To find the right printer for you, ask yourself the following questions:
1. How much volume do we print?
Print speed is one of the most crucial specifications to look at when you choose an MFP. Print speed is often listed as “ppm”, standing for pages per minute. You’ll want to find a printer with enough speed to keep your workflow running smoothly. Of the Konica Minolta’s colour bizhub range, the C227 produces 22 ppm, the C250i 25 ppm, the C360i 36 ppm, and the C558 55 ppm.
If you don’t print in high volumes, a lower speed will be satisfactory for your business, such as the C227 or C250i. However, if you are a larger business that requires high-power printing, the C360i or C558 will be more suitable.
2. What type of paper do we use the most?
As most organisations require A4 and A3 types of paper, you want to make sure your printer has the capacity to store enough sheets for these sizes.
Konica Minolta’s A3 bizhub MFPs can store up to 6,650 sheets of up to A3 size and can be configured with different size trays connected to the main unit and even a large capacity tray which sits adjacent to the MFP.
3. What are our scanning requirements?
Nearly all office printers have built-in scanners, but not every machine has duplex scanning abilities that enables double-sided scanning. Your organisation’s scanning needs will determine what MFP is most suited to your business.
The bizhub C250i, C360i and C558 all have a built-in, full-colour ADF scanner with a duplex feature, scanning up to A3-size sheets.
The C250i can scan double sided documents up to 200 images per minute (ipm) and optionally incorporates a double-feed detection sensor and automatic correction of skewed documents and images.
4. How important is the quality of the printer’s output?
Possibly the number one factor that determines the quality of a MFP is the printer’s resolution, or DPI (dots per inch). A standard MFP produces documents at 600 x 600 DPI, though more advanced models can produce much higher resolutions.
The Konica Minolta bizhub MFPs vary greatly in their print resolution capabilities. The:
- C227 can print up to 1800 x 600 dpi equivalent
- C250i can print up to 1200 x 1200 dpi and 1800 x 600 dpi equivalent enhanced
- C360i can print up to 1200 x 1200 dpi and 1800 x 600 dpi equivalent enhanced
If you are primarily using MFPs to print text-based documents, you can stick to a printer that has a lower resolution. However, if you produce a high volume of marketing materials such as brochures and flyers or distribute high-quality documents, you will need to select a MFP that can print using a higher resolution.
5. How complex are the documents that we’re printing?
The complexity or volume of the documents you’re printing will affect the amount of memory your MFP should have.
Both the C250i and C360i have a standard memory of 8GB. If your business processes a high volume of images or printing jobs, an MFP with a higher memory capacity would be the most appropriate fit.
Results
To recap, Konica Minolta’s range of bizhub MFP’s can cater to a wide range of business needs.
It’s more standard models, such as the C227, are most suited to companies that have a lower overall print need, have little to no scanning needs, require lower graphic print resolution, and need less memory.
The newer i-Series models, such as the C360i, or the C558 would be more appropriate for organisations that have higher print and scanning needs, require high print resolution for documents, and require a higher memory capacity.
Ultimately, your overall budget and individual business needs will be a determine what MFP you choose, so take your time and thoroughly research all your options before investing in an MFP.
MJ Flood is the distributor in Ireland of the Konica Minolta range of Office and Production Printing machines. We have sold Konica machines in Ireland for over 45 years and have the benefit of a close working relationship with this manufacturing giant.
