looking for a new color copier (digital press)

[rbailleu]

Hi,

we used to have a clc950. we liked the quality of it, but the speed was too slow. so we bought a ir c3200. the speed is good, but the quality is not the greatest. I am looking at a xerox 252 or 260 to replace it. but we are considering a konica/minolta bishub 550. I am looking for any feed back on these or other comparable machines.

[LucianoSampaio]

Well, i can say that the Xerox DC250 (Olympia is the inside name, IIRC) is a good machine. i used to run one under a Spire RIP a few months ago. good color, good speed. the only small drawback (which actually did not hinder my use of it in any way) was the not-so-good duplexing. since i used heavier stock and 13"x19", it did not matter to me, always duplexing "by hand" via bypass. the few times i tried to duplex automatically with lighter stock and smaller format sizes, the paper seemed to dance a little inside the press, having a radial registry error. apart from that, it´s quite awesome.

[The Element]

I just installed a Xerox 260 and I cant say enough good things about this machine. I dont like color copiers as I come from the offset side of the business. I swore I would never buy another one but I was getting too many requests for jobs of less than 500 imps and could no longer compete on the DI. I saw some samples from the Xerox and they were VERY comparable to what I was getting off the DI press so I bought one. This is a truly amazing device for short run color. The fiery rip is awesome and the modularity is great especially if you are in a remote area. Fusers, drums, and toners are all operator installed in seconds.

[dkreppein]

Rob:

The Bizhub is NOT a production color device. KM should be releasing a 5500 that is a slower version of their 6500. It is also sold by IKON as the CPP550. The Bizhub 550 is a business color machine comparable to your 3200. Good luck!

[cosmo]

how much do you want to spend?

[rbailleu]

I have been quoted prices all over the place. the 3200 is cheap. and the xerox is expensive. of course no one quotes prices for buying the machine. its all lease pricing we are paying 300/month on the 3200 and quotes range upto 1100/month on the xerox 242 with production finisher and bustled controller.

[dkreppein]

Rob,

I must disclose that I am a color specialist for IKON, so I am clearly biased. That having been said, here are some questions you should ask of any/all suppliers you are looking at:

What kind of substrates can your machine run-coated/glossy/cardstock? Make sure they show you how they do it or give them a substantial amount to run. Anybody can make 1 good print, the proof will be in creating consistent and accurate output.

What kind of support is available after the sale? Anybody can sell you the tool, far fewer can support it and help you make money with it. Talk to the service manager, service techs, and especially other customers. Post sale support is critical in maintaining even a basic color workflow.

What is the maximum recommended monthly volume for your machine? You don't want to buy too much capacity, but you don't want to max out the machine 2 years before your lease is up either.

How does your machine handle these types of files? Bustled controllers have come a long way in terms of RIP speed and color accuracy, but they may not be able to handle complex postscript files with lots of layering.

Make sure you look at the total cost of ownership, and get a good handle on how easy the whole system is to use. A cheap cost per copy is no good if you have to run 10 sheets to get 5 saleable ones.

Good luck!

[rbailleu]

I get the whole trial thing. we have never had a perfect experience with copiers or copier sales organizations. the reason I have never considered ikon in the p ast was they send in the blonds. Its nothing personal, but I have trouble buying a copier from a young gal 22-30. weighs 80 lbs soaking wet.
but I digress. my decision is get a high quality machine for $1000/month or stick with the 3200 for $300/ month. at 5000 copies/ month the xerox will cost about $.26/copy. the 3200 is about $.15/copy I can say with out a doubt that the copies that were output at graphexpo I ranked the quality as follows. canon irc3220/5185 lowest. ikon/konica 650? much better. canon small imagepress about the same as konica. xerox 242/252/260 best.

but I really want to know what others think. I would like it if someone( even the sales guy) could point out how they think their machine is better. I would like a quality improvement but I am juggling price concerns.

[kdonegan]

Hi
We are running
Xerox 240 w/ bundled EFI and Konica 6500 w/ Creo
I find the output quality to be similar overall. Bought the Xerox 2 years ago and the Konica Jan07. Price was similar
For me, the Minolta is more productive (i prefer the creo rip as well)
Xerox strengths - better type quality with higher dpi - operator replaceable drums and fuser -
Minolta strengths - duplex much higher weights so more productive in my opinion

If I were to change something I would have added the 12x18 paper tray instead of the multipurpose tray for Xerox and went with the creo controller. We run almost all work on 12x18

We are currently evaluating the Presstek 34DI as a possible addition.

good luck with your research
Kevin

[OffsetGuy@presstechnician.com]

Look at the TruePress344. It is a real offset press not a waterless copier Consider the service also!!!!
Also all the extra electric and special room mod's you will have to do.
The DI needs a Space Shuttle envoirment to operate with out toning etc.