The 26 questions buyers ask us most

In a scanning press the board stays still and the printhead travels side to side, so multiple passes can be layered for colour and the print width reaches 2500mm — suited to colour boxes and packaging where image quality matters more than volume. In a single-pass press the printheads are fixed and the board passes through once, with speed from 30 m/min to 150 m/min depending on printhead count — suited to simple artwork on large-volume outer cartons. The trade-off is essentially image quality and format width against speed and throughput.

Scanning. The table is 2500×1350mm, automatic feeding handles boards up to 1350mm, and manual feeding has no length limit, so one machine covers many box types. Changeover is just a file swap, around one minute in practice. Once volume grows, most customers add a single-pass press for long runs alongside it.

Scanning presses feed and print up to 2500mm. High-speed single-pass presses feed 1800mm as standard and can be built to 2500mm. Beyond 2500mm is a custom build, which costs more than a standard machine and has to be scoped separately. We would not advise narrowing the format to save floor space — that leaves no room for wide jobs later.

Leading-edge feeding as standard handles 3–40mm corrugated reliably. We have tested boards above 2mm, but skids can appear in volume production. With a stacker feeder fitted, card stock from 250gsm upward is possible.

Yes, but the board has to be held flat. The vacuum area of our table is fully automatic (patented) and adjusts to the actual board dimensions, so a large table does not distort a small sheet. Once the board is on the table the pinch rollers lower automatically and flatten it. Printheads are also recessed by 1mm inside the carriage, so badly curled edges are less likely to strike them.

It can, but coated surfaces are closed and absorb ink slowly, so water-based ink can pool or dry incompletely. For those substrates we recommend a test print on your own samples first, or moving to a UV machine. UV ink cures instantly and resists water and abrasion, at the cost of higher ink price and an extraction requirement.

Yes on a scanning press — swap the file and the product changes. What does matter is matching ink to substrate: water-based dye ink suits corrugated and card with good absorbency, while coated paper and PP hollow board are better served by UV ink.

Price depends on print width, printhead count, ink type and automation level. For reference: an 8-head water-based scanning press is around RMB 280,000, a 16-head dual-row scanning press around RMB 400,000, a 16-head scanning plus single-pass combination around RMB 450,000, and a high-speed HP A3 three-head single-pass around RMB 300,000. These are reference points only — the final quote follows the configuration sheet.

After the contract is signed we take 30% as a deposit to start production. The balance is paid once the machine and our engineers have reached your factory, before unloading and installation. Instalment plans through a third-party finance partner are also available for long-term customers.

Standard corrugated models take roughly 30 working days from deposit to production, testing and dispatch. Custom-built models extend according to the specification.

The quote includes 13% VAT and excludes freight. The tax rate is fixed whether or not you need a formal invoice.

We do not sell used equipment, because quality cannot be guaranteed. We do periodically release demonstrators and showroom machines, which are priced more favourably and still carry a full warranty.

From the machine being unloaded at your plant we complete electrical connection, alignment and commissioning within three days, handing over a line ready for production. First-visit training is free and runs three to seven days, covering operation, routine maintenance, printhead care and common fault handling.

The software is designed so that anyone comfortable with a basic computer can run it, and one person is the minimum. Feeding, ink supply and transport are automated, so the operator mainly loads material, monitors the run and removes finished work.

A changeover means switching the file in the software, which takes about one minute in practice. Switching between leading-edge feeding and stacker feeding takes roughly five minutes.

You buy it locally, because operating systems and working habits differ by region. We will send a configuration checklist with the installation paperwork — match that list and you are set.

The machine carries a one-year warranty, excluding wear items such as printheads and ink circuits. Epson i3200 printheads are warranted for one year; HP A3 printheads for six months.

Engineers resolve about 95% of issues remotely. When an on-site visit is needed, our engineers arrive within 24 hours of the fault report. Field engineers also make scheduled inspection visits.

Epson i3200 uses piezo technology with an overall life of roughly three years. HP A3 uses thermal bubble technology — theoretically two years, closer to one in practice depending on the environment. Reference prices: i3200-A1 water-based around RMB 6,000, i3200-U1 UV around RMB 8,000, and a new HP A3 around RMB 15,000, all subject to exchange rate movement.

Mainly printheads. They are wear items whose life is affected by temperature, humidity, dust and impact, and irreversible damage means replacement. Everything else is built to industrial grade and wears very slowly in normal use.

Printheads have a built-in humidification module that only needs topping up with purified water. If the machine stands for more than ten days, run the printhead cleaning procedure covered in training before sealing it down for storage.

We run branches in Linyi, Jinan, Dongguang and Shenzhen, with agents in other regions including Zhejiang. All are staffed with technical and sales personnel.

Cost is made up of ink, printhead depreciation, electricity and labour. The software tracks ink consumption and calculates cost, so after each run you can see exactly how much ink that job used and what it came to in money.

Three levers: pick an ink that fits the job rather than defaulting to the most expensive; reduce ink coverage through the software; and simplify the artwork by cutting the number of colours (for example, replacing four-colour black with single black). Pass count also drives ink use, so set it to the quality level the job actually needs.

Water-based ink is environmentally friendly, cheaper and well saturated, and suits absorbent corrugated and card, but its water and abrasion resistance is limited. UV ink cures instantly, resists water and weathering and can be printed with white underbase, making it right for coated paper and PP hollow board — at a higher ink cost and with extraction needed.

The Ruisheng RIP, supplied with the machine. It reads PDF, AI, PS and JPG among others, and lets you tune colour curves, ink coverage and pass count, with optional support for variable data such as one-code-per-box.