K2 Digital had something of a dead weight on its hands. The Kent-based digital print firm was running an aging Xerox DocuColor it had bought in 2005 to expand into smaller-format digital from its home turf of wide-format work, except that ‘running’ is not a very accurate way of putting it.

"The machine had got to the point where we were almost calling out an engineer daily," says Alex Killick, sales director at the Tunbridge Wells company.

Set up in 1997, K2 started out with an HP Designjet completing wide-format work before adding small-format capacity with the DocuColor. It works with design agencies and print buyers in the main, but has recently added a lot of end-users to its client roster – suggesting many firms are cutting out the middleman.

With the DocuColor becoming unreliable, the company needed to act in order to be able to take on work without worrying whether the tight deadlines of digital print could be met. There was also the fact that digital technology had progressed considerably since they’d bought the machine.

"The technology had moved on, the quality of digital had got a lot better and the machines had got a lot faster," says Killick. "So we were ready to change it for something more modern."

Clear winner
The company assessed the options from Canon, Konica and incumbent supplier Xerox to see which came out on top, attending demonstrations of each press in turn and comparing notes. They were left with no doubt that the press for them was the Konica Bizhub Pro C6501.

The Bizhub prints at 65ppm A4 and 36ppm A3, with a maximum substrate size of A5 to SRA3+ (330x487mm) and substrate weights of  64-256gsm. It prints at a resolution of 600x1,800dpi. Killick says that on speed, performance and quality, the machine was the better option and that the price was also favourable, with a "very appealing" click rate.

What capped it all off for K2, however, was the fact that Konica seemed to mirror the personal approach K2 ensures it gives to all its customers. Killick explains how K2 is a tight-knit group of four staff, and that it "probably spends more time than it should" with customers wanting smaller jobs. However, the firm feels it is really important to give every customer the same service and it got the sense that Konica had a similar philosophy.

"We’d been with Xerox for five years and you could tell it was a large organisation, where as Konica feels more like a big family," explains Killick. "We felt we were getting a more personal approach as at Konica we were speaking to the same people throughout the process – with Xerox you can talk to a different person each time and in terms of service we were always put through to an out-of-country help desk."

With the full package apparently in place, K2 set about trying to see if the salesman’s patter proved true. It went to the Konica Minolta head office in London, taking its own substrates and print files with it.

"We took some of our own paper up there and our own files, as salesmen are the same the world over, they always say it will do what you want but you need to test it out yourself to make sure," says Killick.

Fortunately for Konica, the tests came back with some excellent results and K2 was happy to proceed. An installation date was set and K2 shifted out the old Xerox, leaving a space ready for the new machine.

But then the snow came. Around eight inches of it – it was the end of January 2010 and the country was in near lockdown. But out of the blizzard came the Konica Minolta lorry.

"It just demonstrates the determination and dedication of the Konica service that engineers managed to battle through
the conditions to get us the press on schedule. Not just that, the engineers made the trek out again the next day to ensure everything was running smoothly," says Killick.

The hurdles didn’t disappear when the press arrived, however, as the Konica engineers faced a bit of an obstacle course to get it in place. Each section of the press had to be carried over and negotiated around a UV flatbed press and a cutting table.

With the machine finally in place, K2 could start to reap the benefits of the machine. Killick says training was minimal as operationally it was very similar to the Xerox and the company stuck with the Creo RIP, be it an upgraded version, meaning instruction was more "signposting" than "from-scratch training".

As for the performance of the press, Killick says there were no surprises as Konica was very honest about what the press was capable of.

"Konica were extremely honest about what the press could achieve in terms of speed and functionality, so there were no surprises," he explains. "It does everything they said it would. I haven’t got a stopwatch out to time it, but I’m pretty sure if it was different to what we were told we would have noticed."

Major benefit
K2 has rarely had to call out an engineer in the 18 months the press has been in place, but on the odd occasion it has needed to, the service has been excellent, says Killick.

It’s this reliability that has been one of the major benefits of the machine. "Now we don’t hesitate at all when a job comes in. We have a lot more confidence in the machine," says Killick.

It’s not just reliability where the machine has excelled, however, the press has brought benefits across the board.

"The impact it has had has been significant," says Killick. "We’re doing a higher volume of work and a higher volume per job. It’s more cost-effective to run, it is quicker and the financial side of it, the click charge, is better as well. What we’re finding is we are now more competitive on longer run lengths. Hence, we are offering more services and longer runs in those services."

Quality-wise, he says the machine is also at the top of its game. A faster running speed would be great, he says, but the main item on his wish list would be the ability to print on heavier stock.

Well, it turns out that Konica Minolta has just done that. Since the K2 installation, the C6501 has been upgraded and re-released as two new presses: the C6000 and the C7000. The most significant difference is that the new series has an eight-bit engine delivering an increased 1,200dpi resolution and the fact it can now handle substrates up to 300gsm.

"We’d definitely be interested in the upgraded version if we needed the extra capacity, depending on the spec and how it ran and the finer details, because now we’ve had a Konica before we know they’re reliable," says Killick.

That said, he’s more than impressed with the press he has already and would recommend it to anyone currently scouring the second-hand market.

For now, Killick and K2 are not looking to make any form of investment, be it second-hand or new, as the C6501 is fulfilling all the company’s requirements – and doing so with a holy trinity of improvements on the company’s previous machine, according to Killick: "It’s cheaper to run, it is a better quality of print and it is quicker," he says.

SPECIFICATIONS
Max speed
65ppm A4; 36ppm A3
Max substrate size
A5 to SRA3+
(330x487mm)
Max substrate thickness
64-256gsm (300gsm via bypass or optional large capacity paper unit)
Print resolution
600x1,800dpi
Price
C6000: from £76,912
Contact
Konica Minolta Buisness Solutions 0800 833864, www.konicaminolta.co.uk

COMPANY PROFILE
Set up in 1997, K2 started out with a HP Designjet completing large-format work before adding small format capacity with the Doculour. It works with design agencies and print buyers in the main, but has recently added a lot of end-users to its client roster – suggesting many firms are cutting out the middle man. It is based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and has four staff and a turnover of £295,000.

Why I bought it…
Alex Killick, sales director, explains that the company’s Xerox DocuColor was out of date and unreliable and so the company needed to find a new digital press that had the speed and quality that rival printers were offering.

How it has performed…
"The impact it has had on the business has been significant," says Killick. "We’re doing a higher volume of work and a higher volume per job. It’s more cost-effective to run, it is quicker and the financial side of it, the click charge, is better as well. What we’re finding is we are now more competitive on longer run lengths. Hence, we are offering more services and longer runs in those services."