CLC 5000 vs. 3900 vs. 3100

How does a CLC 5000 compare with a CLC 3900 and with a CLC 3100? Looking at used CLCs.

 

CLC 5000 and 3900 are basically the same machine with the 3900 detuned to run at a slower speed for a different selling price.

The CLC3100 is a generation older machine, a transition between the older CLC1000/CLC2400 and the newer CLC5000/3900. The 3100 shares more in common with the older 1000/2400's though.

Go with a CLC 5000 or 3900 if you can afford to. Noticably nicer print quality and more of them for parts availability.

 

When these were the new models in 2001, the CLC 5000 retailed for 89,500 as a high-end color machine and the CLC 3100 retailed for $63,100 aimed at 'entry-level production environments'

The CLC 5000 and 3900 feature 800 x 400 enhanced resolution, while the CLC 3100 prints at only 400 x 400. A lot of the enhanced resolutions are difficult to notice, but this step was quite visible in the output quality to discerning eyes.

 

The 3100 is total ****. I have one, it breaks, constantly. Even after we fully serviced it and got new parts for it. It is just a 2400 with a change in color, literally, the fusers are interchangeable. Forget duplexing- it will duplex one side of an entire document, store it in a tray, then print on the backside. Paper cools down causing jamming, and if there is a problem with the output, you won't know until after 1/2 of the first copy is printed.

 

Oh, and the reason I quoted you was the quality is pretty horrible on the 3100. It lacks punch, its gradients are bad, and the toner oil streaking on solids is very bad.

I don't know about the 5K, but the 3100 is not a machine you want if you are after reliability or quality. If it is on a service contract it might work as a small office copier that gets no more than a light usage with few pages per document.

 

Thanks indolering - I much appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with your 3100. I guess that's why they go so cheaply on ebay now. It's amazing how fast printing technology has come in the last few years. I remember when a CLC 1000 was top of the line and a machine I really envied a nearby shop for having -- a local artist actually used a CLC 1000 to run hundreds of limited edition prints for sale that I thought looked good at the time. And I thought the 3100 was an upgrade of the 1000 (though I'm not sure of this as I haven't heard much about the 3100 at all.) Now I have to go back and see if I can find some prints from a CLC 1000 to look at with 2007-perspective eyes and compare with today's print quality.