6 Months With the Straight Shooter LF-12

[unitedreminders]

After 6 months of owning and operating the Straight Shooter LF-12 feeder, I offer these observations and comments, focusing on the product and technology, on the service and support offered by the company, and on the price/performance of the system. Cutting to the chase: I’m thoroughly satisfied with my purchase of the system.

First, the product is all that I expected. I use the LF-12 to feed postcards into the OKIdata 9650 printer. My typical job run is 500 – 1000 postcards, 110 lb stock, coated on one side. I print custom messages on the reverse side. The feeder feeds the postcards flawlessly and runs faster than the Oki could ever handle. I can adjust the feeder quickly and easily for different sizes of postcards that I use. The LF-12 is completely dependable.

There are elements of the product engineering that show a real sense of customer orientation. The system is based on Straight Shooter’s stable line of feeding devices, providing a solid technical foundation for the LF-12 product. While new to the print feeder market, Straight Shooter has years experience in working with the basic technology. Also, the system makes consistent use of standard sized parts, lowering the cost and making the feeder more serviceable.

Since the LF-21 was designed for envelop feeding, the Straight Shooter folks recognize the need to gain additional experience in the printing business They are working to make the system more effective in a print-feed mode and are very opened to feedback from their customers. In my discussions with their lead engineer, we discussed the need to lengthen the feed guides to bring the media closer to the printer input space and developing a more effective means of aligning the feeder to the printer. I hope to hear from the company about these modifications soon and will post to this site in the future.
Straight Shooter’s service and support have been impeccable. They provided on-site installation as a part of the package (and since I live in a remote location, this was no small accomplishment). The installation technician was prompt, prepared, friendly, happy to talk about his product, and give lots of information and quick at getting the feeder up and running. BTW, the installation was accomplished using a single hex wrench; it’s that simple.

Follow-up support has been there – I spent 2 hours on the phone with the company’s lead engineer, walking through a series of troubleshooting steps unique to my application.

Regarding the feeder’s price: at the time I purchase the system, it was the best in the market. I expect that their competitors have been forced to lower their prices to compete.

I would be remiss if I didn’t make a few comments on the OKIdata 9650 printer. I have found it to be the more troublesome part of the system. Compared to Oki’s projections for the consumables their actual performance has been disappointing. The printer is rather more expensive to operate than I had anticipated. I don’t buy the consumables from OKI; I’ve found the aftermarket alternatives are just as good. Also, I have experienced overheating problems with the printer on runs of less than 1000 postcards. The telephone technical support has been inconsistent, sometimes very good, sometimes terrible.

There are some noteworthy positives about the 9650. It is engineered to be easy to work with. All of the consumables - toner, drum, belt (pulls the media thru the system) and fuser are easily accessible and replaceable. The software interface is easy to work with, though I am sure I’ve only used about 25% of its capabilities. And, the system comes with plenty of documentation.

[Envel]

Hi ,
I would like to thank you for sharing your experience with us. I was looking for a digital printing solution for envelops and I have to say that this forum helps a lot in ther beginning.Now I have bought an Oki C9650 second hand and it works great. Still few trouble, I have a mark on the front of the envelop due to a lot of pression on the flap and the side when it is going threw the printer. Do you have the same problem ? Do you have any way to fix that maters ? Is it possible to adjust the pression on that machine ?

Thank you very much in advanced.

[damfino]

I currently own and operate six Okidata C9000 Series printers (9600, 9650, 9800) and will share some experience. I celebrate their benefits and curse their failings on a daily basis.

This popular engine, first introduced in 2005, is marketed by several companies. As the manufacturer, Okidata sells the printer as is, while Xante makes hardware and software modifications. Xerox branded the 9600 as the 7400, but recently discontinued it. Not quite sure if Intec is modifying it in any way, but poster Queen Mac may clarify. PSI gives the 9650 a 3640 Model designation, and adds RFID chips which forces you to buy toner form them at about twice the market rate (same for Xerox and Xante), reason enough to cross them off your consideration list. (PSI offers indifferent service and support to boot - arrogance doesn’t begin to describe their disrespect for the customer.)

The Oki C9000 series has been very popular for three primary reasons: the LED imaging technology (simpler and more reliable), all components are user replaceable (toner, drums, belt and fuser), and the most important attribute, a straight paper path. Fact: there is no other moderate-cost, office style color laser printer on the market with this feature. That is why you see it coupled with every envelope solution offered (PSI, M-Press, Seacap, Streamfeeder, etc.). It is also why Xante can modify it to run thicker paper (how consistently from a quality standpoint is another discussion).

One major understanding needs to realized about this versatile printer: it was designed for, and remains, an office environment machine. It is not a production piece of hardware. Aftermarket vendors can exploit its features by adding envelope feeders and monkeying with its rated paper thickness capacity and fuser temperature, but at a certain expense. It is best to consider the Oki as a disposable piece of equipment, not a capital expenditure. At $3,500. USD, figure replacing it if repairs are ever to exceed about $1,500. (A new printer comes with that much dollar value in consumables alone.)

I run an average of 60M flat sheets and envelopes per month, profitably...mostly. Envelopes, with their nominal toner consumption, constitute the bulk of my impression count so I get about double the rated flat sheet toner life: 30M, not 15M. Replacing all 4 colors on my PSI system sets me back $1,300.00 USD. I can, however, recharge the 4 toner cartridges for the other Oki’s, both toner and chips (purchased bulk), for just $175. total. Quite a difference. The fuser and belt last their rated 100M life fairly consistently, although a jam caused by a multi-envelope misfeed can send a fuser to an early grave.

The drums, the heart of the imaging system and the controller of quality, are another matter. They cost about $700.00 for all four, and rarely reach their rated life of 40M impressions. It is not uncommon for a drum to offer up drop-outs, toner splatter, a vertical scratch line, or repeating marks without apparent cause or warning. You have to keep several on hand. I have achieved complete rated life, but drum replacement after only 1 or 2M impressions is not uncommon. Envelopes, with their multi-ply thickness, are especially punishing. This drum-life issue will determine the profitability of all jobs.

Average total cost per M considering all consumables and a 3 year amortization: $45-65.

Considering the deadlines and commitments of the trade envelope service I offer, I have to have a back-up unit ready at all times. (No time to replace a controller board or hard drive when you have 30 minutes to meet UPS pick-up.) I utilize the free standing Straightshooter feeder and delivery system, so I can simply roll-out and roll-in another Oki printer. (PSI’s feeder is bolted on, so swapping is not possible.)

Note that Okidata is offering their own envelope solution now. They are coupling their new Pro900 printer (the C9800I believe with some minor improvements) with the Thiele (Streamfeeder) brand feeder...for $26,000.!!! Suggestion: Purchase an Oki 9650 and a Straightshooter feeder and delivery conveyor for under $10,000. total.

There's more to know, but hopefully my experience related here will provide some guidance. (I may drop this post in other related threads.)

[TXPrinter]

The threads above are excellent and very informative - many thanks. Question: How effective is the Straight Shooter equipment if the printer itself does NOT have a straight path? I mean, surely even if the envelope is fed straight, the internals of the printer can mess up the path.

From what I am reading, the OKIdata 9650 is the best bet for full color envelopes. Does this printer continue to feed the envelopes through in a straight path (not considering misfeeds)?

I can get 4,500 full color #10 regular envelopes for $372 (8 cents/env), they have approx. 15% color coverage, by Offset - good wholesale price but I am hostage to their turn-around times. Based on your experience, can #10's ($14.50/1,000) be run in the 9650 at a cost less than that quoted above?

Once again, thanks for the recent detailed posts!

[damfino]

The Straightshooter is designed for the Okidata only, and for good reason: it is the only color laser of reasonable speed on the market with a straight paper path. (I have heard of the Straightshooter coupled with a Xerox 250, but aside from the over-kill nature of such a marriage, I can't comment on the success of same.)

Your trade offset price is very good. If you buy all OEM consumables your cost per M for the Oki will be $40-$50. plus stock. If you recharge the toner cartridges with bulk toner it's more in the range of $30. per M. It's the drums that are the problem - expensive and prone to premature failure. There are slightly cheaper Chinese versions, but the quality and life expectancy are poor.

In any case, stay away from Xante, PSI, or any Oki system which has proprietary RFID chips in the consumables. You will be paying unnecessarily in the range of $60.-$70. per M.

Good luck...

[JayDA]

Every time I see one of these threads get bumped to the top, I can't resist the urge to say....DO NOT BUY A PRINTER FROM PSI! PM me if you would like details....

[ROYMAIL]

I was interested in your discussion re: the Straight Shooter Feeder, since it looks difficult for quick setups. Did you really find it simple once you got used to it? roy@hofny.com

[JayDA]

I find my Straight Shooter pretty easy to setup, but I'm familiar with how stream feeders work from being around production equipment for a long time. You'll get the hang of it pretty quick....go for it.