bizhub 500 vs docucolor 3535

[VigiCon]

hi
can anyone make a comparison between bizhub 500 and docucolor 3535? our preference is print quality only, especially on 300gms.
Does any model of bizhub use silicon oil for glossy print?
regards
Nasir

 

[X33]

hi
can anyone make a comparison between bizhub 500 and docucolor 3535? our preference is print quality only, especially on 300gms.
Does any model of bizhub use silicon oil for glossy print?
regards
Nasir

comparison: old vs old.

I don't think any of these models can handle 300gsm.

 

[VigiCon]

we are a small shop so we need a low budget solution. Plz make a more explained comparison
thanks

 

[JayDA]

If you are talking about a Konica C500...one word....DON'T....especially with heavier stocks.

 

[VigiCon]

is it ok with medium stocks? ddoes it use oil for glossy printout?

 

[UberTech]

Unless you are an extremely experienced digital printer with quite a bit of volume I would stand well clear of the c500.

 

[X33]

we are a small shop so we need a low budget solution.

everybody has a low budget these days. You need to consider 3 variables: the price of the equipment, how much is going to cost you to run it and what's your print volume.

you may find a BH500 or DC3535 for $100, but if you are planning to run 25,000 prints a month at $0.10, is it worth it? You could get a brand new machine for the same money or less.

 

[GusG]

I don't think any of these models can handle 300gsm.

I know it's not supposed to but I run 300 gsm SRA3s all day long on a 3535 and I'm very happy with the quality and the productivity. It will wear a clutch in the paper transport system out faster than normal but that's a $40 item, biggest issue I have is curl but I can live with that. I hardly run my DC12s now after getting the 3535s.

It's certainly a cheap and cheerful way of doing digital print. I've one with the bustled Fiery and one with the external CREO, I'm much happier with the print quality of the CREO.

The 3535 shares spare parts and consumables with so many other Xerox machines that keeping them running is straight forward.

I started with Bizhubs and, though not the C500 or any of the pro series, I'm not going back there. None of their current models use fuser oil, not sure about old ones. If you want fuser oil glossy finish you can get DC12s at very little money these days.

 

[VigiCon]

thanks
can u plz compare the print quality of 3535 with DC12 and BH500? can u plz compare the print quality of 3535 with and without external creo? what is a per print toner cost of 3535 and DC12 on A3 size paper with 20% coverage of the page? 3535 loses gloss completely on 300 gms artcard?

 

[GusG]

can u plz compare the print quality of 3535 with DC12 and BH500? can u plz compare the print quality of 3535 with and without external creo? what is a per print toner cost of 3535 and DC12 on A3 size paper with 20% coverage of the page? 3535 loses gloss completely on 300 gms artcard?

DC12 is glossy and DC3535 is not, though it has a gloss mode whereby it runs at half speed to get a higher fusing temp, so that makes it more glossy but not nearly comparable to DC12. When the DC12 is in good condition the print is amazing but it does need a lot of maintenance, especially in the fusing unit, however, it is painfully slow on heavy paper/board. The 3535 at 300 gsm is very good quality (at least mine is) and there is not noticeably less gloss than at other grammages but then again, you are not getting a 3535 for the gloss in any case. I don't know the Bizhub C500.

The 3535 is just so much easier to work with and is, I believe, a step from the DC12 towards the DC250 series in terms of print and handling. I rarely use my DC12s now but keep one on hand for those, surprisingly few, clients that do demand the DC12 print quality.

On the DC3535 the CREO seems to give "clearer" and better colours whereas the internal EFI Fiery is darker and duller, however, as I only have experience with my two particular machines it may boil down to other things like the level of maintenance these machines had before I bought them.

The DC12 is probably cheaper to use in terms of toner and drum costs but if I give you my costs they wouldn't be relevant to you as I am probably on a very different market than you. For the DC12 you can buy the big toner cartridges of the DC2060/45/5252 and pour the toner into your DC12 cartridges and save quite a bit in the process.

Both the DC3535 and the DC12 are quite inexpensive now so, if you can manage, then you can get both and have the best of both worlds.

 

[VigiCon]

great
you have xplained sufficiently. but little more plz. can u plz give difference of print quality with or without external fiery on 3535, in percentage? is it a huge difference or so so?

We are in a market of bizhub. Its parts, toners and technicians are avaiable easily, so is their something encouraging regarding Bizhub? how will you compare its print quality with bizhub500?

Thankyou
Nasir

 

[VigiCon]

sorry
how will you compare its print quality with DC3535?

 

[JayDA]

At one point I had four C-500's, and all I will say is that with the RIGHT tech, you can get some work out of them. But that tech has to be willing to throw the book out the window and monkey with different settings, to tune the machine to what YOU are running. If you have a tech with zero interest in taking the time, then you are wasting your time. I had both rips, but I preferred the Creo, trying to print gradients with the Fiery was a total pain. If I was to have one machine, there is no way on earth I would EVER choose a C-500, just not reliable at all.

 

[GusG]

sorry
how will you compare its print quality with DC3535?

The DC3535s and the DC12s (and the DC2060 that I have but isn't running presently) are not comparable at all to the two Bizhubs I've had (a C352P and a C451, both from new), they are multiple classes ahead in quality, like day and night. However, neither of the Bizhubs I've had have had a proper RIPs (only the in built Emperon thing) and that does make all the difference so the comparison isn't fair. I abandoned the Bizhubs because I was not getting the service I needed from the local agent.

On the difference between the built in Fiery and the Creo the difference is so big that I suspect something else is not right with the one with the Fiery but I'll soon be replacing bits so I can see if that is indeed the case. If you are looking at one of these, why not just get one with the CREO or get a CREO rip off ebay?

At the end of the day it really does boil down to whether or not you can get your machine decently serviced, if Bizhub is what's known on your market then perhaps that's what you need to look at, however, the C500 in particular has such a bad reputation that you might want to look at a different one (used C5500 and C6500 do seem to be getting cheaper by the day, even an office one if you can get it with a decent RIP). On the other hand a machine like the 3535 is identical (except for the controller) to a plethora of different Xerox office machines and therefore on my market (Uganda) there's plenty of independent technicians who know it and plenty of spares and consumables.

Where are you located?