What equipment mix is right for your business?

How do you keep pace with demand as printing technology changes? Invest in the latest equipment? Focus on traditional offerings and farm out digitally complex projects? Offer a mix of both?

The answer: whatever’s right for your business and your customers. Many commercial printers offer a mix of traditional and advanced. But what if you’re not financially able to afford specific equipment, or don’t have that customer base to justify the investment yet? Perhaps this information will help make your decisions easier and your outcomes more profitable:

Inkjet vs. Toner

A decade ago, printers were debating offset versus digital; now it’s about toner versus inkjet. What’s best for your business depends on many factors, such as quality, volume, turnaround time and costs. Continuous-feed inkjet equipment is great for higher-end and higher-volume runs. Where a toner machine may produce 200,000 impressions per month, a continuous-feed inkjet can do 25 times that volume. While inkjet is more volume-oriented and time-efficient, with proper software it offers the variable data and quality features of toner-based equipment and looks most like conventional offset printing (Western Digi-M™ can be used for even greater color clarity). Inkjet does not have the seam or pressure marks often associated with toner machines.

On the other hand, toner-based machines can produce a vibrant, shiny print result that brings a different look to your finished product. Although this typically adds extra cost, they can be utilized for a variety of short-run jobs with quick turnaround.

To determine the value of projects versus equipment investments, first determine a base line cost per unit. For example, if you have a web-fed inkjet press that’s in the middle of a large booklet run, you may tap into your toner-based cut sheet machine for another project since it’s open, even though delivery times would be faster with inkjet. It boils down to weighing the right document with the right price point and the right timeframe. It’s about knowing what your devices can print and setting the right expectations with your customers.

A Supportive Partner

Perhaps your business is not designed to accommodate varying print technologies. If you need to keep pace with your digital requests but don’t have the equipment to support them, find a partner who does.

For example, we have two digital offerings that help our customers support their customers’ demands:

• Our Digital Laser M delivers precision color quality laser printing on envelope quantities of 5,000 or less. It operates at speeds of up to 7,500 per hour for #10 envelopes with excellent color consistency.
• Our Digital Inkjet prints up to 12 inches per second in quantities of 5,000 or less with brilliant process or monochrome color sharpness (1600 x 1600 dpi). It’s also versatile for multiple applications by stacking for smaller outputs or side-by-side in a wide format for larger outputs.

Have you recently purchased equipment or are you looking for equipment? What is your preference and why? Please comment below.

To learn more about our digital offerings and receive complimentary samples, contact us or call 800-558-0514.