Komori Printing Press FAQ: Hard-Earned Answers from a 12-Year Pressroom Veteran

I've run Komori presses for 12 years, and I've made (and documented) 15 significant operational mistakes—roughly $65,000 in wasted budget. So I'll be honest about what I know, what I guessed wrong, and what took me too long to learn. These are the questions I get asked most often, and the answers I wish I'd had from day one.

1. What makes Komori printing presses different from other press brands?

Speed and stability, in that order. The KHS Hyper System on Lithrone models cuts make-ready time dramatically. On our current press, we go from wash-up to approved sheet in 8–12 minutes on a typical 4-color job. The press I ran before Komori took 20–30 minutes for the same work. Three make-readies a day, five days a week—that difference compounds fast.

I don't have hard data on industry-wide make-ready averages, but based on our production history, I'd estimate the time savings alone covered the purchase price difference within two years. Put another way: a press that's running makes money. A press in setup is burning it.

Komori presses also hold their resale value. I've seen 10-year-old Lithrones sell for surprisingly strong prices because the used market is active and parts are available. That's a factor too many buyers ignore when comparing quotes.

2. I keep finding "Komori printing machine" when I search for 3D printer stuff. Why?

Wrong tool, different universe. A 3D printer builds objects layer by layer from filament or resin—it's an additive process. A Komori printing machine is an offset lithography press. It prints flat sheets at production speed, 15,000 to 20,000 sheets per hour on some models, using plates, blankets, and the ink-water balance. The word "printer" is where the similarity ends.

If you're shopping for 3D printer stuff, you're not looking for an offset press. That's fine. But if you run a print shop and competitors are hitting volume you can't touch, that's where Komori enters the picture. Same word, totally different job.

3. DTF printer vs DTG printer—what's the practical difference for a print business?

I'll be upfront: garment printing isn't my core specialty. I've watched clients and neighboring shops run both, so here's the practical breakdown without the marketing dust.

DTG (direct to garment) uses inkjet heads to print directly onto fabric. It excels at detailed, full-color designs on cotton. DTF (direct to film) prints onto a transfer film, which is then heat-pressed onto the garment. DTF handles more fabric types and doesn't require pre-treatment. I've seen profitable shops on both sides. At least, that's been my experience with apparel-focused businesses.

Here's the part most comparisons miss: neither DTF nor DTG competes with a Komori offset press. If you're printing brochures, packaging, or collateral, your real comparison is offset vs. production toner/digital inkjet. If you add apparel later, DTF or DTG sits alongside your press, not in competition with it.

4. How do I add a Komori press to my Mac for sending jobs?

I lost most of a day in 2017 trying to add our Komori press to my Mac like a desktop printer. Drivers. Network discovery. AirPrint. I checked everything. The Mac was fine. My assumption was the problem.

A modern Komori press runs from a Windows-based console—the PQC or KHS control system. You don't print to it from the Mac's print dialog. The workflow: send plate-ready PDFs or TIFFs from your Mac to the press's server over your network, typically via a shared folder or FTP.

What I mean is: treat it as file transfer, not a printer connection. Map the press server folder on your prepress Macs, and jobs arrive in minutes. If the folder isn't visible, check network permissions first, then file format. Send print-ready files—not native design files with fonts and effects the server doesn't have.

5. What's the most expensive mistake you've made running a Komori press?

Trusting automation over the operator's eyes on make-ready. When we installed our first Komori, the KHS auto-calibration seemed like magic. Sensors measure the stock. The screen shows all green. I let the crew skip the manual confirmation. I knew I should have kept the manual check, but I thought, "It's a modern system. What are the odds it gets it wrong?"

The odds caught up with me in September 2021. A coated stock fooled the calibration, and 5,000 sheets ran with incorrect pressure. The color looked fine on press to our untrained eyes, but the customer's brand color measured Delta E 3.8 off. Pantone's color matching guidelines put the tolerance for brand-critical work at Delta E 2 or below. The customer's QC caught it. We reprinted the entire order—$8,400 in paper, press time, and overtime, plus a 2-day delay that rippled into the next three jobs.

I learned two things. First, automation changes the operator's role; it doesn't remove it. Second, a 30-second manual confirmation on every make-ready is cheap insurance. Since instituting that rule, we haven't had a single calibration failure. Consistency beats fancy features every time.

6. Is it worth buying a used Komori printing press?

It can be—if you inspect honestly. Used Komori presses hold value because the parts network is extensive and the machines are built to last. I've seen solid 8- to 12-year-old Lithrones sold at prices that made sense for the buyer.

I've also seen a machine listed at $200,000 that needed roughly $80,000 in immediate repairs. The clues were in the maintenance logs, not the photos. Ask for impression counter readings, full service history, and the replacement record for wear components over the last two years. Skipped maintenance in the past = your expenses in the future.

This pricing was accurate as of early 2025. The used market shifts quickly, so verify current prices before budgeting. Also get the press's serial number and check with a qualified service tech; they can often tell you the machine's history from memory.

7. What's on your Komori spare parts checklist?

Here's what we keep stocked, in priority order:

• Grippers and transfer cylinders—wear items exposed to pressure on every single sheet.
• Blankets and blanket washers—because a damaged blanket ruins a whole run.
• Rollers and bearings—the rotating heart of the ink train.
• Filters and oil—cheap insurance compared to a breakdown.
• Registration sensors—when these drift, color registration drifts with them.

I should add ink rollers. We keep a full set on the shelf because a three-day shipping wait shuts down the entire floor. That was a $15,000 lesson from early 2022.

We've caught 47 potential press issues with this checklist in the past 18 months. That's why I share it. The unglamorous truth of commercial printing is that speed doesn't come from the machine alone. It comes from the machine not being down. A Komori press is an excellent tool. The checklist is what keeps it that way.