need help buying a printer for small business

[hollywood77]

I need ideas on a printer that won't break the bank...I need to print 12x18 glossy adhesive label paper which i found cardstock " showcase" high gloss for assortment headers that will have pictures with description. I know a place that has Muratech model mbxc4590 but that is way out of my league, looking for same quality print but maybe smaller model less money. i have looked at Bizhub c458 would appreciate any advice on choosing the right printer for what i need.
example lid label

 

[jwheeler]

The two machines you mentioned are the same machines. Muratech are just rebranded Konica Minolta's. What sort of quantity are you expecting to print each month? And I don't understand your statement where you said "glossy adhesive label paper which i found cardstock " showcase" high gloss"....that's a whole lot of mixed up terms. Are you trying to print adhesive sheets, or cardstock? Is the media high gloss or are you wanting the prints to appear high gloss? The GSM of the media is the most important consideration when selecting a printer for projects like this. Look on the package of your media and look for a number next to GSM or GM2.

 

[OkiTech]

Oki procolor 900 series. Procolor 930, for example.

 

[jwheeler]

Sorry @OkiTech , but I can't agree with suggesting an OKI. Yes, it can handle that media weight, but the cost per print is too expensive. We have the model you mentioned in our shop and the cost of toner and consumables is much higher than we pay on a CPC contract for any other machine. Plus, the machine is slow (print speed is slow, and it pauses far too frequently to adjust), and quality isn't that impressive. We bought is as an envelope printer, but it jammed so much, it's now just an oversized printer for our emails and work orders. The other frustrating part is how consumables have a fixed life-span. After a certain number of impressions, certain components are required to be replaced or the machine won't work...even if we find the quality to still be acceptable.

 

[Dav]

Hi guys,

@OkiTech and @jwheeler
I'm looking for a printer that can do 360gsm or around that and with white ink.

I was looking into the oki p9542 but was wondering if there's a better option or new option?

 

[jwheeler]

@Dav , I was hoping my last post made it pretty clear to stay away from the Oki line altogether. You really won't be happy with them when it comes to performance, quality, and cost per print. I also wouldn't buy anything from OKI because they announced in 2020 that they are no longer manufacturing and selling equipment.

I'd suggest a unit from one of the bigger manufacturers. A Ricoh Pro C7200 Graphics Arts series would be my first recommendation. It handles 360gsm and has white ink, excellent quality, and a predictable cost per copy print since they will have a CPC plan vs paying for the consumables on your own with the OKI. You can finance the Ricoh to make it more affordable instead of buying it outright upfront if needed.

If the Ricoh is out of budget even with financing, then a lower cost option that still meets your needs would be the Xerox PrimeLink C9065 series. That unit can do 350gsm, has white, and will be a much lower price point when compared to the Ricoh, but will be slower. As a bonus for both the Ricoh and the Xerox, the white station can actually be swapped to a number of other toners including clear, neon's, and metallics.

FYI, I used to sell the production printing line for Konica Minolta.

 

[Dav]

Thanks for the Info @jwheeler do you have an email I can speak to you with over ?

The budget is around 15k USD

I'll contact Ricoh and xerox. I pretty much just need something reliable last 5 years at least. Can print thick GSM and speciality textured stock (CMYk+white) with on sra3 sheets and then we would be using a Zund to cut them down into whatever

 

[kingstondouglas]

@Dav , I was hoping my last post made it pretty clear to stay away from the Oki line altogether. You really won't be happy with them when it comes to performance, quality, and cost per print. I also wouldn't buy anything from OKI because they announced in 2020 that they are no longer manufacturing and selling equipment.

I'd suggest a unit from one of the bigger manufacturers. A Ricoh Pro C7200 Graphics Arts series would be my first recommendation. It handles 360gsm and has white ink, excellent quality, and a predictable cost per copy print since they will have a CPC plan vs paying for the consumables on your own with the OKI. You can finance the Ricoh to make it more affordable instead of buying it outright upfront if needed.

If the Ricoh is out of budget even with financing, then a lower-cost option that still meets your needs would be the Xerox PrimeLink C9065 series. That unit can do 350gsm, has a white shipping label printer, and will be at a much lower price point when compared to the Ricoh, but will be slower. As a bonus for both the Ricoh and the Xerox, the white station can be swapped to several other toners including clear, neon, and metallics.

FYI, I used to sell the production printing line for Konica Minolta.

Hi,

I print maybe 5-10 pages a month.
Could you recommend a printer, please? The last printer's ink got dried up as I didn't use it much.

Many thanks