COLOR Laser Printer Recommendation

Check out the Lexmark line...  I installed a Lexmark 1200N (networked) last week and all the secretaries love me.  The quality of the "real life" picture really kick ass on the HP Color Laserjet 5 that we bought 2 years ago....
www.lexmark.com

Thanks ryans :)

You are going to let us know on who should submit an answer right?

Iv'e had HP and Tektronics. The Tektronics won Hands down. HP was a beast to get running well and expensive to maintain. The Tek worked straight out of the box and has been running well for over a year.

ryans,
Take the points!

As a die hard HP fan, I was quite reluctant to admit how impressed I was with Lexmark printers.  They used to be another HP wannabe, then they got all growns up!  Kinda like the girl next door...

Lexmark printers smoke the HP's and you have no idea how much I hate to say that.  You cant go wrong with them.

Joel R. Helgeson

I have narrowed it down to:
Lexmark Optra SC 1275  3ppm color/12 ppm blk  ($2900)
Xerox Docu Print C55  3ppm color/12 ppm blk  ($2900)
Tektronic Phaser 740 PLUS  5ppm color/16 ppm blk  ($2700)
Tektronic Phaser 740  5ppm color/16 ppm blk  ($2000)

Any comments would be appreciated!

Factor in your cost for consumables (ie toner).  Some printers are much cheaper to maintain than others...

My biggest suggestion to you would be to find a copy of something printed with a tektronics printer and see if you like the output.. if they are still using the thermal wax (or whatever it is they call it) you may decide you like the look of it better than toner.  The only tektronics i have worked with was a fairly old 300 series phaser the text output was awesome but the graphics left something to be desired, also I do recall it had more than the usual amount of moving parts and it was a service nightmare.. tcalesa's comment makes me think tektronics may have improved a bit so it is worth checking out... I haven't seen the Lexmark but the 4 or 5 HP LJ 5's that i have set up all seemed to work fine, the only pain about HP's is setting up the jetdirect cards.

Don't go with tektronix, I've experienced those.  They print on paper with stuff thats similar to melted crayons!

I guess it is between the Xerox & Lexmark then!

jrhelgeson,
You are right. They do use solid ink colors. However, (and I don't know about the lexmark) others use liquis that the user has to pour in. I had an HP that the user refilled the ink on. The ink spilled into the printer and cost us a couple hunder in service costs. The solid ink gives great detail, and is easy to replace. The Tek is also pretty fast for color lasers.

Sargento,
I suggest you look up the dealers for each of the printers in your area and have the sales reps go through the products. Print test pages, have them show you the general maintenance you have to perform as an end user, find out how much each page will cost you. Make the rep work for his commission. You really don't want to buy any of these printers until you know how well it will work for you.

Stop by a Lexmark dealer, they should have some sample printouts.  The ones that I picked were incredible compared to the "others" and from what I expected.  And to top it off, pictures that I scan and then printout also come out quite comparable to the original.

Dont Buy without checking on the Minolta line they are great.

The Lexmard uses a DRY TONER powder...

Here is som info I am reading out of the Optra SC 1275 book:

Advantages Over Tektronix Phaser 360
1. durable, high-quality laser vs. "waxy" solid ink whick can scratch, fade.
2. Fast Warmup (90sec vs. 18+ minutes)
3. fast 12ppm black vs. low resolution 6ppm
4. lower cost printing
5. two paper source standard
6. 12ppm black @600x600 vs. 6ppm black @300x300

Advantages Over Minolta Color PageWorks
1. complete without costly add-ons
2. 1200image quality for High print quality with great performance.
3. lower cost printing.

Advantages Over HP Color LaserJet 5 Enhanced
1. true 600x600dpi and 1200IQ
2. high performance processing, RIP-once multi-copy printing.
3. Postscript Level 2 emulation standard
4. two paper sources standard vs one.


Please don't spam back!!! I am just reading it from the manual.  I am sure the other printers have their own "positive" selling features.

Has this question been answered to your satisfaction?
If so, who should answer it?  Did you go ahead with your purchasing decision?  What printer have you chosen?  Are you happy with it?

I think RYANS should get the points! Please submit answer so I may award points! Thanks everyone who helped out! I'm going with the OPTRA sc 1275!

Adjusted points to 90