Looking for a reliable envelope printer and a stuffer

[COGordon]

Hello everyone,
We've been using our Konicas to print envelopes and are out growing that option. We are looking for a dedicated envelope printer for about 5 to 10k envelopes a month. We need to be able to print on a2s all the way up to large catalogue sized envelopes. Doe any one have used machine or any advice on a new one.

 

[jwheeler]

We're in the same position...outgrowing running envelopes on our Konica's. We have an OKI C942, but it's terrible. We are about to submit a PO for an inkjet one now. It seems there are at least 4 or 5 vendors that sell the same machine, with the same print heads, but with a different label on them. Some of those include: iJetColor, PostMark, CoverBind, Quadient, and so forth. Since we're a county inplant, we have to do an RFP and go with the lowest cost vendor who meets all of our requirements. It's also important to check what the cost of consumables is. One vendor came in slightly lower on the machine, but their inks are nearly double the cost for the same size cartridges.

 

[tngcas]

We had an ijetcolor and ended up deciding that it was cheaper to run envelopes through our c810s (even with time and volume and click charges) than deal with the bad software, overpriced consumables and terrible maintenance routine required. We ended up selling the ijet for half what we paid. We were also only doing 5-10k envelopes a month.

 

[DJenkins]

For digital work we currently use the Cannon V800 series. It prints well and does run anything from A2 to a 10x13 or bigger all the way to 13x19 sheet if you wanted. Its not the fastest out there but the toner print looks really good on an envelope. I also have word that they have a new envelope feeder for it which combined with the delivery conveyer would mean non stop printing if needed. We dont do nearly 10k envelopes a month digitally but it could handle that no problem. Also a very small footprint of space needed for install. Digital window envelopes are required due to the Fuser section could melt the regular windows..

 

[Ynot_UK]

Impressive as they are, we've avoided the Memjet route simply because the TCO is such an unknown. Plenty of accounts on here of poor support, hideous unexpected costs, expensive consumables, good machines being deemed EOL, etc. So long as we can keep envelopes on the KM we shall, as the only cost is the click, the support is same day.
There's either an untapped gap in the market for these machines to be available on an all inclusive click OR the real TCO is such that if laid bare, the click would be so expensive that no-one would sign up. I'd wager the latter.

 

[jwheeler]

an untapped gap in the market for these machines

I think this is definitely the case...seems to be a gap in the digital press world to address the problem of high-volume envelope printing. Our main issue with printing on the KM's is the constant stop, reload, start again. We want to continuously feed envelopes when we have an order of 20,000 envelopes. The closest solution I've seen is this feeder that was fitted to a Xerox Versant bypass tray, but it isn't available to the mass market. Our current solution has been to enter one of the software DIP switches that unlocks trays 1 and 2 of the PF-707. This allows us to load all 3 drawers, and the machine auto switches to the next drawer after one is empty. Then, you can load the empty drawer while the machine prints out of the other drawers. This creates a problem on the output, though, because there isn't a conveyor. An operator has to be very alert going back and forth between the feeding and emptying to keep the press running continuously.

 

[Ynot_UK]

Our current solution has been to enter one of the software DIP switches that unlocks trays 1 and 2 of the PF-707. This allows us to load all 3 drawers, and the machine auto switches to the next drawer after one is empty. Then, you can load the empty drawer while the machine prints out of the other drawers. This creates a problem on the output, though, because their isn't a conveyor. An operator has to be very alert going back and forth between the feeding and emptying to keep the press running continuously.

We've also found a problem when the output gets out of sync after stock is replenished in the PF-707m. We only use drawer 5 and don't have the envelope fuser, so it stops and prompts when stock exhausted. We print many envelopes in batches of 50, but after a replen, paper jam or tray-full stop, the OT-610 forgets where it's up to and the nice batches of 50 goes out of the window.

With regard to emptying, when feeding banker envelopes on the short edge, the other thing to be aware of is the difference in height front to back, so one stacker arm can end up too high if the output pile goes unattended for too long.

 

[jwheeler]

one stacker arm can end up too high if the output pile goes unattended for too long.

Because of this, we make the envelopes output from the RU tray. We take off the catch tray and just the let the envelopes stack up on the IQ. This makes fewer walking steps for the operator, and it doesn't end up with a mess on the FS stacker. On our 6136's that don't have the RU with an output tray, we output through the FD tray.

 

[Ynot_UK]

Because of this, we make the envelopes output from the RU tray. We take off the catch tray and just the let the envelopes stack up on the IQ.

Ingenious. I'd have to clear piles of test pages and both sides adjust sheets off the RU to do that It got so heavy a month or so back, I was getting an Empty Output Tray message when there was nothing on the OT-610 and never thought it was referring to the RU!

 

[tnims68]

Hello everyone,
We've been using our Konicas to print envelopes and are out growing that option. We are looking for a dedicated envelope printer for about 5 to 10k envelopes a month. We need to be able to print on a2s all the way up to large catalogue sized envelopes. Doe any one have used machine or any advice on a new one.

You should farm them out vs an investment that only prints 10k per month. My envelope printer (Firejet) will print up to 22k per hour depending on size. I printed 5 million off it last year!