Darren:
I saw the iR3200 at AIIM in NYC a few weeks ago. The Ir 3200 seems like a more substansial color system to me. I was able to print an 11 x 17 pdf brochure and it looked good. Color was consistant throughout the 11 x 17 double sided print.
Recently I printed a word file from one of my clients files at our office. There were three pictures on this document. I needed to show the customer samples on gloss stock. I printed samples to the 1232 and the 3800CMF. Two of the pictures printed ok on the 1232(of course one did not) and all three printed good on the 3800CMF (go figure).
My own belief is that the 1224/32 is an extremly low end. low entry color. I believe more than 2,000 color pages a month could be a problem.
Marketing wise, I believe Ricoh launched these units to launch their color toner program. I have always thought that Ricoh and other are not in the machine business for profit, consumables is where the profits are the greatest.
Anyway back to the 1232, for me I believe the 3200 is more of a color output device than our 1232, however the 3200 from Canon costs more and has three times the rated volume. If your customer is in the 2,000 a month range, the 1232/1224 fits the bill.
Hope this helps!
Art