Just wondering

Hello, I am looking to buy an I-gen 4. From what I understand they keep parts on site. How long is the longest you been down for and how long did it take to get the parts. Or do they just keep the part6 that the fe needs to keep the maintenance of the press up.

General Help

Hi Bravester12-

I run an iGen3, but talk to our tech all the time about the iGen4.

As possible helpful background info, yes we do keep a fair portion of parts & pieces to the press on-hand. There are still some the tech must order occasionally, but they tend to arrive within the following day or two, if the part isn't available from another local iGen owner.

My shop has never been down for more than a day & a half, and is usually back up and running within the tentative 4 hour window the techs are given by Xerox.

With that said, the tech's boasting of the iGen4 has included mainly the omission of a large percentage of maintenance (in comparison to the iGen3), along with more "swap-in, swap-out" parts that don't require a tech (or length of service to repair the problem by a tech)

It sounds like a pleasant leap forward from the iGen3. But I'm sure its the same with any press: once you learn its rhythm, you can run with it much smoother!

Best wishes,
Solomon

Solomon
Hi And thanks for the response. If you were buying a new i gen this week what part would you put in that closet the you had to wait for or part that you were down for a long period of time. I am buying an i gen and I just went to get the best out of this I can.
Thanks
Bravester12

I understand. Its a good question with a few possible answers.

First, I'd stock up on all the replenishable parts you can*, all the stuff you should have on hand, such as rollers, grids, wires, fuser fluid, toner, developer, waste bottles, filters, fiberless wipes, bulbs, etc... because there's a tendency to "burn" thru them a bit quicker as a noobie operating a press.

*You're "stocking up" of parts will really depend on your service agreement.

Second, parts that only a tech can order for you, like sensors, interlocks, gears, internal rollers in the individual color housings. Most of that stuff won't come into play for a while if you follow instructions and stick to your certified training techniques.

The last thing would be to continue your hunt (assuming you're in the hunt) for an iGen4 Operator with some experience to befriend. They'll be an invaluable resource for inside information. The techs can be a good resource as well, but they tend to stick to the Xerox "ISO" response, so to speak.

Again, good luck!

Solomon
Hello and good morning. We are in the beginning stages of writing our contract so from your experience what would you put in the contract if you had to do it all over. The people I work for will put it in the contract and make them stick to it. Another question is what parts do you go through a lot and does your hinges, sensor and interlock switch break a lot. I run a Nexpress 2100 classic right now. If you can help me out with these question I will be happy. Thanks bravester12

iGen3 vs iGen4

bravester12,

I'd love to give you solid advice, but since I've never operated an iGen4, the best I feel I can give is principle. I'd like to know more about your business' operations first:

- What size shop are you? (1-3 operators, 4-9, 10 plus?)
- What kind of shop are you? (commercial, document reproduction, internal, copy house, quick-turn internet based, large format national, etc.?)

I ask because I'm the only operator in our shop. All we have is the iGen3 so we're really tight on overhead & waste. I've worked at much bigger shops and those factors definitely change things.

Looking forward to your response.

Digital Press versus Direct Imaging

We are a small company printing about 4K to 5K sheets per day from a print shop. I have read some of the threads and understand the differences between DI and Digital presss. For someone with no experience in printing and very little capital to spend but enough business, what would be the best route? Our typical batch size is 1000 sheets and sometimes as high as 10,000 and as low as 200. We don't mind sending the 10,000 piece jobs outside if DI isn't the solution. Considering setup, paper printing, maintenance and labor costs what would be a good solution? Is there a limitation on paper sizes and weights?

tomd5000, hello!

I haven't had any direct experience with DI, so I can't speak for them and will have to stick to the second half of your question. However, whichever you choose, if possible, get as many retentive staff of yours in front of the person doing the training for the machine. You'll need as much "common understanding" of the press as possible during the beginning. It will give you much more internal support to lean on.

As far as the iGen, we keep it at a bare minimum for things like set-up & waste. We're holding on to our "Green Certified" title by doing so. There are occasional jams with certain stocks (and in certain weather, like rain=static) but again its very minimal. Our up time is 97-99%, with the rare visit of a technician to fix an issue falling about once every 2-3 months (once you're more comfortable with the press & running smoothly).

Labor and Maintenance costs depend on your contract, so you'll have to contact the manufacturer for the options.

Limits on paper size and weight: 7 x 7" up to 14.3 x 22.5" and 20# bond up to 130# cover stock. I've run sheets as thick as 24 point, but not on long runs.

Hope this helps. Happy printing!

Hello ddigen3,

i am totally new to thedigital printing world, I am a graphic designer that is thinking about setting a printing shop and thinking about investing in the igen3, there are a couple of basic questions that i hope you can help me answered before I go ahead to buiness planning stages.

1. what is the approximate invenstment cost for me to start with the igen3
2. I am thinking about doing a lot of business cards print (from online ordering)and also cater some brochure and/or collateral for businesses nearby, is the igen3 a good options for that.
3. What do you think is the pro(s) and con(s) of the igen3.
4. investment wise, in your personal experience, is it feasible in terms of ROI to invest in the machine in a startup business.

Thanks before

Wonderful

Hello rockysugih,

I appreciate your earnest request. I'll do my best to answer your questions.

1. I'm not certain what the iGen3 press runs for, but I believe its somewhere between $150-$400K, depending on the options/equipment and if its new/used.

2. Business collateral and cards are ideal for this press. We run regular specials on all data sheets, brochures, fliers and business cards. The only piece we outsource is letterhead, since you cannot run a printed sheet through a laser printer...the toner melts off.

3. Pros: (as they pertain to our shop needs)
- Incredibly vibrant colors (we have an EFI Fiery Front-End Controller, which aids this tremendously)
- the best solid black I've ever seen (better than a double-hit on an offset press)
- Variable Data capabilities (WOW!)
- Very strong PDF workflow
- Internet Connected (the press has its own IP address, so you can work remotely)
- You can print on varied stocks simultaneously (up to 4 types).
- Low maintenance
- Quite hands-off for the operator. The press does most of the work
- Sheets exit dry, so you can move straight into finishing/bindery
- Its green: uses no water or solvents.

Cons:
- There are some maintenance functions only the technicians are able to perform, so you're restricted by their schedule & speed of repair
- Xerox generally sticks to their suggestion of you running Xerox papers only. (We run almost anything, however)
- You cannot increase or decrease the printing speed. Its set, based off your model
- the constant advancement with transparency in design has caused some conflicts. The intended effect doesnt always render correctly and may take some tweaking to the original design in order to get the desired result.

4. ROI - If you're able to be competitively priced and can keep that press running, you'll enjoy this press very much, as well as make a good profit. The most important detail (in my opinion) is to streamline the workflow as smoothly as possible, minimizing the amount of "prepress" work on the files you receive. Web-based with great customer service would be my suggestion. But I don't own the place, I'm just an operator.

Good luck. I hope this helps.

ddigen3,

Thank you very much for your information, and sure this will help me in my decision making process.....cheers

iGen3 charges

Have you bought your iGen? What are you impressions about the purchase? I'm considering the same purchase. What are click charges for iGen?

V.

Markovicv1-

Please contact me directly for details on our click charges based on the contract we've signed.

Solomon