What does your department do?
We are the council's reprographics department, which handles all print requirements, including letters and brochures, as well as display graphics.
What does the machine do?
The Presstek DI press is a 2pp, four-colour, 340mm portrait-format, highly automated digital offset press. All four plates are simultaneously imaged on press in precise register. Gosport Borough Council specified the press with an online envelope feeder and a conveyor stacker.
Why did you make the purchase?
Our run lengths have become much shorter. Departments are constantly updating their printed material, which means more frequent reprints of, say, 2,000 copies. Consequently, the makeready and set-up time of our old four-colour litho press was disproportionate to the number of copies we were producing, which meant that it was difficult to meet our deadlines. The alternative was to print these jobs on our Xerox digital printer, but it was not cost-effective for jobs of more than 100 copies. Also, our creativity was being stifled because the conventional litho press would not hold the consistency when we printed solid colours or graduated tints.
Why did you choose this particular machine?
Presstek was able to provide the complete package, including the press, software, envelope feeder and the conveyor stacker.
What features do you particularly like?
The built-in colour calibration, which makes very light work of those jobs that were previously impossible for us to print on a conventional litho press. The registration is very accurate with almost no paper wastage. We are up to colour within 30 sheets. Also, we can now run a very wide variety of stock, including silk coated and recycled, whereas previously we had some problems.
How easy is it to use?
It is very straightforward.
How fast is it?
We run the press at around 7,500 sheets per hour, which is about the same speed that we ran the four-colour litho press.
How much time and money has it saved you?
It's saved us a lot of time. We rip the job and the plates are imaged on press in a matter of minutes. In the past, if we had a problem with alterations on a plate, it was a major exercise to remake it, but all we have to do now is press a button.
Has it won you any new work?
We are confident that it will win us a lot of new work from other councils and local schools. As part of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight procurement group, we are already talking to a number of other councils with a view to taking on some of their short-run four-colour printing.
Would you say it offers good value?
Definitely. We expect it to pay for itself within a couple of years. It's meant that we have been able to replace our large colour copier with a smaller one for very short runs as well.
Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation?
Physically, it was a major challenge for Presstek's installation team, but it went in perfectly.
What about the pre- and after-sales service?
We cannot fault them on their service, training and after sales support.
Who is it suitable for?
Companies and in-plant departments who want a clean, quick and simple solution for high-quality short-to-medium-run printing with minimal operator intervention.
Under what circumstances would you buy another?
It has given us the extra capacity for the foreseeable future and we don't have room for another.
Conclusion
User’s verdict
Speed 5/5
Quality 5/5
Reliability 4/5
Value for money 5/5
Supplier’s response
Ray Hillhouse, sales and marketing director, Presstek Europe, says: The 34DI has been designed to meet the changing requirements of today’s print departments, where the demand is for shorter runs and less wastage. By linking an envelope feeder to the press, Gosport Borough Council is making even more savings by changing to the Royal Mail’s Clean Mail Service. We can retro-fit the envelope feeder to existing DI presses.
Price
34DI E: £179,000
34DI-X: £209,000
On-line envelope feeder: from £10,000
Contact Presstek Europe 020 8745 8000
