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schmeckles22
06-08-2020, 08:27 PM
Hello,

I run a printing business on eBay and I currently have a C284e which I bought second hand. I started skeptical with the business and now I have left my job and do it full time.
Buying these second hand printers has been the worst thing I have ever done but I have been stuck with them while cash flow has been low.

The C284e constantly has dark streaks down the page after around 2-3 months of use and then I will buy a new one from the company to fix the problem (Possibly cheap drum units).

I am now in a situation where I can fork out on a new machine, the latest and greatest.
Which models do you recommend for high quality prints of designs / photos, bare in mind the C284e has been superb for me it's just costing me a fortune to maintain from this dealer.

What has changed on the new models, do they provide a much higher quality print?

I appreciate your help, I wish I found this forum sooner.

tsbservice
06-08-2020, 08:43 PM
You must quit byuing cheap DR-512 units/chips. Just buy new OEM drum unit and you will forget about it. Also don't go for newer models if you're color picky.

schmeckles22
06-08-2020, 08:59 PM
You must quit byuing cheap DR-512 units/chips. Just buy new OEM drum unit and you will forget about it. Also don't go for newer models if you're color picky.

That's the problem, I am not replacing the units - I am simply replacing the entire printer :D
£600 they send me a new printer, It's an office recovery business which retrieve them from liquidated businesses then resell.

DR-512's are not cheap, around £250 per unit and I don't want to replace them if that's not the issue right now.
Color is a major deal for me as they are business logo prints for customers.

Would you say that dark streaks down the print would be the DR-512's? If for instance I print light colors i.e Pink, Light Grey I see the Light tone and then a slightly darker tone on it, maybe 6-7 streaks down the page.

The logic for the latest model would be cheaper repair parts and life of the unit will be much more.

emujo2
06-08-2020, 09:02 PM
If you are using your C284e as a production printer I have very little sympathy for you, and I can't offer any sugestions on which OFFICE model would suit your needs..Maybe you can add some details like the avg monthy volume you expect to do.

mga
06-08-2020, 09:06 PM
That's the problem, I am not replacing the units - I am simply replacing the entire printer :D
£600 they send me a new printer, It's an office recovery business which retrieve them from liquidated businesses then resell.

DR-512's are not cheap, around £250 per unit and I don't want to replace them if that's not the issue right now.
Color is a major deal for me as they are business logo prints for customers.

Would you say that dark streaks down the print would be the DR-512's? If for instance I print light colors i.e Pink, Light Grey I see the Light tone and then a slightly darker tone on it, maybe 6-7 streaks down the page.

The logic for the latest model would be cheaper repair parts and life of the unit will be much more.

For £600 it will not be new also I think the newer Konica's are not as good.

schmeckles22
06-08-2020, 09:10 PM
If you are using your C284e as a production printer I have very little sympathy for you, and I can't offer any sugestions on which OFFICE model would suit your needs..Maybe you can add some details like the avg monthy volume you expect to do.

Yes it sounds crazy, But its business stickers - Not really production, but it does the job and many other sellers in my area use the same printer.
The quality of prints is suitable for what I need and my customers are happy.
The low running costs with toner is the benefits.

I print around 4,000 color sheets a month, it has around 40-50% coverage on average.

If you know of a low cost per sheet production printer, I am all ears.

I sort of just fell into this business with little printer knowledge, if anything I hate them! Working in the IT field for many years.

schmeckles22
06-08-2020, 09:11 PM
For £600 it will not be new also I think the newer Konica's are not as good.

Sorry, New for me, refurbished model from them.

emujo2
06-08-2020, 09:13 PM
That's the problem, I am not replacing the units - I am simply replacing the entire printer :D
£600 they send me a new printer, It's an office recovery business which retrieve them from liquidated businesses then resell.

DR-512's are not cheap, around £250 per unit and I don't want to replace them if that's not the issue right now.
Color is a major deal for me as they are business logo prints for customers.

Would you say that dark streaks down the print would be the DR-512's? If for instance I print light colors i.e Pink, Light Grey I see the Light tone and then a slightly darker tone on it, maybe 6-7 streaks down the page.

The logic for the latest model would be cheaper repair parts and life of the unit will be much more.

I can pretty much guaranty these guys are buying wholesale for just a few bucks each. The wholesaler is not adding 1 part to these before they go out, and the re seller probably fires it up to do a test print, then a light clean..For them they are probably making a killing.

tsbservice
06-08-2020, 09:14 PM
That's the problem, I am not replacing the units - I am simply replacing the entire printer :D
£600 they send me a new printer, It's an office recovery business which retrieve them from liquidated businesses then resell.

DR-512's are not cheap, around £250 per unit and I don't want to replace them if that's not the issue right now.
Color is a major deal for me as they are business logo prints for customers.

Would you say that dark streaks down the print would be the DR-512's? If for instance I print light colors i.e Pink, Light Grey I see the Light tone and then a slightly darker tone on it, maybe 6-7 streaks down the page.

The logic for the latest model would be cheaper repair parts and life of the unit will be much more.

Change your supplier. Get a real tech to see what you're buying and advice.

mga
06-08-2020, 09:15 PM
Sorry, New for me, refurbished model from them.

Let use know the model number also the machine will not be refurbished as the cost of the parts out costs the machine

schmeckles22
06-08-2020, 09:17 PM
I can pretty much guaranty these guys are buying wholesale for just a few bucks each. The wholesaler is not adding 1 part to these before they go out, and the re seller probably fires it up to do a test print, then a light clean..For them they are probably making a killing.

Definitely! I know this, but it was just a situation I fell into.
Just require some advise from people who have worked with the machines.

schmeckles22
06-08-2020, 09:18 PM
Let use know the model number also the machine will not be refurbished as the cost of the parts out costs the machine
Model No is Bizhub C284e, the serial number has been scratched off the plate! :O

mga
06-08-2020, 09:22 PM
Model No is Bizhub C284e, the serial number has been scratched off the plate! :O

So you got a C284e and you are getting the same machine

qbert69
06-08-2020, 09:35 PM
That's the problem, I am not replacing the units - I am simply replacing the entire printer :D
£600 they send me a new printer, It's an office recovery business which retrieve them from liquidated businesses then resell.

DR-512's are not cheap, around £250 per unit and I don't want to replace them if that's not the issue right now.
Color is a major deal for me as they are business logo prints for customers.

Would you say that dark streaks down the print would be the DR-512's? If for instance I print light colors i.e Pink, Light Grey I see the Light tone and then a slightly darker tone on it, maybe 6-7 streaks down the page.

The logic for the latest model would be cheaper repair parts and life of the unit will be much more.Sounds like they're ripping you a new asshole on DR-512!!![emoji15]...GBP to USD is $317.50!!! I just checked on Precisionroller.com:

DR-512(CMY) = $209.95 = 1 Unit, need 3.
DR-512(K) = $93.95 = 1 Unit, need 1.

SMDH![emoji57]

PS - Shipping not factored in.

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

tsbservice
06-08-2020, 09:36 PM
Model No is Bizhub C284e, the serial number has been scratched off the plate! :O

Sounds like you're doing some shady business here.

schmeckles22
06-08-2020, 09:39 PM
Sounds like you're doing some shady business here.
They* I just buy the printer from the company.

The real question I should ask - Do you think a full drum unit replacement with official parts would be a good start vs a new C300i?

qbert69
06-08-2020, 09:40 PM
They* I just buy the printer from the company.Your S/N will always print out on a meter sheet!!![emoji57]

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

qbert69
06-08-2020, 09:42 PM
Sounds like they're ripping you a new asshole on DR-512!!![emoji15]...GBP to USD is $317.50!!! I just checked on Precisionroller.com:

DR-512(CMY) = $209.95 = 1 Unit, need 3.
DR-512(K) = $93.95 = 1 Unit, need 1.

SMDH![emoji57]

PS - Shipping not factored in.

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using TapatalkIt looks like Precision Roller does ship Internationally!!![emoji16][emoji1303]

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

schmeckles22
06-08-2020, 09:43 PM
Your S/N will always print out on a meter sheet!!![emoji57]

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

I will take a look when I am next to the machine, I don't know much about the printers. I simply bought it, configured it slightly and it prints for me :D

tsbservice
06-08-2020, 10:03 PM
You collect all good advices here and decide.

wjurls
06-08-2020, 10:30 PM
See if you can find a decent Bizhub C6000 or up. Your production will more likely go up than down and the C284 has a very high cost per copy. They were made for a small office, not for production. Running stickers and labels will require some maintenance on your end as well. The glue can get everywhere and will require occasional cleaning. Even worse, when one comes off the sheet and gets stuck somewhere.

srvctec
06-08-2020, 10:59 PM
See if you can find a decent Bizhub C6000 or up. Your production will more likely go up than down and the C284 has a very high cost per copy. They were made for a small office, not for production. Running stickers and labels will require some maintenance on your end as well. The glue can get everywhere and will require occasional cleaning. Even worse, when one comes off the sheet and gets stuck somewhere.

He definitely DOES NOT need a production machine for 4,000 color prints a month! The production machine won't like NOT being run like it's supposed to be. Look at post #6 (https://www.copytechnet.com/forums/konica-minolta/148739-upgrading-c284e-require-some-guidance.html#post1496516) for the info.

wjurls
06-08-2020, 11:02 PM
He definitely DOES NOT need a production machine for 4,000 color prints a month! The production machine won't like NOT being run like it's supposed to be. Look at post #6 (https://www.copytechnet.com/forums/konica-minolta/148739-upgrading-c284e-require-some-guidance.html#post1496516) for the info.

Guess I missed that part. Either way, C284e will get expensive quick.

femaster
06-08-2020, 11:03 PM
Sounds like they're ripping you a new asshole on DR-512!!![emoji15]...GBP to USD is $317.50!!! I just checked on Precisionroller.com:

DR-512(CMY) = $209.95 = 1 Unit, need 3.
DR-512(K) = $93.95 = 1 Unit, need 1.
SMDH![emoji57]
PS - Shipping not factored in.

If you are energetic and mechanically inclined, you could also just buy 4 of the K (black) drums and pick up 3 color drum reset chips (from somewhere else). Swap out the chips on 3 of the black drums and you now have 3 color drums for a fraction of the cost. In your C284e, the only difference between the color and black drums are the chips and an up-charge of generally 120% to 150% over the cost of the black drums.

Just note that KM has gotten wise to this and made it a bit more difficult to swap the chips on the black drums of the 4e series. They used to use tiny scews to hold the chip in, but have since started to use rivets. It can still be done, but requires a bit more effort and patients to get the job done.

qbert69
06-09-2020, 12:40 AM
If you are energetic and mechanically inclined, you could also just buy 4 of the K (black) drums and pick up 3 color drum reset chips (from somewhere else). Swap out the chips on 3 of the black drums and you now have 3 color drums for a fraction of the cost. In your C284e, the only difference between the color and black drums are the chips and an up-charge of generally 120% to 150% over the cost of the black drums.

Just note that KM has gotten wise to this and made it a bit more difficult to swap the chips on the black drums of the 4e series. They used to use tiny scews to hold the chip in, but have since started to use rivets. It can still be done, but requires a bit more effort and patients to get the job done.Source your chips from ebay???[emoji848]

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

qbert69
06-09-2020, 12:42 AM
If you are energetic and mechanically inclined, you could also just buy 4 of the K (black) drums and pick up 3 color drum reset chips (from somewhere else). Swap out the chips on 3 of the black drums and you now have 3 color drums for a fraction of the cost. In your C284e, the only difference between the color and black drums are the chips and an up-charge of generally 120% to 150% over the cost of the black drums.

Just note that KM has gotten wise to this and made it a bit more difficult to swap the chips on the black drums of the 4e series. They used to use tiny scews to hold the chip in, but have since started to use rivets. It can still be done, but requires a bit more effort and patients to get the job done.Couldn't be any worse than hacking ricoh drums now, could it?![emoji848][emoji38][emoji23][emoji1787]

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

Cyclops85
06-09-2020, 01:25 AM
Hi,

Your copier may need the following:

Decent set of drums,
New transfer belt.
New developer units
Clean IDC sensors and perform gradation

without seeing photos it’s hard to tell but if the drums have already been replaced it’s likely to be transfer belt.

Thanks

femaster
06-09-2020, 02:53 AM
Source your chips from ebay???[emoji848]

Unfortunately I'm not sure where my company gets them from, but we do it all the time. Since they are now riveted on, we basically take the original chip and twist it off the bottom of the drum, breaking the chips circuit board to get it off. Clean up any remaining pieces of the chip from under the rivets head, but leave the rivet intact. Then gently pry up under the lip of the rivet to loosen it up a bit more. Twisting a small flat head screwdriver under the lip of the rivet works pretty good for that.

Most reset chips will have a solid hole on the rivet side, though some of the newer ones are now being produced with a slotted hole. If the chip has a solid hole, take a small pair of angle cutters and nip the corner off to create a slotted hole. Slide the chip in place and you are good to go.

emujo2
06-09-2020, 02:00 PM
4K per month def not in the produciton range..the "stickers" does bother me and very often the media you want to use is not supported by these smaller MFPs. There are no production machines that would fit your needs here as low use is as bad as over use on these boys, and it can easliy cost you 6k to to do a PM..If you are making a profit doing it the way you currently are then I would not change anything, but I might reach out to your supplier and try to work something out where you may pay a little more, but the machines have some guaranty that they are not 1000 copies away from failure..Also, if by stickers you mean labels, find the KM media guide (should be all over the web) and try to find your specific media as the guide will tell you exactly how to setup the trays/bypass to run this stuff. And media outside of plain paper is not designed to be run exclusivly through our machines. E

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