Competitive Analysis

Konica Minolta bizhub PRO 920 vs Ricoh Aficio 2090

COMPETITIVE MODEL: Ricoh Aficio 2090

The Ricoh Aficio 2090 is a 90 ppm unit that offers standard standalone copy and optional network print and scan functionality. Equipped with 128 MB of RAM (upgradeable to 384 MB) and two 40 GB hard drives, this unit offers several optional print controllers: the Ricoh-developed Type 2105 Printer/Scanner Kit, and the EFI-developed Fiery EB-105EX and Fiery MicroPress 7.0 print controller. The device handles paper up to 12" x 18" from its optional bypass tray.

Highlights of the bizhub PRO 920

Robust Feature Set

The Konica Minolta bizhub PRO 920 is a 92 ppm unit offering standard standalone copy and optional network print and scan functionality. Equipped with standard 256 MB of RAM (upgradeable to 512 MB) and a 40 GB hard disk drive, the device offers document storage for up to 3,000 documents in up to 1,000 user boxes. Network print and scan functionality can be added via the optional IC-203 print controller. In addition, this device supports advanced document management and communication features via the PageScope suite of software utilities. The bizhub PRO 920 handles paper up to 12" x 18" from its standard bypass tray, allowing users to create full-bleed ledger-size output. This device’s advantages include:

 Direct PDF and TIFF printing: Unlike the Aficio 2090, the bizhub PRO 920 lets users print PDF and TIFF files directly, without first opening them from within an application. This saves users a step every time they print one of these popular file types.  Standard user box functionality: The bizhub PRO 920 devices come standard with the ability to create user boxes, which can be used to store both private and public documents. Users can create 1,000 user boxes for simple document storage and retrieval. Additionally, the bizhub PRO 920 lets users store up to 3,000 documents standard, versus the Aficio 2090’s capability to store only 250 copy or print jobs for later retrieval. Competitive Analysis Konica Minolta bizhub PRO 920 vs Ricoh Aficio 2090

 Double the standard memory capacity: The bizhub PRO 920 comes standard SHORTCOMINGS with 256 MB of copier memory, versus only 128 MB on the Aficio 2090. Additionally, the bizhub PRO 920’s RAM can be upgraded to a maximum of 512 MB, versus only 384 MB for the Aficio 2090. of the Aficio 2090

 Price advantage: The bizhub PRO 920 starts out with an MSRP that’s $2,000 The bizhub PRO 920 earned a lower than that of the Aficio 2090 ($39,000 versus $41,000), and its price advantage Five-Star rating in BLI’s field grows even larger when the most popular upgrades are added. Comparing apples to test, while the Aficio 2090/2105 apples, the Aficio 2090 with the Type 2105 Printer/Scanner Kit, PostScript 3, a bypass earned only a Four-Star rating. tray and saddle-stitch finishing retails for $53,000, while a similarly equipped bizhub Additionally, the bizhub PRO PRO 920 (with standard bypass tray and optional IC-203 image controller, Adobe 920 was awarded a Fall 2005 PostScript 3, memory expansion and saddle-stitch finishing) costs only $48,460 – a BLI “Pick” for “Outstanding Segment 6 Copier-Based Mul- price advantage of $4,540, or 9.36%. tifunctional System.” In con-  Extensive finishing at half the price: While both devices offer optional booklet- trast, BLI’s Field Test Report maker finishers that can saddle-stitch up to 20 pages (to make 80 page booklets), on the Aficio 2090/2105* cited the bizhub PRO 920’s bookler-maker finisher costs less than half the price of the a number of the device’s short- same option for the Aficio 2090 ($5,050 versus $10,500). comings, including:

 Requires user interven- tion to set a new paper Better Functionality size. The standard, user- adjustable paper drawers When compared head to head, the bizhub PRO 920 has a feature set that is are not equipped with superior to that of the Aficio 2090. Among the bizhub PRO 920’s advantages: automatic sensors, which would be expected for a unit in this range.  Iron-clad Security: The bizhub PRO 920 is ISO 15408 (Common Criteria) EAL-3 certified and includes robust security features such as enhanced  The unit requires more service intervention than security mode, memory/HDD data overwrite, account tracking, user competitive units because authentication, secure print, and password protected user boxes with 3 of its shorter drum life. levels of security. In contrast, the Aficio 2090 offers extremely limited security  if the optional Fiery print controller is added. Only then do Aficio 2090 users have Although the bypass tray capacity is above the av- access to a Secure Print feature, which holds sensitive documents at the device erage for competitive and requires users to input a password in order to print the job. The Aficio 2090’s models, most units in the hard drive has no security options available; its optional removable hard disk drive group offer a standard can be removed but not overwritten, which leaves stored information vulnerable bypass tray, while the by- to theft or disclosure. pass tray for this unit is an expensive option. In addi-  More program-ahead copy jobs: The Aficio 2090 has only 20 copy reserve tion, the production-level slots in total, meaning users can program only 19 additional copy jobs while booklet finisher is an ex- a job is in progress. Contrast this with the bizhub PRO 920, which lets users pensive option. program up to 99 copy jobs while another copy or print job is in progress  Image quality in copy – more than five times the number of jobs that can be programmed ahead mode is rated fair for on the Aficio 2090. transitions between half-  Outstanding image quality: The bizhub PRO 920 earned a Five-Star rating for tone levels. image quality in BLI’s Field Test Report. Contrast that with the Aficio 2090/2105,  Obscure display informa- which only earned a Four-Star rating in this critically important category. tion regarding misfeed  Better toner technology: The bizhub PRO 920 uses Konica Minolta’s proprietary locations. Simitri polymerized toner, which employs toner particles that are smaller,  No Help key is available on smoother and more uniform in size than toner particles produced by traditional the control panel display. pulverization techniques, resulting in more even halftones, more accurate text and better grayscales. Additionally, BLI’s Lab Test Report on the bizhub PRO 920 rated from BLI’s its toner yield as Excellent, stating, “Tested toner yield is well above average Field Test Report for tested products in the competitive group.” BLI’s Field Test Report on the bizhub PRO 920 also noted, “Products that use Simitri toner have had consistently high toner yields in BLI’s in-house lab tests. In addition, new Competitive Analysis Konica Minolta bizhub PRO 920 vs Ricoh Aficio 2090

The bizhub PRO 920 developer and fusing design advancements have been made to enhance imaging was the only product to be and increase yields, according to the company.” named a Fall 2005 BLI “Pick” as “Outstanding Segment 6  The toner’s lower fusing point enhances image quality because pre-printed stocks Multifunctional Imaging Sys- are less susceptible to fuser damage, less curl is produced and images are tem.” Among the reasons cited more consistent. were its strong reliability and good productivity.

Faster First Copies, Faster Copier Efficiency  “Handling media weight to 110-lb. index from In its citation of the bizhub PRO 920 as a Fall 2005 “Pick” as “Outstanding all paper sources and in sizes up to 12" x 18" from Segment 6 Multifunctional Imaging System,” BLI stated, “The bizhub PRO both the bypass and the is at the head of its class in print productivity…the bizhub PRO 920’s overall LCT, and available with copy efficiency is the best tested to date in simplex mode.” The award citation a wide range of finishing also noted that the bizhub PRO 920 is “fastest of competitive models for options, the bizhub PRO producing booklets in print mode, and displayed the highest print efficiency 920 is well-suited to the for the group in both simplex and duplex mode.” When BLI subjected both the paper-handling demands bizhub PRO 920 and the Aficio 2090 to identical productivity and efficiency of production environ- tests, the bizhub PRO 920 showed the following advantages: ments…The bizhub PRO 920 is the fastest among competitive models for  Faster first-copy time from the platen: The bizhub PRO 920 produced its first copy producing booklets in from the copy platen in only 4.2 seconds, versus 4.4 seconds on the Aficio 2090. print mode.”  Faster first-copy time from the document feeder: BLI’s Lab Test report said that the bizhub PRO 920 produced the fastest first copy from the document from the Fall 2005 feeder among all competitive products tested, at 4.5 seconds, versus the BLI “Pick” citation Aficio 2090’s 4.9 seconds. published in  Simplex copier efficiency is higher: BLI’s Field Test results showed that the bizhub Digital Imaging PRO 920’s simplex copy efficiency is 6.93% higher than that of the Aficio 2090. Review  Faster document feeder: The rated speed of the bizhub PRO 920’s automatic document feeder is 92 originals per minute (opm), while the Aficio 2090’s document feeder has a rated speed of only 80 opm. This means bizhub PRO 920 users have their documents fed, and output, at the device’s rated engine speed, while Aficio 2090 users can’t copy from the document feeder faster than 80 ppm, despite the device’s rated engine speed of 92 ppm. * Data from BLI’s Field and Lab Test Reports.

Productivity-Enhancing Features

The bizhub PRO 920 doesn’t just let users work faster. It lets them work smarter. The bizhub PRO 920 delivers more of the features businesses need to keep their workflow moving without interruption, including:

 Bypass tray is standard: The bizhub PRO 920 comes standard with a 150-sheet bypass feeder. In contrast, although a bypass feeder is available for the Aficio 2090, it requires an additional purchase.  Large-capacity tray handles 12" x 18" media: While both units offer optional large-capacity trays (LCTs), only the bizhub PRO 920 offers an optional large- capacity tray that can handle paper up to 12" x 18". Users of the Aficio 2090 are restricted to using paper no larger than 8½" x 11" in the LCT, severely limiting the kinds of jobs that can be fed from the LCT. Competitive Analysis Konica Minolta bizhub PRO 920 vs Ricoh Aficio 2090

Simplex Copy Efficiency Document Feeding Speed (in percent) (originals per minute)

86.4% 80.8% 92 80 100% 100

75 75

50 50

25 25

0 0 bizhub PRO 920 Aficio 2090 Through Automatic Document Feeder bizhub PRO 920 Aficio 2090

First-Copy Time (in seconds) 8

6

4

2 bizhub PRO 920 0 Aficio 2090 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.9

From Platen From Document Feeder

 Wider range of paper weights through main drawers: Although both devices handle up to 110-lb. index, the Aficio 2090 can’t handle paper weights lighter than 16-lb. bond. In contrast, the bizhub PRO 920’s paper drawers can feed paper weights as light as 13-lb. bond, which gives users a wider range of media types that can be used when copying or printing.  Wider range of paper weights through document feeder: The bizhub PRO 920’s standard RADF can handle paper weights from 13-lb. bond to 110-lb. index, letting users feed a wider range of paper weights than the Aficio 2090’s RADF, which handles weights of only 16-lb. bond to 90-lb. index.  Less user intervention: The bizhub PRO 920’s toner yield, at 66,000 impressions, is 20% higher than the Aficio 2090’s toner yield (55,000) impressions. This means users get more use out of each toner cartridge before it has to be replaced with a new one.  Less service intervention: The bizhub PRO 920’s preventive maintenance schedule is 42.8% longer than that of the Aficio 2090 (500,000 impressions, versus 350,000 impressions), so the bizhub PRO 920 makes almost twice as many copies and prints as the Aficio 2090 before it requires preventive maintenance. The Competitive Analysis Konica Minolta bizhub PRO 920 vs Ricoh Aficio 2090

“Because of its bizhub PRO 920’s consumables also have a longer life (photoconductor and developer outstanding image yields are 1,000,000 impressions each, versus the Aficio 2090’s photoconductor and quality and print developer yield of 700,000 impressions each), so they don’t require replacement as often. productivity, very good copy  Higher monthly volume: Konica Minolta’s recommended monthly volume for the productivity and bizhub PRO 920, at 750,000 impressions, is 50% higher than that of the Aficio 2090, which has a recommended monthly volume of only 500,000 impressions. That competitive overall robust monthly volume translates into more productivity for bizhub PRO 920 users. ease of use and price point, BLI  More copy controls: Users of the bizhub PRO 920 can use a total of 1,000 copy control codes – double the number available to users of the Aficio 2090 (500). gives the bizhub PRO 920 an overall  More job programs: The bizhub PRO 920 offers nearly four times the number of Field Tested Rating job programs (99 versus 25) as are available to Aficio 2090 users. of Five Stars.”

Other Highlights of the bizhub PRO 920 from BLI’s Field Test Report The bizhub PRO 920’s advantages don’t stop with reliability and productivity. It also offers:

 Award-winning design: BLI selected this robust 92 ppm device as a Fall 2005 BLI “Pick” for “Outstanding Multifunctional Imaging System.” BLI cited the bizhub PRO 920’s “strong reliability, outstanding productivity and very good image quality” as among the top reasons why.  Certified highly reliable: After the bizhub PRO 920 completed a rigorous two- month, 750,000-impression durability test, not only did BLI certify this device as highly reliable – but the bizhub PRO 920 also earned a Fall 2005 BLI “Pick” as a result of its exemplary performance.  Range of useful utilities: PageScope Web Connection lets users check device conditions on all network-connected Konica Minolta printers and copiers directly from their desktop PCs. PageScope Net Care provides network administrators with detailed information about operating conditions on all output devices containing a Management Information Base (MIB) on a network from any Web browser. PageScope Direct Print lets users print native TIFF files without having to open them first, and if the PostScript option is installed, this utility also lets users directly print PDF files. Plus, PageScope Job Spooler enables viewing of print queues and lets users easily reprint jobs and change priority of jobs in the queue. Optional utilities are also available to handle a wide range of applications including document management and OCR, variable data printing, file format conversion, imposition, routing and bill-back. A plug-in is also available allowing the device to work with HP’s popular Web JetAdmin administrative utility.  Fast, flexible network scanning: Scan to e-mail, FTP, SMB (desktop) or Box (digital mailbox) at 92 opm. Even scan to preselected groups of destinations in a few quick keystrokes. Add soon-to-be-released PageScope Workware or Router for a complete document distribution solution.  Easy PostScript 3 usability: The Konica Minolta–developed PostScript 3 Visual print driver offers a graphical interface that is very easy to navigate for programming simple or complex jobs. In its Field Test Report on the bizhub PRO 920, BLI noted, “The PostScript 3 Visual print driver (Adobe PostScript 3) used in testing is graphical and easy to use.” It also has a very good feature set that allows users to easily print onto tab extensions and specify different features (simplex, duplex, stapling, etc.) for difference page ranges within a document. Competitive Analysis Konica Minolta bizhub PRO 920 vs Ricoh Aficio 2090

SUMMING UP KONICA MINOLTA AWARDS Offering higher productivity at a lower price, as well as a longer PM schedule, higher consumables yields, higher recommended monthly volume, larger range of paper sizes and paper weights handled – and, of course, outstanding image quality – it’s no wonder the bizhub PRO 920 was selected as a Fall 2005 BLI “Pick” for “Outstanding Segment 6 Multifunctional Imaging System.” Proving its ability to handle heavy volumes in a rigorous 750,000-impression reliability test, the bizhub PRO 920 is a certi- fied-reliable workhorse that won’t break the workflow – or the budget. Competitive Analysis Konica Minolta bizhub PRO 920 vs Ricoh Aficio 2090

Specifications at a Glance

Konica Minolta bizhub PRO 920 Ricoh Aficio 2090

Domestic Intro Date Sept-05 Mar-03 Base SRP $39,000 $41,000 SRP (fully configured)1 $48,460 $53,000 SRP (fully configured)2 $48,460 $50,900 Rated Engine Speed 92 ppm 90 ppm Network Printing Optional Optional Recommended Monthly Volume Up to 750,000 copies Up to 500,000 copies First-Copy Time 3.3 seconds 3.5 seconds Warm-up Time 6 minutes 6 minutes Std Paper Capacity 2,000 sheets 3,000 sheets Paper Weights 13-lb. bond to 110-lb. index 16-lb. bond to 110-lb. index Bypass Capacity 150 sheets (standard) 500 sheets (optional) Paper Weights 13-lb. bond to 110-lb. index 16-lb. bond to 80-lb. cover Max. Paper Sources 5 7 Max. Paper Capacity 6,650 sheets 8,050 sheets Max. Original Size 12" x 18" 11" x 17" Max. Output Size 12" x 18" 12" x 18" Scan Resolution 600 x 600 dpi 600 x 600 dpi Copy Resolution 600 x 600 dpi 1200 x 1200 dpi Copier Memory (std/max) 256 MB / 512 MB 128 MB / 384 MB Copier Hard Drive Standard 40 GB Standard 2x40 GB Document Feeder Standard RADF Standard RADF Speed 92 opm 80 opm Capacity 100 originals 100 originals Paper Size/Weights 13-lb. bond to 110-lb. index 16-lb. bond to 90-lb. index PM Schedule 500,000 350,000 Drum Yield 1,000,000 700,000 Toner Yield 66,000 55,000 Users can store up to 250 copy/print Standard User Boxes Available 1,000 jobs (no individual user boxes) Program Ahead Copy Jobs 99 (maximum) 20 (maximum) Booklet Maker Capacity 20 sheets (80-page booklets) 20 sheets (80-page booklets) Large Capacity Tray Max. Paper Size 12" x 18" 8½" x 11"

Ricoh 2105 Printer Scanner Kit PCL5e/6, RPCS, optional PostScript IC-203 PCL 5e/6, direct TIFF printing, Print Controller 3; Fiery EB-105EX print controller opt PostScript 3 with direct PDF PDL/PCL Supported PCL 5e/6 and PostScript 3; or Fiery printing MicroPress 7.0 print controller PCL 5e/6, PostScript 3

1 The Konica Minolta bizhub PRO 920 is priced as configured with the IC-203 network printer/scanner expansion kit, standard bypass tray, PostScript 3 expansion kit, saddle-stitch finisher and 256 MB RAM upgrade. The Ricoh Aficio 2090 is priced as configured with the optional bypass tray, 2105 Printer Scanner Kit, PostScript 3 expansion kit and saddle-stitch finisher. 2The Konica Minolta bizhub PRO 920 is priced as configured with the IC-203 network printer/scanner expansion kit, standard bypass tray, PostScript 3 expansion kit, saddle-stitch finisher and 256 MB RAM upgrade. The Ricoh Aficio 2090 is priced as configured with the optional bypass tray, EB-105EX print controller and saddle-stitch finisher.