did anyone using ilumina 502 digital production press

[kerbau78]

I saw this ad in a magazine (sorry, its a chinese mag). This digital printer call ilumina 502, looks like a very interesting printer!!! It can print up to 1mm thickness card, Long sheet Size up to 13" x 48", Auto feeding up to 4000pcs, Print & Cut function. Jesus!

Did anyone using this printer? Need your advise & information. Like the print out quality, price, where can i get it ?

 

[sallak]

i add my voice to u. any one guys?

 

[odiseas]

Xante ilumina

Xante ilumina

Xante: Xante te have few other printers.. its based on OKI product..

 

[RNRPRINTINGNMAILING]

Xante has the worst tech support. the toners and drums are so dam expensive, and you have more problems with the regerstration on thicker stocks. You have big problems printing on window envelopes
and yes it is all base on oki technology. in a nut shell don't waste your time on it.
GOOD LUCK

 

[X33]

this machine is sold by different brands like Xante, Illumina, OKI and others.

 

[kerbau78]

Thanx RNRPRINTINGMAILING, thanx for your advise. Do you know any digital printer like ilumina 502? can print up to 400gsm & 48" long size?

 

[QueenMac]

Other Heavy Stock Digital Presses

Other Heavy Stock Digital Presses

Yes the Xante machine can print the 502 GSM and is based on a Oki engine.

Another company, Intec Printing Solutions, based in the UK also sells this type of engine and can print up to 512 GSM media and on a bigger variety of speciality stocks (i.e., polyester plates, film, OCR, etc.)

I can assist you with both types of machines if you have a specific question because I have worked for both companies and can explain the advantages / disadvantages of each and help compare them to other more expensive digital setups on the market.

 

[Leo Caproni]

Ilumina 502

Ilumina 502

Hello kerbau78,
Since I don't know what country you are located in it is difficult to give you an answer as which vendor of the OKI print engine will provide the best support. In the USA, PSI Engineering (www.psiengineering.com) also sells this product under a different model name, the 3640 and 3655 and their support comes through a national network of technicians. The toner from PSI has a finer toner particle so their yield is greater at a lower cost per sheet printed. The PSI also has a top load bottom feeder which is great for non-stop feeding as well as side registration which no other vendor offers. Contact PSI Engineering, Terry Crofoot at 1-214-507-9529 located in Texas.
Good luck,
Leo Caproni

 

[JayDA]

I'm not sure if I'm out of line here, but before you purchase a PSI product, send me some mail. My dealings with them have been nothing short of a nightmare....there are several others on this forum that will say the same thing. A "national network of technicians" doesn't exist, all they do is sell you an extended warranty from OKI, and refer you to a local Oki dealer when something goes wrong. This is failed logic, because I guarantee you every single problem you will have relates to the FEEDER, which local Oki techs know nothing about. The tech they sent here said, and I quote... "I've never seen one of these printers with that mailing machine attached." I keep mine running, but it's not cheap, and I have the luxury of a few in house mechanics and various techs in and out that service my other printers.

 

[tshark]

Both the Xante and PSI style machines are to compliment the services to your customers. They will not be your primary money makers by any stretch.

 

[Happyprinter]

Dont waste your time or money. The machine is very expensive to operate, regardless of what they claim, toner is way to expensive and the drums wear out very quickly. The machine is a "MONEY PIT". We bought new and had to send it back. Tech support is "sub-par".

 

[acacia print]

Sounds like these are machines that promises a lot and deliver more that you bargain on....? Queen Mac, would you recommend the Intec version? It is available here in New Zealand with some service backing but I am concerned that we do not live hear the main city centre where these are sold.... The company that has just started selling these has been around for years but still.... it is a new product for them and I am nervous..

 

[Minuteman]

5 Envelope Press

5 Envelope Press

Xante makes 2 digital presses. The 502 & the Digital envelope press. The main difference between the two is that the 502 can handle heavier paper. Now, Xante service and tech support is very good contrary to what others say. If you have a problem you call in and get a tech support #. Within a few hours you will get a call back and most the time the problems are solved over the phone. Most of the problems are caused because the user has failed to replaced a drum or a fuser. As far as consumables the fact is the toner is the most expensive item. That item can be bought on line at 1/2 the price a set of Xante toners. I found a few companies that sell the drums but the price is not much diff. then Xante. However, there are speical fuses you can purchase that will reset both the drums and belt. That will give you double the use. So if you are of the mind you can cut your Xante consumable costs in 1/2. The Xante envelope press is a marvel. Their new software allows not only for adjusting each compent of the CMYK but also will tell you how much each envelope or sheet cost to run. This will help obviously in pricing the job. If you live in the USA Xante is located on Mobile Alabama and shipping of parts etc is at most a few days away by ground.

 

[QueenMac]

Difference in Intec, Xante and PSI solutions?

Difference in Intec, Xante and PSI solutions?

Dear acacia print....

To give you some background - yes, Intec is a fairly new company and started shipping print engines in 2007 - however the parent company called Intec Distribution has been around since 1989. Intec Distribution used to be one of the largest distributors of Xante products worldwide and Intec has been built upon an established network of distributors throughout over 40 countries including Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, Malaysia and Australia/New Zealand.

To answer your service question - Intec has been growing rapidly as a company and has added many new distributors in the past year - all of which are required to have Intec trained service engineers in each country they represent. As a Intec distributor they have full access to Intec support in the UK, but each distributor is equipped to handle service calls within their country and usually in your local language.

For more info - please see the website:
Welcome to the Intec Printing Solutions (see about us for a global partner map)
Infotec Distribution

Xante also has representation in other countries but the main bulk of their service and support comes from their technical support office in USA (which means US working hours or by email). PSI does not build an entire printer/feeder solution so you may have a problem getting to the "root" of the problem when it is unclear which piece may be causing your issues.

Additionally, from a hardware standpoint, the Intec is a improvement upon the Xante design because there are no "aftermarket" modification made to the print engine - so there is less to break basically. All of the engineering changes to print 512 GSM are made by the original equipment manufacturer and the engine is NOT disassembled, modified, reassembled and then shipped out to a customer.

On another note, Intec also offers models with top-loading production unit (HPP500) designed for smaller lightweight stocks in addition to the ultra heavy stock input configuration (APP400). All of these pieces are modular and can be attached to any engine of the same design (i.e., Oki 9650/9850, Xante Ilumina, Xerox Phaser 7400, etc.)

The Intec, Xante and PSI products are all great solutions for short-run digital solutions and the colour output is similar across all manufacturers (unless a RIP is added to the process). If you are happy with the print quality and do not mind working within the limitations of this type of technology (i.e., not great for large solids with knockouts, light screens, etc), then I think your buying decision should be based according to your location, individual usage requirements and what level of service you require after the sale.

Being that I worked for Xante for 8 years, currently work for Intec (and also interviewed with PSI)... I hope that this information has assisted you make the best buying decision for your company.

Please note I am not a sales-person though - I am a technical trainer and support engineer. I will help anyone make an informed buying decision on this type of unit - no matter which manufacturer builds it.

 

[suess]

good for short run, straighshooter feeder is prob the best addition imo.
a bit expensive for consumables but you can probably refill the toners to cut a little cost. Drums are really difficult to repair and expensive to replace. I heard from a little bird the roller is the only thing in the drum necessary to replace.

 

[QueenMac]

Thank you Suess - I forgot to add that for those of you in the USA there are a some additional option to the PSI feeder. The StreamFeeder and Straightshooter the are two more modular solutions for the Oki/Xante/Xerox engine... worth looking at if you have already purchased a 110v printer.

IMO, I have personally used the StreamFeeder products and their unit is based on a rock-solid Thiele friction feed system that has been around for over 20 years. They are a great company to deal with and have a good internal support structure in place.

Happy hunting!

 

[Happyprinter]

It is true you can buy refill kits for the Xante toners, but, beware! We were also told this when we purchased our Xante Envelope press. My main concern was cost of consumables because Xantes figures, as far as cost per piece to print, weren't adding up. So after much research and searching this forum for advice we decided that it would be a great alternative to purchase toner aftermarket and refill and reset the chips. Well, after doing so we ended up replacing the fuser unit, all 4 drums and buying Xante toners. And I cannot speak for others but as for our experience with Tech. Support, it was not very good. If your going to purchase any of the above mentioned machines, make sure you do so, figuring in the cost of their consumables, not aftermarket, and if it still makes sense to you, and you think you can make money, do it! Just do your research and talk to alot of people who are currently using their systems.

 

[suess]

Yes do the math.. it doesn't add up.. as far as the aftermarket I have heard the same. .that some of the toners are no good (cheap) and cause problems. I got lucky with my first choice and will only buy from the same source since it is working perfectly!

 

[QueenMac]

Consumable costing can be a bit of a nightmare discussion on this engine.. mostly because the paper comes in direct contact with the drum surface, transfer belt and fuser.

Because of this - just like the tires/tyres on your car - the rougher or more uneven the surface - the more tread the road will wear away. For instance, if you drive on a brand new road your tires will last 40k, but if you drive on gravel constantly then you may only get 10k.

The same thing applies for the transfer belt.. a road built that has compact cars on it all the time will not get grooves cut into it as badly as a road covered in semi-trucks/lorries.

The fuser life is degraded more by the amount of heat and pressure you have to apply to print. So - if you print a sheet of copy bond it does not strain the fuser at all - whereas printing on a pizza box lid will physically push the roller spring apart over and over again. The repeated stretch causes the rollers to gap open slightly more than they did when the fuser was new. So - that same piece of copy bond you printed in the beginning may accordion jam.

Your best best is to find someone who has a machine and does printing similar to what you would output. Next, find out what their average drum life is and calculate off of that figure. Same for toners, belt and fuser... but understand that the main expense will be your drums on this type of unit.

That said - the machine is great at what it does - fast, consistent colour output - but you will pay a premium for the speed and heavy media capability. However, with a good marketing plan, you should easily be able to pass this to those customers who want their print job yesterday.

 

[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.)