What's your recommendations for a bulletproof / idiot-proof copier for teachers ?

[slimslob]

We're pushing two 50-60 ppm instead of a single 70-80 ppm but a lot of the time they refuse because "it's slower" and they can't do the math.

We had a school district print shop with a Ricoh Pro 1357EX. We had a problem with toner build up around the drum unit causing marks on the edges of the paper but only after running 6 and 8 page center fold and stapled booklets. What I noticed was that while the booklet finisher was processing a booklet the main frame didn't start feeding the next one but the engine was running the entire time. We had a 60 ppm trade-in with a booklet finisher that I had just finished getting ready for the showroom and I talked by boss into letting them use for the remainder of the fiscal year, they were budgeted to add a Pro 907EX with standard finisher and a Plockmatic booklet maker. The 60 ppm machine could actually do booklets faster to a much shorter paper path, the 135EX had multiple downstream.

[Hart]

We're pushing two 50-60 ppm instead of a single 70-80 ppm but a lot of the time they refuse because "it's slower" and they can't do the math.

[Mako]

I've been on both the tech side and sales side for over 30 years. My humble opinion regarding copiers for schools is that whenever possible you go with a mid-volume office class machine rather than a console for any machine that rank and file teachers will get their hands on. Avoid finishers for teachers if possible. The simpler you can make a machine for school teachers the better off you will be. Console machines are too complex for school teachers and they will torture your service department. I'd rather sell two Ricoh IM2500 25 page per minute machines than one 60 or 70 page per minute console machine. The two machines would actually cost the same or even less and you'll have fewer service calls. Teachers trash copiers. They are the worst. 9 out of 10 will walk away from a jam too rather than fixing it themselves and none of them will put any care into loading the paper correctly.

[wjurls]

We are one of the few "in house" school district, business machine service departments. There are now only 2 of us vs 2000 teachers. Most schools are equipped with Konica Pro 1100's, and Accurioprint 2100's. We replace machines every 5 years (or sooner if we decide one needs to go) to prevent a fleet of old clunkers as was the practice in the past. We always have principals that want to keep the old machines. The answer is always "How bout' NO!!" We used to have 4 techs scrambling to keep things running. Since the replacement program took effect several years ago, things run pretty well. To answer the original question. The AP 2100's are proving to be pretty stout and hold up to teacher abuses. You just want to stock a gross of ADU release handles and a drill to extract the busted screw.

[slimslob]

This is not their jobs actually.

Yes it is their job now a days. Most every company & school I service has their IT departments maintaining the printer fleet.

Most of the schools I worked at did not have just printers other than in the IT office. Too limited in what they could do. Most wanted multi-function devices to be able to print, copy and fax.

[copyman]

This is not their jobs actually.

Yes it is their job now a days. Most every company & school I service has their IT departments maintaining the printer fleet.

[Hart]

This is not their jobs actually.

[copyman]

Yes, we train keyops at schools, but that doesn't mean the keyops train the teachers or the teachers go to their keyops when they have problems. Even if they were trained by a keyop teachers are usually in too much of a hurry to actually give a sh#t about what they're doing. Sometimes you do come across a really good keyop and that makes a huge difference. As I said, I'm actually a big supported or teachers, they have a job I could never do and they don't do it to be rich. I have mad respect for them, until it comes to using copiers.

Most of the schools I visit now a days is for printers and most of the maintenance work on them is done by IT. They only call us out for non maintenance issues. Problem is some of these IT people don't want to get their hands dirty so they call everything in. Hate to say it but most of these IT people are very good with networks, etc but repairing printers is a toss up between them and teachers on which are worse

[Tech09]

I beg to differ. That just tells me that you have very piss pore sales department that has not taken the time to get to know the school district in their territory. Normally you do not train every person that will be using a machine. You train the trainers, i.e. key operators. If anyone has a problem they go them first for assistant. Now with schools that would be their office personnel and their IT staff.

Yes, we train keyops at schools, but that doesn't mean the keyops train the teachers or the teachers go to their keyops when they have problems. Even if they were trained by a keyop teachers are usually in too much of a hurry to actually give a sh#t about what they're doing. Sometimes you do come across a really good keyop and that makes a huge difference. As I said, I'm actually a big supported or teachers, they have a job I could never do and they don't do it to be rich. I have mad respect for them, until it comes to using copiers.

[Saturn]

Sorry I can't recommend a machine that is "teacher proof" because no such thing exists. Sell them a mimeograph machine or a case of carbon paper!

Or a pencil, and if they need color copies a few colored pencils.
But they'll probably shred them.

[copyman]

Sorry I can't recommend a machine that is "teacher proof" because no such thing exists. Sell them a mimeograph machine or a case of carbon paper!

[Hart]

Most of the time they don't have an IT at all. I see some changes since 2020 but it's really slow.

[slimslob]

"their office personnel and their IT staff"
Their what ? Do you really expect schools to have them ?

Every single one of the school district in my territory did. It was a requirement from the County Superintendent of Schools when computers were issued for every classroom. They found it much less expensive than contracting outside services.

[Hart]

"their office personnel and their IT staff"
Their what ? Do you really expect schools to have them ?

[slimslob]

They may be able to teach but they sure as hell can't be taught.

I beg to differ. That just tells me that you have very piss pore sales department that has not taken the time to get to know the school district in their territory. Normally you do not train every person that will be using a machine. You train the trainers, i.e. key operators. If anyone has a problem they go them first for assistant. Now with schools that would be their office personnel and their IT staff.