Toshiba e-studio 5520c v Xerox dc242 second hand

Hi. Can anyone help me with any advice or experiance.

I am in the process of upgrading our digital printer/copier. We need it for short run full colour printing, so heavy stocks, thin stocks, large ish print runs, etc.

At the moment we are being offered a Brand new Toshiba e-Studio 5520c or a second hand Xerox DC242.

I am sure the xerox is good quality, but it is second hand.

I don't know much about the toshiba, apart from the spec sheets I have been given.

Would anyone reccommend one or the other? Had problems with? Have quality issues with? etc...

I just need to make sure I ma getting a machine that can handle the printing, and not an office copier type machine.

Cheers
James

toshiba vs xerox

Hi James,

Here is my opinion. There are a few important things you must consider before you make your decision. For the used machine, you will want to find out when it was first manufactured.

Manufacturers are requiered to support their products for at least 7 years after initial release. Most companies will have enough parts to last 8 to 10 years but that all depends on how well the system is doing.

If you are leasing you probobly don't have to worry about that.

The second thing is to know how many clicks are on the used system. That along with the age of the system will help with the negotiation of price. I would never suggest getting a used system without going on a service contract.


Ok down to the most important element. You have to try out each system. I suggest trying out the one you already feel will be the best fit. Tell your sales rep you want to try it out for free. Make sure he agrees you wont be charged for any copies and prints made during that time. Don't sign any papers that say you will be purchasing. This demonstration is common and he will likely be happy to accomodate unless he's trying to push to meet his quota. But in your case you need to test the system out with every paper stock you will be using, and in every way you need to do it. And you need to print a lot. Thats the best way to see if you like it.

Good luck,

Charles

It's not who makes the machine, it is who services it. Good luck with that free trial.

Service is extremely important, but so is the quality of the machine itself. Also the quality of the supply chain as you'll spend many times over on clicks or supplies than the original machine in any kind of production environment with a digital machine. Is toshiba competitive in price per click or actual consumable + durable costs on that side of the pond?

Good points about the consumables/durable parts. I don't have that info. I can say that the 5520C looks good, I just don't know how the paper handling is on the thicker or special papers. It's excellent on the more conventional stuff.