Advise for a HQ Color Laser Printer For Cardstock 14pt Cover Gloss

[Faramith]

Hi Im new here, Im looking for a good Color laser printer that handles 100lb cardstock cover gloss 2 sided that prints photos pr vivid colors. I asked a HP representative and they told me they dont have a printer that handles that. So Im open for alternatives. Please let me know. Thanks

 

[jwheeler]

You'll need to provide alot more information if you want accurate responses. For example: What is your monthly volume? What size is the media? What is your budget? etc

 

[Faramith]

Hi! Thanks for the reply, we are trying to start a business right now we dont know the volume, the media will be Letter paper size, we will start making promo postcard flyers for some business, we like the texture and quality cardstock Cover gloss has, so we want to offer this service.

 

[Faramith]

Oh and $700 ~ $900

 

[jwheeler]

Is that your monthly budget? Or what you want to spend in total on a machine. If monthly, there's all sorts of great options available from Xerox, Konica Minolta, Canon, and Ricoh. If that's what you want to spend in total, then printing is not the right business for you to get into. A good production quality digital press that will be able to print on gloss cardstock day after day will start in the $20-25,000+ range on the low end. And besides the printer, you will also need finishing equipment such as a cutter to cut down the postcards, a folder, and so on. If you buy a $700 desktop laser printer, it will get destroyed by the thick glossy card stock after only months of use, and the quality will not be up to the standard of what you're customers demand.

 

[Faramith]

we are looking for a printer in that price range that can handle that kind of paper and have great quality, we don't need a press or something that expensive. We are not looking for inkjet, the cost of ink is by far more expensive. thanks

 

[Biggs]

You're going to have a hard time finding a desktop laser that can handle 14pt, duplex is out of the question entirely. 100% gloss is closer to 10pt, you may find something to handle that - still without an automated double sided print. Most of the Canon's seem to cap out at around 200gsm - which is an 80# Gloss cover equivalent.

Some of the OKI models can handle 14pt, but you'll be way over budget on those.

 

[jwheeler]

Some of the OKI models can handle 14pt, but you'll be way over budget on those.

I agree, OKI's would be the lowest end unit that can do what you're asking, but even they start in the $15,000-ish range. And they will only simplex 14pt reliably. We have a new OKI C942, which we bought mainly for envelopes as we have a KM C8000 for our flat sheet. But we tried to duplex some 12pt on the OKI and it would constantly jam. It just sounded like it was destroying the machine internally. The duplex units are not very robust. Handled it simplex just fine.

@Faramith , if any vendors comes on here and says they have a $700-900 machine that can do what you want, and do it reliably, don't believe them. You're better off outsourcing for now until you can afford a real production unit to handle the kind of material you're describing.