Laser printer advice needed

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rock
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R

Rock

HI,

I am interested in buying a Colour Laser printer to print fliers and
posters on glossy stock. I am tired of paying $6/800 everytime I need
500 CD or so double sided covers.

I have looed at many on ebay and other places but it is really confusing
what to buy.

I know the consumables especially toner need to be reasonable as does
rollers etc.

I am just a small one man office so would only be doing maybe 2000 max a
month on full colour things.

Any ideas of what brands I should look at etc..,

Thank you,

Rock
 
I am interested in buying a Colour Laser printer to print fliers and
posters on glossy stock. I am tired of paying $6/800 everytime I need
500 CD or so double sided covers.
Click to expand...

I understand where you are comming from. My volume isn't nearly as
high as yours and I felt the heavy price ink carts even printing one
every other day. Many a heavy epson user and some canon users have
switched to external ink tanks known as CIS (Continious Flow Systems).
While bulk ink and large external tanks might be the ticket for
artists... laser, wax, dye sub are a tad more resilent. Given your
volume even the epson r800... a fine printer, only has an offical duty
cycle of 25,000 pages.. which I strongly suspect they are estimating 5%
yield. Doing what you do on inkjets i'd expect it would be good to
have several.

While technicaly not a "laser" Xerox phaser 8400 might be nice. The
sticks I believe run about £60 for each color... three in a set.
3,400p each (I assume 5% yield). so £240 about 170p full color and
full black (I estimate) £1.41/page Check for your self as I don't
own one.

While on the 7750 for example will set you back over £3,000... and
toner £200+ for each cyan magenta and yellow... £100 for the black (
£700.00) the yield is so high... in the 22,000p (assuming 5% yield
1100p @ 100% yield. I estimate). £0.64/page for all black all colors
on a page.

These printers in the states are often available on a "free printer"
program... as in if you print a high enough yield... spend enough on
consumables monthly.. they'll give you a printer in exchange for a
contract to buy consumables from them. Not sure if there are similar
programs down under. These are generally reserved for people who don't
have the cash upfront but can afford a few hundrad monthly for
consumables, or to get your office off costly inkjets.

And I was silly and coverted all values to pounds not noting you were
an au user. Oh well...

Phaser 8400 Base Model USD$1000 ($800 on a good day) 1,313.06 AUD
Phaser 7750 Base model USD$5599 7,355.65 AUD
Expect prices to be more in reality.

Given your spending $6.00 * 800p presently ($4800).... a 7750 while
priced pretty high might be easily justified.
 
Rock said:
HI,

I am interested in buying a Colour Laser printer to print fliers and
posters on glossy stock. I am tired of paying $6/800 everytime I need
500 CD or so double sided covers.
I have looed at many on ebay and other places but it is really
confusing what to buy.
I know the consumables especially toner need to be reasonable as does
rollers etc.
I am just a small one man office so would only be doing maybe 2000 max
a month on full colour things.
Any ideas of what brands I should look at etc..,
Click to expand...

Looking at ebay.com.au there seems rather less available than over here.
Currently there is a Canon CLC1000 which is probably overkill but is
currently at a good price. This is an A3 (11"x17") colour laser copier
which can be used as a printer as well. There is also a CLC700 which is
an older model without the print (RIP) unit, which seems a bit
expensive. I have a CLC950. These machines use toner and developer and
are rather complicated so it could prove handy to have a tame service
chappy. They do produce a very good print and quite cheaply.

If you were in the UK or US I'd suggest looking at Canon 1130/1150 or
maybe the IRC2000/3000 series depending what shows up. Also the Ricoh
Aficio range.
 
Hi Rock

[1] Be sure to get print samples before buying anything

[2] You may find it less expensive, and get a higher quality
product, if you've got a good local printer who's got a high-end
color laser printer. The output from the high-end machines is
rather extraordinary. The output from the low-end machines is
not.

-- stan

(who learned this lesson via a QMS Magicolor 330, which
I was NEVER able to get printing color reliably without lots
of time-consuming special color filter layer tricks)
 
Thank you guys..

I am in Sydney Oz so not able to take advantage of some better deals
maybe in US and UK.

There is a HP 4550 on Ebay which seems like a good used unit. Was $5k
here new and now about $700 or so I guess it buy it.

I could only afford the low end ones and I know you are right that a
high end one is much better all around.

I just think I am better off to get a used High end than a new low end
as long as I get a warranty and know it was a good model to start with.

This is where I am now, trying to see what models available as used are
known as 'good' models for amounts of prints per cart etc.

I have left a message on a HP site hoping they know what were good
units. Then again I have had soem nightmares with Hp stuff before.

Some say the Samsungs are okay and The Tekronix Phaaer are too.

Any help along those lines?

Thanks

Rock
 
Rock said:
Thank you guys..

I am in Sydney Oz so not able to take advantage of some better deals
maybe in US and UK.

There is a HP 4550 on Ebay which seems like a good used unit. Was $5k
here new and now about $700 or so I guess it buy it.
Click to expand...

I think this is a A4 printer? It might be worth looking at the larger
ones, as it could come in useful. As long as the extra cost isn't too
much.

On your ebay there is a C410 Xerox machine, which I guesstimate is a
similar age to the HP, ok it comes in at 1200/1500 AU$ but it will do A3
size as well. Plus its in Sydney so you could go and have a look at it.

Mind you, if it were me I'd go for the Canon CLC 1000, as long as you
have room for it and you would need a lorry with a tail lift to move it
- its over a quarter of a ton. But you get an A3 contone colour
photocopier/printer, and if you can set the network software up properly
it should work as an A3 scanner as well. Its the sort of thing a copy
shop/printer would have had as their spangly new machine about five
years ago. Its overkill for what you want but if you have the space and
if its running ok it would be a //VERY// good machine to have. I think
they were around US$20,000 when new.
 
There is a HP 4550 on Ebay which seems like a good used unit. Was $5k
here new and now about $700 or so I guess it buy it.
Some say the Samsungs are okay and The Tekronix Phaaer are too.
Click to expand...

Unless you can get a free xerox in sydney in exchange for buying
consumables monthly for a year or two, which considering your volume
would be a legit option, a Tekronix or Xerox Phaser is a legit option.
Wax has a slighly glossy quality to it which might be desirable on
CD/DVD covers.

But the HP4550 would be easier to service and would probally be the
better log term investement. It's traditional laser where the end user
can replace the consumables. Many of these hit the used market because
the prior owners don't want to replace key parts and would rather buy
into a cheaper... though disposable color laser. But the cost for
toner is very reasonable on the hp 4500.

The below parts list doesn't include kits that are avaiable that
contain one or more of these items. Might be wise to check out the
cost of a drum and transfer kit in your neighborhood before making a
final choice. Drum life I believe is about 4 times that of the toner
and about the same cost as one toner cart. The transfer kit 16 times
that of the toner costing about the same as three toner carts.. pretty
much the same as the fuser assuming the 240v cost about the same as the
110v version. These are just guesses as I don't know the cost of these
items in Sydney.

Fusing Asm, 110V RG5-5154
Fusing Asm, 240V ?C7085-69005? - (not sure on this part number)
Fuser Kit, 110V C4197A
Fuser Kit 240V C4198A

Transfer Kit C4196A

Tray 2 Separation Roller RF5-1885

Drum Kit C4195A
Fuser Deflector Kit C4084-67911
ITB Drawer Asm RG5-5120

Toner, Black C4191A
Toner Carousel Kit C4084-67909
Toner, Cyan C4192A
Toner, Magenta C4193A
Toner, Yellow C4194A

Transfer Roller Asm RF5-2112
Tray 1 Pickup Roller RB2-0717
Tray 2 Feed Roller RF5-2092
 
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