluate a Printing machine by Printing one sheet.
There are many parameters to study if you want to compare 2 Printing m.
Quality, velocity, cost, Printing cost, easy to work with... and many others.
Hp3050 its a 2002 machine i mean.. 16 years old... and still working as first day...
Other expensive digital Printing machines dont need to throw them after 4-5 years

 

There's a few screen settings among other things to enhance prints you can select. Color solid and screen settings can be changed. You have to dig a bit deeper sometimes that just running a proof file. I find my press will start out soft on color image saturation in some cases. I push more color as I see fit. Much like running conventional 4/c offset. We do a lot of fine image greeting cards. And these can be required for you to get a nice rich print. But easily dome with the click of a mouse. Did you have a chance to work with the pressman or give them your copier proof to match?