Nov (11-05) - New stuff never fails

November, 2005 Editorial

The marketplace has been slowly changing for months now. The tide has turned and the huge packages coming back to market after down-sizings and bankruptcies and closures and off-shoring have slowed to a trickle. There were vast quantities in the marketplace; everyone had many of the popular models. Machines got really cheap. Please note: The marketplace has surpassed the "tipping point" in the used printer market. Prices have bottomed and relative scarcity will drive fluctuating prices, as old stocks are depleted.

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I am astonished at the changes our industry (collectively) has gone through over the last few years. HP and Dell remain the two heavyweights duking it out in a race to the bottom for PC gear. Service and support calls are often with an Asian accent. Hold periods to talk to know-nothings seen to expand. It has become a familiar mantra: "What's the least we can do to serve you...." Try getting help and support for an older model? Good luck. Seems that the consumer mentality has corrupted the IT industry. Everyone seeks the cheapest product that money can buy, and then complain about how poorly its made. Its self-fulfilling, folks. You think gear is disposable, so the manufacturers sell you crap. What's the agenda? No secret: They like that you have to buy machines and parts and upgrades in a never ending cycle. Its good business to sell junk. The whole philosophy is upside down. Terminal Server, thin clients, mainframes, etc; These are not novel ideas, but still they push their endless PC's and servers. Just when you have finished amortizing the hardware costs, and the cost of ownership begins to bottom, there they are with the newest sizzle. Don't expect the manufacturer to be the source of "good" decisions. Dis intermediation is dead. Long live the dealer.

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Pentax, famous for its cameras and optics, has released a new, exciting product. For years, many manufacturers have used its 24ppm laser engine for continuous forms applications (Printronix, PSi, DecisionData, etc.) Now, they have introduced a 32 page per minute, up to 15" wide web printer which is sure to impress. With a designed life of 24 million pages, and options for a cutter, power stacker, MICR, IPDS, SCS, Ethernet, Twinax, coax, RS232, this baby is sure to fill a niche. Duty cycle is an astonishing 400,000 pages per month with a list price under k. This is big news. There are no click charges, and supplies costs keep the per-page cost at less than 1.2cents. 7 x 24 same day on site maintenance is even available. Check it out at https://www.argecy.com/MachStream32.html

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Over the many years I have accumulated a library of guides, manuals, parts lists, etc. which I reasonably share. I'll trade for maintenance manuals, parts diagrams, engineering documents, etc. Please offer th good stuff, all the regular manuals that are available on the Internet already don't do me much good.

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IBM 6400's came in three basic frames. With the introduction of the -050, 010, 015, 02x models internal ethernet and or IPDS are available. There we several "versions" representing minor firmware enhancements. So, now is a good time to act on your line printer dilemmas. The newer 6500 series (in fashionable black) offers little justification to buy new ones. Good quality 6400's are available from under (Heck, what do you spend on toner cartridges?).

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Did you know that the cost to maintain an IBM 4247-003 is nearly a third of its cost? Does that mean that IBM expects 100% failure in three years? Why is a 4230 family so much less expensive to maintain? Because the 4230 is a better machine. Want to convert all those twinax and coax printers to ethernet? Check out the ACC line.

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I noticed in the newspaper that inflation in our economy is beginning to emerge in certain sectors. When we think of resources, we often picture oil, or other raw materials as being the operative issues. But in our industry, it's human capital that seems to have been stretched too. More and more of my customers are doing more work than ever. Longer hours, more pressure. Layoffs and hiring freezes have shifted the burden back to those that remain. While flattering in the short run, the IT departments are often understaffed and overworked. Weekends and evening on call, like physicians. It is (dare i say) easier to buy a service contract then to self maintain, even when the prices may be half. But who has the time?

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I've started to also notice some changes with the types of clients on eBay. I often troll there looking for hidden gems, but lately it seems to be mostly other dealers. Has eBay lost its "wild-west" edge over traditional sources of used gear? Seems so.


Specials

Lexmark Optra S1250, S1255, S1625, S1855?s ? sitting (most with ethernet). Over 300
Lexmark Optra S2450, and S2455 -- 24ppm laser
Lexmark Optra Se3455 - 34 pages per minute and cheap-to-keep (4)
Lexmark Optra T610 -- over 20 units in stock now.
Lexmark T612's -- over 70 units in stock 20+ now.
Lexmark T614's -- over 25 units in stock now.
Lexmark T522's - over 200 pieces in stock now.
Lexmark T620n's - 20+ in stock now.
Lexmark T630's -- over 100 units in stock now.
Multifunction upgrades 4036-301, 4036-305 for IBM and Lexmark machines (we have a few)
Lexmark Optra T622
Lexmark Optra T520
Lexmark Optra T616
Lexmark T63x family
IBM 1312, 1332