Vendor Feature: Konica Minolta

High-End Toner and Inkjet Print Engines

Konica Minolta has a stellar reputation in the industry. Their track record of high quality print engines has a legacy of success and a huge customer base of satisfied users. These print engines are very powerful and capable machines that represent the culmination of many decades of engineering. Konica Minolta makes high quality toner based print engines. The KM-1 is the next generation of Inkjet printing and we’re only getting started!

No Click Charges!? What Makes MSL Different

Click charges have become very common in the printing industry. The service model can serve people well in some circumstances but as we move into the higher production categories of print equipment the economic equation can look quite a bit different. Sure it is convenient to pick up the phone whenever something goes wrong but it is much more expensive to pay for labor and parts coverage that you may never use. Service providers must structure service contracts to cover a worst-case-scenario.

When production crosses a certain threshold the convenience of a contract will become a burden. The extra margin of cost is lost against potential profit. There are always certain types of problems that should be handled by a technician. Is it economical to pay someone to come visit every time an air filter or drum needs to be changed? There is some training involved but these tasks are not rocket science so by taking ownership of these tasks costs can be reduced. By taking control of the management of your equipment the total cost of operation and the total cost of ownership can drop dramatically.

We’ve sold both service models in our history as a supplier and the financial difference between the two is enormous. We can calculate a theoretical click charge by taking all of the service billing for a year and dividing it by the cost of service and supplies in the same time period. Without fail, the numbers without a service contract are lower every time. Costs are often at 50% of what they would be if the same production volume was run under a service contract.

There’s no doubt about it after a bit of deeper analysis. Click charge contracts are the “extended warranty” that we’re all familiar with from the electronics store. Ultimately they are an upsell from the supplier and things can be far less expensive if one simply passes on the offer of a contract.

We DO offer service contracts. Some corporate or government customers prefer consistent billing that is more easily budgeted over long periods of time. Sometimes producers want to offload risk or they don’t have the time or patience to deal with minor issues that pop up. The service contract does have a role in the service industry but the conversation is rarely had in an honest and genuine way with buyers of print equipment. Think outside of the box and consider alternative models that might turn a hassle into a profit center.

AccurioPress Toner Based Engines

The AccurioPress product line is suitable for print providers who need to meet production deadlines and reach high output levels. This series of engines is larger than the typical office or school printer. They are available with a wide variety of options including saddle-stitching units, folding, and trimming.

KM-1 Inkjet Production Engine

The KM-1 is in a league of its own. This print engine is a workhorse that can run a large B2 sized sheet at up to 3,000 sheets per hour. Each sheet can be completely unique and the image quality is on par with offset printing. Inkjet printing has a much lower cost of operation with a lower number of consumables. High volume users are able to maintain a level of quality they’re used to from offset production while gaining the benefits of digital imaging at low cost.

This engine uses LED UV lights to cure the ink on the sheet instantly. This means the product comes out completely dry with no delay before the sheets can be processed in the finishing department.

IQ-501 Intelligent Quality

With the IQ-501 intelligent quality optimizer the color quality and consistency rises to a whole new level of achievement. Color accuracy and image position data is fed back to the engine in real time to allow for continuous adjustment of colors to keep the output looking absolutely perfect. This also takes over the task of calibrating for the operator. They can just fire it up in the morning and start running.