Most printers seem to be from one school (manual) or the other (automatic) and think the
other is not the way to go.
Until the last six months Hi-Voltage was manual only. We figured auto was out of reach financially. Human nature says “if you can't afford it.... it's stupid”.
Well, after a week of 3AM printing on some huge orders we saw a place for a small M&R auto
that a friend hooked up at a great price. Instantly we saw the need for both types of printing. Printers are always asking which is better so here is our two cents:
Manual– super fast setup especially for sampling (Vastex HD2000)
Auto– getting faster but still 2-3 times the setup
Manual– orders under 75 pieces still go on these
Auto– you can do 500 4-5 color prints and still move your arms
Manual– slick when doing more “art” style prints with lots of halftones
Auto- simple 1-2 color prints fly at 250-350 an hour
Manual-tight registration is awesome on a good press
Auto– same thing if you originally calibrate the press correctly
In short a good shop should have both. Each has a place. In the past we talked about the lo-fi
method of saving money building your own equipment. We have had some real turkeys in that world from our first welded up homemade press to 35 year old dryers......so many swears...
Save your 3AM print dough and focus on a modern press and dryer combo. We recommend something in the 5 year or newer era. If you are serious about printing you won't regret it.
other is not the way to go.
Until the last six months Hi-Voltage was manual only. We figured auto was out of reach financially. Human nature says “if you can't afford it.... it's stupid”.
Well, after a week of 3AM printing on some huge orders we saw a place for a small M&R auto
that a friend hooked up at a great price. Instantly we saw the need for both types of printing. Printers are always asking which is better so here is our two cents:
Manual– super fast setup especially for sampling (Vastex HD2000)
Auto– getting faster but still 2-3 times the setup
Manual– orders under 75 pieces still go on these
Auto– you can do 500 4-5 color prints and still move your arms
Manual– slick when doing more “art” style prints with lots of halftones
Auto- simple 1-2 color prints fly at 250-350 an hour
Manual-tight registration is awesome on a good press
Auto– same thing if you originally calibrate the press correctly
In short a good shop should have both. Each has a place. In the past we talked about the lo-fi
method of saving money building your own equipment. We have had some real turkeys in that world from our first welded up homemade press to 35 year old dryers......so many swears...
Save your 3AM print dough and focus on a modern press and dryer combo. We recommend something in the 5 year or newer era. If you are serious about printing you won't regret it.
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