What does the machine do?
It prints colour duplex up to SRA3 size.

Why did you choose this particular machine?
Of its ilk, it appeared to be the most advanced on the market. We liked the finished products coming off it and the combination of speed and quality fitted into the gap we had in our printroom facilities. We already have two KM1050 black-and-white machines, so we stuck with them.

Why did you make the purchase?
We have been building up our digital capabilities over the past 18 months and we needed a colour kit to complete the set and answer customer needs. It was part of an ongoing development.

What features do you particularly like?
One of the reasons the machine works for us is that the user interface is similar to the machines we already have, so there was less of a learning curve. We were looking for a machine that was capable of handling quality graphic printing as well as solids and tins. It was the only toner-based machine that could handle both really well.

Is there anything that you dislike?
No.

Is there anything that you wish it had that it doesn’t?
A slightly better scanning facility, but that has more to do with what we require for some of the jobs we do.

How fast is it?
It can run at 3,900 A4 pages per hour.

How reliable is it?
Ours was one of the first machines in the UK, so we did find that there were one or two teething problems. But both Danwood and KM reacted and upgrades were made.

What’s the quality like?
Superb. Our traditional customer base is used to litho, but now there is a great trend for shorter runs and on-demand work and this is a much better machine for that. I haven’t seen better quality on a toner-based machine.

How easy is it to use?
As long as you are familiar with digital printers and electronic file handling its easy to use.

How much time or money has it saved?
It saves time because, unlike litho, you can leave it unattended. It has probably earned us more rather than saved us money because of its ability to do cost-effective short-runs. With one operator for two machines, we also save on labour costs.

Has it won you any new work?
It has allowed us to win a few new customers looking for a digital supplier. We are also doing additional jobs for existing customers that we couldn’t do before.

What about the pre- and after-sale service?
It has been good. We have worked with Danwood for a while now and we received a level of service during and after installation that we have come to expect from them.

Who do you think the machine is right for?
It is right for a printer that is forward-thinking enough to add value with a digital machine rather than just replacing litho.

Under what circumstances would you buy another?
When we have filled this one up. We aim to have a second machine of this type in once this one is at full capacity.

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CONCLUSION
User’s verdict
Speed 4/5
Quality 5/5
Reliability 4/5
Value for money 5/5

Supplier’s Response
Gerry Mulvaney, managing director of the graphics and production systems division at the Danwood Group, says: “Q3 has been a customer since we started the graphics and prod­uction division, so when we launched the C6500E in the UK, we were comfort­able having them as our first user. They had pre­viously used the Konica Minolta C500, so were experienced with the technology. There have been several upgrades since. Paul’s comments about the scanning facility are fair. The scanner is really a document scanner and the quality of work that Q3 produces requires quality colour scans.”
Price £56,295
Contact Danwood Group
01522 882288