New vs Used Videojet Printers: What I Learned After Wasting $12,000

I've been handling coding and marking equipment purchases for our packaging operation since 2021. I'm not a service engineer, so I can't walk you through a printhead rebuild. What I can tell you is how I turned roughly $12,000 into an expensive education. Maybe $13,000—I'd have to check the actual P&L before I commit to a number.

This article compares what I learned buying both new and used videojet continuous inkjet printers, plus the separate disaster that happened when I spec'd a fiber laser 2000w for the wrong application. If you're searching for "used videojet printers" because a new system seems out of reach, stick around. There's a smarter path that I didn't take.

Why I'm Writing This

In September 2022, I bought a used Videojet 1510. It looked good in the photos and ran fine during the 20-minute demo. The seller had records—or so he claimed. Three weeks after installation, the printhead was streaking. A service visit diagnosed clogged nozzles from years of aftermarket ink use. The repair estimate was $2,950 (new printhead plus labor). The unit itself cost $3,200. Do the math: I was one more service call away from paying new-machine money for a machine that had already been abused.

I still kick myself for not scheduling a third-party inspection before wiring that payment. If I'd spent $200 on an evaluation, I would have seen the warning signs and walked away.

The Framework: What Actually Matters

When I compare videojet continuous inkjet printers—new vs used—I now look at four dimensions: upfront price, reliability, consumables, and support. Total cost of ownership includes the sticker price plus service visits, downtime hours, ink and solvent, and the time your operators spend babysitting a temperamental machine.

The lowest quoted price rarely ends up being the lowest total cost.

Dimension One: Upfront Price (Where the Bait Is)

There's no denying the initial math. A used Videojet 1280 or 1510 can be found for $2,500 to $5,000 depending on hours and cosmetic condition. A new unit from a Videojet distributor starts closer to $15,000 depending on configuration. So the used machine looks like a 70% savings.

I made exactly this mistake, anchoring on the purchase price and ignoring what came next. Here's the part that surprised me: the depreciation curve on used CIJ printers is not kind. I'm trying to resell that unit now (after repairing it) and getting offers around $1,200. By the time a CIJ printer hits the used market, it usually does so for a reason.

Dimension Two: Reliability (The Painful One)

I could write an entire post about the three-day downtime after that used unit arrived. The line was manually labelling 5,000 units per shift, and my operators were (rightly) annoyed that my "budget-saving" experiment had doubled their workload. The machine refused to start, threw an error code I'd never seen, and the support tech's first question was about the unit's maintenance history. I didn't have an answer.

New videojet continuous inkjet printers include a warranty and, if you negotiate well, a preventive maintenance plan. Used units come with none of that. If you don't have an in-house technician who can disassemble a CIJ fluid system, every hiccup becomes a service call. And service calls on used equipment tend to be the most expensive per visit because the technician is chasing unknown history.

The word that matters is predictability. A new machine's failure rate follows a known curve. A used machine's failure rate is a mystery. If your line runs two shifts and downtime costs $450/hour in labor and delayed shipments, the premium for a new unit pays for itself the first time it prevents a single day of stops.

Dimension Three: Consumables and Supplies

Let me talk about ink. Videojet's original inks and cleaning solutions are not cheap—I'd rather not quote a specific price because supply contracts vary by region and volume. Any figure I give would be wrong for someone reading from another country.

What I can say without a price list: I bought generic ink once. It was about 30-40% cheaper per liter. The quality... well, on our polypropylene film, the codes smeared, and the fluid system started acting up. The service tech asked what ink I was running. I told him. He didn't say "I told you so," but the silence was loud.

Here's the nuance: generic ink isn't categorically garbage. Some is probably fine for non-critical codes. But you don't know which generic brand has done long-term compatibility testing. Videojet's formulations are matched to their printheads. When you deviate, you own the risk. On a used machine, that risk is already amplified. I stacked both risks at once and paid for the privilege of learning.

Dimension Four: Support and Service Network

This is the dimension where I was stupid every time. When I bought used, the seller vanished from email after week three. Literally. Messages bounced. The promised "warranty" from a private seller was an empty phrase.

With the new unit, I had a real support contract. Videojet's service network in our region is, from my personal experience, responsive—they answer the phone, and they don't treat small customers as a distraction. I'd worked with suppliers in the past who stopped picking up once they realized we were a small operation. The support team on the new unit has never blinked at our production volume.

For small shops reading this: don't tolerate being ignored. Suppliers who value your first $200 order are the ones who'll value your later $20,000 orders. I've kept that in mind as both a buyer and as someone who now gets asked for recommendations.

Laser Choice: Fiber Laser 2000w vs TetraPro CO2

Separate from the CIJ comparison, I want to share the laser mistake because it was sneakier and cost more.

The request started from the production side: our metal components needed permanent marking. Someone in the building suggested a "heavy-duty fiber laser"—specifically a fiber laser 2000w unit, because more power sounds better. What we bought, with installation and a conveyor belt for fiber laser marker supply, was around $20,000 of equipment that was wrong for half our product line.

The 2000w fiber laser is genuinely impressive on metal. It etches deep, readable code into steel, leaving contrast that survives heat treatment. But when we ran plastic bottles through it, the results ranged from unsightly melting to almost invisible marks. The wavelength changes everything, but I only understood that after the purchase.

When I finally talked to a Videojet application specialist, they walked me through the TetraPro CO2 laser. CO2 lasers operate at wavelengths around 9.3 to 10.6 micrometers, which plastics, glass, and coated cardboard absorb efficiently. You get clean, high-contrast codes on packaging without burning or melting. I remember my jaw hanging slightly open during the demo on the same material we'd ruined.

The twist that embarrassed me: for most of our packaging materials, the TetraPro CO2 laser marks beautifully at a fraction of the power (and cost) of the fiber unit. The 2000w fiber laser isn't "more powerful than CO2" in a way that helps with plastic. They serve different applications. If your material is metal, fiber. If your product is packaged or plastic, CO2.

Wait, that's oversimplified. There are metal parts where CO2 struggles too. My point isn't to declare a winner; it's that "more power" is the wrong criteria. Material compatibility is the criteria. I learned this by spending $20,000, and then spending another $2,800 to rebuild the feeding system because the conveyor belt for fiber laser marker supply didn't handle our product geometry.

What I'd Do Differently (The Checklist)

Since Q1 2024, our team has maintained a pre-purchase checklist. Worth sharing:

Get a third-party inspection on any used CIJ printer, no matter how convincing the seller sounds. The $200 inspection fee can prevent a $2,950 repair bill. Ask for maintenance history and run a job with your own substrate and product. If the seller hesitates, walk away.

Compare total cost of ownership, not sticker prices. Include one year of consumables, service, and at least your average downtime cost. A spreadsheet with honest numbers changes the conversation pretty quickly.

Don't assume laser type. Have a conversation with someone who does this all day. Be ready to name your materials, line speed, and environment. Send a sample if you can—most reputable vendors will test-mark it for free.

Don't assume the conveyor is standard. If you're adding a conveyor belt for fiber laser marker supply, confirm that the guides, rails, and speed match your product dimensions. It took us three iterations to get it right.

The Bottom Line: Used Makes Sense Sometimes

I'll end with a nuanced take. I've criticized used purchases in this article, but they can absolutely be the right call. If you have in-house expertise, a non-critical line, or a low-risk application, a well-inspected used videojet printer is a legitimate entry point. Plenty of plants run them successfully for years.

What doesn't make sense is buying used because the sticker price feels easier. That's how I lost $12,000 (no, $14,000 if I count the rebuild—I keep underestimating).

Buy the support network, not just the machine. When we finally bought new, the decision was less about the equipment itself and more about the people around it. Videojet's brand earned our respect through responsiveness, not just specs.

And if you're a small operation starting out, don't believe you're too small to ask for technical consultation before buying. You're the one who has to live with the machine. Ask the questions, even the basic ones. The suppliers who won't take you seriously are showing you who they are.