15 questions to ask any UV printer supplier
before you pay
I work on the supplier side, and I still think every buyer should ask these. A good supplier answers all fifteen without hesitation. A supplier who dodges more than two of them is telling you exactly what the next two years will look like.
Machine and configuration
1. Which printhead, and what does a replacement cost?
Head model determines resolution, speed and — most importantly — your cost when one fails. Heads are consumables, not warranty parts, at every brand including the Japanese and European ones. Ask for the head price in writing.
2. Can you print on my actual material, on video?
Not a sample from your showroom — my file, my material, live. Any factory with a running machine can do this in an hour. If they only send stock photos, keep looking.
3. What is the real print speed in production mode?
Brochure speeds are usually draft mode. Ask for square metres per hour at the quality you will actually sell, and whether white + colour + varnish in one pass slows it down.
4. Ink consumption per square metre?
Ask them to run your file and measure. A 30% difference in ink use is a bigger number over three years than the discount you are negotiating right now.
5. Is there a CCD / visual positioning option?
If you print on pre-cut items, camera-based alignment turns a fiddly manual job into a repeatable one. Cheap to add at order time, awkward to retrofit.
Cost and commercial terms
6. What exactly is included?
Ink starter set, RIP software licence, spare dampers, capping station, tools, jigs, manuals. "Everything you need" means different things to different people — get the list.
7. Shipping, insurance and duties — who quotes what?
Clarify whether the price is EXW, FOB or CIF, and who handles customs clearance at your end. A cheap CIF quote with an unexpected duty bill is not cheap.
8. Payment structure and what triggers each payment
Deposit before production, balance before shipment is standard. If you are asked for 100% upfront from a supplier you have never met, ask why.
9. Is there a spare parts kit in the first shipment?
Heads, boards, belts, dampers. A three-week wait for a small part is the most common reason new owners lose money in month two.
Compliance and installation
10. Do you have CE documentation, and is it for this model?
Ask for the certificate and check the model number on it. A certificate for a different machine is a common shortcut.
11. Voltage, phase and compressed air requirements
Confirm against your workshop before ordering. Machines can usually be built to your local standard, but only if you say so in advance.
12. What does installation actually involve?
Remote guidance, manuals and video are normal. On-site installation is possible but priced separately — know which one you are buying.
After sales — the part that matters most
13. Who answers when something breaks, and in what language?
Ask how many people are on the after-sales team and whether they work in English. Ask for a real response-time commitment, not "we will reply soon".
14. Warranty scope — in writing
How many months, which parts, who pays shipping for a replacement part, and whether labour/remote diagnosis is included for life. Printheads will be excluded; that is normal, but it should be stated, not discovered later.
15. Can you train my operator, and can I train a second person later?
Staff turnover is real. Ask whether training videos and a documented process come with the machine.
How to use this list
Copy these fifteen questions into one message and send it to three suppliers at once. You will learn more from comparing the answers — and the hesitations — than from any spec sheet. Two suppliers will answer fully. One will send you another brochure.