What does the machine do?
Everything but make the tea! Joking aside, it’s a light production mono printing system, which has been installed in the town hall printroom.
Why did you choose this particular machine?
We needed a copier/printer that was reliable and quick. The MX-M1100 was a new machine that came onto the market and I was told by Danwood that this would meet all of our needs and more – and they were right.
Did you look at any other similar machines?
We had a Xerox 1090 previously, but Xerox does not make an equivalent machine. It did suggest two smaller machines so that they could work alongside each other giving us more copies per minute, but these would not fit into the space we currently have in our copier room.
Why did you make the purchase?
The lease came to an end on our existing machine and Xerox could not replace it for a like-for-like machine.
What features do you particularly like?
It’s so reliable that we often set it up to run unattended. This is easy to do because the machine has three large paper trays, and when the paper runs out of one tray, it will automatically begin to feed paper from the next tray and so on until it can’t find any more paper to use. And as one tray empties, we simply fill it up again while it is running, and the cycle continues.
Is there anything that you dislike?
No.
How fast is it?
It can produce 110 copies per minute.
How reliable is it?
It is very robust. Nothing about it feels flimsy, and when in use it feels solid and well engineered. We’ve hardly had any problems with it since it was installed, apart from a couple of paper jams, but these take about two minutes to clear because the paper path is so accessible.
What’s the quality like?
Excellent.
How easy is it to use?
Very simple, with the touchscreen pad; I learned how to use it in just five minutes. We provide digital printing as a free service to staff and anybody is able to come into the print room and use it. Again, this is because the touch pad makes it so simple to use. Once you have shown somebody how to use it once, you will never have to explain it to them again.
How much time or money has it saved?
We have saved approximately £150 ($AU310) per quarter, and we are now 20 pages per minute faster.
Has it won you any new work?
No.
Would you say that it offers value for money?
Yes.
Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?
None.
What about the pre- and after-sale service?
It has been excellent. Danwood came and gave training to the key users and Mike Goldsmith [of Danwood] was in contact regularly ensuring everything was OK.
Who do you think the machine is right for?
A busy inplant, or council, running council agendas and minutes.
Would you consider buying another?
The Sharp is such a good machine I would certainly buy another, and recommend it to others.
CONCLUSION
User’s verdict
Speed 5/5
Quality 5/5
Reliability 5/5
Value for money 5/5
Supplier’s Response
Gerry Mulvaney, managing director of Danwood’s graphics and production systems division, says: “We have installed a number of the new Sharp units into some of the smaller printrooms of our customers. They seem to suit those with a wide variety of work, including copying and lower volumes than some of the more traditional printrooms we service. The running costs of these engines are very competitive and they are proving very reliable. As well as local authorities like Hastings, we are experiencing a lot of take up in the education sector, where Sharp have traditionally been very strong. New enhancements announced at Drupa, including a GBC punch will only add to the interest in the Sharp engines.”
Price
On application
Read the original article at www.printweek.com.
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