Bill Baxter, founder of Inca Digital, shared this list with us at a recent Fujifilm Tech Summit. We at Fujifilm couldn’t agree more with Mr. Baxter’s comments:

  1. Throw away the brochure you are given. Ask for a demo.
  2. Send your files and your substrates to the Demo Site. Bring a stopwatch and a few extra files that you “forgot” to send so you can experience the RIP process.
  3. Print your files at three different speeds (and hence three different print qualities). Time every print, including load/unload, and write on the back of the print.
  4. Have a look inside the press and check out the build quality.
  5. Find out who will provide local tech support for you and invite them over for a chat. Ask them about common failure modes.
  6. Ask for references. Don’t bother ringing these chaps. Ask for more, and ring them instead.
  7. Now you can start comparing contracts and negotiate.