Digital Color Printers (Toner Based)

[prepressDog]

Our digital color handles most all of our short runs.
As these machine keep getting better and better.....
They have more "pop" than offset and getting closer to offset quality everyday.
(We have a new Konica 6500 on its way...and a new Intel Mac fully loaded w/ 24" apple monitor. I'm SOOO happy!!
Just had to through that in)

Is this the future? I say yes. As well as digital offset. I would be surprised if our first true 4c press is not a DI.
Why do we want to go CTP and put all the money there, when you can go DI press and make the big jump?
(Now for you big shops I can understand w/ the Giant kick ass presses)

We can still stay film based for spot color or big runs offset. JMO

[Vee]

It depends on the shop & the clients. And most importantly the plans your shop has for the future.
Why go CtP..??? Because if you do, you can image different plate sizes for multiple presses, rather than being "stuck" to one press via DI.
I think a shop should be looking to add multiple presses instead of investing in one solution.

Heidelberg's SM52 with Anicolor would be a good alternative to a "digital press" That term kills me... and we have an iGen.
SM52 in a long perfector, maybe toss in a coater.... 100x the quality. Faster and more predictable.
Short runs, long runs without suffering from the almighty click charge, true offset litho quality, real dots on the press sheets, after you surpass the 4c process barrier you do really cool stuff with 5 & 6c printing... I could keep going - but surely you get what I'm saying.

It's only toner - no need to get a boner.

Vee

[prepressDog]

True about CTP. But, for our more simple jobs. The film has been fine.
They just cant see spending 60K right now for that.
We have 3--2c 3302 Ryobi Presses. And a few Davidson 501 1 color.
Most of our work is 4cp. We really need a 4c press. We sub out 300K a year in 4c
that we just cant handle inhouse.
So, most of our short runs come off the digital printer. I dont know, for short runs. No plates, setup, etc. The quality is getting better and better. I know we will always have both and offset has a great and professional look.
Some 4c off the press you just cant beat. I guess maybe if we had Heidelberg stuff I might think different.

Yeah, When I'm talking digital printers. Ie: iGen, Canon, Konica, etc.
Digital presses...Heidelberg, Ryobi, Prestek, etc.
These will take over short runs. IMO

[Joe]

True about CTP. But, for our more simple jobs. The film has been fine.
They just cant see spending 60K right now for that.
We have 3--2c 3302 Ryobi Presses. And a few Davidson 501 1 color.
Most of our work is 4cp. We really need a 4c press. We sub out 300K a year in 4c
that we just cant handle inhouse.
So, most of our short runs come off the digital printer. I dont know, for short runs. No plates, setup, etc. The quality is getting better and better. I know we will always have both and offset has a great and professional look.
Some 4c off the press you just cant beat. I guess maybe if we had Heidelberg stuff I might think different.

Yeah, When I'm talking digital printers. Ie: iGen, Canon, Konica, etc.
Digital presses...Heidelberg, Ryobi, Prestek, etc.
These will take over short runs. IMO

Unless film has become free it's well worth the investement to CTP if you are using much film at all. It will pay for itself in the cost of film savings. At least it has for us.