Hi all Not sure if I have listed this in the right section of the forum. I am thinking of buying the OKI MFP MC160N | Network Ready, Print, Scan, Copy, Fax. Does anyone have any advice for this. I am looking to buy a printer and my parameters are that it has to have: 1) Multifunction Printer/Copier/Scanner/Fax 2) Colour Laser Printer 3) ADF or DADF 4) Separate colour Toner cartridges 5) Network printer 6) Scanning to PDF either to USB or email. 7) Print resolution 9600x600 or above What are most important to me: 1) Reliability and doesn't break easily 2) Low cost toner cartridge (cheap per page I mean). Good if there are credible alternative cartridge manufacturers. 3) Low cost servicing and replacements and/or wealth of info for me to service it myself. 4) Easy maintenance and doesn't jam easily. Any advice would be much appreciated. Many thanks in advance,
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Re: OKI MFP MC160N
Okay, just to start - if you want professional results and reliability from a machine, use OEM supplies. No compatibles. I only know Ricoh kit and have been impressed with the MPC300, although they are an A4 only machine. Next one up would be an MPC2500 or 3000 and they're pretty much bulletproof. You'd be best getting a machine on lease with an all inclusive service contract because any malfunctions will be covered and repaired / replaced as per your SLA.
Don't be so tempted to service a printer or copier yourself. If you do break it beyond your ability to repair, calling in a tech will cost you a damn sight more as he / she will have to fix the damage you've caused before fixing the actual fault you were trying to correct.It's 106 miles to Chicago. We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses.
Hit it. -
Re: OKI MFP MC160N
You won't find a scanner at 9600 x 600 dpi. I think you probably meant 600 x 600.
Oki's have a good reliability record.
No, ... and No. Oki's are some of the most expensive cartridges, with few aftermarket cartridges, and you don't want aftermarket anyway (unless you don't care what the prints look like).
No, ... and No. Oki parts are typically AIO's or assemblies and never inexpensive. And other than the most basic replacements, you should not try to service it yourself. If you do you'll get the opportunity to also pay someone else.
Yes, ... and depends. Maintenance is easy for the professionals, not you. and jamming will probably depend on how creative you want to get with media types. Most printers do really well with plain paper 18 to 32 #. The further you get from that standard, the more trouble you'll have.
How's that? =^..^=If you'd like a serious answer to your request:
1) demonstrate that you've read the manual
2) demonstrate that you made some attempt to fix it.
3) if you're going to ask about jams include the jam code.
4) if you're going to ask about an error code include the error code.
5) You are the person onsite. Only you can make observations.
blackcat: Master Of The Obvious =^..^=Comment
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Re: OKI MFP MC160N
The MC160 is the smallest colour printer Oki has to offer. If you want quality i would go for an MC561.Comment
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It's 106 miles to Chicago. We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses.
Hit it.Comment
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Re: OKI MFP MC160N
Thanks guys. Very helpfulComment
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Re: OKI MFP MC160N
Most questions, because they related to OKI printers in general (or at least that is the impression I got) and not to the specific model I was asking. In case of say spare parts, I guess a generic answer would apply. So OKI may have a policy of making AIOs which makes them more expensive than other manufacturers. I get that. In case of reliability this can never be the case. Some models are reliable and some others just don't work as well especially when producers move to a different platform. Similar to cars - Toyotas are in general reliable - you can say that. But specific models sometimes are surprisingly unreliable especially is they are on a different platform. Older models may be better than newer ones etc. From the replies I didn't get the feeling that anyone had worked on or had direct experience with the model I asked for. This does not mean that I don't appreciate your feedback. It is much more than I had going for before I asked you guys for help.Comment
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Re: OKI MFP MC160N
If the price is right and the quoted specification is what you require, then check some user reviews and make a decision based on that. From what you've posted you seem to be looking at total cost of ownership rather than just the ticket price (it's common knowledge in the industry with smaller machines manufacturers subsidise the initial sale cost hoping to recoup money later by selling you consumables),
Firstly, are you asking as a business owner or just a person who needs a higher volume printer for home use? In my experience as a copier/printer technician the environment and whatever expectations you have of the equipment can mean the difference between you being totally satisfied with your purchase or rueing the day you ever set eyes on it. Business use is generally more single purpose (general office work, documents, letters, spreadsheets or at the other end of the scale, production print clients requiring a very expensive dedicated high volume machine) whereas home use machines are more general purpose usually with a heavy bias towards colour/photo printing. The amount of colour printing you do and the "coverage" of colour is going to have a big effect on how well this machine will suit your requirements. From reviews I've read it appears to be a "multiple pass" design where the colour components are developed individually on one photoconductor and built up on a transfer belt before transfering to the paper, this method of colour printing makes the machine cheaper to buy and a bit more mechanically simple but has the disadvantage of being significantly slower in colour and not producing as good quality than single pass machines. Also be careful of the yield quoted for the photoconductor as on multiple pass machines it is usually quoted in developments. This is not the same as pages as although a mono page is one development, a colour page is actually four. If all you run is colour, the drum is only going to last a quarter of the pages you expect from it.
Personally I'd be looking at what monthly volumes you put through any existing equipment (or plan to do if you are just starting up), if you just have the one printer, sit down and work out how much it costs on average per page to print what you currently print and remember to include the costs of all consumables including maintenance/fuser kits, not just toner (a favourite question my customers ask is precisely how many pages will a bottle of toner/ink or a fuser last and there is no precise answer, toner is basically anything on your print that isn't white paper so a document will consume less than a photograph etc). If you have multiple devices, work out an average total cost per page for all of your organisations printing, If this is on the high side, it may be worth approaching a copier dealer to see what they could supply you a suitable machine for (they will usually quote you a cost per page that includes servicing and consumables)
If you only have very light printing/copying demands then it would probably be worth your while purchasing the machine yourself. The All-In-One print cartridges usually include everything inside that would usually cause a print quality issue and most other maintenance kits (usually transfer belt and fuser) and often full user replaceable units. If your printing demands are light this would probably be cost effective for you as may never need to replace the fuser or transfer belt if your demand is light enough, depending on the yield of the cartridges and the ratio of colour you run you may only need to replace the colour cartridges infrequently. Take the manufacturer's quoted yield with a big pinch of salt as in my experience these are only achievable in the most ideal of circumstances.
The downside with All-In-One units is that you are replacing much more than the toner, you are also replacing the print drum, charge and development assembly and this is reflected in the cost. Also, going back to the point I made earlier about smaller machines, manufacturers seek to markup consumable items to recoup the cost of discounting the sale of the machine. You may think "Screw them!! I'll buy compatibles" but be warned that this comes with it's own pitfalls. Firstly the use of compatibles will usually invalidate any warranty so if your machine develops a fault whether it was the use of the compatibles or not, the manufacturer will use this as a reason not to repair your machine under warranty. Also compatibles vary greatly in quality and I've seen some shocking print quality due to substandard compatible parts! You get what you pay for and as a tech, either myself or my company are not obliged to make good, for free any problems that occur due to my customers' use of compatibles.
Although I can't comment on the machine itself, hopefully this ramble will help inform you whether this type of machine is what you want from a MFD or not. I work on similar models sold by other manufacturers however.Last edited by Ollie1981; 11-14-2012, 11:23 PM.Comment
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Re: OKI MFP MC160N
Thanks, yes I am looking at total cost of ownership. I have a home office which has a relatively high volume about 900 pages/month mixed (incl Colour and B&W)
I will follow your advice as it was very comprehensive.
Thanks againComment
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Re: OKI MFP MC160N
That is too funny. I haven't heard about someone doing that. That is too funny, lolWhat's Brown and Sticky?
-A StickComment
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Re: OKI MFP MC160N
Sources for Fuser replacement, they are likely about double initial purchase price, Drums are almost the same price as initial and toner is int he neighborhood of 20% of initial cost. That does not include rollers for any of the machine, or anything beyond regular maintenance/consumables.
For toner alone you are looking at approx. 2.5 cents or $0.025 per page per toner. so if you run full color you are looking at $0.10 per page. that does not include the drums and the Fuser and rollers.
You can expect at least $0.01 per page for each drum unit. again $0.04 per page.
All this info is based on my local market but for me to use, I would question it.
Based on 900 pages a month and 10800 pages a year (Assumming full color for every page) you will need to buy 4 drums every 2 years and 16 toners every year. for me this would cost over $1330 per year in just consumables.
Consider that if you say the pinter is 250 euro's for me that is $320. but still that is paying 4 times more per year just for consumables. There will be more costs involved that are not mentioned.
Be prepared if you are going to buy one of these machines. They look good on spec's may run well but they will cost you over $0.12 per page of full color.
Anyways, hope this helps. Might be completely inaccurate compared to your market but look up prices in your area for a better idea and the yields of each part too.What's Brown and Sticky?
-A StickComment
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