xerox DC2 240 for in house brochures

[UNIVERSAL 3DL]

Hello everyone.


I would like your opinions on using a Xerox Docu Colour 240 to print our own brochures.

We are a Kitchen Manufacturer that constantly updates our catalogues, web and collaterals.
We stopped outsourcing our catalogues 3 years ago to control cost and content. Since our runs are very small and custom, the print shops would be charging a fortune to print 25-50 catalogues consisting of 50-60 pages. These catalogues were costing over $1.65/page on 40lb paper. We would use our own Perfect bind system in house to put them together.


Currently we are using an HP 3525 600dpi x 600dpi colour laser and Epson 4800 for real high end photo catalogues. Yes its quite expensive to run our catalogues in house as we are paying through our nose hairs for toner and inks but we also get $80/ catalogue from our clients. Once they order 5k in merchandise, we give them an $80 credit.

We are now looking at purchasing a refurbished Xerox DC 240 and start getting serious about printing in house. The machine has less than 95000 clicks and is being offered under 10k. I can have a service contract put in place but feel its not necessary since my volumes are really low.

Our volumes will be 2500-3000 sheets / 1 - 3 months of 8 1/2 x 11 & 8 1/2 x 17 in a 40lb-110 lb paper.
We dont see us making more than 30,000 copies per year.

We are planning to run the 40lb paper through the duplexer and the 110lb without the duplexer.

We would like to know if the DC 240 puts out high quality resolution. The specs say its 2400dpi x 2400dpi. is this a real 2400 dip or is it enhanced?

What paper will give us the professional look and feel of a high quality brochure?


Thanks in advance

 

[X33]

1. You really should put a service contract on it. You will regret if you don't.

2. Yes, the machine produces real 2400x2400 dpi. Quality is subjective. Bottom line, the output of the machine is high quality and you won't be disappointed.

3. Buy papers made for digital printing. Xerox also has a full line of papers you can look at Xerox Genuine Printer Supplies and Office Supplies ... other brands are available probably at lower costs; there are plenty of options.

 

[chrisg42]

xerox DC2 240 for in house brochures

I don't have a Xerox 240, so I can't help with those aspects of your question, and I'm in a different part of the world, so the situation in your location may be different, but a few points:

Before buying any kit, I would look again at the costs of outsourcing this work. Short-run print costs have changed quite dramatically over the last few years. A customer coming to me with this sort of regular work would not be paying anything remotely near USD1.65 per page. It may be that the people you were using did not specialise in this sort of short-run work; talk to some people who do.

Your theory that you don't need a service contract because your usage is so low doesn't necessarily hold. Machines that only run occasionally seem more prone to service calls. The service needs of this type of machine are significantly different from desktop printers. Parts can be (very) expensive.

Write on a piece of paper everything you already know about printer resolutions. Now burn the paper and try to forget it all. Resolutions are the smoke and mirrors used by hardware companies to convince you that their technology is the only one to choose. I'll leave it to others to explain the difference (or lack thereof) between 2400dpi 1-bit and 600dpi 8-bit. The only way of knowing what is right for you is to test the machine using your own files. Make your own subjective assessment of image quality, but also look at aspects like registration from front of page to back. You won't be able to match the image quality of an inkjet like the Eposn 4800 with a machine like this, but you should be able to produce perfectly usable print.

Chris Griffiths
StroudPrint, UK

 

[lfelton]

UNIVERSAL 3DL - sounds like you really like printing, good for you. A good POD printer will do this cheaper than your cost price and manufacture it to a much higher standard than you can possibly achieve with the kit that you mention. I ran it through our price calculator and it comes out at 20c / page including nationwide delivery based on an A4 sized brochure full colour throughout on high quality stock. As we pay roughly double US prices for capital costs and click rates in the UK, I'd expect that rate to be significantly cheaper in the US.

FWIW, the 240 prints very nicely, not to the same level of photographic quality as your epson, but should be significantly better than your hp laser. They are a challenge to keep calibrated accurately and you need to make sure that you invest in a hardware calibration option, like a spectrophotometer, with the necessary RIP options. You'll almost certainly want this type of work printed on silk coated paper and the 240 will struggle to feed this with consistent front to back registration. You'll also need to invest in a nozzle based PUR binder to get a good strong bind on this paper.