Laser Printer Advice

Discussion in '8 ½ x 11 Color Laser Printers' started by joinnow, Dec 13, 2008.

  1. joinnow

    joinnow Member

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    I am doing freelance on mailing. I need to order postcard printing from another company, and I print address and barcode on printed postcards.

    I would like to know is there any laser printer black or color that can print 14pt cover postcard 5.5 * 8.5.

    Please help.

    thanks
     
  2. Jeff

    Jeff Senior Member

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    The xante illumina is the lowest price (for the machine itself) printer I'm aware of that is designed for this. They have taken an oki engine and enhanced it for heavy stock printing.
     
  3. joinnow

    joinnow Member

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    Thanks for your help. It seems xante illumina received a lot of complains. Is there any available printer beside xante can do that.

    Thanks for your help
     
  4. Jeff

    Jeff Senior Member

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    Two questions:

    What specific complaints are you concerned with regarding the Illumina. (I don't particularly like the print quality or the high cost per print for reasonable coverage, but I haven't heard complaints on the feeding)

    And what volume are you going to be running?

    There's a big leap in cost between something that you can get to handle the job inhouse on a budget like the xante and a dedicated production machine designed to do this and this specifically.

    I have no familiarity on what BW solutions are out there and little with the dedicated postpress addressing systems -- maybe someone else will jump in.
     
  5. joinnow

    joinnow Member

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  6. xpquickprint

    xpquickprint Senior Member

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    > Xerox 7400 color can do 100lb that I have found meet my budget

    Maybe - I'm not sure it will be happy doing it day in and day out. Also may not be applicable, but a UV gloss coated postcard is harder to feed and print reliably than a 100lb cover uncoated stock due to the gloss coating and stiffness. You might have to go down to 12pt.
     
  7. EXRX

    EXRX New Member

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    The OKI 9000 series are feeding the 110# cardstock ok
    I believe this is through the fold out MP tray though.
     
  8. plotter

    plotter Senior Member

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    isnt the oki 9650 and the xerox 7400 exactly the same machines re badged?
     
  9. intecprinters

    intecprinters Member

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    You need to check out www.intecprinters.com - experts in ultra heavy stock color digital printers. We have an office in Tampa, Florida.
     
  10. xfactor printing

    xfactor printing Senior Member

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    Neat - a new adaption of the oki engine.

    Are the intec printers offered under a click contract or do you still have to buy consumables retail?
     
  11. intecprinters

    intecprinters Member

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    Expensive click contracts

    No click contract, which are very costly in comparison to buying our consumables.
     
  12. xfactor printing

    xfactor printing Senior Member

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    Really? On every printer I've ever thought of purchasing or owned, a click contract has been a major savings over buying consumables retail. Do you have a cost estimation per print at various coverage levels?

    Also how does maintenance work? Is a maintenance contract available for equipment problems?
     
  13. intecprinters

    intecprinters Member

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    Please can you give me some contact details so that I can refer you Todd and Mike in our US office, who will be able to help you further. I just an email address.
     
  14. intecprinters

    intecprinters Member

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    My email address is tim.saunders@intecprinters.com. I will pass your comments over to my colleagues and give them access to this account because they know far more than I do!
     
  15. kingpd@businessprints.net

    kingpd@businessprints.net Senior Member

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    Ok, first off...whether you're looking at a Xante', Xerox, Xitron, Pitney Bowes, Diamond Enterprises, and however many other versions of that exist out there...they are made by Okidata. Some have different feeders available.

    Second, if you're going to do low volume orders of full color postcards with variable data, such as barcodes, addresses, etc...this is the best option. Get yourself set up as a reseller with a commercial printer and a mail house. In exchange for a smaller profit margin per order, you'll only have to pay when you get something printed or addressed and barcoded...which means keeping your $3,000 until your volume is big enough to justify getting your own equipment.

    1. A commercial printer (you'll have to shop around of course) does gang runs and will be able to print small batches for less than you can...at least right now. But you'll also get the benefit of their high end equipment for outstanding quality (which you need to grow your business to keep customers happy and word of mouth advertising).

    2. Postal regulations are a nightmare and can be costly. You'll need a special printer to address cut up cards or a special printer to print the information at the same time you print the cards (which is your original problem and question). These address printers run $7k0$10k entry level. Software can run up to $2,000 which is necessary for the addressing, bar coding, and discounts, and you'll need a bulk mail permit. A mail house is used to this stuff and may be worth the outsourcing cost.

    3. Any machine that you can afford with your budget is most likely not going to cut it...I know b/c I've tried and ruined machines and parts. Card stock is tricky. You MUST have a machine with settings for it because the fusing temperature must be hotter and the corona wires must have a greater charge to transfer the toner...otherwise bad image quality or the toner won't stick to the paper and usually the card stock must pass through the machine slower than normal stock.

    Look for printers that "sell to the trade" only.

    Some good magazines to hook up with are:
    American Printer
    Printing Impressions
    Quick Printer or Quick Printing
     

  16. OkiTech

    OkiTech Senior Member

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    Dear IntecPrinters, Once I had purchased used (almost new 1200 pages on it only) Xerox Workcentre 7335, I called a Candle Business Systems - A Xerox partner in NY and asked for a no commitment all inclusive service contract. They said that machine must be evaluated by a tech, once he gives it a clean bill of health, it will be 11 cents per any color click and 2 cents per any b/w, what would be your price in similar scenario? Since we have this conversation here and it is should not be a guarded secret, please post the answer here as well if you please.
    Thank you.
     
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