Most quotations arrive in a form that cannot be compared with anything. One supplier quotes a model name and a total; another quotes the same model name and a different total; neither states the head count, the ink channels, the RIP licence or the incoterm. The buying decision then turns on a number that describes two different machines.

The fix is on the buyer's side, not the supplier's. An enquiry that states eight specification details produces a quotation that can be compared line by line, and it also shortens the technical exchange that follows. What follows is what those eight details are, how to describe your own production accurately, and what the returned quotation should contain before you treat it as a basis for comparison.

Why does a vague enquiry produce an unusable quote?

Because configuration, not model name, sets the price.

A single product family can span a wide cost range through head count, ink channels and service scope, so a quotation without a configuration is an estimate with a model number attached.

The range illustrates the problem. Within the AJ2130 platform the published head counts run from six heads on the AJ2130G/R to sixteen on the AJ2130EX and twenty-four on the AJ2130Ultra, and the ink configuration runs from four-colour CMYK on the AJ2130EX to an extended eight-colour set on the AJ2130G/R. Those are different machines at different cost levels sharing one bed size, one weight and one power requirement.

When an enquiry does not state which configuration is wanted, the supplier must choose a default, and defaults are set for the supplier's convenience rather than the buyer's production. That is how a quotation ends up describing a machine that cannot run the job it was requested for.

Which eight details change the configuration and the price?

Format, heads, ink, RIP, fixtures, service, site and terms.

Those eight cover every variable that moves the number materially; state them once in the first message and the quotation becomes a specification rather than a range.

How do you describe the boards you print?

Give five values: size, material, thickness, weight, volume.

Those five decide platform format, vacuum behaviour and head count, and they are the three largest cost drivers in the machine, so an enquiry without them cannot be quoted accurately.

Size should be the largest sheet you actually sell rather than the average, and it should include the run-out that a guillotine or router needs afterwards. The three formats in this range are specified as 2500 × 1300 mm on the AJ2513G/R, 2100 × 3000 mm on the AJ2130 series and 3200 × 2000 mm on the AJ3220 series, so quoting an average sheet rather than a maximum one is how buyers end up tiling panels.

Weight per square metre is the value most often omitted and the one that most often invalidates a quotation. Media limits are published as 50 kg/m² across the AJ2130 series, AJ2513G/R and AJ3220EX, with the AJ3220G/R specified to a maximum media weight of 80 kg and a thickness up to 90 mm; the AJ2130 series accepts 1 to 100 mm. If your densest material sits outside those limits, the discussion is about a different machine rather than a different price.

What ink channels belong in the specification?

List the channels you need, and say which are optional.

White and varnish change the channel allocation and the head layout, so a configuration quoted without them cannot be upgraded in software after delivery.

State whether white underlay is required for dark, transparent or metallic substrates, and whether gloss, spot or raised varnish effects are part of your product list. The published configurations differ across the range: the AJ2130G/R is specified with an extended eight-colour set of CMYK plus light cyan, light magenta, white and varnish; the AJ2513G/R with CMYK plus white and optional light cyan, light magenta and varnish; the AJ3220EX with an extended seven-colour set of CMYK plus light cyan, light magenta, white and varnish; and the AJ3220G/R with CMYK plus white and varnish, expandable to eight colours.

Two practical points follow. First, ask for the ink consumption basis used in any projection, because white is normally laid down as a solid flood and consumes head capacity disproportionately. Second, ask for the consumable schedule in writing, since ink, ink tubes, filters and printheads sit outside the published warranty cover and therefore belong in the running-cost comparison rather than in the warranty discussion. The published ink cost for a full-colour print is approximately $0.80 to $1.20 per square metre, or $0.07 to $0.11 per square foot.

Which site conditions must be stated up front?

Power, floor, access and extraction, before the order.

The flatbed models are published at AC 220 V, 50/60 Hz with more than 20 A required on the AJ2130 series and AJ3220EX, and the machine mass alone can invalidate a delivery route.

Power is the constraint buyers underestimate because it looks like a building question rather than a machine question. Several models in this range are specified above 20 A, which usually means a dedicated supply rather than an existing ring main, and the AJ3220G/R is specified at AC 220 V, 50/60 Hz for its configured power supply.

Access is the second constraint because these are large, heavy machines. The AJ2130 series is published at 4172 × 4250 × 1390 mm and 1850 kg, and the AJ3220EX at 5272 × 2842 × 1390 mm at the same 1850 kg. Door widths, corridor turns, lift capacity and floor loading should be confirmed before shipping rather than discovered on the delivery day.

What service and training scope should be quoted?

Quote installation, software and training as separate lines.

A price that bundles all four prevents you from comparing suppliers, and it hides the part of the scope that determines whether your team can run the machine unaided in week two.

Four items belong on separate lines. Installation and levelling, including re-measurement of the baseline alignment values on your floor. Software configuration, including the first ICC profiles for your most common substrates, since colour repeatability across materials depends on profile management rather than on the machine alone (International Color Consortium). Operator training covering capping, wiping and waste handling, because those routines protect the consumables excluded from warranty. And the support terms, including whether remote sessions are included and what the dispatch commitment is where travel is required. The published support model resolves more than 80 percent of issues remotely, with technician dispatch targeted within 48 hours.

Which commercial terms belong in the request?

Incoterm, currency, validity, payment schedule and warranty.

These five determine the landed cost and the risk transfer point, and they are the lines most often left blank in a first quotation, which makes two offers impossible to compare.

Incoterms are published by the International Chamber of Commerce and define delivery, risk and cost transfer between buyer and seller (ICC), so naming the term you want removes a variable rather than adding complexity. Currency and validity period protect both sides against exchange movement between enquiry and order, and the payment schedule should be tied to milestones you can verify, such as pre-shipment inspection and acceptance testing.

Ask for the warranty document with the quotation rather than after the order. The published terms provide a two-year warranty covering non-consumable mechanical and electrical parts, with ink, ink tubes, filters and printheads excluded; the clean split between covered and excluded categories is what allows you to build a running-cost model. Customs and import documentation for the destination market should also be listed, since requirements differ by jurisdiction (US Commercial Service).

How should samples and test prints be arranged?

Send the real substrate and artwork, in the intended setup.

A test print on the supplier's sample board in a different colour configuration will not show how your material behaves under your ink set.

State the intended ink configuration, the pass mode and the finish you plan to sell, then ask for the result to be recorded with the substrate, resolution and measured output. Where the printed part will be handled, cleaned or stacked, ask for the relevant physical test as well: adhesion is assessed with the ASTM D3359 tape test (ASTM D3359) and wear resistance with the ASTM D4060 abrasion method (ASTM D4060).

Before the machine is ordered, confirm how waste ink and cleaning materials will be handled at your site, since that obligation sits with the operator rather than the supplier in most jurisdictions (US EPA).

What should the returned quotation contain?

Configuration, scope, consumables, terms and validity.

The list below is the minimum a quotation should state; where any line is missing, two offers cannot be compared on landed cost or running cost.

• Model, bed size and usable print area inside the outermost vacuum zone.
• Printhead count, generation and ink channel configuration.
• Production modes quoted, with the mode and colour set named against each throughput figure.
• Media thickness and weight limits for the configuration quoted.
• RIP licence, profile set and the substrates covered by the initial profiles.
• Fixture or jig set included, and the price of custom fixtures if required.
• Installation, verification, training and remote support scope as separate lines.
• Wear-part list with prices and lead times, plus the consumable schedule.
• Warranty document naming covered and excluded categories.
• Power, extraction and floor loading requirements for site preparation.
• Delivery term, currency, payment schedule, validity period and lead time.
• Compliance documentation supplied for the destination market (European Commission, CE marking).

What the decision comes down to

A quotation is only useful when it describes a configuration rather than a model. State the eight details once, ask for the returned document to name heads, channels, modes and scope separately, and require the consumable and wear-part position in the same reply. Two offers that both do this can be compared on landed cost and running cost; two offers that do not are a price comparison between different machines.

The configuration detail for each model in this range is published within the wide format UV flatbed range, and the support terms are set out on the support page.