Many companies are cutting corners and trying to lower costs when purchasing the best all- in one copier printer scanner fax office equipment. However, they fail to realize the low cost units are not saving them money or they do not fit their copier printer machine needs.  Beyond HP mid-level printer scanner copiers other brands such as  Kyocera, Sharp, Ricoh, Brother and Copystar offer lower operating costs and longer life. The MX-B201 Sharp is a great alternative.

The big performance in a compact size unit, the Sharp MX-B201D copier printer scanner fax is a great choice.  The Sharp MX-B201D is designed for small offices and work groups delivers features needed for  small office environments who needs documents processed fast.  The 20 page-per-minute copying,  printing and integrated color scanning ensure that your office equipment work needs are met.  It comes standard with a 50-sheet document feeder and duplexing which provides 2-sided scanning for extra efficiency, as well as duplex printing and copying.

The cost-effective Sharp MX-B201, consumable system utilizes a three-component system that’s easy to replace and easy on your wallet.  The toner cartridges have an estimated life of 8,000 pages.  And since business never stands still, the MX-B201D offers flexible options to add Super G3 faxing, networking and web-based management…so you’ll be ready for anything. Plus, they are durable machines when compared to HP printer copier scanners of the same level.

Other brands to consider are the Kyocera FS-1135 which comes standard with copy, printer, scanner and fax which is much more durable than comparable HP copier printer scanner equipment.

Determine whether to buy a new verses refurbished send copier depends upon your demands. Digital copiers are the most economical way to copier documents at high speeds. Plus, you get the advantage of a wide variety of standard options not available on standard printers.  Multifunction copiers consist of copy, printer, scanner and network. Most have digital copiers printers have options including faxing, stapling, large capacity drawers, stackers and collation.

Before you make you purchase of a multifunction copier printer scanner know you your estimated monthly usage.  Big price stickers on new digital copier’s printers make many buyers to consider refurbished use machine. With the number of business failing today the used market is hotter than used digital copier printers could be a smart idea for companies of all sizes or people looking to reduce costs while getting a true multi-function copier printer scanner equipment.

When selecting a used machine ask about warranties and age of the machine. As a general rule do not get a machine older than 5 years or one with over two months duty cycle. Make sure the copier printer scanner was recently serviced and obtain a copy of the service error log from the machine.  Do not assume that a used machine is a great deal because of its name or price. Many of he best name copier printer scanners, such as Canon, Xerox and Toshiba have very very low resale value. If you need assistance contact Advanced Business Computers Inc for more information or post a question on this blog.

HP mid range and higher printers are considered work horses.  they are designed for easy printer fax copier repair and installation of maintenance kits.   However, thee are some exceptions to the rule.  The HP 4250 and HP 4350 series laser printers are work horse, but one with a problem.  Repairing the printers  normal problems such as paper feed issues and fuser assemblies are simple just like there previous models the HP 4200 and HP 4100 laser printers.  However, HP designed the drive gear/swing plate with a flaw: its plastic, it wear out often and you need to tear apart the printer in many pieces to repair.

The repair of the HP printer swing plate requires the removal of the coverings, circuit boards and other parts which takes an experience printer repair technician about an hour to complete.  Most technicians when learning how to do this repairs take 2 hours or more to do it.  It’s imp[important that you specify that you want a technician who has a proven repair record when doing this repair. It’s not  simple repair.  You will need to provide a good size printer repair work area the removal of the parts.

Also when repairing the swing plate of the HP laser printer you may need to replace the fuser assembly at the same time. The fuser assembly is a swap HP printer repair part that only takes a few minutes to accomplish.

here is the next set of copier repair codes fro Ricoh, Lanier, Savin and Gestetner printers copier fax scanners.  Remember repairing copier printers require more than just knowing the error codes. You need to determine the copier repair maintenance problem using the error code to point you in the right direction.

SC551 Pressure roller thermistor OP

SC552 Pressure roller warm-up error

SC553 Pressure roller overheat

SC554 Pressure roller ready temp low abnormal

SC555 Pressure roller ready temp abnormal

SC557 Pressure roller temp does nto increase

SC558 Zero cross signal abnormal

SC590 Exhaust/fusing motor error

SC391 Toner supply motor error

SC592 Toner black motor error

SC599 Copy exit tray motor lock

sc600 Communication error between main control and operation panel boards

SC602 Communication error between BICU & Hdd

SC603 Communication error within main control boards

SC604 Serial signal error in main control board

SC605 Communication error between main control and IPU

SC610 Communication time out

SC611 Communication break error

SC612 Communication command error

SC620 Communication command error BICU/SBCU and ADF

SC621 Communication error between BICU/SCBU and RADF

SC662 Communication error between BICU & RADF

SC623 Communication time out error

SC624 Communication time out

SC625 Communication error  between BICU & Finisher

SC627 CSs (RSS) communication error between line adapter & CSS

You will notice several of copier printer repair errors are very similar.  Many times several repair copier printer maintenance codes point to the same problem in different ways. Example are the pressure roller error codes related to the temperature which indicates that he thermal control parts of the fuser assembly of the printer copier need to be replaced. In some models this entails the actual replacement of just the thermistors. Advanced Business Computers is very experienced in the repair of copier printers scanners in the Southeast Florida areas. If you need further help in determine what an error code means please post a question here on this blog.

here is the next set o Ricoh repair maintenance error codes fro repair technicians. If you own a Ricoh, Savin, Gestetner or Lanier then these codes are all the same.  Repairing the complete line of Ricoh printer copiers is easy because all the Ricoh brands use the same error codes, parts and supplies.  If you prefer to place your copier printer under a service maintenance agreement or have questions concerning printer copier scanner repairs then contact Advanced Business Computers.

SC410 paper seperation leak

SC411 Separation bias leak error

SC420 Cleaning motor lock

SC422 PCC Leak

SC430 Quenching lamp error

SC440 Main motor lock/drum

SC441 Development motor lock

SC450 Paper transfer bias leak

SC451 Paper transfer belt motor lock

SC452 transfer belt mark detection error

SC455 Paper transfer belt discharge corona current leak

SC456 Paper transfer unit position error

SC457 Image transfer belt cleaning unti position error

SC460 Thermistor 1 temperature error

SC461 Thermnistor 2 error

SC471 Transfer Belt HP sensor error

SC490 Toner supply motor leak

SC492 Cooling an motor lock

SC493 Exhaust fan motor lock

SC495 Toner recycling unit error

SC496 Toner collection bottle error

SC497 Toner recycling motor error

Half the battle in repairing copier printers is knowing what the error codes mean.  If you are not familiar with copier printer repair terminology then you will need the complete service manual for the Ricoh, Lanier, Gestetner and Savin printer copier scanners to repair them.  Some copier printer repair maintenance codes are misleading for example motor lock does not mean you need to replace the motor. You may need to replace a gear set or during the repair of the copier printer find the paper clip or staple that is causing the motor to jam. If you need further assistance contact Advanced Business Computers in Southeast Florida.

Here is the next batch of copier repair codes for Ricoh, Savin, Gestetner and Lanier printer copier scanner MFD machines.  These copier repair maintenance error codes are actual codes to report printer copier repair problems to service technicians.

SC380 – Data transmission time out

SC381 – Charge potential abnormal

SC-382 Data transmission time out video

SC-383 VL adjustmnet error

SC-383 Data transmission time out connect copy

SC-385 ID sensor VSG adjustment error

SC-386 Data transmission time out

SC-387 Development gamma error

SC-388 Data transmission time out

SC-389 Development gamma calculation error

SC-390 CRC error/TD sensor adjustment error

SC-392 TD Sensor initial error

SC-395 Development output adnormal

SC-400 Transfer roller leak error

SC-401 Transfer output abnormal

SC-401-1 Transfer roller leak detected

SC-401-2 Transfer roller lease open

SC–402 – transfer roller leak

SC-403 Transfer belt position sensor

SC-405 – Transfer Belt position abnormal

SC-406 – Transfer roller position abnormal

May of the copier printer repair maintenance service codes are not very explanatory.  You will need the Ricoh, Savin, Lanier and Gestetner repair maintenance service manuals to determine the correct course of copier repair procedures.   The copier repair maintenance service manuals details the meaning of the codes and gives the the step by step procures to repair the copier printers.

First, let make a general statement that none of the above copier printer scanner fax machine manufacturer say: they all make a bad model once an a while and some of them make many bad models. However,  looking at the past 3 years history on actual service calls and by actual technician as that are NOT committed only one particular brand there are some clear winners.  many copier printer scanner companies only offer one brand due to the fact they have to invest large sums of money to become FACTORY AUTHORIZED.  IN fact, many manufactures of copier priers force dealers to be only related to one brand of they will not get authorization. What does this mean to you?

Simply put, if you talk to a Sharp dealer then Sharp is best, if you talk to a Xerox dealer then Xerox is best, if you talk to a Canon dealer then Canon is best.  So how do you know which one is actually the best copier printer scanner? Talk to independent dealers, check the copier printer Bertl reports,  Best Buy reports, consumer reports and finally the resell value. However, when you check the resell value on a used copier printer do not ASK the dealer! Why because their book value is usually way, way higher than actual value.

Ok in the resell market the HOTTEST printers (the hardest ones to get by dealers) are Kyocera 3035, 4035 and 5035 in the black/white models and for color copier printers Ricoh colors MPC series.  How is this know?  This is determined by how long a particular model of copier printer stays in inventory of major wholesale distributors of used copier printers. These distributors supply copier printer dealers with used machines to resell or export.  Presently, of the three largest dealers the Kyocera 3035, 4035, and 5035 do not last even one day!

Why are Kyocera so good? Because they are very clean operating, extremely reliable and very long duty cycle (time between replacing the copier printer scanner maintenance kits).

What is the biggest name used copier printer machines? Canon and Ricoh however, they are not the best.  Which ones do independent resellers stay away from due to problems, excessive repair costs and poor quality? Toshiba, Xerox  and Minolta.  Beyond the model what else should you consider when selecting a used or reconditioned copier printer fax? duty cycle, number of current pages on unit, warranty, age (this is a big one) and reliability of the dealer (is it a one man show or a company with several repair technicians?).

This copier repair error code list is getting longer and longer. the Ricoh, Lanier Savin and Gestetner repair copier printer scanner codes will take several more blog posts to complete.  If you need them fasted contact Advanced Business Computers Inc in Miami for a quick copier printer repair quote.  Some of the copier repair problems and maintenance mean the same and refer to the same printer copier repair procedures.  Make sure you reference the service manual for detail printer copier repair instructions.

Here is the next batch of ricoh savin lanier and gestetner copier printer service repair maintenance codes.

SC340 TD sensor output error

SC341  TD sensor adjustment error

SC342 TD Sensor adjustment error 2

SC 343 Yellow sleeve motor lock

SC 344 Magenta sleeve motor lock

SC 345 Developer  bias leak

SC 346 Color developement motor lock

SC 350 sensor/patern test error 1

SC 351 Sensor/VSG test error 2

SC 352 Sensor/pattern edge detect error 3

SC 353 Sensor LED current adnormal erro 4

SC 354 ID sensor error 5

SC 355 Yellow TD sensor adjustment error

SC 356 Magenta TD sensor gain adjustment error

SC 357 Cyan TD sensor gain adjustment error

SC 360 hard disk detection error 1

SC 362 hard disk detection error 2

SC 364 hard disk error

SC 365 Image storage address error

SC 366 hard disk bad sector max

SC 367 hard disk bad sector

SC 370 IMAC input FIFO error

SC 371 Yellow TD sensor detection error

SC 372 IMAC output error

SC 373 Magenta TD Sensor detection error

SC 374 IMAC modes setting error

SC 375 Yellow TD sensor lower detection abnormal

SC 376 Data transmission error

SC 377 Magenta TD lower

Next posting we will start with the calibration errors for repairing the copiers printer by Savin Ricoh and Gestetner.  If you are handy with tools you can handle simple repairs such as replacing fuser, drums and developers for the copier printers. However, may repairs requires technical knowledge and experience in copier printer repairs and maintenance. You may want to consider copier printer lease maintenance agreements that cover all supplies, repairs and labor on your printer copier scanner equipment for your business.

Does your company lease or have a maintenance agreement for copier printer scanner multi-function office equipment from Sharp, Xerox, Canon, Minolta, Toshiba, Ricoh or other company?  Do you know your options at lease end can greatly reduce costs while improving efficiencies of your office?

First let’s be realistic: Leasing companies are interested in one thing and one thing only to Lock you into a 3 to 5 year lease so nobody else can offer you better equipment, pricing or service.  They want to move new hardware and lock you for several years because they have quotas to meet from Canon, Sharp, Ricoh, Minolta or they loose their dealership.

Point One: How do you know?  Do the following: ask your dealer what brands they offer new. If they only  offer one brand or a brand series all made by the same company then you know they have quotas to meet and they have an agenda to move hardware whenever they can.

“…they have an agenda to trap you for years”

If this is the case, be careful! Just because it’s a well known brand does not mean it’s the most cost effective or efficient equipment for you!

Point two: Bugging you way before renewal time. This is another tactic to trap you even longer and to move more equipment again. If your equipment is functioning well and it meets your needs then why are they bugging you?

Simple: They need to keep moving equipment to meet quotas and they do not want to take a chance that another company may offer you better equipment at a competitive price.  This is a tactic to lock you up for another bunch of years beyond your original contract of 3 to 5 years!

Point Three: Over billing for pages you do not use. This is the third and most abused tactic of copier printer scanning leasing companies. Include pages in the lease that they know you will never use. They will ask you what is your estimated monthly volume then they add a few thousand pages and quote you the bunch of pages at a seeming low price.

Did you know 87% of he companies who fall for this tactics actually costs you 243% to 380% more per page than quoted because you never use up all the allocated monthly or quarterly pages?

Why pay for pages you never use? There is no page overage or lease refund! You pay the monthly price even if you do not print a single page.

“….costs you 243% to 380% more per page than quoted.”

Why are these three points important?

Simple: Your company’s’ business is to make money. You do this by offering your product and service while keeping costs down on your needs to make a profit. Every dollar you save in actual costs and efficiencies increases your profits and pay check.

You have better options: Wait for Part II or request copier printer scanner maintenance and lease information form Advanced Business Computers Inc.

All digital copier and printers have a variety of image quality issues including lines, repeated patterns, smears and light areas. Some of the copier printer repairs require service technicians other you can resolve yourself. If after trying these following simple printer copier repair steps then contact Advanced Business Computes fro additional help and copier printer repair maintenance.

First, check the actual paper if you are getting light areas or smears. It is damp or too dry (curls after printing). Digital copiers and laser printer use high heat to fuser the toner onto the paper. If the paper is damp or too dry it can cause problems.

Second, check your properties tap when you print. Is the right paper type selected?  Are you using semi or glossy paper in your copier printer?

Third, your laser printer or digital photocopier printer scanner uses a fuser assembly which heats to different temperatures depending upon the paper used. IN some photocopier printers and laser printers you can adjust the temperature on the fuser. Again if you are not sure it your copier printer has the adjustment call Advanced Business Computers and we will be glad to check for you.

Forth, check your laser printer toner cartridge and your copier scanners toner and drum unit. If you are getting a very thin line then 90% of the time it is caused by a scratched drum. In most HP laser printers and Lexmark printers the drum is in the toner cartridge so just replace the toner to see if the drum is the problem. If you have a brother, Okidata, digital copiers then the drums is usually separate from the toner cartridges. On desktop machine then the printer copier repair consist of the user replacing the drum unit.  If you have a business class digital photocopier printer scanner then usually you will need a service technician to solve the problem. In most cases they can just replace the drum/blade/developer parts instead of the whole drum unit to reduce your copier repair costs.

Fifth, if you have repeated patterns then determine how many times the pattern repeats on a page can contact Advanced Business Computers with your copier or laser printer model.  Repeated patterns are caused by several part of your laser printer or digital copier and we can pin point the printer repair problem by the number of times the mark repeats on the page.