The Imaging Channel

Konica Minolta joined the battle for the A4 color laser MFP market last month with the introduction of the bizhub C35. The company's first color laser MFP is based on a homegrown tandem engine that prints both black and white and color documents at 31 pages per minute. It's a print, copy, scan, fax device that ships with standard duplex functionality and a number of built-in document security features such as encrypted PDF, HDD overwrite, HDD encryption, and user-access controls. The 600 x 600 dpi device also has document management tools like PageScope NetCare Device Manager and PageScope Direct Print. Additional software tools for the bizhub C35 are available in the PageScope Enterprise Suite. Konica Minolta also markets an HID Authentication Unit for the machine and an optional stand, as well as optional paper trays.

The C35 uses Konica Minolta's Simitri HD color toner, which is a styrene-acrylic-based polymerized toner. Simitri toners have been in the market for a number of years and Konica Minolta promotes them as being environmentally friendly. The C35 also employs a number of other consumables including imaging drum units, transfer belts, and fusing units. Looking exclusively at the cost of the toner, the cost per page is reasonable. However, the C35 is expensive to operate when the cost of all the consumables are considered. At just under 2 cents for a black-and-white page, the C35 has operating costs one associates with lower-end desktop units. Similarly, the cost of a color page (CMYK) is closer to what one would expect from a higher-end SOHO inkjet device, rather than a mid-tier color MFP. That said, it is important to point out that we are quoting MSRP, we expect actual street pricing to be lower.

Reports from the field indicate that the image quality from Konica Minolta's bizhub C35 is very good. It is likely the firm will look to deploy the device as dedicated color unit, which can be incorporated into bids along with monochrome devices that have lower operating costs. The user-access controls also allow customers to restrict color printing and lower operating costs. To make the machines even less costly to operate, we suspect that there will be third-party supplies. Unfortunately, third-party color products tend to perform poorly compared to the OEM supplies. Regardless of any competitive disadvantage the C35 may initially encounter, one must keep in mind that Konica Minolta is now looking to grab some of the A4 market. Future pricing adjustments are always a possibility, if needed.

Standard

PageScope Data Administrator, Print Status Notifier, bizhub vCare, Driver Packaging Utility, PageScope Web Connection, PageScope NetCare Device Manager, PageScope EMS Plug-ins, PageScope Download Manager, PageScope Direct Print

Optional

PageScope Enterprise Suite (includes PageScope Account Manager and PageScope Authentication Manager)