Being in the High Ed segment, some of the machine costs are not in parody with the private sector, with that said - yes we are usually broke! The 1000i was an excellent deal and our campus is very spoiled by its speed and quality. Inkjet seems to be where the R&D is at, but it is not possible to get into that type of engine now. The Ricoh 9210 with its print rate and paper capabilities seems to be where we need to go. Speed and Quality are closely tied to our success. Our run times need to shorten to be able to compete with outside vendors. Honestly anything we pick in this tier will work, just want the best product for the investment. We have a Varioprint 110 BW press and a Canon C750 press with long sheet feeder, so small stuff is no problem. I am looking to tackle the 100K-150K 6 x 9 postcard offerings we typically have to send out offset press vendors.
Other than giving me insight on how big of jobs I should not run, does anyone have actual machine recommendations. I am very interested in the Ricoh 9210. I would appreciate a users opinion.
Alright, heres some actual recommendations based on what you have stated.
1. The 1000i is a great machine. We used to have one. It ran like a champ, but when it broke, it was major. Replacing drums were a PIA just because they had to be screwed out and what not. DFE was fast as long as you got the "hyper rip".
2. Don't know much about the Ricoh other than it is just a fast toner based machine like everyone else is offering. Im sure the quality is up to par with everyone else. Like any digital machine, if theres not support nearby, it will be a terrible machine.
3. Inkjet is a big R&D, but price isn't what should be keeping you from the segment. It is quality. You mentioned that you are in the High End segment, and inkjet just isn't there yet.
4. You want turn around times to decrease and therefore need a faster machine, but also want to extend to the 75-100k postcard segment. Its going to take you 10 non-stop hours on the 9210 to output the job, and good luck not having single stoppage during that run. Also, if you do get it ran in 1 day, you just did 50k clicks in 1 day. Expect to get friendly with your technicians and know their favorite coffee and donuts.
5. If your wanting to pump through this type of volume, you should look at a fleet of machines instead of just 1. Say 3-4 V180's, or whatever KM and Ricoh are offering. Or call HP and ask them to show you the price of a Indigo 12000.
6. What we have said the whole time, if your looking at long postcard/flyer runs, it has to be variable data. Otherwise no matter what you won't be able to compete. Im sure you know, but just clicks and paper on 100k postcards printed digitally will be around $4500. GotPrint has the same postcards for $4300. Im sure a trade printer or other plants will destroy GotPrint's pricing. If you can make it work, let us know cause I couldn't come close to doing the job digitally.
