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Carl Harris of Bow Design bought this C6500 to move his business into the print market, and has been impressed with its time-saving efficiency

What does the machine do?
It prints all of our digital work, which used to be sent out.

Why did you choose this particular machine?
Cost mainly, but the results of samples sent to Danwood made a convincing argument, too.

Did you look at any other similar machines?
Originally we were looking at the baby Indigo [the HP Indigo Press 1050], but we didn’t realise its complexity.

Why did you make the purchase?
We used to just design our work and then send it out, so it was really a step up into the printing market for us.

What features do you particularly like?
Its ease of use.

Is there anything that you dislike?
Its RIP and imposition software doesn’t work on a Mac platform.

Is there anything you wish it had that it doesn’t?
The capability to run 400gsm board.

How fast is it?
It depends on the thickness of board but most of our stuff is running at about 40 sheets of SRA3 a minute, single-sided.

How reliable is it?
I can’t complain really. We haven’t had many problems; it’s just that they always come at the wrong time.

What’s the quality like?
Very good. It does have its limitations, but I think we have found most of them already.

How easy is it to use?
It is very easy. I only had three hours’ training. And, if I’m honest, anyone with half a brain should be okay.

How much time or money has it saved?
It’s saved us huge amounts of time as I can do everything on site. With regards to cost, it is obviously saving us money but how much I’m not sure. However, it will have paid for itself within five years, if things keep going as they are.

Has it won you any new work?
Yes. Nearly all of our existing customers have now had something new printed by us in the last six months. We can offer short-run jobs that we had no chance of getting before.

Would you say that it offers value for money?
Yes.

Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?
There was a learning curve, yes. But it was not that steep, and to be expected.

What about the pre- and after-sale service?
Pre-buying, excellent. After sales, not that good, I’m afraid. The engineers are very friendly and polite but they just haven’t seen enough of the machine to fix it first time – it’s relatively new.

Who do you think the machine is right for?
Companies trying to break into digital, or larger firms that need something capable of good work at a low cost.

Under what circumstances would you buy another?
Winning the lottery, or an increasing workload to such an extent that another machine was needed.

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

Supplier’s Response
Gerry Mulvaney, director at distributor Danwood, says: “It is a scalable machine that is ideal for simple applications and sophisticated corporate and public sector organisations, as well as commercial printers. It has sold extremely well for us and Konica Minolta – it has taken the market by storm. The quality is also very much like litho. With regards to the post-sales service, our engineers are fully trained, but weren’t experienced with the device when it was installed at Bow Design – the company was one of the first users.”

Price From £50,000
Contact Danwood 01522 834490