Hello,

We have an opportunity to pickup a 2005 Ryobi DI press.  This is the exact same machine as the Presstek, Kodak & Heidelberg version...  From what I am told it all just depends on the year... 

So what do we need to know about these:
What are my ongoing maintenance and parts expenses going to look like?
How easy or hard are these to operate?
What type of consumables do you go through?
Any special needs?
How do these machines impact the rest of your shop?
How do sheets printed off a DI go through bindery?  Marking, etc...
Anything else I should know?

Thanks!

Hello All,

I am a production manager at a medium shop.  Over the summer our bindery provider went out of business.  We decided to pick up their stitcher at that time to bring all of our saddle stitch projects in-house.

We have a Muller Martini 335 10 pocket stitcher.  The machine itself is in decent condition.

The problem we are having is setup and run times.  I believe it is a combination of being misled about the quickness of setup times by the previous owner, and having a operator that runs slower than I would prefer...

My question is this:
Does anyone have some documentation they would be willing to share as to typical setup times?  Better than that would be some sort of excel calculator for estimating run times....  But any info would be greatly appreciated.  Obviously, I realize that there are countless variable; book size, paper stocks, pocket setups, and any other random thing you can imagine.  I am just looking for general rules of thumb if you have them available and are willing to share..

Thanks for any and all direction you are willing to share!

We have a 6c 28" Komori and are curious how many shops run the Aqueous varnishs that are out on the market?

Obviously, the long term goal is to get a press with a seperate coating unit.  However, until that time comes, many of our ink suppliers are talking with us about the various options...  We are told that the ink unit special AQ varnish products sold today have greatly improved. 

Most of our pressmen are old school and have heard horror stories of guys ruining an entire set of ink rollers by this stuff getting drying on them.  Additionally, we have been told this stuff can have a tendancy to fling backwards down the press (from 6th unit, to 5th unit, on the transfer cylinders, and so on.)  Basically, they are just worried it will create a huge mess that they will have to be responsible to clean up....

So, is there any reason to run these products?  Are shops having success with it?  Are the horror stories still true today?  What is the real benefit over standard varnishs?  And lastly, would you (or do you) use the ink system AQ products in your shop and presses?

Thanks!