Alex said:
Hi there, i was thinking of buying the phaser 8400 - does anyone have
any opinions on this printer?. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
I use mine for real estate flyers, postcards, etc and because the solid ink
technology works like an offset printing press, you can print on almost any
type of paper surface without worrying too much about ink pick-up or
absorption like you would with an inkjet or laser. Quality is great on plain
old paper, but I also print regularly on 12 pt coated stock (Kromekote). Ink
coverage is very smooth, especially for solid fills. The 100th print will
look pretty much like the first.
I did some research and the cost per page for color ink is excellent (though
the cost per little block of ink is steep, both weight-wise and compared to
Crayola). And the color ink blocks are easy to install, no waste, etc...
The 8400 has the ability to define a custom page size, which the 8200 model
for some reason could not handle and was very picky about precise page size.
Duplexing on mine is great (but only duplexes "normal" paper weights). The
networked versions have some great management features including job
accounting (so you can see exactly how much each print is costing you).
Only down side to the solid wax ink: you can never run the *same* side
through twice (roller will pick the wax back up and re-distribute it on
subsequent prints), can't heat laminate it, and can't really write over it
with a ballpoint pen.
Roger