Buying the right printer is key for your own office needs, you want to find something that meets all your printing workplace needs. It’s important and imperative that you make the right decision and understand whenever an upgrade is available to invest in.
For many businesses, their office printer is the central hub of their daily operations. And buying the wrong one can come with serious financial consequences.
We want to use our expertise of the last 37 years with our partnership with Xerox to better educate and inform you of the best printing decisions you can make for yourself.
We wouldn’t want to talk to you about a product that we don’t trust ourselves to sell. Hopefully that doesn’t make this article sound too misleading. We keep things open and honest when it comes to dialogue about our devices.
As you probably already know, the product we’ll be reviewing today, the Versalink C415 won’t be the best fit for everyone, however, that’s okay, this blog is here to help you determine if this is the right fit.
Ultimately, it’s up to you in terms of what you decide for your printing needs for the future. We just want to help you make a more informed decision with some in depth information on why this is a great printer to purchase.
Now that we have gotten our quick dialogue on the honesty of the article out of the way, let’s get to the product at hand. We’ll go over some of the basic specifications, a deep dive into the pros and cons, let you know how much it cost and the features that come with it, and then tie everything up with some reasons it would or wouldn’t be a good fit for you.
Xerox VersaLink C415 Basics
Here are statistic and information about the VersaLink C415 to help you get a feel for the printing speed, volume, resolution and the cost.
Print Speed: Up to 42ppm (pages per minute)
Monthly Duty Cycle: Up to 125,000 pages
Recommended Monthly Print Volume: Up to 10,000 pages
Print Resolution: 1200 x 1200 dpi (dots per inch)
First-Print-Out-Time: As fast as 6.8 seconds color/6.2 seconds black-and-white
First-Copy-Out-Time: As fast as 7 seconds color/6.2 seconds black-and-white
Base Model Dimensions: 22” x 25” x 23.6”
Base Model Weight: 59.5 pounds
Cost: Starting at around $1,399
Here is visual of the base model of the VersaLink C415, see the picture below:
Xerox VersaLink C415 Key Features
Here are some of the key features that come with the VersaLink C415.
Touchscreen Interface and Xerox App Gallery
Like its predecessor the VersaLink C405, The Xerox VersaLink C415 still keeps the stylish, customizable, seven-inch tablet-like color touchscreen, where you can complete printing tasks effortlessly.
Accompanied with this display is the ever so immersive and expansive Xerox’s App Gallery. Some applications for your office environment could be Google Drive, Microsoft One Drive and DropBox. If those aren’t the ones you want, that’s okay, you can always customize the apps on the display screen to what’s most convenient for your workplace.
Another optional app you can add to your machine is the Xerox Translate and print app. If you have documents in different languages, this app allows you to translate those documents with ease. But what if you wanted to connect your mobile device? You can do that too with the plug-in for Android, iBeacon, and Apple Air print too.
The mobile ready feature is key for those in the workplace environment who need ease of printing from their device. Nobody wants to always be standing at the printer in the office waiting for the pages to come out. You’d rather print from your phone, grab a coffee and get your papers when it’s done. You can do that even easier now, by tapping your phone to the machine enabled with Near Field Communications technology.
Xerox’s ConnectKey technology is the always advancing technology of printing that combines the mobile phone and tablet like displays with the speed and ease of everyday work printers that incorporate a workplace assistant atmosphere.
Here are the Connect key Technology advancements implemented with the C415.
- Intuitive User Experience
- Mobile and Cloud Ready
- Comprehensive Security
- Enables Managed Print Services
- Custom solutions and customization-Xerox’s Extensible Interface Platform makes it possible to even create new apps for specific workflows too.
Printer Security
The VersaLink C415 contains a comprehensive approach to security with four key factors Xerox takes into effect.
- Preventing unauthorized access
- Detecting suspicious or malicious behavior
- Protecting data and documents
- External Partnerships through standards of the industry and certifications
According to Xerox’s website, these include: a comprehensive Firmware Verification test upon printer activation, alerts if any harmful changes to the printer get detected and further security enhancements by Xerox’s partnership with Cisco, a tech company that offers security solutions.
It’s helpful to inform yourself of the security measures that companies are taking before making a purchasing decision. To learn more about printer security, read these blogs:
- Xerox’s Approach to Cybersecurity and Why It Matters
- 4 Ways to Protect Your Printer from Cyberattacks
Xerox VersaLink C415 Accessories and Upgrades
Let’s look at some of the standard accessories and different configuration options that will allow you to customize and upgrade your machine in ways that best optimize your business needs:
Standard Accessories
Here are the accessories that come standard with the VersaLink C415:
- A 50-sheet Single-pass Duplex Automatic Document Feeder (DADF) that scans two-sided original prints for copy, scan and fax jobs
- A 250-sheet output tray with a tray-full sensor
- A manual feed slot that’ll handle media sizes from 3 x 5 in to 8.5 x 14 in/76 x 127 mm to 216 x 356 mm
- A 550-sheet paper tray with a standard paper capacity of 700 sheets (including Bypass Tray)
Optional Accessories
Now, let’s look at some of the additional accessories you can have included with your machine upon purchase:
- 550-sheet tray (up to 2) which adds an additional capacity of paper up to 1,451 pages.
- Wireless Network Adapter which enables wireless connectivity and includes support for Wi-Fi Direct
- 500+GB Hard Disk
- Card Reader Kit
- A stand that provides storage for toner cartridges, paper and other supplies
One feature with the optional accessories that sticks out is the convenience stapler. This helps with simple stapling needs even when the printer is offline up to 20 sheets at a time.
Here’s a better breakdown of what the optional features look like that only come with the C415 when it’s all together.
2 Pros of the Xerox VersaLink C415
Next, let’s look at some of the pros of the VersaLink C415:
1. All-In-One Color Printing Solution
This printer is designed to do a lot of things that make the workplace printing experience easy to maneuver through and effortless to implement in a workspace. This printer can double as a fax machine and copier too. This is what makes it so multifunctional. You aren’t just buying a printer; you’re buying a machine that can do so much more.
Here is a blog highlighting more information about multifunction printers:
2. Security All Around
Having a printer that is safe is just as important as making sure it prints. If you’re someone who cares about the security of the documents you’re printing, then this is the one for you. Here are some examples of the security measures:
- Network intrusion and data transmission
- Protection from unauthorized access
- Stringent data encryption
- Add security to individual documents
2 Cons of the Xerox VersaLink C415
Let’s now go through some of the cons of the VersaLink C415:
1. Run Black Feature
The C405, the predecessor to the C415 allowed for printing in black and white when color toner was depleted. The C415 doesn’t continue to print in black and white when you run out of color toner.
2. Influx of optional accessories costing more
The VersaLink C415 does come with several accessories that add additional cost. The convenience stapler is around $339 to add on, which can be a determining factor for some. However, that attachment could certainly help with getting multiple jobs of printing and stapling done before you get back to your desk. The cost of the machine plus any additional attachments such as this one should be budgeted.
Xerox VersaLink C415 Cost
As listed previously, the base cost of the VersaLink C415 is around $1,399. This doesn’t include optional upgrades or maintenance plans that you may want to include upon purchase of your machine.
While you will still be able to execute wireless printing as long as the printer is connected to your network, you may want to purchase a separate Wireless Connectivity Kit to set up WIFI on the VersaLink C415 if you don’t have adequate network drops in your office.
It’s also handy if you need to move the printer around the office to ensure you will be able to print wirelessly. You can purchase the WIFI accessory for around $50.
Some vendors may offer trade-ins and there’s also the option to lease your printer, rather than purchase it outright. Leasing a printer breaks down the total price into more affordable monthly payments. For more information on the cost of a printer and how you can pay for it, read these blogs:
- How Much Does a Copier/Printer Cost?
- Leasing vs. Purchasing a Copier/Printer
- 4 Ways You Can Pay for Your Next Printer
Think the Xerox VersaLink C415 Is Right for You?
The VersaLink C415 is a quality option to serve workplaces of up to 2-10 daily users that need a color multifunction printer equipped with advanced features such as a higher level of security.
However, the VersaLink C415 is not a fit for workgroups that print over 8,500 pages, offices that need to print in black-and-white only, or those that need a single-function printer for their workspace.
Our time in the printer/copier industry has afforded us the knowledge that can help you get the most out of your office printing equipment, no matter what your situation is.
If you think the VersaLink C415 is right for you, or need help determining which office printer to go with, reach out to us and we will guide you to your ideal solution, even if it’s not with us.