Tale of two printers, or how we drove the Ricoh printers
Recently, we faced the challenge of choosing an office printer for a new department. And then, as an order, gave us "to try" two printers Ricoh - SP 400 DN and SP 450 DN. Models are quite new, the release of the end of 2016. Of course, we could not refuse the tempting offer and decided to "drive" the devices a little in the field, so to speak, conditions. What came of it - read on.
For a start - a few words about the models themselves. Both devices - monochrome A4 laser printers, are designed for use by small working groups. Print speed is 30 and 40 pages per minute for SP 400 DN and SP 450, respectively.
SP 400 DN
SP 450 DN
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The first model, according to the manufacturer, provides for a peak load of 50,000 prints per month, the second - 150,000 copies. Both machines print with a resolution of up to 1200x1200 dpi and support A4, A5, A6, B5, and B6 paper with a density of up to 162 g / m². Models are controlled using a small LED screen, support printing from mobile and smart devices thanks to the Smart Device Print & Scan application and AirPrint technology, have energy-saving mode and support for Smart LED technology, providing low power consumption.
SP 400 DN with extended paper feed trays
SP 450 DN with extended paper feed trays
Actually, the task was to conduct a small test on three main criteria for the operation of printers - performance, fault tolerance and refueling convenience. As for the first aspect, there were no surprises when printing one-sided documents, and both printers showed the speed level declared by the manufacturer.
However, the test for duplex printing showed the advantage of the SP 450 DN model, which in itself is generally not surprising - the design of the duplex printer allows you to work with two sheets of paper at once. While one sheet is printed, the second flips over in the duplex. Due to this, the printing speed turned out to be quite high - at the level of 18 pages per minute, which in the end practically equals the printing speed of one-sided documents.
But the 400 DN model has a standard pattern of sequential printing and one sheet flip. As a result, the performance of a 30-page printer with a two-sided dropped to 9 pages per minute - almost doubled. That is, from the point of view of productivity, for those offices where there is a need for large volumes of printing from two sides of a sheet, for example, to save paper, the SP 450 DN is better suited for the two described models.
A little review of printers. The video clearly shows the advantage of the model with duplex
During the test, 22 239 prints were printed on both printers. Used paper SNOWPEAK (density - 80 162 g / m²). It should be noted that when printing this volume there was not a single slaughter of paper.
Both models performed well on printing short assignments. But when printing long jobs, one feature was found, both with printers. At high temperatures (21 degrees and above) after printing 300 - 500 double-sided sheets that SP 400 DN, that SP 450 DN enter the "cooling" mode, and at the same time printing stops. Within 1-2 minutes, the printer is purged, then 50–70 sheets are printed - and the purge starts again. So in the hot summer period this can be a problem when printing large volumes in a row. Although, of course, the fact that the device “understands” what overheating is and does not melt is a plus in any case.
Both models are refilled with toner (5,000 or 10,000 copies) simply and quickly.
Removing the cartridge from the SP 400 DN
Removing the cartridge from the SP 450 DN
Here is the contact pair (chip)
The important thing to remember is that you must remove the remnants of the “native” toner from the drum unit at the first refill. When replacing the chip reflash without any problems.
But the disassembly and assembly of the drum unit requires skill and time, besides, in this case you can not do without a screwdriver.
There is an assumption that you have to re-buy the original block every 60,000 copies. However, there was no time to check it.
We decided to purchase the SP 450 DN model, but as usual, not for the new department , but for a very demanding accounting department, and their device will just go for the benefit of newcomers, because their printing tasks are much more modest than the accounting ones. Therefore, we consider the test successful.
For a start - a few words about the models themselves. Both devices - monochrome A4 laser printers, are designed for use by small working groups. Print speed is 30 and 40 pages per minute for SP 400 DN and SP 450, respectively.
SP 400 DN
SP 450 DN
')
The first model, according to the manufacturer, provides for a peak load of 50,000 prints per month, the second - 150,000 copies. Both machines print with a resolution of up to 1200x1200 dpi and support A4, A5, A6, B5, and B6 paper with a density of up to 162 g / m². Models are controlled using a small LED screen, support printing from mobile and smart devices thanks to the Smart Device Print & Scan application and AirPrint technology, have energy-saving mode and support for Smart LED technology, providing low power consumption.
SP 400 DN with extended paper feed trays
SP 450 DN with extended paper feed trays
Actually, the task was to conduct a small test on three main criteria for the operation of printers - performance, fault tolerance and refueling convenience. As for the first aspect, there were no surprises when printing one-sided documents, and both printers showed the speed level declared by the manufacturer.
However, the test for duplex printing showed the advantage of the SP 450 DN model, which in itself is generally not surprising - the design of the duplex printer allows you to work with two sheets of paper at once. While one sheet is printed, the second flips over in the duplex. Due to this, the printing speed turned out to be quite high - at the level of 18 pages per minute, which in the end practically equals the printing speed of one-sided documents.
But the 400 DN model has a standard pattern of sequential printing and one sheet flip. As a result, the performance of a 30-page printer with a two-sided dropped to 9 pages per minute - almost doubled. That is, from the point of view of productivity, for those offices where there is a need for large volumes of printing from two sides of a sheet, for example, to save paper, the SP 450 DN is better suited for the two described models.
A little review of printers. The video clearly shows the advantage of the model with duplex
During the test, 22 239 prints were printed on both printers. Used paper SNOWPEAK (density - 80 162 g / m²). It should be noted that when printing this volume there was not a single slaughter of paper.
Both models performed well on printing short assignments. But when printing long jobs, one feature was found, both with printers. At high temperatures (21 degrees and above) after printing 300 - 500 double-sided sheets that SP 400 DN, that SP 450 DN enter the "cooling" mode, and at the same time printing stops. Within 1-2 minutes, the printer is purged, then 50–70 sheets are printed - and the purge starts again. So in the hot summer period this can be a problem when printing large volumes in a row. Although, of course, the fact that the device “understands” what overheating is and does not melt is a plus in any case.
Both models are refilled with toner (5,000 or 10,000 copies) simply and quickly.
Removing the cartridge from the SP 400 DN
Removing the cartridge from the SP 450 DN
Here is the contact pair (chip)
The important thing to remember is that you must remove the remnants of the “native” toner from the drum unit at the first refill. When replacing the chip reflash without any problems.
But the disassembly and assembly of the drum unit requires skill and time, besides, in this case you can not do without a screwdriver.
There is an assumption that you have to re-buy the original block every 60,000 copies. However, there was no time to check it.
We decided to purchase the SP 450 DN model, but as usual, not for the new department , but for a very demanding accounting department, and their device will just go for the benefit of newcomers, because their printing tasks are much more modest than the accounting ones. Therefore, we consider the test successful.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/328994/
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