Xante/Oki Quality Issues Solved!

[damfino]

Have you been fighting background toning, premature drum life, spotting, drop-outs, streaking, etc.?

I have been fighting these issues, and with 10 Oki 9800's is operation, it was killing me financially, as replacing the drums was the only cure. Maintaining a relative humidity of 55-60 helped, but the problems still persisted.

The solution: a voltage line conditioner. I determined that my AC current (voltage) is not consistent (drops out), and while there is no obvious indicator (flickering lights, for example), sensitive electronic equipment can be vulnerable.

I opted for a Tripp Lite LC1800 Line Conditioner which is rated at 1800 watts. The Oki runs at 750 watts but can peak at 1500 watts, so I played it safe.

Result: all the issues have disappeared. If you have pulling your hair out along these lines, do investigate.

 

[QTab]

Thanks, I am going to try it!

 

[Happyprinter]

Damfino, if your right, I'm buying you a pizza!

 

[QTab]

You are running 10 of these? What are you printing? Are you buying Xante toner? Or another brand?

 

[damfino]

Extra cheese, with pepperoni, please...

Can't promise anything, but if you have a voltage issue it will be apparent right away.
You will see the indicator lights on the Tripp unit changing*and hear the relays clicking while the printer is running.

 

[damfino]

You are running 10 of these? What are you printing? Are you buying Xante toner? Or another brand?

I am printing envelopes for the trade only using Oki 9800's. Three to four are running at any one time with the others as back-ups and/or replacements as needed. I only use Oki brand toner - aftermarket brands only brought me multiple problems. If you are going to try the line conditioner, I would strongly suggest your printer has all Oki (Xante) brand components installed so you have a baseline.

 

[QTab]

I've tried other toners and drum tricks, I'm over that believe me!
I ordered the conditioner immediately after your post.
Thanks

 

[damfino]

The circumstance which lead me to this cure is interesting.

I purchased a new Oki 9800 on eBay only to discover that it was a 230 volt model. The seller acknowledged the listing mistake and credited me $300. to cover the cost of having an electrician install a new line. But then I discovered I had 240 VT at the panel, not 230. So I purchased a step-down transformer for $70. and that solved the issue. This printer always ran perfectly.

What took me a while to realize was the reason why that unit never gave me any issues while the other Oki's were problematic: the transformer was acting just like line conditioner.

Light bulb moment...

 

[bertman98]

I am printing envelopes for the trade only using Oki 9800's. Three to four are running at any one time with the others as back-ups and/or replacements as needed. I only use Oki brand toner - aftermarket brands only brought me multiple problems. If you are going to try the line conditioner, I would strongly suggest your printer has all Oki (Xante) brand components installed so you have a baseline.

where do you buy your toner? my toner and other materials are way too expensive? what am I doing wrong?

 

[QTab]

I pay dearly for my supplies too, I just have to be careful, Xantes i7 estimator works pretty well at determining costs.

 

[damfino]

I would prefer not to specifically say where I get my supplies, but tool around the net and eBay and you will find some decent deals. One tip: impossible to find a single low-cost supplier. I get my drums, toner, belts and fusers all from different suppliers.

One tip: when the printer indicates it's time for a drum change, open the cover, remove the drum, and then replace the drum and close the cover. This will reset the drum for another couple thousand impressions. You can usually do this 3-4 times before the trick expires completely. But be aware that at this point (and often sooner) the drum has lost a great deal of toner carrying capacity, so output should be monitored for color shift.

As you probably know, if you have a Xante (or a PSI, among other rebranded Oki's) you will always be stuck paying a high premium for the most expensive consumable: toner. They are custom RF-ID chipped. Which is why I mothballed my PSI and went with pure Oki's.

 

[bertman98]

where do you buy your toner? my toner and other materials are way too expensive? what am I doing wrong?

Just seems too expensive. My cost with labor not including the envelopes for 1000 is $ 86.43 plus the envelopes? that is just a standard # 10 with logo and address??

 

[QTab]

My cost is about $35M, my invoice $145.

 

[damfino]

I sell 1M #10 Regulars to the trade for $89. and can make a profit.

I have been able to get my cost per M for #10's down to $30-$35. Using a proprietary technique, I can get it down to about $25. per M. If running letterheads, per M is more in the range of $45. - $50. (heavier drum wear/usage).

If you own a Xante, you can never get your costs this low.

 

[bertman98]

we have an Oki love the machine just seems very expensive to operate, need suggestions please

 

[Middy]

There are compatible/remans that work perfectly. You can't buy the lowest cost compatibles and expect to get good consistent performance. If it seems to good to be true, it is.....period.

 

[medialounge]

Middy do you have a link to your supplier?

Middy do you have a link to your supplier?

There are compatible/remans that work perfectly. You can't buy the lowest cost compatibles and expect to get good consistent performance. If it seems to good to be true, it is.....period.

Middy,

Do you have a link to your supplier. I've had okay results using different types of brands. I wonder if anyone has had excellent results using the tripp-lite line conditioner and compatible drums and cartridges.

Anyone?

Thanks,

Raul

 

[joshlindsay]

Thanks for the info Damfino.

My Tripp line conditioner arrived on Friday and is saying the power in high.
The magenta drum was already at 60% life and adding the magenta cast to any coated sheet so I've ordered a new one which should arrive on Monday.

Fingers crossed this works so we move off click charge to bring our costs down as we're paying more per page on the Oki than our Xerox 800.

I've just opened a new thread to see if it's possible to get the Xante iQueue software for the Oki C9850.
If you've had any experience can you let me know on http://printplanet.com/forums/digital-printing-discussion/30699-oki-c9850-xante-iqueue-software

 

[medialounge]

Keep us posted!!

Keep us posted!!

Thanks for the info Damfino.

My Tripp line conditioner arrived on Friday and is saying the power in high.
The magenta drum was already at 60% life and adding the magenta cast to any coated sheet so I've ordered a new one which should arrive on Monday.

Fingers crossed this works so we move off click charge to bring our costs down as we're paying more per page on the Oki than our Xerox 800.

I've just opened a new thread to see if it's possible to get the Xante iQueue software for the Oki C9850.
If you've had any experience can you let me know on http://printplanet.com/forums/digital-printing-discussion/30699-oki-c9850-xante-iqueue-software

Keep us posted Josh and let us know how well the line conditioner works! Did you order a genuine drum or a compatible?

Thanks in advance!

 

[OkiTech]

Guys, I understand - Toner but Compatible Drums... I am not sure that this is such a good idea. I just have finished a major repair - not really a repair - a toner spill from aftermarket drums - there was must've been a good 1 LB of toner in the machine, 4 new aftermarket toners went in to the garbage... I am currently trying a toner from major USA manufacturer, not made in china or elswhere, they actually do their own R&D and manufacturing, we'll see how it goes.