Xerox VersaLink C7120 Vs Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn

Eco-Conscious Champion vs. Feature-Packed Powerhouse:

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: the Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn and 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.

Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn: 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.

If you want to buy a Xerox VersaLink C7120 then head over to our store

or call us on 0800 011 2858

Here's a full feature comparison table

 
Features Xerox VersaLink C71XXV_DN Kyocera ECOSYS M8124cidn Store link
Notes Model is also sometimes referred to as C71XXDN or the "Desktop" model Notes -VersaLink C7100 Series Colour Multi-Function Printer (scriptumds.co.uk)
Speed - pages per minute A4 Colour 20 / 25 / 30 24
Speed - pages per minute A4 Mono 20 / 25 / 30 24
Recommended Average Monthly Print Volume (AMPV) Pages 5,500 10,000
First Print out time Colour (seconds) 8.8 10.2
First Print out time Black (seconds) 6.9 7.5
Print Resolution (D.P.I.) 1,200 x 2,400 1,200 x 1,200
Inner output tray capacity (sheets) 250 (additional 250 dual tray optional) 250 / 30 Centre Tray for Xerox VersaLink MFP's - 497K17800 (scriptumds.co.uk)
External face up Catch Tray capacity (sheets) N/A N/A
Screen Features      
Screen Size (inches) Fixed or Tilting 7 - Tiltable 4.3 Fixed
Personalised layout for each user when logged on Yes No
Ability to lock features to unauthorised users Yes No
Ability to create one touch workflows Yes Requires Optional SD card
External Keyboard No No
NFC Mobile unlock - Tap to Pair Yes No
Login with PIN Yes ?
Login With Mobile App Yes ?
RFID Card Reader Integrated (Optional) Integrated (Optional Kyocera Card Authentication Kit (B) AC) https://shop.scriptumds.co.uk/products/rfid-card-reader-port-for-versalink-c71xx-and-altalink-c81xx-models-497k18121?_pos=1&_psq=497K18121&_ss=e&_v=1.0
Single Sign On SSO to Cloud Services Yes Requires Optional SD card
Access to Cloud Identity Providers Yes Requires Optional SD card
Full integration to LDAP Yes Requires Optional SD card
Access Cloud repositories for printing Dropbox / 365 / OneDrive / Box / Google Drive Requires Optional SD card
Ability to create one touch workflow for commonly performed tasks Yes Requires Optional SD card
Requires Optional SD card
Printing Features
Multi Task - Simultaneous print / copy / scan by multiple users Limited due to no Hard Drive
Genuine Adobe Postscript Optional Not available - only emulation WEBLINK
Booklet Printing Standard No
Banner Printing No No
Application defaults configurable (e.g.print emails in mono) Fully Customisable No
Rules Based Printing Yes No
Configurable user permissions (user, group, time&date, Colour or Mono) Yes No
Microsoft Universal Print Support Yes ?
Apple AirPrint Yes Yes
Mobile Printing Standard & Included at no extra cost Yes
Thin Print Support Standard & Included at no extra cost UG-33 optional
USB Port for printing Standard & Included at no extra cost Requires USB Flash Memory
Printing from 3rd party Cloud services Dropbox / 365 / OneDrive / Box / Google Drive Requires Optional SD card
Scanning Features      
Multi Task - Simultaneous print / copy / scan by multiple users Limited due to no Hard Drive NO
Platen Lid NO NO
Duplexing Document Feeder Yes Standard
Single Pass Scanning Document Feeder Standard Not available
Document Feeder capacity - Sheets 130 50
Document Feeder Speed Colour (single sided images per minute) 80 50
Document Feeder Speed Mono (single sided images per minute) 80 50
Document Feeder maximum / minimum weights gsm Not Stated Not Stated
Scanning Resolution D.P.I. 600 x 600 600 x 600
Simplified auto set up to Gmail, iCloud, Microsoft, Yahoo Yes No
USB Scanning Standard limited capacity as no hard drive Requires USB Flash Memory
Scan to 3rd party Cloud services Dropbox / 365 / OneDrive / Box / Google Drive ?
OCR Scanning Standard Requires Optional Scan Extension Kit A £936.00
Encrypted PDF Yes Yes
Scan Preview Yes No
Paper Capacities & Stand      
Cabinet / Stand included No No - requires CB472 cabinet
Tray 1 (Max Sheets / Max Size / Max Weight) 520 / A3 / 256 A3 / 500 sheets / 60 - 256GSM - Optional PF-470
Tray 2 (Option A)      NO CABINET           (Max Sheets / Max Size / Max Weight) Optional 520 Optional - A3 / 60 - 163GSM - Optional PF-471 WEBLINK
Tray 2 (Option B)   Includes Cab     (Max Sheets / Max Size / Max Weight) Optional 520 Optional - A3 / 60 - 163GSM - Optional PF-471 WEBLINK
Tray 3 (Max Sheets / Max Size / Max Weight) Optional 3 x 520 drawers Optional - A3 / 60 - 163GSM
Tray 4 (Option A)      3 x 520                   (Max Sheets / Max Size / Max Weight) WEBLINK
Tray 4 (Option B)     870 + 1,130       (Max Sheets / Max Size / Max Weight) Optional N/A WEBLINK
Tray 5 Side Feeder         (Max Sheets / Max Size / Max Weight) 2,000 sheet A4 Optional N/A WEBLINK
Maximum possible paper capacity including bypass (sheets) 4,180 1,600
Maximum Paper Weight single sided Through cassettes (gsm) 256 - All Cassettes 256 (Cassette 1 only)
Maximum Paper Weight duplex (gsm) 256 (Bypass) / 169 (Cassettes) 60 - 260
Bypass capacity (Sheets) 100 100
Bypass Maximum Size / Weight GSM A3 / 256 A3 / 50-256
Banner Feeding No No
Memory & Processor & WiFi      
Genuine Adobe Postscript 3 Optional Not available - only emulation WEBLINK
Hard Drive Capacity GB Optional 320GB HDD None
Hard Drive Type Optional SSD
AES 256 Encrypted Hard Drive Optional No - requires Data Security Kit E £535.55
Hard Drive Upgrade Options N/A HD-6: SSD 32 GB £502.00
HD-7: SSD 128 GB
Processor 1.05 GHz Dual Core ARM Cortex-A9 Dual core 1.2 GHz
RAM Memory GB 4GB 1.5 Standard
 1GB Upgrade £127.43
2GB Upgrade £249.71
Wireless Option Can use LAN & WiFi Concurrent Optional IB-51 £275.55 - Yes, but for direct printing only, does not connect to a network WEBLINK
Wi-Fi Direct without connection to LAN Yes Yes - via optional IB-36
Gigabit Ethernet Standard Standard
Weight & Dimensions      
Width with 4 cassettes 590MM - Single Cassette 590MM
Depth with 4 cassettes 671MM 590MM
Height with 4 cassettes 766MM - Single Cassette 753MM
Weight 62.5KG 76KG
Security & Access Control      
Audit Log Yes No
FIPS 140-2 Enhanced Encrypted Security Yes Requires Optional Data Security kit (E) AC £535.55
RFID Card Reader port Optional Optional WEBLINK
NFC (Tap to Pair) Standard No
Trellix McAfee® Embedded Control (whitelisting) Standard No
Trellix McAfee® Integrity Control Optional No WEBLINK
Transport Layer Security TLS 1.3 No
Common Criteria (ISO/IEC 15408) Yes No
Cisco® Identity Services Engine (ISE)Integration Yes No
Fleet Orchestrator Yes No
SIEM Support Yes No
Device Cloning for simplified multi printer installations Yes No
Supplies      
Black Toner Capacity - A4 Pages 31300 / £149.55 TK-8115K Toner Kit: Microfine toner black for 12,000 pages A4 - £55.75 WEBLINK
Cyan Toner Capacity - A4 Pages 18500 / £211.95 TK-8115C - 6,000 - £51.58 WEBLINK
Magenta Toner Capacity - A4 Pages 18500 / £211.95 TK-8115M - 6,000 - £51.58 WEBLINK
Yellow Toner Capacity - A4 Pages 18500 / £211.95 TK-8115Y - 6,000 - £51.58 WEBLINK
Running cost Colour - Toner only 3.04p
Running cost Mono - Toner only 0.42p
Toner Capacity Supplied with Printer Black 16,100 / CMY 9,800 Black 3,000 / Colour 1,500
Drum Life - pages 109,000 mono / 87,000 colour 200,000 WEBLINK
Developer 200,000
Transfer Belt Cleaner - page life 200,000 WEBLINK
Second Bias Transfer Roll - page life 200,000 WEBLINK
Waste Toner Container 30,000 WT-895 - capacity ? £13.99 WEBLINK
Fuser 100,000 WEBLINK
Environmental      
Warm up time (Cold) Seconds 60 30
Warm up time (Standby) Seconds 12 not stated
Proximity Sensor for auto wake up No No
Energy Star Yes 2
EPEAT Gold Yes ?
Blue Angel Yes ?
Cisco EnergyWise® Yes
Power Consumption (TEC)
Noise Level operational 6.9 B (A)
Noise Level Standby 4.1 B (A)
       
Optional Extras Full List
Paper Feeding      
Additional Single 520 sheet Paper tray    NO STAND (total 1,140 sheets) Optional WEBLINK
Additional Single 520 sheet Paper tray    Inc stand (total 1,140 sheets) Optional WEBLINK
Additional Three tray module (total 2,180 sheets) Optional WEBLINK
2,000 sheet Tandem Tray  Cabinet Optional WEBLINK
2,000 sheet "High Capacity Side Feeder" Optional WEBLINK
3,000 sheet "High Capacity Feeder" N/A
Envelope Tray Optional - replaces tray 1 WEBLINK
Centre Tray Optional Centre Tray for Xerox VersaLink MFP's - 497K17800 (scriptumds.co.uk)
Long Sheet Feeding (Banner Printing) N/A
Paper Tray Lock Kit Optional
Finishing      
Convenience Stapler Optional WEBLINK
Centre tray Optional WEBLINK
Internal Finisher Optional WEBLINK
Office Finisher Optional - Requires cabinet or Paper Stand WEBLINK
Booklet Maker add on for Office Finisher Optional WEBLINK
2 / 4 hole Punch for Office Finisher Optional WEBLINK
Business Ready Finisher N/A
Business Ready Booklet Maker N/A
Swedish 4 Hole Punch for BR N/A
C/Z Folder N/A
Centre Tray N/A
Various      
Genuine Adobe Postscript Optional WEBLINK
Work Surface Optional WEBLINK
Wireless Connectivity Kit Optional WEBLINK
RFID Card Reader Integrated (Optional) https://shop.scriptumds.co.uk/products/rfid-card-reader-port-for-versalink-c71xx-and-altalink-c81xx-models-497k18121?_pos=1&_psq=497K18121&_ss=e&_v=1.0
Fax Kit Optional WEBLINK
Fax over IP Kit Optional Fax over IP Kit for Xerox VersaLink MFP's - 497K23620 (scriptumds.co.uk)
Trellix McAfee® Integrity Control Optional WEBLINK