Best photocopier manufacturer

[NumberSix]

Hi folks,

I wonder if anyone can help, interested to hear from those with genuine knowledge, or even just first hand experience.

We're looking to replace a photocopier in the office very soon - and I mean the big mutlifunction floor standing devices, not the HP style multi-function desktop devices.

I'm interested to understand who makes the best copiers ... when you're buying cheaper IT equipment, or even a car, there are a wealth of online resources for reviews on what's best, but not so with copiers costing several thousand pounds.

Obviously all the dealers will tell you their kit is the best, with their company hat on, but it seems reasonable to assume that some manufacturers are better than others, that a familiar name doesn't necessarily offer the quality that the name implies and conversely just because you've not heard of something doesn't mean it's no good.

The copier brands I'm looking at are:

Canon
Sharp
Olivetti (which are rebadged Konica Minolta, in case anyone uses those)
Ricoh
Xerox

All well known names, some with better "reputations" than others ... but which is actually best, based on your experience, and which should be avoided?

I'm not necessarily concerned about price, I know some makes are cheaper, it's the actual quality and reliability I'm concerned with - price is secondary.

Any help much appreciated, thanks.

Chris

 

[joffyw]

Hi Number Six

Was trawling through some old posts and came across yours, hope i'm not too late for some input!

Bering a combination of a photocopier & telecoms engineer over the last 20 years, more than happy to give you my thoughts.

In my humble opinion Canon & Konica-Minolta (include Olivetti here) prove to be the most reliable, forget Sharp and Toshiba. By volume sales these guys are right up there and so because of this you have to factor in parts availabilty and service agents and so for Canon & KM there are plenty around ensuring you're never stuck for long periods without a machine.

We still have some Canon machines out in the field that are years old and have gone long past thier shelf life but with an abundance of machines & parts lying around the parts are always readily available.

As for features, to be honest they're all pretty much alike so you don't have to worry too much on that front.

I could write pages and pages answering this question so more than happy to speak/PM if i can be of any help.

If of course you got sorted already, would love to hear what you went with, why, and was it a wise choice.

Regards

Jonathan

 

[citycopiers10]

I'll go with Canon...based on my personal experience...
but I heard Xerox copiers are durable...

 

[Pentangle]

Go for Canon, Sharp, Toshiba (not on your list).

Avoid Ricoh.

 

[onlineconnect]

I guess this is a bit late in the day but post may help other people. 80% of all copiers are made in the same factory in china so there really is nothing between them. Brands I would recommend include Canon, Xerox, Ricoh, Konica Minolta, Sharp, Toshiba, Samsung

 

[PureIT]

I've used Canon and Xerox and I would say Canon by far was the best for Apple Mac support and also tech support

 

[Minuteman Press]

Konica Minolta or Xerox.

Toshiba are dreadful.

 

[Dahu371]

Just wondering if anyone else can contribute to this? We're looking at replacing a Canon, we've had two quotes for a Sharp and a Toshiba. There's a few negative comments above about these brands, but on a 5 year lease with a 5 year service agreement they should be ok, no?

 

[joffyw]

Why not PM me, more than happy to discuss and advise accordingly.

 

[Dahu371]

Why not PM me, more than happy to discuss and advise accordingly.

Thanks for the offer but I think it would be good to keep any advice/recommendations on the forum, after all that's what it's for!

 

[joffyw]

Thanks for the offer but I think it would be good to keep any advice/recommendations on the forum, after all that's what it's for!

Totally agree but was going to give you an opinion based on what you're going to be charged over the 5 years to let you know if it's a good deal or not. Both both makes you mention are ok but not if you're paying over the odds for them and that's why i thought it would be best chatting away from the board and in private.

Let me know the models and the rates and i'll happily advise on here or in private.

 

[Dahu371]

In the end we purchased a Sharp machine outright. It was a good price (compared to Canon at least). It's been fine so far, just have to see if it's still going strong in 4 years time!

 

[Jamie.80]

my good experience is with Canon, Xerox is good as well, but for sure go for laser printer (be careful about maintenance price and new heads price, they can vary).

 

[aaadam]

Hi Guys

Just came across this and i do think Canon are the best photocopiers. I've worked for e-sol.co.uk for over 7 years and we provide Canon, Xerox, Utax, and Ricoh and i have found the Canon photocopiers are by fair the best.

Print quality, reliability can not be beaten. only downside is the price. Usually more expensive then competitors however its like a car, either buy a mercedes or a Skoda.

If you can spare the extra money buy a Canon.

 

[kfci]

Hi NumberSix,

I know your post was some time ago, but i hope my experience with photocopiers will be of some assistance.

We're looking to replace a photocopier in the office very soon - and I mean the big mutlifunction floor standing devices, not the HP style multi-function desktop devices.

I can only talk from experience and I find that the Canon's and Xerox's seem to be the cream of the crop. Ok, other makes do provide similar quality in respect to output, but Canon and Xerox seem to be king in the reliability game. Especially when it comes to the larger floor standing multifunction devices.

I can therefore give a comparison between the Canon's and Xerox's. For image quality i have to admit the Xerox 550/560 are superb. They are modular and can even become proper digital printing presses. If that's overkill, then the Canon C7000 series with a fiery is more than capable and proves to be a winner in my eyes. Not soooo modular, but really packs a punch with quality, reliability and speed.

I'm not saying don't buy another brand, but from my experience Canon and Xerox are the best. I sourced Canon from canoncopiers [dot] co [dot] uk and Xerox copiers from falcon [dot] co [dot] uk.

Hope this helps.

 

[Kent Business News]

From 12 years experience in the print/photocopy business, if you are after a true high end workhorse then look no further than Oce (recently bought by Canon).