Ricoh C900

[CMCRhonda]

Hi Jerod -

Please see my post in the other C900 forum. However, to answer your specific questions, I would say look at your local Ikon service team. Are they good? Are your local techs knowledgeable? It will make the most difference.

We have Ikon for our personalization department (have had them for years) and get awesome service - we're in the boonies, but we normally have a tech here in 4 hours, and they keep enough parts on hand we don't often have down time.

Our relationship with Ikon played huge into purchasing the C900 - we were going to upgrade from our Konika CPP 500 to another Konika, but of course the changeover with Ikon meant we didn't get our new Konika - so they came back with the C900 as an option. We looked at other options in our price category, but sticking with our known tech support vendor was more important in the long run.

Of course, the C900 techs are different techs from our other units, but they are getting up to speed in our area (thankfully, we're not the only install in their territory) so it's going pretty well.

I am still working on speed issues with some VDP jobs (we're primarily a mail house and have many postcard print/personalize jobs) but I haven't had any issues with RIP stability. I use the Impose feature through CWS as well, and I really love that. My graphics department scoffs at me (they do it the "right way") but for quick and dirty print, it's a life saver.

Rhonda

 

[eseals]

eseals

eseals

Anyone using optimized PDF with GMC Printnet? Static color not caching.......

 

[dgraves8rd]

Just got one on my floor. It is replacing 1-2 Minolta 6500's. One is currently for sale on this forum.
My first impression is that it is built a lot better than the KM's. Speed obviously. The print detail is as good or slightly better. Seems that it has more detail. I haven't noticed any of the fuser oil issues. Mine looks pretty clean. Much better than the Xerox 7000/8000. The color is very good. I haven't noticed any banding etc.
Will post more after I run it through it's paces.

Price is awesome.

 

[AEL_Print]

Hi I'm new on here and I was looking for discussions on the Ricoh C900 because I have an issue no one seems to be talking about, or at least I haven't gone through all the pages to find. Anyway, we run a certain job on the C900 where the specifications are 12x18 80#text gloss coated. We are having a serious problem with toner spotting. We get a lot of spots in the solid specifically from the black cartridge. We can go into the Program and run the toner sheets that minimize the spots for a while. We're suspecting that the toners for this machine just absolutely suck. I've had stories from technicians not to shake it, and others say to shake the hell out of it. Our main tech really has no answer for us on what we can do. And how does temperature and humidity effect the toner? In the meantime we are sending out substandard quality and no one has any ******* answers. It's really starting to piss us off, and we don't know where to turn except to the world wide internet community. Please Obi-won Kenobi, you're our only hope.
AEL_Print

 

[Craig]

Temp and Humidity have HUGE effects on digital equipment. You should have received specifications to the optimum range for each, if not you need that information and you need to make sure you are within those specs.

 

[tppsg]

AEL_Print, my guess is that the fuser is not doing a good job. Have you tested printing on other coated stocks such as chromolux? I have not used the C900 before, but not all types of coated stocks will work with digital machines in my experience.

 

[digitalprintguy]

I've seen it - great quality if you don't need to fold, stitch, mail, perf, score or handle the finished piece at all. Plus, as an added bonus, if you run your thumbnail over a screen, you can add to the printing! My thumb left a dark, crayon-like mark across about a 50% blue screen on 80# coated text.

Not ready for prime time baby!

 

[hembuckle]

I have a DC 5000 AND KM 6500e - they are miles apart for quality and reliablity... the KM is known in my business as the "coffee table".... not good.

 

[lfelton]

I have a DC 5000 AND KM 6500e - they are miles apart for quality and reliablity... the KM is known in my business as the "coffee table".... not good.

That's a shame, I wonder why your experience is so different to ours? We have two 6501s and they usually run all day every day non stop (we did about 150K SRA3 impressions last week). We get great quality most of the time and I'm pretty happy with the reliability. They're nowhere near perfect, but the service is prompt and competent from KM. Very good bang for your buck, but then the monthly click charge probably makes them happy. For KM's sake, I hope the c8500 isn't serviced by resellers, that seems to be an achilles heel.

BTW, I assume we can mention the c8500 now that Uber has blabbed??

 

[hembuckle]

We did by from a reseller, KM direct have recently told us that they cannot believe what we get from our machine. Why are reseller servicers such a problem? Thanks for the response and feedback.

 

[printgirl]

Oil in toner does matter, you are more likely to have streaks, it is shiny and has a weird affect on the images. plus its another part that can go wrong... Oh and off line lamination and UV coating can be a real issue.

Have you guys looked at the imagPRESS 7000VP? Whats the word?

 

[mexpedip]

I have seen many (I don't know the exact number so I am not going to make one up) different types of paper and coverage combinations tested on this device with UV coating and lamination with no problems. I am not a printer so I cannot speak to long term efficacy with laminated or coated pieces.

To answer a couple of questions: (If these have already been addressed and I missed them I apologize.)
1) the C900 is rated to run @ full speed on all paper weights, sizes and duplex/simplex. We have tested this on our demo floor and not run into any decreases in productivity. I am answering this because I saw someone tried to say that this would do 13 x 19 @ 90ppm. It will not, it will run 90 images per minute with each image being = to 1 letter size impression. I have not tested the 13 x 19 to see if it will run 45ppm simplexed but worst case scenario it should still be above 40 pages per minute.
2) oil and image quality - initially we had issues with streaking, banding and screens below 25% but since the initial release Ricoh has done a major upgrade to the fuser. Anyone who is having issues with image quality should be able to contact their respective technicians to have it fixed.
3) duplexing heavier paper weights - when our techs went to Ricoh for training they were taught how to make adjustments so the C900 would auto duplex up to 16pt c2s. I have run, consistently, 10pt c2s duplexed for runs of 200-1000 without issues. We do, however, have an exceptional tech who works on our C900 and it is not used like this on a daily basis.
4) reliability - the C900 is a great system but like every system from KM to Xerox the reliability is dependent upon the technician. The ones we have in the field run consistently and reliably at monthly volumes of 125k - 250k. Our problem systems have always been the ones that do less then 80k prints. The problems are not serious but the impressions between calls are substantially lower at this level.
5) which system is the best? ie: KM, canon, xerox etc. Only you can answer that question. Test, demo, bargain etc to get what will best suit your company.

As a sales rep (and I know there are many #^$**% ones around) I don't want a customer who is not interested in doing their due diligence. I simply don't have enough time to run out every time a customer finds a new issue. I know that sounds harsh but if I do my job (or your rep does their job) and you do your due diligence then most issues can be identified during discovery.

disclaimer: I am a sales rep who has sold production level equipment on and off for the last 14 years. I currently sell Ricoh products so I am a bit biased. I do, however, still think the canon 7000 still has the best image quality.

 

[KCrom]

We have had a C900 on our floor for a few weeks and have had nothing but problems. The biggest, and most important for us, being that we are a commercial printer, is that we cannot run heavy solids on coated coverstocks. The toner will just not adhere well and can be easily scratched off. And yes, this is happening on digital grade papers(not offset grade). Also, the sheer number of options you have to go through to find the correct settings for each paper is just insane. There is no rhyme or reason to finding the right setting. Unless our local dealer, along with Ricoh can resolve this issue soon, the machine is going back.

 

[Jim Klann]

I've had the c900s for 3 months and had all the same issues.

I'm a working owner that runs a 4/c 20" and a 2/c 20" by my self all day. When I walk into my office thru prepress I see two people running a freakin copier, do you think I'm pissed yet !!!

And believe me, my people are good.

 

[KCrom]

Jim,
After about a week and a half of going back and forth with the techs, they finally fixed our toner adhesion issues. I can't tell you exactly what they did, but they made some tweaks to one of the "Special#" paper settings that we now use for our heaviest coated paper settings and that has solved pretty much all of our scratching off problems. On the plus side, we are very happy with the color and registration from this machine.

 

[man_traic]

Unlikely. I have never seen a machine, particualry tandem that started life as black and white.

I heard Ricohs Gestetner DSC232 was a B+W with colour capability as an 'addition' - indeed it was a zippy little device BW - but would completely slow dont by 1/3 to 1/2 when doing colour.

The colour devices Ricoh have whre I work now have almost uniform speed between BW and colour though

 

[bompi]

Today we went to see the demo RICOH C900, driven by the cost of copy machine and a very competitive cost (perhaps the most competitive on the market today), but the disappointment was great! The printer looks good, solid and well built, but the print quality is not up to other systems. Do not print on embossed paper, coated papers on leave streaks of oil that remind me so much my old Xerox DC12 (DC12 pity that the print better). Today I have a Xerox DC250, I flanked by a new printing system, better performance and higher quality if possible, but at competitive prices now are no longer convinced of the Ricoh C900.
Have any of you noticed these flaws I'm talking about are just one case or the machine is not able to print better?
What do you advise? I'm desperate!

 

[msaeger]

You could ask the sales person for some referrals and go check out one in use.

 

[[email protected]]

Oil streaks

Oil streaks

Today we went to see the demo RICOH C900, driven by the cost of copy machine and a very competitive cost (perhaps the most competitive on the market today), but the disappointment was great! The printer looks good, solid and well built, but the print quality is not up to other systems. Do not print on embossed paper, coated papers on leave streaks of oil that remind me so much my old Xerox DC12 (DC12 pity that the print better). Today I have a Xerox DC250, I flanked by a new printing system, better performance and higher quality if possible, but at competitive prices now are no longer convinced of the Ricoh C900.
Have any of you noticed these flaws I'm talking about are just one case or the machine is not able to print better?
What do you advise? I'm desperate!

Those oil streaks should evaporate on their own ..

 

[salecha]

Jim,
After about a week and a half of going back and forth with the techs, they finally fixed our toner adhesion issues. I can't tell you exactly what they did, but they made some tweaks to one of the "Special#" paper settings that we now use for our heaviest coated paper settings and that has solved pretty much all of our scratching off problems. On the plus side, we are very happy with the color and registration from this machine.[/QUOTE


Happy New Year in advance. Please give us your feed back about the reliability of the machine after resolving scratching problem. What is your current meter reading. Did you demo 901. Can you suggest me whether I should be considering 900 or 901.