[ReasonTee]

Hi all,
I am window shopping for a new manual press. I am currently working on a much older 6 / 6 Workshorse Mach press. (It does not like to hold perfect registration on 6 color prints nowadays). There have been times where I really needed a 7th or 8th color for a print. I could've printed the image on an 8 color press, but I can't help thinking a 10 color would have really made the print pop. With a 10 color press, there wouldn't be the "which color can I leave out or merge". The flip side, that is that many more colors to ensure stay in reg.

I am shopping Workshorse Mach, Vastex V-2000, and the Riley 500. It appears the Riley is only available in the 8 by 8 configuration. My wants are a press that I can load a full-color print on as quickly as possible and the press holds perfect registration print after print. It would be awesome to not spend an hour trying to get a 6 color print loaded on the press. I am a fan of the X,Y,& Z micro registration format on my Workhorse press.

I would love to hear from you all.

Are side clamps that helpful?
Which press have you experienced holding the best registration and can be loaded as quickly as possible?
Does 8 vs 10 colors make a huge difference in the print? (If available, it would be awesome to see your side by side comparisons).

Thanks!

 

[Print life]

There is only 1 press out there that will live up to your expectations. The Antec Legend 8/8 or 10/10. It is by far the most accurate & precise manual out there. I think they have a YouTube video explaining why if you care to know. We have 3 of them after years and years of fighting poor registration and spending hours and hours registering jobs with some of the units you mentioned. Do your self a favor and check them out. They probably won't be the cheapest but you Won't believe your Roi .

 

[numbercruncher]

M+R offer 8 and 10 color manual presses with micros and side or rear clamps.

 

[Merry]

curious, if you're doing that many colors by hand, why not make the jump to an auto? your life would be so much easier.... If you cannot bite off that much $$ at this time, i'd definitely suggest the M&R chameleon. we've got an 8color, that actually can be added onto, to become up to 16color. it has "decks" so you can add color stations as you need to. been using it since 1998 and still rocks registration like a boss. also side clamps will defiantly help improve your registration consistency.

 

[sben763]

M&R Chameleon is also a great choice. Start with a 8 color 8 station and can expand up to 14 colors. The vastex 2000 is available in 1-10 stations as well as 1-10 print heads.

Setting up and registering a job is more user dependent them machine unless there is a loose head or platen. Some micros have springs to allow zero lash so they don’t jump or move when tightening. I had a M&R sidewinder and added my own springs.

If your buying new, go hit the closest show to you and put your hands on each brand and see what you like. You will find some hate this press or another press while others will love that same press. Really can go wrong when considering , M&R, Vastex 2000, Workhorse, Antec..... IMO the Riley is a intermediate press and is below the others, Vastex 1000 series and Workhorse odyssey are also lower end press.

Side clamps with air locks is very helpful when using registration systems. Side clamps allow for a lot more room for error between screens. Want to cut down setup time, make a registration system, buy a tri-loc, Newman pin system, the Vastex is ok but not as accurate as the other 2 and is much easier to mess up registration. IMO.

 

[sben763]

curious, if you're doing that many colors by hand, why not make the jump to an auto? your life would be so much easier.... If you cannot bite off that much $$ at this time, i'd definitely suggest the M&R chameleon. we've got an 8color, that actually can be added onto, to become up to 16color. it has "decks" so you can add color stations as you need to. been using it since 1998 and still rocks registration like a boss. also side clamps will defiantly help improve your registration consistency.

6 color chameleon is expandable to 10 color and the 8 is expandable to 14 color. 8 stations are the max.

Maybe earlier models could go to 16?