Will the IR C5185 work in a production environment?

[copierdan500]

The customer is a friend and wants to run 20,000-50,000 pieces per month, 12X18, and they are very picky about color output.
Off-the-glass we weren't that impressed with the densities, but will the file print look much better? They were comparing to the Konica Minolta 6500, which is a lot more money.

They need to have a used machine because they are growing fast and cash-poor.
Please make a recommendation if the 5185 won't be a good choice.
Thanks for any advice.
Dan

[CT Copier Repair]

irC is business color
Xerox DC or KM's for production color
production color is not cheap

finding a used production machine is the best bet
Bizhub or Docucolor
Bizhub easier to find someone to manitain Xerox is Xerox hard to find 3rd party maintenance

[KenB]

The iRC5185 would be a poor choice in this environment.

I don't know of any machine that prints better densities than it copies.

As CT mentioned, your best bet would be to look for a used production class machine.

[teckat]

The customer is a friend and wants to run 20,000-50,000 pieces per month, 12X18, and they are very picky about color output.
Off-the-glass we weren't that impressed with the densities, but will the file print look much better? They were comparing to the Konica Minolta 6500, which is a lot more money.

They need to have a used machine because they are growing fast and cash-poor.
Please make a recommendation if the 5185 won't be a good choice.
Thanks for any advice.
Dan

have a thorough inspection of 5185 unit before purchase
for your iR5185 Network Environment /
Purchase a Fiery ColorPASS-GX100 w/iR 512MB Expansion RAM-C1
also include a X-Rite Densitometer for Calibrations

your will have no Quality Issues on 20,000-50,000 prints a month with that set-up above

we have some Fortune 500 companies set up that way, and their volume is over 100,000 prints a month,some that use only 28lb paper, others using only Glossy Stock

do your daily calibrations -even set up your own color profiles/ & get a quality service company
you should be fine-

5185.JPG

[KenB]

The customer has already stated that the copy densities weren't good enough. Even with the more advanced RIP(s) and calibration solutions, I doubt that the densities would be that much better.

He would have to do a thorough trial of the equipment, with his own test files (VERY important!) and approve that output before signing on the bottom line.

[teckat]

The customer has already stated that the copy densities weren't good enough. Even with the more advanced RIP(s) and calibration solutions, I doubt that the densities would be that much better.

He would have to do a thorough trial of the equipment, with his own test files (VERY important!) and approve that output before signing on the bottom line.

Any Canon Authorized Company should have a showroom where a customer can bring their documents to test/ and demonstrate a Rip's capability.

All printers have their good and bad points when copying off the glass/ it is where this ColorPASS-GX100 stands out.

We don't hide the fact about iR5185 Business Color/ full demos are always provided thru the Rip and off the Glass.

How the customers original documents are created is most important !!
How the customer understands the Color process and visually sees the printer perform is a number one priority when making a sale.

There are many customers who expect exact match Pantone prints on this model/ that's until we burst that bubble, with honesty about their expectations.

[charm5496]

I'm with teckat on this one. The engine can handle the volume without a problem as we have about 20 of these in corporate print shops and closing in on 3 million pages, but with good color management the device can output above average prints.

And we all know that you cannot compare a copy of some original to the output of a properly created documented printed from the correct program. On top of that if the "friend" is a pay for print house they normally think with the pocketbook first and then worry about the quality later. Testing the machine with the configuration they want first is the way to go

[KenB]

Is the output quality really that much better with the GX-100 or GX-200 than it is with the imagePASS-H1?

We've got a ton of these in the field, but all have the H1, so I have never seen a GX100 / 200.

Please forgive my skepticism, but I'm probably a bit more accustomed to the higher end KM machines with the appropriate Fiery RIP.

In all fairness, these machines are considerably more pricey than the iR C5185.

No argument on the volume, though. The 5185 will run a ton of volume (with the proper care and feeding, of course. ).

[mark921]

ill speak up for the print for pay industry. It's true we think carefully about the financial aspects. But then again our livelihoods depend on profitability. Many in our industry wont think long term though, Having said that, it would be wise to consider having more than one color technology for in house print for pay environments. The IRC is a business color unit, and there are many jobs which it can produce a perfectly acceptable print. (not on gloss though) However...there are many projects which require a higher level of quality...such 4/4 postcards, brochures, etc...I would recommend getting another unit to augment the IRC which produces a better print on a more variety of stocks if you want to do it correctly. C1, 6000, 7000 are examples of units which produce near offset quality, but then again they cost much more. Having just the business color unit in house is very limiting, and will adversely affect your bottom line.

[CT Copier Repair]

The Irc output cannot compare with a production color unit. they cannot compare with a CLC, a xerox DC or KM pro color machine
its apples and spaghetti. If you want true production color it costs money and print for pay printhouses quite frankly ( I service about 7) are the most demanding and difficult to please. They was true WYSIWYG and authentic color reproduction. And they want it for nothing. I tell my houses that color costs what it costs and if they want true color then it is what it costs. If they don't want to pay the price then go elsewhere. They always come back. Business color machines are a dime a dozen and with some of the more advanced RIPS can produce fine prints but no way no how as good as a color machine. Its the nature of the beast and the nature of the industry. IF you want cheap then you get cheap \if you pay you get to play

[Oze]

SWEET BABY JEBUS...DID SOMEBODY RECOMEND A C1?
Mark?
C1 is in NO way a production machine...in fact..>Canon specifically sell it as a "proofing" machine after the spectacular fail of the series as a production machine.
I had one customer who sued the dealer to get out of their contract and another customer who was about to jump ship as a result of having two C1 and trying to run them as production machines.

[mark921]

lol...yes i did. For certain applications its image quality is tough to beat.