What is the biggest fear of any investor? Anyone working in their own business is afraid of disease and poverty.

Why disease is more or less understandable. But if you have invested a huge amount of money in your project, you have given it a part of your soul, and you want it to develop and bear fruit. It is very painful to see when your project goes down for reasons beyond your control.

You definitely don’t buy a used printing machine to put it in your hallway and enjoy the sight of it. Like this Lamborghini. It is to save on its cost compared to new equipment. And how unpleasant it is when you buy a piece of equipment, bring it home, and due to hidden defects you have to invest another 1/3 of paid amount, if not half of its pricet!

It’s not just about money. Fixing problems can take months, during which the owner of the print shop has to pay rent, equipment loans, and staff salaries. A poor business owner has to work hard to keep an investor’s greatest fear from becoming a reality.

Business is not about risk. Business is about calculation. A professional inspection of the equipment before payment will help you feel confident.

Even the friendly owner of the print shop you’re visiting for an inspection may not know everything about what’s been going on with his machine. After all, it’s the printer who maintains the equipment, not the owner. And an employee is always inclined to hide problems so that he won’t be penalised by a loss of bonus.

That’s why equipment inspections are always done according to the precepts of Dr House, who always said, “Everybody lies”.

On the other hand, there is usually not much time allotted for the inspection. We assess the printing machines when it is necessary to determine the condition clearly and in a short time. The best machine to inspect is one that is dirty and dusty. For example, the absence of dust on some mechanisms may indicate signs of repair or problems, and this unit should be checked more thoroughly.

Before such extended test, it is necessary to bring all printing units to a reference condition: new offset blankets and underlay sheets must be installed. Then the correct blanket clamping force must be measured and the proper pressure set. Ignoring any of the factors will result in an inaccurate print test, and the work will be meaningless. You can read more about the tests here.