I'm looking for a recommendation on a color laser printer that will reliably handle thicker stock.
Some of the paper we use for promotional materials is 80# stock, and it just doesn't feed reliably on our current printers.
I'd like to here from anyone with a specific recommendation of a color laser printer they personally have used to feed a fair volume of heavy stock.
Color registration should be *reasonably* accurate.
I'd prefer sometihng in the sub $600 range, but can go a bit higher if that's the only way to get reliability.
A $4000 beast is a bit out of our budget at the moment, but we'd also like to cut down on the trips to Kinkos.
Reliability and print quality are a higher priority than per page cost.
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by: hdhondtPosted on 2007-12-06 at 13:33:29ID: 20423502
The US system for paper weights is weird. If I'm right, 80 lb cover is 216 gsm. However, 80 lb bond is 300 gsm. 216 gsm is just within the range of some colour lasers, 300 gsm is at the very limit of top$ MFPs.
Most HP lasers top out at about 200 gsm, most Xerox lasers go to 216. In both cases that assumes you are printing from the multi-purpose tray (bypass tray). Except for top$ machines, it won't feed correctly from normal paper trays. As the MPT usually only holds about 150 sheets of 80 gsm, you won't be able to feed more than about 50 sheets of 216 gsm.
Look at something like the Phaser 6130 or Phaser 8560. The latter is a "solid ink" printer instead of a laser. It prints on just about anything (whereas lasers want a good quality paper), so you can go wild with your paper. It's still limited to 216 gsm, but will take 160 gsm (60 lb cover) from the standard tray.