1. Question : do I have to buy supplies from my machine vendor ?

Answer : in most cases no. Many supplies are cross-compatible, with a few exceptions as noted below:

Inks : certainly the quality and performance of inks for a particular application can vary from brand to brand, but as a general rule, pad printing ink is pad printing ink. Quality, performance and price are important issues, but so are availability, support and service. Printex will gladly help you evaluate your ink needs and if possible recommend the best product for the job, even if we do not carry it.

Plates : with the right equipment, photopolymer plates are easily cut to any size, and supplied processed or unprocessed. There are only a handful of plate material manufacturers in the world, so you will find the same materials available from many different vendors. Printex strives to provide superior service for your plate needs. Steel plates (particularly thick tool steel plates) may be more difficult to outsource from several vendors, due to the cost and lead time involved in obtaining stock in anything other than a machine vendor's "native" sizes.

Pads : much like inks, a pad is a pad, though once again quality and performance can vary. The chief issue with pads in the method by which they are mounted to the machine, which can vary by manufacturer. Printex has attempted to be as cross-compatible as possible in this respect.

Doctor blades, sealed ink cups, and miscellaneous : doctor blades usually boil down to three specifications: thickness, finish and width. Some manufacturers do use proprietary slots or holes in their blades to facilitate mounting. Printex open-well machines utilize standard strips of doctor blade material, available in-stock in several thickness, finishes and widths, and can be cut to any size. Printex Sealed Ink cups are only compatable with Printex Sealed Ink Cup machines.

Spare machine parts : your best bet is to stick to the machine manufacturer, particularly for the mechanical components which they make.