Out with the Old, In with the New

There comes a time when machinery reaches the end of its lifespan. In the print shop here at My Father’s World, that usually happens every 3–5 years. Our printers are production machines, designed to have high-volume output for multiple years. But with that output comes wear and tear, and eventually the machine can’t keep up with the standards it once had.

Over the past few months, we’ve had a printer that was reaching that point, and it was time for a replacement. During that time, we’ve been reviewing and testing new printers to see which one would best suit our needs. After much deliberation, we came to a decision and settled on a Canon V800 series color toner printer.

Now, you may be thinking that this changeout is as simple as unplugging the old machine, rolling it out, and then rolling in the new one. I wish it were—believe me, I really do. This is actually a four-day process, and sometimes it takes a bit longer.

The first step is that the company we lease our printers through (shoutout to Sumner One) comes in and breaks down the machine we currently have in place. For us, this was a C8000 printer—a larger machine that is now part of a discontinued line. This machine consumed quite a bit of power and used three-phase power to run. It came apart into four parts that, when assembled, were approximately 14–16 feet long.

Once that machine is off the floor and out of the way, our in-house maintenance and facilities team comes in and updates the electrical setup for the new V800 printer. This new machine runs on 220 power and draws significantly less power than the old one. So, this means removing all of the three-phase connections and rewiring for a 220 outlet. Once this is complete, we are ready to have the new machine installed.

The new machine is delivered and set up by technicians from the leasing company. Like the old one, it arrives in multiple pieces. The techs assemble the machine and then ensure it is perfectly level, with each component aligned correctly to the next. This allows paper to flow smoothly through the entire machine without jamming at connection points. Once the physical installation is complete, calibration and file setup begin.

We calibrate the machine for color and image quality, then set up the different types of paper that will run through it. Each paper type may require different settings depending on factors like thickness, finish, and gloss. As we set up the paper profiles, we also transfer files saved from the previous printer. This process can be time-consuming and may require us to go back and make adjustments along the way.

This process started last Wednesday and was completed just yesterday—a full week of installation, calibration, and adjustment. But I’m happy to say that it is done, and we are running at full production with the new machine today. So far, we’re seeing exactly what we expected when we made this decision over a month ago. And based on my experience using Canon machines for over a decade, I don’t expect us to be disappointed moving forward.