On the surface it seems like it’s the Eco-Conscious Champion (Kyocera M8124cidn) vs. Feature-Packed Powerhouse (Xerox VersaLink C7120)

Choosing the right entry level A3 colour multifunction printer can be a difficult task, with so many makes and models to choose from, it can feel overwhelming.

Today, we compare two popular options: we have a full in-depth review of the Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn and a full in-depth review of the Xerox VersaLink C7120. Both offer printing, copying, scanning, and duplex printing, one of these printers ends this showdown as a clear champion, but which one is it?

Read on to find out.

Is the Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn really the Eco-Friendly Contender?

Kyocera has long been an appealing brand to businesses focused on sustainability and eco-conscious practices. The Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn bangs on about its eco credentials and environmental friendliness, but we found it a struggle to obtain any cold hard data to support this claim. In fact, we could only find one independent credential, that was Energy Star compliance. Whereas the Xerox VersaLink C7120 can claim Energy Star, EPEAT Gold, Blue Angel, Cisco EnergyWise.

Kyocera claim that they have long life components, but again we found this wasn’t the case. The toner cartridges for the Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn last for just 6,000 colour and 12,000 mono. That’s very low by modern standards and will certainly increase your running costs.

The Xerox VersaLink C7120 cartridges have more than three times the capacity of colour at 18,500 pages per cartridge, and 2.6 times the capacity of black toner at 31,300 pages.

Toner is the most changed component on a printer, so refilling the printer three times as much is going to add up to a lot of extra fuel for transport and materials that have to be produced and recycled. We can’t see how Kyocera can justify their marketing and claims that the Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn has “significantly less environmental impact”.

Round one goes to Xerox.

Speed

The Xerox VersaLink C7120 runs at 20 pages per minute (PPM) colour and mono, the Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn is slightly faster at 24 PPM. If you need something faster, Xerox have two identical models in the range with the only difference being the PPM. The C7125 operates at 25PPM and the C7130 at 30PPM. Kyocera also has a faster model in the series, the 30PPM Kyocera ECOSYS M8130cidn.

Round two goes to Kyocera.

Print Quality

The Xerox VersaLink has a print DPI of 2,400 x 1,200, trumping the Kyocera’s 1,200 x 1,200. Whilst DPI isn’t the be all and end all when it comes to print quality, Xerox uses a super fine Emulsion Aggregate Toner and low energy LED Laser. These features alone put the Xerox C7120 in to a different league.

Round three to Xerox.

Footprint

The Kyocera are within a whisker of each when it comes to size. The base models with single cassette are exactly the same width, the Xerox is 81mm deeper and 13mm taller.

Round four is a draw.

Security

Xerox have the highest credentials when it comes top security, they’ve been recognised as leaders in almost every independent report. Check out the comparison grid at the bottom of this article.

Round five to Xerox

Ease of use

The Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn has a 4.3 inch fixed screen, compared the the 7 inch tilting screen on the Xerox VersaLink C7120. The user screen on the Xerox can be customised and personalised to each user. As the user logs on, the screen changes to their configuration.

The Xerox VersaLink C7120 comes with Xerox’s ConnectKey technology included. There is a range of free and customisable workflows and apps that improve productivity. There are some additional third party Apps that are chargeable.

Kyocera have their HyPas platform, but it is a much slimmer offering and additional hardware has to be purchased in order to access the HyPas system.

Round six to Xerox (it’s beginning to look like a walkover for Xerox)

Postscript Printing

Postscript is Licensed by Adobe, adding the ability to Print in the Postscript format means that the printer manufacturer has to pay a license fee to Adobe. The Xerox VersaLink C7120 has an option to add genuine Adobe Postscript printing.

The Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn comes with Postscript emulation included, and there is no option to add Genuine Adobe Postscript.

If you are a business or professional working in design, such as an Architect, Graphic Designer or you use the Adobe Suite of products, then you should know that this type of software requires you to create PDF’s and print accurate Postscript files. Accuracy is no doubt important to you, and emulation just isn’t going to cut it.

Round seven to Xerox

Document Feeder

The Xerox VersaLink C7120 comes with a single pass duplexing document feeder that scans both sides of your originals in one pass. That means that your document passes through the feeder without reversing, reducing jams and offering higher speeds.

The Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn does have a Duplexing Document feeder, meaning it can scan both sides of your document, but it has to feed the document in and reverse it back out to turn it over, leading to a higher risk of jams and slower speeds.

Round eight to Xerox

Processor Chip Set

The Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn has an ARM Cortex-A9 Dual core 1.2 GHz, edging past the 1.05Ghz Dual Core in the Xerox VersaLink C7120.

Round nine to Kyocera

Memory

The Xerox VersaLink C7120 comes in two versions the C7120V_D and the C7120V_DN (also known as the C7120DN). What differentiates the two is that the model with the N suffix does not have a Hard Drive and centre output tray, whereas the C7120V_D has a 320GB Hard Drive and centre output tray. They both have the same RAM memory of 4Gb though.

The Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn has no hard drive as standard, there are two crazy very expensive SSD options. In addition the standard RAM is a puny 1.5Gb, upgrades are available, but once again the prices are crazy high.

Round ten to Xerox

Running Costs

The Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn has a lower cartridge cost when compared to the  Xerox VersaLink C7120, but the Xerox cartridges contain three times as much toner.

Cartridge costs alone for the Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn work out at 3.04p for colour and 0.42p for mono. With a Fully Managed Service the Xerox VersaLink C7120 cost per print is as low as 2.6p colour and 0.26p for mono.

That’s a conclusive win overall for Xerox, the Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn appears to be in a different league, it can’t compete with a top performer like the Xerox VersaLink C7120 on features and total cost of ownership.

Price

The best price we could find for the Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn was £1,299.99 +VAT. The best price for the Xerox C7120V_DN from Scriptum is £1,495.00 +VAT.

You can buy the Xerox C7120 from Scriptum HERE

If you are considering either of the above models or any other Multi-Function Printer for your business, give Scriptum a call on 08000112858 or email us interface@scriptumds.co.uk