After reviewing all of the information and knowing the quality of the Aficio 850/1050, I am sorry to say that we cannot. Our halftones are not even close to that of the 9110. Then when we take into consideration of the monthly volume, our system would fall apart in the 600,000 copies per month.
What good do I see for the 850/1050? The features and of the 850/1050 are equal to or better than the DigiMaster 9110. Most printers were enthusiastic with the TAB feature and the variable data. We have both of these.
If Ricoh can conquer the image quality issue (mainly halftones and solid blacks), I believe we can be a player in this market with the TR Micropress of the eb-105 front ends. We would have to sell in tandem, and we could do some real damage in the P4P.
What can we do, keep demanding better quality from Ricoh, mention it to the DSM's, Product Managers and anyone who will listen.
At $200,000 a pop, theres a lot of money to be made.
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