Complaint about letterheads

[SteveL]

But as mentioned, this is on the assumption that the older machines have a higher fusing temperature which I don't know for a fact. Does anyone know this?

I'm not sure about fuser temps other than what has been mentioned earlier regarding Xerox temps, but the older Xerox machines that use oil do not use the newer wax-based toner.
The non-oil machines use a wax-like component as a release agent.

 

[Jack Flash]

Newer machines use "low melt" toner. This allows the fuser not to be cranked up for fusing, allowing customer laser printers to heat the "low melt" toner up again which gets all over their rollers and over the print.

 

[BertThePrinter]

KM C500 works for letterhead

KM C500 works for letterhead

I had the misfortune of buying a KM C500 years ago. I still have it because it will run the heck out of letterhead. I run Thousands of sheets of letterhead per month, and never a problem. KM C500's are just about free. If you have any volume at all, you may want to consider getting one. It also does great on labels, that will then be going back thru a desktop laser printer.

 

[NLprinter]

C900 - c901

C900 - c901

We have had this same issue on our 900, which I think runs pretty hot. We have done some testing on the 901 with running letterheads but it hasn't done it with what we have run through the 901. Not sure why.

 

[Roback]

Never had an issue with Xerox Docucolor 242. If I do have a problem in the future, I'll use the Memjet Mach 5. I've already ran several letterheads on it when it's imperative for the ink color and sheen to match.

 

[fourpaula]

You can print letterhead on a digital machine but you have to have the right one. We print letterhead on our CPP650, which is wax base tone, all the time. It has been tested on several laser printers & has to date never transfered off. However we have tried printing letterhead on our C900 & it transfers off EVERY time. It is possable but know what type of toner you have, it makes a difference.

 

[alu]

yes, the cpp650/c6500 is good for this but be warned, some clients have crappy laser units that run very hot, so it's not foolproof

 

[Happyprinter]

We have run letterhead on our offsets for almost 30 yrs. with no issues. As for as no profits, keep thinking that and send me your "no profit" letterhead jobs. I'll run them all day long.

 

[alu]

everybody knows that offset run letterhead is safe
30 years?! good to hear you've been able to keep the profits up for so long

 

[Happyprinter]

Alu, Now I didn't say that I have been able to keep up the profits. Haven't been able to figure that out yet.

 

[jricart]

Ask them to use a Inkjet instead of a laser and problem solved!

JRT

 

[david m. baker]

I would just avoid printing letterhead digitally altogether. Another way to approach the same customer might be to suggest your shop run the composite letters--I'm sure your click rate is the same whether your running a letterhead or an actual letter, no? A fillable PDF version of the letterhead might also do the trick--client enters the live copy into a textbox set up in the PDF version of the letterhead, saves it as a one-off, and sends you the print-ready PDF. Easy, breezy, beautiful.

Short story long, even though there are workarounds, for all the caveats the other folks have mentioned, I think it would be better to sell the client on a more lasting, effective solution.

Cheers,
-d-

 

[alu]

You're suggesting they give up the flexibility of printing on their $100 printer sitting right next to their monitor and send you a file to print? yowzers...

Digital letterhead, although not a huge revenue stream, is still a welcome order at my shop!

 

[david m. baker]

You're suggesting they give up the flexibility of printing on their $100 printer sitting right next to their monitor and send you a file to print? yowzers...

Digital letterhead, although not a huge revenue stream, is still a welcome order at my shop!

No, what I'm suggesting is that I'd much rather educate a client about a POD solution (and offer a POD solution) than sell them a product that will very likely damage or destroy their local device. Once you have offset on the rollers and fuser of a laser printer, you're pretty much looking at buying a new one. So, what's better? I'm not sure it's worth sending digital letterhead out of your shop if you cannot absolutely GUARANTEE that it won't offset on your end-user's local device. The fillable PDF/POD solution would help your client bridge the gap between those short, one-off runs of 1-10 letters and more robust runs that would require a print shop. So, really, if you're interested in selling a solution instead of a prodcut, you would do well to explore the alternatives to supplying a digital letterhead. If you're interested in something that is "not a huge revenue stream" but could and very likely will damage your client's laser printer, then by all means, have at it.

Cheers,
-d-

 

[alu]

hey that all sounds really great!

but we're talking about people who purchase 500 letterhead or under (otherwise it makes sense to go to press anyways) since they, like most offices, write letters at various times in the day and want to be able to send them out immediately.

to be fair, we do warn our customers and give them sample to run through their laser units.. They are usually happy to test and if it works, it works.

And in my experience the offsetting does not completely ruin the printer, it disappear shortly, but I am not claiming that that's the case with every unit out there.

 

[david m. baker]

I understand what you're saying, Alu, and I don't mean to be snarky. What I am tyrying to get to is that, as print continues to change and we need to be more adaptable, it pays to think of selling solutions rather than products. That said, if you give your clients all the caveats and warnings, and they're good with that, then sure! Why turn away money from your shop?!? I have had some very bad experiences with toner offset, so I guess once bitten, twice shy!

Cheers,
-d-