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Entire Contents © 2006 Prog
ressiv
e Business Pub
lications
.
Copying of Pages Prohibited.To Order: 800 247 2185 or www.betterbuys.com
How did Ricoh do it? GelSprint is an ink jet-based tech-
nology, but with its advanced permanent print head
(
guaranteed to last for the life of the unit), these
machines can be competitive with today’s cutting-edge
desktop color machines in terms of performance, quality,
durability, and perhaps most importantly, consumables
costs.
Just look at the specs: the $199 Aficio GX3000 and
$279 Aficio GX3050N print at 29ppm in color and black-
and-white, while the $369 Aficio GX5050N prints at
30ppm in color and black-and-white. The difference
between print speeds of these models is minimal. Our
assumption is they’re about equal in terms of speed, and
the GX5050N was rated 1ppm faster to differentiate it as
a superior machine for marketing purposes.
Note, however, that as with conventional ink jet print-
ers, these ratings are for draft quality (about 300 x 150dpi
quality). Still, the speeds for higher quality levels are
good: at 600 x 300dpi quality, the GX3000 and
GX3050N print in color at 8.5ppm and the GX5050N
achie
ves 15.5ppm speed; in high quality mode (1,800 x
600dpi quality), the GX3000 and GX3050N print color
at 4.5ppm and the GX5050N prints color at 7.5ppm.
That’s not all. All three machines print at native
1,200dpi r
esolution,
which can be inter
polated up to
3,600 x 1,200dpi. First print speed is under 9 seconds for
the GX3000 and GX3050N, and 6 seconds for the
GX5050N
. Those ar
e exceptional ratings, especially
when compared to standard ink jet color machines,
which are typically notoriously slow in getting out a first
pa
ge.
This family begins with the base model, the GX3000,
which has a 200MHz processor and 32MB of memory. It
uses host-based printing
. The GX3050N is virtually the
same machine, except it has a 400MHz processor, 64MB
of memory, and PCL compatibility. The GX3050N, as
the “N” at the end of its name implies, also adds stan-
dard networking, which is available as an option on the
GX3000. The top of this line, the GX5050N, doubles the
GX3000’
s and GX3050N’
s 250-sheet paper supply to 500
sheets. All three machines have an optional 100-sheet
b
ypass tr
a
y tha
t can handle v
arious pa
per stoc
ks and siz
es
including envelopes, postcards, transparencies, glossy
paper, and banners, and up to 68lb. stock. This tray can
handle sheets up to 51" in length f
or banner
s. The stan-
dar
d maximum paper size is 8-1/2" x 14".
Ricoh will distribute these machines through its regular
dealer network, but also will increase its market penetra-
tion by selling them (and their supplies) through retailer
CDW (www.cdw.com). That’s a significant change for
Ricoh,
which typically has only sold its consumables
through Ricoh dealers. Time will tell if this outreach
effort impr
o
v
es Ricoh’
s pr
esence in the r
etail market.
As the “GelSprinter” name implies, these machines use
a thicker, gelatin-like ink that is conveyed by the
machines’ printhead as droplets via two rows of nozzles.
Since the droplets are larger than those of a conventional
ink jet machine, they fill in images better. Since these
machines don’t need to heat up the gel to convey it to the
paper and therefore run “cold,” their print quality isn’t
compromised by the wet prints, smudging, or paper mis-
feeds that can result from the heating process associated
with many ink jet machines.
The company is trumpeting the machines’ permanent
printhead as an innovation that will contribute to their
long life and minimal maintenance. Ricoh claims these
printheads will never need replacing, and due to the dura-
bility of their nozzles, their quality won’t decline over
time.
Ricoh hasn’t announced consumables prices, but we
estimate black pages will run around 2.1¢ apiece, while
color pages will cost about 15¢ each. Those aren’t the
lowest consumables prices you’ll find in this guide, but
they compare favorably with those of color laser desktop
machines in this family’s price range.
In fact, these GelSprinter machines stack up very well
against similarly priced competing color laser printers,
suc
h as the $399 OKI C3400n,
which prints a
t 16ppm in
color with consumables costs of nearly 18¢ a page, or the
$299 Hewlett-Packard Color LaserJet 1600, which prints
at 8ppm in color and costs 15.5¢ per color page for con-
sumables.
The ink is noteworthy for being a step above much of
the con
ventional ink used b
y ink jet printer
s. The
GelSprinter viscous ink dries fast, doesn’t smudge, blur,
or bleed, and is waterproof.
Ricoh has ac
hie
ved something truly special with this
family of printers. They offer outstanding value for the
money, with excellent speed, crisp quality, and consum-
ables that are at least in line with similarly priced, slower
color laser models. They get our Editor’s Choice Award.
Chart entries — page 109
Ricoh Aficio CL7300D
Ricoh
Aficio CL7300DT1
Ricoh Aficio CL7300DT2
Ricoh Aficio CL7300DL
35ppm color
35ppm black & white
Note: These models have been discontinued.
Sum-up: One of the fastest and feature-rich color laser print-
er f
amilies.
T
he ledg
er
-siz
e Ricoh Aficio CL7300 printers are similar
in many ways to the Ricoh Aficio CL7200 documented
Better Buys for Business