Colour Network Printer

[icttech]

Can some please recommend a decent colour laser printer, and an insight to what the running cost would be?

Have looked around for inkjets as we have found they are cheaper on running but seem like not much a getting manufactured, hard to find one.

[laserblazer]

Toner prices seem to be escalating and I don't think there is such an animal as a cheap to run colour printer. We have just installed colour photcopiers that are networked. I don't know how much cheaper this makes it but it no longer my worry

Where it has helped with costs is that if the kids want colour, the teacher has to input the code and then trudge across the building to the copier. So now they are only colour printing when it is vital.

[User3204]

We have Oki C9650s for A3 and C3400 for A4.
They all seem okay pricewise, as long as you can get hold of the compatible cartidges, although they seem expensive to buy they last for ages. We have just put a new C9650 into a student suite, so we may find that usage on this increases (as previously those A3 have been staff network only).

It will all depend on what usage you expect. The problem we always found with inkjets was either a) if it was used the ink ran out too quickly, b) if it wasn't used, the ink dried up. So I converted them all to laser networked. Check out Printerland.co.uk - Colour laser printers Multifunction laser printer toner cartridges

[dhicks]

The problem we always found with inkjets was either a) if it was used the ink ran out too quickly, b) if it wasn't used, the ink dried up.

We're just sorting out a lease on some decent-sized networked printers/photocopiers, which should take care of our printing needs. For colour prints on those I think we'll be paying something like 6p per copy. For colour laser printers around the school we have a number of HP 4650s which we got second-hand off eBay for around £300 each. Cheap to buy, but cost around 30p for a full-page colour print (80% coverage full colour). Otherwise we have HP Business Inkjet 1100 / 1200 machines, which again we get second hand off eBay are are capable of being fitted with a continuous ink system for cheapness and have replaceable print heads for when they get dry and clogged. I think the new Business Inkjet range of machines are similar, I think I've even seen companies selling them pre-converted for continuous ink.

--
David Hicks

[R0M]

I don’t know if its available in the UK as well, but we can get printers I think Kyocera and Ricoh. Where instead of you replacing the toner when it gets low, they send out a guy who replaces it each month and check how many pages you have printed then you get charred per page. So colour pages are 10c regardless of coverage (so windows test pages where you only get like 2 cm of colour and full A4 photos cost the same) and black and white are 1c. They are not too costly to run if you use them only when you need lots of colour and it saves a lot of hassle.

[dhicks]

I don’t know if its available in the UK as well, but we can get printers I think Kyocera and Ricoh. Where instead of you replacing the toner when it gets low, they send out a guy who replaces it each month and check how many pages you have printed then you get charred per page.

A decent leasing company should do something similar to this - we might look at this over the summer once we have our larger macines sorted out. We went and looked at Ricoh's showroom near Sunbury the other week: the people we spoke to seemed to know what they were on about and didn't over-sell, they just tried to sort us out a solution that would work for us. I'd aim to get printers from a leasing company, with everything all written down and agreed to properly, although there was a thread on here a little while back about those companies that offer you a "free" printer that you agree to buy X number of toners per year for. I think the thread said they were actually a pretty reasonable deal, so you could look at something like that, too.

--
David Hicks

[localzuk]

A good place to have a look at running costs is Printware.co.uk - Colour Laser Printers, Multifunction Printers, Mono Laser Printers, Toners Cartridges and Printer Ink from brands including HP, Xerox, Samsung, OKI

They list for 5% and 20% coverage. So it is usually quite easy to figure out the likely lifetime cost of a printer, if you have an idea of your monthly print amounts.

[TechSupp]

Toner prices seem to be escalating and I don't think there is such an animal as a cheap to run colour printer. We have just installed colour photcopiers that are networked. I don't know how much cheaper this makes it but it no longer my worry

Where it has helped with costs is that if the kids want colour, the teacher has to input the code and then trudge across the building to the copier. So now they are only colour printing when it is vital.

Just done the same thing here, ordering and keeping stock of what ink is required no longer my job and someone else not gets the flack for complaining about printing use/misuse as far as cost goes, a photocopier seems the way to go, just got one school who I need to convince now but with the price of toners as has been said going through the roof it shouldn't be long.

[Tricky_Dicky]

Leasing deals can work out really cost effective, but read and re-read the contract for small print such as minimum usage deals and most importantly length of contract. I personally wouldn't go for a contract any longer than 3 years.
Have used Central Connect before and had Kyocera photocopiers and printers which worked out pretty good.

Rich

[Geoff]

Our last few colour printers have been photocopier leasing deals. As Tricky Dicky says, read the T&Cs carefully before you sign up. Also evaluate if you really need colour printing in that location.

[use-IP]

Just to add a quick two penn'orth, however low budget you go make sure that your printer has an LCD display which provides meaningful error and state messages ... e.g. displays words.

We once purchased one that used flashing LED codes to indicate what was ailing it and that was a complete pain.

Oh, and a decent paper tray capacity ...

[CommodoreS]

A good place to have a look at running costs is Printware.co.uk - Colour Laser Printers, Multifunction Printers, Mono Laser Printers, Toners Cartridges and Printer Ink from brands including HP, Xerox, Samsung, OKI

They list for 5% and 20% coverage. So it is usually quite easy to figure out the likely lifetime cost of a printer, if you have an idea of your monthly print amounts.

Thanks for the excellent link.

It has confirmed my calculations - it is probably cheaper to go for Kyocera FS-C5300DN printers and should cost around £6609.19 (Completely Estimated!) for 100,000 pages at 5% also taking into account I think this printer needs a maintenance kit for every 200,000 pages which costs around £450 ish.

The most expensive printer I calculated was the Oki C5650n at a cost of £11,958.49 for 100,000 pages at 5%. Although the Brother HL-4070CDW came close to this at £11,505.18

The Konica Minolta 5650 came in at £8560.30 which I have used, and seem to be a good printer although recently the cost of original Minolta toner carts has shot through the roof, and seem to be continuing to rise.

The Dell 5110cn came in at £6739.23 and the Dell 3730cn at £7738.28, although I would be a bit concerned about availability of getting hold of toner carts for these in future years.

It looks like the Kyocera FS-C5300DN is cheapest in the long run. It also has Duplex as standard, which is useful (to reduce paper costs) and comes with a 2 year warranty. Play.com also looks like the cheapest place to buy these.

I have thought about leasing - but this must work out more expensive in the long run compared to buying your own printer, otherwise companies would not be leasing the printers and making a profit.

I expect the leasing company also has some kind of clause towards user damage (E.g. inserting the carts the wrong way round and damaging the printer or malicious damage) which means you would have to pay in the case of that type of problem - which you would also have to if you owned the printer yourself, so I find it difficult to see the benefit in leasing.

[dhicks]

I find it difficult to see the benefit in leasing.

Someone else fixes it for you, provides toner and manages servicing. There's also less up-front capital cost. It's worth checking the small print and talking to a couple of different companies to get the idea, but a reputable leasing company should be a full-service kind of deal, used to working in schools and understanding of the kinds of issues you are going to have.

--
David Hicks

[Busybub]

it is probably cheaper to go for Kyocera FS-C5300DN printers and should cost around £6609.19 (Completely Estimated!) for 100,000 pages at 5% also taking into account I think this printer needs a maintenance kit for every 200,000 pages which costs around £450 ish.

The most expensive printer I calculated was the Oki C5650n at a cost of £11,958.49 for 100,000 pages at 5%. Although the Brother HL-4070CDW came close to this at £11,505.18

The Konica Minolta 5650 came in at £8560.30

The Dell 5110cn came in at £6739.23 and the Dell 3730cn at £7738.28, although I would be a bit concerned about availability of getting hold of toner carts for these in future years.

I have thought about leasing - but this must work out more expensive in the long run compared to buying your own printer, otherwise companies would not be leasing the printers and making a profit.

I expect the leasing company also has some kind of clause towards user damage (E.g. inserting the carts the wrong way round and damaging the printer or malicious damage) which means you would have to pay in the case of that type of problem - which you would also have to if you owned the printer yourself, so I find it difficult to see the benefit in leasing.

If you're looking at this kind of money you might be better off buying the photocopier outright and taking out a support contract on it.

This is what we do with Canon. Under the terms of our contract we are charged per page for the upkeep of the unit. Something ridiculous like 0,02p per black and white page, and 6p for colour. Might be an annual charge (which I don't see) but we don't pay anything extra for toner, spare parts, labour...

[Bluetooth]

take a look at LNL - Printers For Schools

They supply printers for many LEA's and i have just had my first delivered.

They supply high end color laserjet printers, namely konica minolta magicolor 5650en and a couple of xerox models.

The kicker is you have to purhcase 3 sets of ink from them (~£600) but the toners do 6000 pages for standard carts and 12000 pages for the high cap carts but otherwise the printer is FREE

You are free to then go elsewhere for toners but their prices are unbeleiveable cheap, cheaper than anyone i have found in my local area.