A Quick Guide to Buy Used Printing Machines

With a printing business up and running, every owner wants to reduce the cost, increase efficiency and revenue. Much of this goal depends on which printing machines are in use and how they cope with the demand of your workflow.

Again, buying new machines or equipment may not always be the right decision for all businesses, especially if they’re going through crucial situations. Based on the existing circumstances and forecasts, some printing businesses may want to buy used printing machines.

A variety of important details should be taken into account when selecting a machine. Functionality, quality, specifications, and capacity of the equipment are the most important factors to consider. In-depth inspection and observation help you find a printing machine that accurately matches the demands of your production process.

In this article, we’ve brought you five useful tips that may help you choose the right printing machine and avoid some mistakes that buyers or companies often make while buying used printing machines.

Nowadays, we see an array of pre-press equipment that boasts a range of advanced and modern features which may grab your attention at first glance. Technological features like rapid printing, advanced automation, efficient and fast drive systems often lead to higher prices, distracting buyers from the sole functionality of the equipment.

So, you need to weigh your options before choosing those surplus add-ons. Seek answers to these questions before buying used printing machines.

• Do any of these features have any impact on the efficiency and improvement of your workflow?
• Do these add-ons add any value to your overall printing process?
• Is the additional investment that you might be making for those features feasible?

If those advanced options are never put to use or you don’t have to use them to their full extent, you’ll only end up having financial and operational setbacks rather than seeing any practical efficiency to the production.

Make sure your plan for buying used printing machines is carefully laid out so that it reflects your business needs on both short and long terms. Only then, you’ll be able to assess how the investment is going to serve you.

While it is essential that you be careful about how you’re going to spend on used printing equipment, your focus shouldn’t be on the price all the way. A machine’s price might be enticing but not so much when you look at its capabilities in which case, you’ll eventually spend more for servicing and frequent repairs.

Whether you buy a flexographic printing machine or a business form printer, it needs to meet the demands of your workflow without dropping the quality or causing delays. If a machine costs less than or equal to your budget but fails to keep up with the workflow, it will only hamper the productivity and result in less ROI, which will eventually affect the reputation of your brand/ business.

You should check if the used printing machine you’re planning to buy comes with all the required specifications and then request the vendor/ seller to allow a test run. This way, you can determine the suitability of the machine for the demand of your workflow. Only then, you can think about the cost and make adjustments to your expectations and financing options.

You might want to stay loyal to a brand, and understandably so. But it could compromise your objective to maximise your advantage from buying used printing machines. What if your preferred brand pays less attention to the safety measures, standards, and functional features required by your printing workflow.

Since printing technology keeps evolving continuously, printing equipment from a particular brand that used to work well a decade ago may not serve as efficiently as you need now. Some brands keep adopting newer technologies and manufacturing techniques while your chosen brand may not be that much of an innovation seeker.

So, you should form an unbiased and practical perspective by choosing a vendor with access to your preferred type of used printing machines from different brands. By doing so, you’ll have the opportunity to find suitable equipment based on an in-depth assessment of the features and capacity. You can also compare the pricing options since your thoughts are no longer confined in a single brand.

After-sales service makes a significant difference when it comes to the usability and lifespan of a printing machine. You’ll be looking for services like regular and periodic maintenance, part replacements, troubleshooting, on-site support, etc. over the years. Without those services, the quality, functionality, and longevity of used printing machines might be compromised.

So, you should talk to the seller/ vendor about after-sales support or technical services. A good seller usually includes this in the agreement. Some sellers don’t offer full service and support, but at least, they should agree on some specific levels of service.

Before buying used printing machines, you should gather as much knowledge as you can to understand the functionality and operational procedure of the machine. The seller should be able to help you with this.

Make sure the operator who will be handling the machine knows how the machine works, which operating practice is recommended and which safety rules to follow. Knowing these facts helps the operator avoid accidents/ injuries.

This knowledge also helps the staff operate the used printing machine in ways that help reduce costs, eliminate errors and unnecessary waste, thereby facilitating the overall production process towards better ROI.

Buying a printing machine, be it new or used, is a critical business decision and investment. The primary goal of buying used printing machines is to avoid the hefty price tag coming with new machines. Cost-efficiency is the appropriate term here.

If a used machine doesn’t quite deliver what it’s expected to, the amount you saved from buying it instead of a new one doesn’t help your business in any way because you’ll end up buying another machine much sooner than you might expect. It is surely the last thing any printing business owner would want.

Are you looking for used printing machines in a stellar condition? Feel free to contact us for help or recommendations.