Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c Adds Value to My Father’s World Product Line

“Based on quality and economics, we have been able to utilize it to encompass more of the things we want to accomplish in one simple machine .”

Jon Dalton of My Father’s World: “It’s a workhorse – we run it almost constantly.”

Jon Dalton, lead printer at My Father’s World, a Rolla, Missouri-based printer of curriculum primarily focused on home-schooling, has seen first-hand the benefits cut-sheet inkjet can deliver. His shop’s direct experience with the Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c inkjet printer has enabled it to gain a greater margin on the curriculum it produces – a vast majority of which is sold directly to the consumer – add more to color printing jobs and achieve a higher perceived value for its products.

The Need and the Solution

For My Father’s World, the goal of adding the Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c was to replace two toner-based printing units – one color and one black-and-white. “The idea was to lower the cost of color printing,” Dalton says. He says that because toner-based systems run on a “click fee” model, while with inkjet, one must only purchase the ink, the result has been “significantly lower costs.”

Dalton says that not only did the Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c “take over more of the printing than we thought it would,” but that the print quality was better than he expected. The quality was so good, in fact, that “we’ve taken quite a few books that are full color throughout off the toner and put them onto the Kyocera.” About that system, he proudly adds, “It’s a workhorse – we run it almost constantly.”

Dalton shares that migrating from toner to inkjet did not come without initial concerns. His expectation was that he would experience a loss in quality. But after using the Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c to produce curriculum, his shop had no intention of bringing over to inkjet, he says, “a layperson would not be able to tell the difference. This Kyocera – I’m blown away by the quality I’m getting right now.”

Asked if he was surprised by any aspects of inkjet production, Dalton adds that while it was not a surprise, he is impressed by the simplicity of the process. “The Kyocera has a lot less parts that wear out or can break or have issues.” He adds that while toner systems have drums, charge units, and more rollers, “the Kyocera doesn’t have all of that. There’s not so much to wear out. It has saved a lot of downtime.” Asked about uptime experienced on the TASKalfa Pro 15000c, he says his shop has run more than 3,000,000 sheets on the system, and “the uptime is tremendous.” When service has been required, he says he has received “a quick response.”

Meeting the Promises of Inkjet

But as a process touting lower cost to operate, has cutsheet inkjet met the promises of those who sell the systems? Dalton says, “We’ve been counting impressions and calculating how much the machine has cost us. Compared to “clicks” on toner, inkjet is 50% lower.” The cost is so much lower that his shop convinced one of the company owners that she could go full-color with a new product without incurring increased production costs. This, he says, can bring higher margins on products. He shares that the Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c is “easily saving us money, and we are putting out the quality we’re used to putting out."

While Dalton says that, economically, the Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c “has done exactly what they said it would do,” he believes the system's capabilities drive My Father’s World’s equipment purchases. “While we did have some hesitancy at the start, we saw it had the capability to do all we wanted it to do.” This includes high-quality, salable printing onto thick papers, card stocks, and papers with various finishes. “It’s performing very well,” he adds. “We have not been forced to use a different media to get it to work for us.”

One production factor that keeps Dalton engaged with toner-based printing is the coated stock it uses for, for example, glossy book covers. Looking at how inkjet technology is developing, however, he believes that reality will change in the near term. Once that challenge is addressed, he shares, “We could absolutely see ourselves going to all inkjet in the future.”

Does Dalton believe other print service providers could also realize the gains experienced by his shop? “Absolutely,” he says. “Because of the cost savings of inkjet, the Kyocera could work in almost any print shop.” With the Kyocera TASKalfa 15000c on his equipment floor, he adds, “Color is so inexpensive to do – any printer could use this and offer color at an economical price.”

Technology Proven Through Experience

Jon Dalton of My Father’s World shares how the Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c lives up to common equipment expectations.
Print Speed: “One of the fastest machines out there.”
Print Quality: “Exceeds all my expectations.”
Ease-of-Use: “It’s a very user-friendly machine.”
Cost of Production: “An extremely economical machine to operate.”
Reliability: “I’m gonna say it again … exceeds all our expectations, it really has.”
Service: “Kyocera has an excellent service division. They are so responsive.”