OT Color Copier Recommendation

[632 Regal]

Long and boring if you dont use a color copier regularly.

As most of you guys know I own a printshop. Recently it has come to a point that I need to invest in a color copier/printer. Getting a lot of requests and can do a lot more stuff with one. Not one of them desktop jobs (got one already) but a several hundred pound unit (thousand?). I cant afford 60K for a new one or an easy payment/service plan that includes me to donate my gonads over the rest of my life.

I was surfing for days and days to figure out what actually is good and what is a POS. My copier guy hates me because I fixed a problem on the black and white copier that fed his mortgage for 8 months and I wouldnt disclose the problem to him, so I dont trust any of his advice at all.

The bay has em anywhere from say 800-2000 for used/refurbed units which I can probably get from selling race car parts so that is actually doable.
linky: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2 F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=color+copier&category0=


From your experiences what does color good/bad and what copiers seem to break down quite often? I definetly dont want a Zerox, been there before.

Looking for at least 24 color copies per minute and at least 11x17 full bleed with a capacity of at least 2000 sheets and of course be able to print from my little network.

I have got great responce on stranger requests.

TIA

[liquidtiger720]

Get one of these.

http://www.ikon.com/products/lgimages/HPDesignJet815mfpWeb.jpg

http://www.superwarehouse.com/HP_DesignJet_815mfp/Q1279A/p/276874

[Zeuk in Oz]

Please take anything I say with a grain of salt as I do not know anything specifically about the sort of copiers you are talking about.

Also please remember that good advice is never free and I am not charging you.

All of the printing I do in my practice is small time compared to what you would do, however I have been caught out by some bad products and like some good ones.

Without knowing which copier does what, I would look at the ink delivery system as the key area. I'm not talking different spray patterns etc, I am talking ease and frequency and cost of re-inking. This might well be something that does not differ in the larger machines, but I certainly have had great success with HP but hate Canon, Brother and Epson.

These toy brands are probably not players in what you are looking at.

The other area that gives me the pip is the poor paper feeding sysytems on some machines - that would be the second area I would look at. The simpler and more readily repaired/ replaced the better.

You probably know far more than I do in this area so I will shut up now, and wish you luck.

Cheers,

Bo

[SchnellE34]

The part that will fail most frequently and almost like clockwork in all printers are the pick and delivery rollers. The rubber pads that actually feed the paper through. I would do a little research on how easy it is to change the pads, how cheap they are, and how easy it is to get them with your new printer/copier.

But your right, the Xerox are pieces of ****. We have the 460ST here at my work and they are always breaking down and in need of repair.

-cP

[632 Regal]

This is exactly what im looking for...real life use and not a manufacturers specs, or a copy machine stores recommendations. I surf several copier repair forums regularly but cant really isolate anything in the recommendation area. The service places will of course recommend something that will reqire a tech every other week. Ill let you guys post and just read the replies and bump for a couple days.


Please take anything I say with a grain of salt as I do not know anything specifically about the sort of copiers you are talking about.

Also please remember that good advice is never free and I am not charging you.

All of the printing I do in my practice is small time compared to what you would do, however I have been caught out by some bad products and like some good ones.

Without knowing which copier does what, I would look at the ink delivery system as the key area. I'm not talking different spray patterns etc, I am talking ease and frequency and cost of re-inking. This might well be something that does not differ in the larger machines, but I certainly have had great success with HP but hate Canon, Brother and Epson.

These toy brands are probably not players in what you are looking at.

The other area that gives me the pip is the poor paper feeding sysytems on some machines - that would be the second area I would look at. The simpler and more readily repaired/ replaced the better.

You probably know far more than I do in this area so I will shut up now, and wish you luck.

Cheers,

Bo

[BillionPa]

the 460 does suck, i used a 265ST for years (pretty much the same) and had a recent upgrade to a 4110.

Much faster, much much better at paper handling, and significantly more reliable.

which xerox machines did you use before, because there are good ones and bad ones.

bad = the copycenters.
good = docucolors.

[632 Regal]

Xerox = 265 service call to show at the door and 185 per hour, this I DO NOT NEED.

the 460 does suck, i used a 265ST for years (pretty much the same) and had a recent upgrade to a 4110.

Much faster, much much better at paper handling, and significantly more reliable.

which xerox machines did you use before, because there are good ones and bad ones.

bad = the copycenters.
good = docucolors.

[mattyb]

just like Zuek i have used many brands for business use.

BROTHER - Oh Brother where art thou! Pieces of ****, do not touch. Dont even want to go into the brother episode over the units I have had.

CANON - Financially not well and back up is ****. They excell amazingly in some areas (portable printers)but fail pathetically in more.

ZEROX- No experience with Zerox but mates have had the experience and you may as well bash yourold fella with a house brick!

HP - Love HP. nothing is a problem for these guys and the equipment ussually does what it says its going to do, good build quaility and no scrolling. good back up and no ******** so far. would not hesitate to recommend HP other the others. Hp also seem to have a better paper delivery system. I have separate trays for my white/ blue and recycled paper. Pull one out and shove the other in - easy! expect maintanance with all machines but i have found that if u can work on an e34 you can work on HP.

Best of luck mate!

[Russell]

Canon products seem excellent for both copying and printing. We are leasing a Canon 5100 with a dedicated Canon PC based print server. It is also networked to about 75 people. We recently ran 11,000 full color PowerPoint pages through it in one day with no problems. Also, it scans and has a document stacker.

[Russell]

Any decision on the copier/printer?

[632 Regal]

Still doing research actually, going to start listing race car stuff...man I have a LOT of money invested ... crazy.

Looks like the toshibas rate a bit better than the Cannons according to several copier tech forums so that opens the playing field a bit.

There is a lot to choose from on Ebay just like cars, sometimes mileage matters sometimes not. I think a lease return may be the way to go, I feel it may have been serviced to at least all work well. Better than one without a contract like my B/W copier at work, things dirty as **** but makes decent copies.

Hopefully I will get lucky, so many models to choose from.