Need help new Digital Press

[bradw99]

I waited as long as I could to buy a new digital press. The only one I looked a was the Canon 8000/10000. We don't need the speed of the 10000 so the 8000 would be the closest. We will be making our final decision at "Print" in October.
So what other machines are out there that would compete with the Canon 8000? Must haves; consistent color, registration from side to side & run at least 16pt/350gm.
Names and model numbers will be helpful.
Thanks
Brad

 

[wonderings]

Our Xerox Versant 2100 (current model is 3100) has been a real champ. It has been consistent with colour, has a full width array that allows for easy one click calibration for colour, side to side density as well as profiling paper for alignment and laser strength. Definitely prints 350gsm. A bonus for us was how well it handles envelopes... at least #10 envelopes (windows and plain), as that is all I have run through ours. Never jams, great colour and fast. Will run 5000 to 7000 completely jam free, just have to keep unloading as it fills up the tray fast.

I have been very happy with our Versant and would buy another in a heart beat.

 

[AC Prepress]

We love our Konica Minolta AccuroPress C3080. Ours is setup with KM's IQ-501 scanning unit that insures color fidelity and registration thoughout the run. Runs up to 350gsm and also works great with envelopes.

 

[Digital Anthony]

I would have to say Xerox Versant series seem to be most stable and reliable in my opinion. I have used Ricoh, KM, even HP Indigo. I find Xerox easier to use and there is no issues with color. You mite like the Versant 180 as well. the registration is semi auto, but is still good. With a fully optioned D6 finisher you can do a lot more than the other companies own finishers. Always remember the press is only as good as the operator. Make sure good service is near by. Dont be scared to wheel and deal. Good Luck

 

[Magnus59]

We've been down the road of toner based engines before, however, as an offset shop that has added digital we found the HP Indigo gave us the closest look and feel to offset printing.
We have an Indigo 3550 and an Indigo 5000. These machines also give us the flexibility to print spot colours when required.

 

[gazfocus]

Please DO NOT use Konica Minolta. Their customer service is absolutely non-existent. We have a year old c3070 that we spent £22,000 on, they’ve cancelled our service agreement with no notice and we now have a £22,000 paper weight.

 

[AC Prepress]

Konica has excellent customer service in the US. At least here in the Twin Cities we have several people on their team we can call when we have questions and our tech guy is almost always here within 4 hours of a call.

 

[wonderings]

Please DO NOT use Konica Minolta. Their customer service is absolutely non-existent. We have a year old c3070 that we spent £22,000 on, they’ve cancelled our service agreement with no notice and we now have a £22,000 paper weight.

Service is really going to differ based on area. We have been a Xerox shop for a long time, it is all we have used and part of the reason has been the service which has been fantastic. Others have a complete opposite experience being in another part of the country or world, so really hard to judge the service unless you are talking to people directly in your area.

That seems really strange for them to cancel a service agreement on a year old machine. There has to be more to the story no?

 

[jwheeler]

I agree with wonderings . I've stated this before in many other similar posts asking about which manufacturer to go for: These days, I think the big 4 names (Ricoh, Xerox, Canon, Konica Minolta) are all great when comparing models in the same category. They all have similar quality, sheet sizes, finishing options, controllers, and so on. There are some features that can make a big difference depending on what you run, like how Ricoh and Konica Minolta offer vacuum feed drawers, while Xerox and Canon have only friction feed with air assist. Either way, those in this forum that have a history with using Xerox will tell you to get the Xerox. Those with a history of using KM will tell you KM, and so on. What it usually comes down to as a differentiation is service. Ask around other print shops in the area and see how their service is. As your sales reps how many techs support your area. Ask what the average on-site response time is. You can get the best machine on the market, but if you don't have a good service tech and reasonable on-site response time, the brand doesn't matter when it's broken down and you need to get jobs out. Sometimes a dealer might have better support than direct, and vise-versa.