help with best practices and planning for the future

[merchmonster]

thanks for the open invite atownsend.  i'm in the norfolk area, not too far.  i can afford a monthly payment (with no work in the queue) a lot easier than a used unit that i don't have the experience to troubleshoot. 

i do have a small luxury that my overhead is somewhat controlled since i carved out an existing space so my print shop doesn't have traditional rent payments.  if i had rent to think about, i would definitely build up cash reserves for equipment.

did you have experience on an auto, or did you just figure it out?

Norfolk isn't far at all, shoot me a PM if you are ever in the area.

Never worked on an auto before picking up our 6/8 Gauntlet. Its very basic, not hard at all to pickup if you have printed manually. There is definitely a learning curve and it will stress other areas of your shop if they are not operating @ peak. If you are getting an older press, you should be able & willing to turn a wrench pretty often. If not, and you can afford it, it may be better to find a newer model. Older presses are not a headache everyone wants to deal with, but personally, I'd rather have a minor headache every now and again than the migraine that comes from a payment. Just my personal philosophy speaking. Financing might make perfect sense for you. The reconditioned used presses from CGS come with warranties, pretty sure you can finance them. It might be a good way to stretch your dollar and get more heads for the money.

One other thing to consider, if you do not have a traditional rent payment, is to make sure you are 100% secure in your building. If you get an auto, it really is not something you want to have to move often. Renting a forklift / truck, breaking it down, hiring a tech to setup is quite expensive.

i wanted to add to that list:
* installing heavy electrical for press, flashes & compressor
* installing copper air lines
* installing gas or electric for your dryer

easily $5-10k every time.

[Sbrem]

hey frog,
i have an ancient rototex 6/4,  18 aluminum screens and 50+ warped ass wood screens that i can't stand.  5'x20' lawson conveyor with jet air.  richmond vacuum light table with nuarc halide light source which i can burn up to 8 screens at a time.  larger homemade washout booth and a standard economy flash. 

mooseman, i'm definitely printing.  i just can't keep up.  my equipment and speed (experience) is definitely holding back sales.

We've had a few Rototex's over the years, and have an 8/4 that works all day, every day. Very solid press. Lose the wooden frames (I had thousands of them, fine back in the 70's, but not now)

Steve