What is the Better Choice for Business Documents? Comparing Toshiba e-STUDIO, Ricoh IMC, Konica Bizhub, and Canon imageRUNNER Series
The Smart Choice for Businesses: Comparing Toshiba e-STUDIO, Ricoh IMC, Konica Bizhub, and Canon imageRUNNER Series
Why buying repo or demo copiers with almost no usage is the savviest business move you can make.
Why Choose Repo and Demo Units?
Smart businesses know that maximizing ROI means making calculated decisions. Choosing lightly used repo or demo copiers is a stroke of brilliance. These machines, often with negligible usage, offer virtually identical performance to their brand-new counterparts but at a fraction of the cost. Here’s why:
- Cost Savings: Save 30-50% over new units, leaving more capital for growth initiatives or holiday parties your team will actually enjoy.
- Low Usage: Most demo units were used for display purposes or test runs, ensuring like-new reliability without the showroom price tag.
- Immediate Availability: Skip the long lead times of new models. Get your office humming without the dreaded backorder blues.
Because every dollar saved is a dollar earned, investing in a repo or demo copier is the CFO-approved move for savvy businesses.
Toshiba e-STUDIO Series Models: 2515AC, 3015AC, 3515AC, 4515AC, 5015AC
The Toshiba e-STUDIO series is an office workhorse, delivering reliable performance and excellent color output. However, when it comes to advanced finishing capabilities beyond saddle-stitch booklet making which is easy to add here, and you need advanced folding options like tri-folding, you’ll need to invest in bulky, expensive add-ons—if they’re even available.
-
Feature: Handles up to 300gsm card stock.
Advantage: Suitable for producing professional-grade documents.
Benefit: Keep those heavy-stock marketing materials in-house and save on outsourcing costs. -
Feature: Dual-sided scanning up to 240 images per minute.
Advantage: Speeds through digitization for high-volume needs.
Benefit: Perfect for offices transitioning to a paperless workflow. -
Feature: Wireless and mobile printing.
Advantage: Seamless printing from any device.
Benefit: Stay productive, even when working from a coffee shop.
Our Take: Toshiba delivers a solid performance for even most advanced office needs, but prepare to spend extra on more advanced finishing options, if they’re available at all. "Compact" isn’t exactly in its vocabulary when fully kitted out.
Ricoh IMC Series Models: IMC2000, IMC2500, IMC3000, IMC3500, IMC4500, IMC6000
The Ricoh IMC series brings versatility and advanced cloud connectivity to the forefront. These machines handle heavy paper weights (up to 300gsm) and deliver outstanding color reproduction. However, built-in finishing options are modest compared to competitors like Konica. Ricoh does offer the most advanced finishing options in this segment, but prepared to wait to find them, spend for them, and allocate sufficient floor space. That said, once fully built, the Ricohs can be quite the powerhosues
-
Feature: Basic folding capabilities included.
Advantage: Create simple brochures with ease.
Benefit: Save on additional finishing hardware while increasing functionality. -
Feature: Smart Operation Panel.
Advantage: Intuitive, user-friendly touch-screen controls.
Benefit: Reduce training time and errors among staff. -
Feature: Proactive maintenance notifications.
Advantage: Automatically alerts suppliers for service needs.
Benefit: Minimize downtime and keep your operations running smoothly.
Our Take: The Ricoh IMC series excels at versatility and connectivity, but if your office requires advanced finishing, you may find its options limiting without significant upgrades.
Konica Minolta Bizhub i-Series Models: C250i, C360i, C450i, C550i, C650i
Konica Minolta owns the finishing game in this segment. Whether it’s tri-folding, booklet creation, or professional-grade stapling, these machines deliver advanced finishing right out of the box. No additional bulky, expensive attachments are required—a rare feat in the copier world.
-
Feature: Advanced finishing options included.
Advantage: Comprehensive finishing capabilities without add-ons.
Benefit: Deliver sleek, professional documents with zero hassle. -
Feature: Handles up to 350gsm paper weight.
Advantage: Perfect for high-end marketing materials.
Benefit: Create in-house brochures that rival professional printers. -
Feature: Scanning speeds up to 240 images per minute.
Advantage: Best-in-class for document-heavy environments.
Benefit: Meet tight deadlines and digitize with ease.
Our Take: Konica Minolta is the clear winner for offices that demand robust finishing and premium output. It’s like the Swiss Army knife of copiers—versatile, reliable, and indispensable.
Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX Series Models: C5735i, C5740i, C5750i, C5760i
The Canon imageRUNNER DX series focuses on digitization and high-volume workflows, with robust scanning and cloud connectivity. However, like Toshiba, its advanced finishing capabilities require costly add-ons that increase the machine’s footprint and price.
-
Feature: Cloud-connected scanning.
Advantage: Share documents instantly.
Benefit: Enhance collaboration across remote and in-office teams. -
Feature: Heavy-stock printing.
Advantage: Supports up to 300gsm.
Benefit: Produce marketing materials without outsourcing. -
Feature: High-speed dual-sided scanning.
Advantage: Digitize large volumes quickly.
Benefit: Boost productivity for document-heavy workflows.
Our Take: Canon delivers excellent digitization tools, but if you’re eyeing advanced finishing, prepare for additional costs and space considerations. It’s a bit like buying a car with all the features listed as optional extras.
Comparison Chart
Model Series | Max Paper Weight | Built-in Finishing | Scanning Speed (ipm) |
---|---|---|---|
Toshiba e-STUDIO (2515AC-5015AC) | 300gsm | Optional | 240 |
Ricoh IMC (IMC2000-IMC6000) | 300gsm | Limited | 240 |
Konica Bizhub i-Series (C250i-C650i) | 350gsm | Included | 240 |
Canon imageRUNNER (C5735i-C5760i) | 300gsm | Optional | 240 |