Ricoh Copier Pages Life Count

[aussiecopier]

Hi all,


I am considering purchasing one of the following refurbished copiers of the following models with finishers for stapling:


Ricoh-MPC5503

Ricoh-MPC5000


Main specs that I need:
- B/W A4 printing
- Stapling done on top left hand corner via finisher
- 50 - 60+ pages per minute
- Last year I printed approx 500,000 pages (most my printing is worksheets with lots of blank space so I don't go through that much toner per page)


I am quite new to the copier world, so I had 5 questions for each of these models:


1. How many pages (count) would they normally be able to print before the drum will need replacing?


2. How many pages (count) would they normally be able to print before the not-worth-fixing problems arise for each of these 3 copiers?


3. Do the faster pages per minute copies usually have a longer life count or does it just vary from model to model?


4. Are there particular brands usually have a longer life count or does it just vary from model to model?


5. Any other tips or advice for me?


I would love to hear your opinion, even if you can't answer all of the questions. Cheers everyone!
Michael
Australia

[Lagonda]

My two bobs worth.
i work for a major dealer and we scrapped the last of the MP C5000 a year or two ago. The MP C5503's are now hitting 5 years old and we are starting to pension those off as well.
i wouldn't consider a 5000 as they are too old and if you can find a low page count 5503 it's going to be a few years old to start with and be prepared to pay $5k for a full drum kit and fuser every year if you are going to push half a million pages through it per annum.

However at 500k pages per year do you really want to be bothered with pissing around with a second hand copier? That sort of usage is a lot higher then some of our major accounts put through a machine each year.
With that sort of volume you would be better off leasing a new one with a service contract and rolling it over every few years when it hits the 1.5 to 2 mill. mark.

[Zaxxon]

Buy a new with service agreement, only solution, as the parts costs can ruin you in seconds.
Second hand should be with service agreement too or don’t buy.

[Lagonda]

Just reread your post and realised you only print B&W, so in that case steer well away from a colour and only look at a B&W copier.
If your serious about doing 500k per year you want to look at a MP 7503.
Do every thing you want with ease, 350k between services, no known problems and would be the best value for money copier that Ricoh put out.
They have my seal of approval.

[NeoMatrix]

Print manage solution is the way to go....
Buy a good high end Black an White copier machine.

Pay the 1-3 cents(B&W) per page for your maintenance contract, then sit back an let the service Tech worry about the machine.
You just press the print button an watch a page come out an staple at the finisher. Let the Tech worry about how that page is printed.

Get on with your business worry free , hassle free, go home an put your feet up each day,let Copier Techs be Copier Techs.....

A lot less grey hair if you worry less about micro management of your business.

[copier tech]

At 500k per year go to a reputable copier company & get a new machine on contract this will be your best option not worth buying 2nd hand.

[aussiecopier]

Buy a new with service agreement, only solution, as the parts costs can ruin you in seconds.
Second hand should be with service agreement too or don’t buy.

Thank you to everyone who has replied! Such great help and useful advice. I am not looking to try to fix my own copier by myself. I will definitely get a technician on task to service the copier. 4 main questions.

1. Now I wanted to get a better understanding if it was better to take choice 1 or choice 2?|

Choice 1: Buy/rent new copier outright and pay for toner/servicing/parts additionally separately

Choice 2: Buy/rent new copier outright and pay via service agreement ($0.006 - $0.01 per copy)

My Situation:
Last year I printed 500,000 copies but only went through about much less than $1000 AUD worth of toners (I wasn't on service agreement but my machine is quite old/dead now).
My only concern was that most of the pages I am copying/printing would have a lot of blank space due to the nature of the worksheets that I print.

A lot of your comments have suggested service agreement is the way to go. Is it still better for my situation to take up service agreement cost-wise & performance-wise?

(Cost & consistent performance is really important to me)

2. Do service agreements ensure I receive better servicing than if I were to get the same company to service me separately or something?)

3. What can I hypothetically expect to pay for servicing/parts separately on a fairly new copier on average?

4. Also is it better to contact/purchase via the manufacturing company directly or is it better to go through a separate reputable local company that distributes a few different brands?

I'm still new to this but thanks so much EVERYONE for your patience and understanding.

[Oze]

Thank you to everyone who has replied! Such great help and useful advice. I am not looking to try to fix my own copier by myself. I will definitely get a technician on task to service the copier. 4 main questions.

1. Now I wanted to get a better understanding if it was better to take choice 1 or choice 2?|

Choice 1: Buy/rent new copier outright and pay for toner/servicing/parts additionally separately

Choice 2: Buy/rent new copier outright and pay via service agreement ($0.006 - $0.01 per copy)

My Situation:
Last year I printed 500,000 copies but only went through about much less than $1000 AUD worth of toners (I wasn't on service agreement but my machine is quite old/dead now).
My only concern was that most of the pages I am copying/printing would have a lot of blank space due to the nature of the worksheets that I print.

A lot of your comments have suggested service agreement is the way to go. Is it still better for my situation to take up service agreement cost-wise & performance-wise?

(Cost & consistent performance is really important to me)

2. Do service agreements ensure I receive better servicing than if I were to get the same company to service me separately or something?)

3. What can I hypothetically expect to pay for servicing/parts separately on a fairly new copier on average?

4. Also is it better to contact/purchase via the manufacturing company directly or is it better to go through a separate reputable local company that distributes a few different brands?

I'm still new to this but thanks so much EVERYONE for your patience and understanding.

You should probably pm Lagonda as the company that he works for is Australia Wide and he can pass your details along to sales.
My recommendation is to purchase/lease a machine and pay for a maintenance agreement.
Tell sales they owe me a beer Lagonda
Typically a Maintenance Agreement cover parts/labour/toner and is arranged by the dealer that you purchase your copier from so it with be THEIR dealer techs that come to service your machine.

[Lagonda]

Choice 1: Buy/rent new copier outright and pay for toner/servicing/parts additionally separately Can't get that option on a new copier. major dealers wont do that on S/H either

Choice 2: Buy/rent new copier outright and pay via service agreement ($0.006 - $0.01 per copy) The only way to go with toner included

My Situation:
Last year I printed 500,000 copies but only went through about much less than $1000 AUD worth of toners (I wasn't on service agreement but my machine is quite old/dead now).
My only concern was that most of the pages I am copying/printing would have a lot of blank space due to the nature of the worksheets that I print. With toner inc deal you just ring up when you run out, no extra cost to you.

A lot of your comments have suggested service agreement is the way to go. Is it still better for my situation to take up service agreement cost-wise & performance-wise?

(Cost & consistent performance is really important to me)

2. Do service agreements ensure I receive better servicing than if I were to get the same company to service me separately or something?) Yes, you go to the top of the queue. Do and Charge customers are a pain in the bum.

3. What can I hypothetically expect to pay for servicing/parts separately on a fairly new copier on average? Lots! an eye watering amount for the parts and $300 for the first hour and $200 an hour after that.

4. Also is it better to contact/purchase via the manufacturing company directly or is it better to go through a separate reputable local company that distributes a few different brands? six of one and half a dozen of the other! We're only a dealer but bigger then some of the RA branches.

Don't take the first quote a salesman gives you, drag out negotiations for a while and make him sweat. They have all just come back from their summer hols and are terrified that the credit card statement is about to drop into the mail box so they will be hungry for a deal.

[sturmtrooper]

Just reread your post and realised you only print B&W, so in that case steer well away from a colour and only look at a B&W copier.
If your serious about doing 500k per year you want to look at a MP 7503.
Do every thing you want with ease, 350k between services, no known problems and would be the best value for money copier that Ricoh put out.
They have my seal of approval.

If he is printing lots of worksheets that have a lot of blank space a 7503 isn't going to run so hot. Those big machines tend to get unhappy if you don't run constant 5% coverage or better. The ones we have in schools take a lot more work to keep running than others.

Personally I'd rather run an mp6055 and just deal with the more frequent PM's You could probably push it from 160k to over 200k for the drum with constant use anyways.