Meteor DP 8700 XL

The Surat-based Venus Photo Express purchased this press at the Photo Fair 2012 to cater to plastic printing for id cards and the fashion industry

26 May 2012 | 3482 Views | By Sachin Shardul

Describe your company?
Venus Photo Express, is one of the oldest photographic company in Surat providing high quality photo printing. The firm also undertakes large format printing under the name of Venus Creative Impressions.

What does the system do?
MGI Meteor DP 8700 XL can print on multiple substrates which include paper from 70 to 350 gsm and plastic from 100 micron to 400 micron. It can cater to a wide range of industry segments which includes commercial printers, plastic card manufacturers, in-plants, book printers, photo printers, governments and envelope printers.

Why did you choose this particular system?
We wanted to be different than others. We wanted high quality digital prints, and for our further development of business in plastic printing for id cards, and similar applications. Also we wanted to specifically target the fashion and apparel industry.

Did you look at any other similar system?
Yes. After looking at equipements from HP and Xerox, both my sons, Chintan and Neel were in favour of this engine for future needs.

Why did you make the purchase?
We were actually tired of unprofessional services from other digital printers, and lack of approach in delivering quality prints and services. We had no choice but own our own unit. Being an ISO 9002 certified company, we had to take care in regards to quality of output and as well as services.

What features do you particularly like?
Plastic printing and consistency of print product quality. Being able to print on multi-substrates, opens up many creative possibilities for us. For such jobs in the past, we did not have a digital option and we had been looking up to offset.

Is there anything you wish it had that it doesn’t?
Looking at the application of print that we do and the customers we cater to, this particular machine does not lack in features.

How fast is it?
The speed is good enough. It can print up to 4,260 A4 pages per hour or 2,280 A3 pages per hour.

What’s the quality like?
The print quality is excellant. Once the operators are trained to use the features of this machine then it is quite easy to procure a high-level of quality from this machine.

How reliable is it?
Although we are using this machine, we still need to get better experience for few more months.

How easy is it to use?
This machine has various features. The operator needs to be trained and once this is done it is quite easy-to-use.

How much time or money has it saved?
It will be pre-mature to comment on how much we have ended up saving. However, in our proofing jobs, we have made significant time and cost saving.

Would you say that it offers value for money?
We expect it to offer exceptional value for the money we have spent.

Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?
Some, but now everthing is settled. Aura Print Solutions (APS) served us well, and took great care for training.

What about the pre- and after- sales service?
APS has been on par in regards with sales and services.

Who do you think the system is right for?
This machine is right for printers who want to cater to album and card printing segments.

Under what circumstances would you buy another?
Once we are flooded with plastic card business in the coming year ...


SUPPLIER'S RESPONSE
V Natrajan, managing director, Aura Print Solutions, says, “The Meteor DP8700 XL is the latest member of the Meteor family of four-colour multi-substrate digital presses. The machine has proved to be popular with customers worldwide including commercial printers, plastic card manufacturers, book printers and photo production facilities. Venus Photo Express in Surat had booked the press on the first day of Photo Fair 2012 after looking at the advantages of the machine. The machine has a feeder size of 13x40inch and can print on various substrates like paper, plastics and synthetics.”

Contact
Aura Print Solutions
Umesh Kagade
+91 9860835581/ umesh@auraprintsolutions.com

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