My firm is deciding between Canon Brand digital copiers and Ricoh. Which should we choose and why?

Answer 1

I would also give serious consideration to who the vendor is. Who is going to support you better. If the same vendor is offering you this choice, aka Ikon, since they sell both, then it really depends on which models you are comparing. Canon does some models better, Ricoh does others better. If you are going to a color copier and color quality is important, Canon is definately the way to go. There machien use 8-bit color vs. 4-bit on the Ricohs.

If you are sticking with Black and White, I would actually consider buying Kyocera Mita machines. They have been proven over and over to be the most reliable units on the market for BW. If you are buying a bigger production level unit, the KM-6030 is tough to beat. If you are buying smaller department units (30-50 pages per minute range) and you are buying soon, try to buy the 35 series (ie KM-3035). They are in the process of being replaced by the 50 seires (ie KM-3050). There are no significant improvements over the 35 seires but the new color control panels have quit a bit slower reaction time.

Answer 2

I work as a purchasing agent and have some good relationships with our vendors. We have excellent customer service with Canon--and their presentation is more professional.

In regards to the copier, we have yet to make a service call on the Canon. It works well and has been performing as promised. The Ricoh's we have are constantly breaking down. Ricoh's share in the industry is getting smaller.

Go with Canon--they have excellent products and excellent people working for them.