Advice on entry production machine OKI9431 v Canon C650 v Xerox C70

[shaunbrickell]

Hi guys, firstly thank you for the great advice I have been reading. We have a small branding/event management company in South Africa focused mainly on Large/Wide Format digital production which is used at the events we manage. We work a lot in the event space and the need has arisen for us to consider an entry level "production" machine.
Our requirement is short runs of brochures, catalogs, flyers and business cards usually to be used at an event. We have been using a hi-end office machine, Xerox 7556 which just isnt cutting it. Prints look like they on a photo copier and producing solid flat colour is a no no.

The requirements of 300gsm, full duplex with good registration on SRA3 all seem to met. (we already have a guillotine, folder, booklet maker) Our volumes are less than 10'000 copies a month so this really does come down to quality of the 3 machines.
We could even offer a photo book to our clients post an event as a new option if the machine is capable. I know service would be a clincher if I could evaluate but to be honest I'm expecting average results from them all.

Any advice or experience with these (or other potential models) welcomed.
Thanks,
Shaun

 

[Bushido]

I can recommend you Xerox digital presses. Won't say anything about Canon or OKI as I never touched them.
Have 3 years of experience with Xerox DC770 (before was DC250 and WC can't remember which model), all together 7 years.
With 770 I've been setting up the entire workflow from scratch, to be able to make e.g. 250 double sided business cards on 400 gsm matt coated stock within less then 5 mins from getting a press ready file to hand printed and trimmed down cards to the customer. The registration was very tight, way tighter than Xerox specs say, although this requires constant keeping an eye on paper profiles for each stock you run and my way to make the registration perfectly tight was to trim all the paper down to 449 x 319 mm using very accurate guilotine (Mohr 66NET) so every sheet put into the machine was exactly the same size.
Xerox press had external Fiery with EFI Command Workstation and Graphic Arts Package Premium Edition. All the finishing was offline, so I didn't ask for any booklet makers or other fancy finishers apart from high capacity output tray as I came from lithographic environment and see things differently than sales or office people do.

 

[msaeger]

That okidata one doesn't really look like it compares to the other two choices. I suppose it's a lot cheaper though. What can you get for a RIP on the okidata one? The xerox says you can get fiery on it.

 

[Highgate]

Hi guys, firstly thank you for the great advice I have been reading. We have a small branding/event management company in South Africa focused mainly on Large/Wide Format digital production which is used at the events we manage. We work a lot in the event space and the need has arisen for us to consider an entry level "production" machine.
Our requirement is short runs of brochures, catalogs, flyers and business cards usually to be used at an event. We have been using a hi-end office machine, Xerox 7556 which just isnt cutting it. Prints look like they on a photo copier and producing solid flat colour is a no no.

The requirements of 300gsm, full duplex with good registration on SRA3 all seem to met. (we already have a guillotine, folder, booklet maker) Our volumes are less than 10'000 copies a month so this really does come down to quality of the 3 machines.
We could even offer a photo book to our clients post an event as a new option if the machine is capable. I know service would be a clincher if I could evaluate but to be honest I'm expecting average results from them all.

Any advice or experience with these (or other potential models) welcomed.
Thanks,
Shaun

Hi Shaun,
I am a reseller of this product as well as having sold Canon and Xerox, both which are great products, however I am very impressed with the Oki results. I think the main thing is that the unit itself is considerably cheaper than the other options as well as portable (with care) as per your requirements. The RIP is quite expensive but still makes it under the value of the other two options. I see that you are in Durban, can I give you a call to discuss?
Regards
Heather Highgate

 

[wonderings]

I would be contacting your dealers down there and give some jobs you would be printing a try on those machines. I only have experience with Xerox and they have been very helpful pre-sale. C70 looks like a light production, not sure what kind of print quality you will get off of that and what tools they have for maintaining consistent collar and good registration.

A solid machine has been the Versant series, might be worth looking to see if Xerox has any used ones they can sell with a service contract. Not sure how the prices would compare to a C70.