HP Indigo 5500

[ian]

We are currently looking at the HP Indigo 5500.. can people please give me your input. We currently have a Presstek DI34 and are looking to complement the press, so quality and consistency are the utmost importance. We also print group runs of business cards and postcards on the DI.
Does the HP have the capability to run this kind of work and the printing sold as press quality work?? How reliable is their service and what kind of downtime is expected.
So far all the samples they have run for us are very good.

thanks
ian

[mitragrafika]

Hi Ian.
HP Indigo is a very good machine.
But you have to consider more if your job must be printed on fancy paper.
If your job commonly print on coated/uncoted paper, HP is a good choice.
But if your job print a lot on fancy/textured paper, then consider to buy other

[SlaveToTheMan]

We're running a 5500 Model, and speaking for quality & consistency - it's largely impacted by how reliable & diligent your operator is. Keep up on maintenance, much of it daily, and it should treat you well. We've run into a few issues with field upgrades taking us down (we're currently stuck waiting on a part from HP that has us unable to run large solids & screens cleanly. 5 days and counting on that one) but by & large they're very responsive and fast to act.

As for selling work as offset press quality - again it's up to your staff & how much care they put into each job. We've run some amazing things on the previous model from what you're considering, so I know it's possible.

The substrate issue is one consideration. If it's not sapphire coated, it won't hold ink. Period. I know that more paper houses are coating their stocks for Indigo runs, so it's getting better for sure, but some sales people will balk at the smaller than offset options.

Good luck with the purchase, report back!

[jlind]

Ian:
I think the quality issue will not be a problem. It is the most offset like of all digital printing, well, it IS offset from a blanket. It is waterless offset, so it'll be the closest of all to the DI34. The sapphire treating thing is a dilemma. The Indigo will print on anything but envelopes. But, if it's going into the mail, you better be ready to put a coating on, even varnish or water based coating, even if the piece is in an envelope. Other than that, the work is beautiful, and you can sell it all day long.

John Lind
Cranberry Township, Pa
724-776-4718

[ian]

Thank you for your input everyone.. few more questions to some of the comments.
How bad is the situation with adhering to paper??, currently we have a xerox 6060 and a xerox 242 and havent had any complaints, as for the DI.. it holds it own. There are two major reasons for using looking at the Indigo
1. Avoid the weekly group runs and do individual postcard/business card runs for upto 5000 Qty with options of UV one sided or no UV at all as our clients are currently looking for matte finishes
2. Print short run booklets and be cost effective on them. Both our xerox equipment cannot print double sided on silk or gloss paper, they break within and hour if we do so.

last but not least.. paper cost is a huge concern.. we currently buy paper from 3 different merchants depending on the clients requipments, some are willing to pay extra for better stock but most of them want the cheap down and dirty gloss papers. Is the HP ink going to work on those stocks or I have to buy expensive treated paper to make things work?

thanks
ian

[jlind]

Ian:
In my experience, you can feed anything but envelopes through an Indigo. The ink adhesion thing is an issue when going through the post office sorting equipment. They have coating units for NexPress and IGen too, implying that it's the harsh handling of the postal belts. If it's a mailing promotion, just coat it.

John Lind
Cranberry Township, PA
724-776-4718

[ian]

What about the papers that have to be all Saphira coated to print on it. If all we are going to print is gloss paper then our current equipment handles that fine. We are looking for a digital solution to print different materials like synthetic paper, linen, laid, 130lb uncoated cover, recycled papers, silk papers etc...
We do have a UV coater but most people dont want the shine and want different stocks

ian

Edited by: Ian on Jul 9, 2008 9:16 PM

[JRV]

Ian, if you can let your sheets sit for about a day before going into the bindery or sending to the post office, I think you would be OK. The inks get more scratch-resistant if they are allowed to sit I hear. I think you shouldn't have to pay more than 20-25% premium for your papers and in some cases you'll be able to run regular stocks. I think the Indigo prints a beautiful sheet but then so does Nexpress. iGen prints good as well but not quite up to par with Indigo/Nexpress. You might want to check out Nexpress - from what I've heard/read you get very good print quality perhaps without some of the above issues. Not sure about costs.

[V3Synergy]

In my experience these are the factors for deciding on digital presses:
- quality / fitness for use
- cost
- systems integration
- new markets

I suggest you get quotes and samples for the iGen, Nexpress and Indigo. Create a "test suite" of typical print files and paper stocks. See if you can get the manufacturer to run on your stock; if they can't, get their recommended equivalent sheet.

Integrating the press to your systems cannot be overlooked. I know of a printer that installed a printer and then had to train the pressman to impose the files because they didn't think that part through.

I have a cost model I can plug in lease, clicks, supplies, paper, etc. for my printer comparisons. I calculate a total cost of print including labor and then use the information from the cost, quality and systems integration factors to make my decision.

Craig

[ian]

Thank you everyone for the input on the Indigo. Funny thing happened which will effect my decision in a big way. I found a used Indigo for sale just 12 months old for a very decent price and emailed my sales rep on the cost for delivery/install and training. Got an email back saying they would not support any machine that was not sold by HP directly to me. I was very surprised to hear this.., when I pushed for why.. I was told it is their company policy
Has anyone else run into this issue?
What's even funnier.. they even put a stop to running my samples for me at Atlanta. Wow!!! am I surprised now and of course totally speechless.


ian