Upgrade to the Xerox VersaLink C500 (Why it’s Worth Doing)

The VersaLink C500 is a fast, budget-friendly printer designed to improve on the older Phaser 6700 series. Just as the Phaser 6700 was the fastest desktop printer of its time, the C500 offers best-in-class speed while printing bright, vivid color documents.

If you are currently using a Phaser-series printer, there is a good chance that the Xerox VersaLink C500 printer is the right choice for streamlining your office’s daily operations.

The VersaLink C500 offers the following features:

• Fast Printing Speed – Up to 45 pages-per-minute 8.5 x 11-inch for both color and black-and-white pages.
• Considerable Monthly Print Volume – Xerox designed the C500 to handle up to 8,000 pages per month.
• Heavy Maximum Duty Cycle – At maximum print volume, this printer can handle up to 120,000 pages per month.
• Modern Security Features – All VersaLink printers can verify their own firmware, create self-signed certificates, produce audit logs, and maintain multiple access controls and role-based permissions.
• Easy Installation – The VersaLink’s no-nonsense set-up process is simple enough for non-IT employees to complete it without additional help.
• ConnectKey Integration – Xerox ConnectKey offers secure state-of-the-art connectivity and streamlines complex workflows.
• High Print Resolution – This printer can print at up to 1200 x 2400 DPI, more than enough for most professional document and brochure requirements.

However, there is more to a printer than its printing speed, monthly volume, and other specifications. To determine whether this is the right printer for your office, you need to perform a print audit that matches your typical weekly print usage to the device specifications.

What is a Print Audit?

A print audit is an in-depth analysis of your usual office print load. Xerox Print Audit software can integrate with your network and monitor your print usage over time to generate a report. That report will give you comprehensive information about printing, scanning, and copying in your office, letting you make a better-informed decision about upgrading your print fleet.

Print auditing software is more secure and more comprehensive than manual print volume tracking. Even highly reputable firms can miss important billable prints and plots when performing manual print volume tracking. Fortunately, a software print audit solution can track all of these expenses using the network infrastructure common to any modern office enterprise.

You may find that your office is pushing the limits of your current printing solution, which would indicate a need for a higher-performing printer.

Print Audit Cases for Upgrading to a VersaLink C500

The VersaLink C500 is best suited to work teams of between 5 and 15 users.

Its ability to maintain role permissions between user groups and its compatibility with Apple AirPrint, and Google Cloud Print makes it an ideal solution for small offices that regularly need customizable print solutions.

As a desktop printer, this is not the large office workhorse like the VersaLink C7000 would be. It can cover the needs of small, project-focused teams that need ample access to printed documents in a streamlined manner.

A print audit that indicates a monthly print volume under 8,000 pages presents a good case for the C500 series. The printer’s 550-sheet feeder and 150-sheet capacity MP feeder offers support for this volume without creating production bottlenecks.

However, office procurement teams and executives also need to plan for the future, and if scalability is an issue, upgrading to the higher-capacity C600 series may represent greater long-term value.

This printer can feed and print paper as heavy as 80-pound cover stock, making it suitably versatile for multiple office uses.

Print Consumable Cost Overview

Xerox offers multiple replacement toner options for VersaLink series printers. These range from standard-capacity toner cartridges to extra-high-capacity replacement toners. Choosing the extra high capacity option can save money on print costs in the long term, but requires a greater up-front investment.

Procurement employees in high volume print environments will note that the C500 has a reduced cost-per-page when compared to the older Phaser 6700 model, particularly with mid-coverage color prints, such as newsletters and business proposals.

If high-coverage color prints such as magazine layouts are a common part of your workflow, then a higher-capacity color printer may represent a better value. In fact, this is often the case even if the average monthly print volume is not as high. Keep in mind that a simple monochrome business document uses far less toner than a detailed color business brochure.

Look to your print audit to determine your average consumable usage compared to your monthly print volume to determine whether you are pushing your current printer hard enough to warrant upgrading beyond the Xerox VersaLink C500.

Are you ready to upgrade to a digital production printer? Talk to one of our specialists about your printing needs and we’ll tell you if the Versalink C500 is right for you.