How Much Does a Screen Printer Cost

There is no doubt that in advertising, especially in the regions, there is a “production” boom. Having risen to their feet, advertising agencies are actively purchasing screen printers. This article aims to help you know how much a screen printer costs.

How Much Does a Screen Printer Cost

They include:

The main factor determining the cost of a screen printer is the technological process performed by the machine. In the printer, the following main devices are required:

• A paper supply system that feeds paper into the printing machine (feeder, feeder, roll unwind);
• An inking machine that applies ink to the printing plate;
• A printing apparatus that presses the paper against the printing form, as a result of which an impression obtained; and
• A paper output device that receives an impression from the printing apparatus and outputs it for acceptance, sometimes with preliminary processing – varnishing, drying, cutting, folding, etc.

By Format:

• Small format (up to 500 x 700 mm), medium format (500 x 700 mm), full format (up to 740 x 1050 mm) and large format (over 740 x 1050 mm);
• By feeding the sheet into the printing machine: on the wide or narrow side ;
• The first ones are of a higher class for high-quality printing. When a sheet is fed along the narrow (long) side after wetting and passing through the first printing apparatus, the absolute values ​​of the linear deformation are greater (in proportion to the length of the sheet), which greatly affects the combination of colors in multi-color printing. The only advantage of these machines is the small width and overall compactness of the machines themselves. Machines with a sheet feed on the narrow side, as a rule, are using in operational single-color printing.

By Color: Single-color, Two-color, and Multi-color

One-color LOPM, as a rule, for operational one-color printing. However, some of them are suitable for high-quality single-color and multi-color printing.

• The strengths of single-color CVLs are cheap, high performance, and small in size.
• Two-color machines can have a sheet-turning device (perfector). In this case, the face and back are printing in one sheet pass. They are indispensable for printing small formats and print runs of one-color newspapers, for example, corporate or advertising. Two-color machines are the leading printing equipment for printing houses of the Republic of Armenia.
• Multicolor LPPM is always a medium or high class of printing machines. They are designing to print high-quality multi-color publications in a short time. It is easy to control and evaluate the quality of multi-color printing on these machines. Large investments and production areas are requiring here, but with optimal loading, they pay for themselves quite quickly; no acceptance designs – with low and high acceptance. As a rule, small-format machines are making with low acceptance, medium-format machines with both.

By Purpose:

Universal printing machines for printing on paper and cardboard, machines for printing on any cardboard, printing on tin, and printing securities. As a first approximation, the machine’s capacity can judge by the size of the diameter of the printing cylinder. The larger the diameter, the thicker the cardboard can use.

The sheet transfer cylinders’ diameter and number determine the maximum thickness of the cardboard printed on this machine.

For example, machines for printing on tinplate have the following features: the diameter of the printing cylinder is several times larger than the diameter of the offset cylinder, and the sheet-transfer mechanisms are either a chain or only one cylinder (pseudo-cylinder) of large diameter.

By Feeder:

With friction sheet feed, with sheet-by-sheet feed by grippers, with cascade vacuum (pneumatic) sheet feed. For LOPM, frictional sheet feeding, familiar to advertisers from risographs, is rarely found, except in some light-type machines.

Usually, sheet and cascade feed is used. Sheetfed – for one-color machines of light type with low productivity. Cascade vacuum (pneumatic) – for medium and high-class machines.

Printing Options:

Single-sided and double-sided printing

We are talking only about multi-color CFBs, in which it is possible to install a sheet-turning device between the printing units. Some designs do not allow its installation, such as machines with chain sheeting mechanisms or a planetary construction of the printing apparatus.

To print the other side of the sheet for single-sided printing, after drying, turn over the stack of prints and pass a second time through the machine. This is associated with a loss of time, but, for example, when printing on thick cardboard, it is inevitable.

In Terms of Performance:

With low printing speed (up to 7000 sheets/hour), high- speed printing (from 15,000 to 18,200 sheets/hour) and medium printing speed (data for 1999);

Weight of the Machine:

Heavy and light type. Heavy type printing presses are more stable, less subject to vibration, stable in operation, and these are factors that determine the quality of printed products. Light-type machines are less demanding on the foundation and ceilings of the room. They are also easily transported and climb the floors of the building.

Structure of the Printing Apparatus:

Sectional (linear, three-cylinder) and satellite construction, planetary construction: five, seven, nine, etc. cylinder, “rubber to rubber”;

Quality of Printing:

For operational or high-quality single-color printing, for high-quality multi-color printing in one run.

Level of Automation:

Primitive, mediocre, traditional, automated, highly automated with digital program control.

Possibilities of Aggregation of the Machine:

The machine can work in line with a varnish section or a varnish module, a drying module, or an extended dryer, and it has imprinting or numbering modules; it can work in line with a die-cutting section.

Conclusion

When deciding on the purchase of a screen printer, the first thing to determine is the type of product that will be printed (newspapers, posters, magazines, brochures, promotional items, packaging, labels, or forms), the format of the printed sheet, color and the planned load (circulation). The source of funding will also introduce certain restrictions. Within limits thus outlined, it is possible to determine the printing method, and then the printing press itself, by the knowledge we now have.