Hi Steve,
After using a Xante Ilumina 427gsm for around 3 months, successfully printing zero jobs to acceptable quality I can add my own opinion to the dozens of others that say "don't buy the Ilumina". I will freely state I bought it second hand at 500,000 prints, but with its lifespan rated in the millions I would expect it to print saleable quality at this stage.
Every printers' work is different, it may be that the Ilumina is good for envelopes, but the mass of reviews and common opinion that Xante printers are more trouble than they're worth may be accurate for most. I have received samples from OKI and compared them to the Xante samples and the printer I have and the OKI is far better quality, as they're essentially the same printer I don't know how, but it's very clear to see. I’ve read a lot about envelope feed issues on the Ilumina, even the new envelope press.
I cannot say whether the Ilumina is good or bad overall as I may just have a defective unit (after all it is second hand), although the reviews are starting to ring true. But I strongly advise before investing in any digital equipment you take your own media to a showroom and print your own job, otherwise the large investment in a new Ilumina could prove as frustrating as mine.
If you need any further advice please get in touch, I'll be happy to share my experiences.
Thanks,
Andy
P.S. It appears all my issues have been down to compatible toner issues, it's very important to check the supplier out before using compatibles on the Xante/OKI machines, my advice is to test on black before any other colour to check for toner scatter or print issues. So print quality wise it performs as it should
