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| Laser Multifunction Devices |
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Multifunction Devices March 2000 • Vol.8 Issue 3 |
Laser Multifunction Devices Get Ready For Fast Print Speeds & Moderate Prices | ||
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If quality output, rather than color printing is important to your business, one of the laser multifunction devices in this category is ready to accommodate your office. The laser multifunction devices featured here aren't much more expensive than some of the inkjet multifunction devices in this issue, and in most cases the print speeds are quicker than the inkjet multifunction devices. All of the units we reviewed provide monochrome printing, which means they print variations of black, known as grayscale, and use toner rather than ink. Much like basic laser printers, the multifunction devices we reviewed are designed to handle high output and offer crisp text with sharp edges and detailed graphics. We evaluated four laser multifunction devices in this section, with prices ranging from $549 to $1,899.
If you require a multifunction device with sharp printing capabilities and crisp text and graphics, look no further than the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 3150. This multifunction device can copy, fax, print, and scan, and it produced superior output quality when compared to the other laser multifunction devices in this roundup. The only drawback to this unit is that print speeds are fairly slow. Components. The 3150 is a compact machine, measuring only 15.1 inches wide x 15.4 inches deep x 10.8 inches high. It weighs about 23.4 pounds. You can attach the 3150 to the office network or simply use it as a multitasking machine for receiving faxes while scanning or printing. You can also use the 3150 as a standalone fax if you don't want to connect it to a PC; it offers a 14.4 kilobytes per second (Kbps) modem. The fax features 250 programmable speed dials, saves up to 25 distribution lists for mass faxes, and stores a maximum of 150 pages in memory. The front of the unit has 10 one-touch panel keys for instantly sending faxes, and the control panel is easy to navigate. The 3150's copier component can enlarge or reduce originals from 50% to 200% and, like the fax feature, it can serve as a standalone copier. The copier has a 300 x 300 dpi monochrome resolution and a 600 x 600 dpi enhanced resolution. The unit makes one to 99 copies per job, and there are five contrast buttons to enhance the copy or adjust the brightness of your final product. At first glance, the 3150 may not appear to have an integrated scanner, yet the unit has a designated scanner with a 300 x 300 optical resolution and a 600 x 600 dpi enhanced resolution. There is also a one-touch option to send a scan to e-mail. When you're ready to print single or multiple documents, the 3150 has a printing resolution of 600 x 600 dpi, and the paper tray holds up to 100 sheets. Setup. Getting the unit installed and operational was effortless, and the included drivers walked us through the setup process. HP ships a handful of software titles with the 3150, including HP JetSuite to handle copying, faxing, and scanning utilities and ReadIris OCR software for recognizing scanned documents. The 3150 is easy to use without a manual, but HP includes all of the necessary documentation for learning about the machine and troubleshooting techniques. Performance. With its impressive print quality and detailed halftones, the 3150 didn't disappoint us. The only drawback is that print speeds were fairly slow when compared to the other laser multifunction devices in this roundup and to HP's specifications. It needed 1:53 to print 10 pages of text, and the 3150 took 2:23 to print 12 pages of text and graphics. The other laser multifunction devices all took a little more than a minute in the text and graphics test. The unit delivered detailed PowerPoint slides in 43 seconds, and in 54 seconds produced a superior Photoshop image. In our other tests, the fax output was sharp, and when we scanned a document and used the OCR software, the character recognition was almost perfect, and the copy was close to the original document. When using the copier, all of the reproductions were crisp and easy to read. If you can overlook the slower printing speeds of the 3150, the final output is well worth the wait, and the $599 price tag is fairly competitive. The 3150 is our choice for Best Value in the laser multifunction device category.
If a digital laser copier/printer is on your wish list, the AL-1041 multifunction device from Sharp Electronics is worth consideration. The AL-1041 produced quality prints and above-average print speeds in our tests, but the setup was time-consuming. This unit would be ideal in a small-business setting where laser-quality printing and copying tasks need to be performed. If your office requires a multifunction device for faxing and scanning purposes or prints a lot of graphics, this machine isn't for you, but it does have a large paper capacity and is easy to use. Components. The unit is slightly larger than the HP 3150. It measures 20.4 inches wide x 17.5 inches deep x 11.5 inches high and weighs 39.7 pounds. It includes two paper trays: one front-loading tray that holds up to 250 sheets and another interior tray that holds a maximum of 50 sheets. The side of the AL-1041 has a foldout bypass tray for printing alternative media such as envelopes or labels. The AL-1041 can copy at 400 x 600 dpi monochrome resolution or an enhanced resolution of 600 x 600 dpi. The unit includes the Scan One, Print Many feature for making one copy or numerous copies of single or multipage documents with only one scan of the original document. The feeder scans up to 30 original letter or legal-sized documents, and there is an option to collate the copies. The AL-1041 provides a zoom function to reduce or enlarge documents from 50% to 200%, and it has a Photo Mode for automatically altering halftone contrasts. The AL-1041 handles your printing tasks at a resolution of 600 x 600 dpi. Whether you're using the copy or printing function of this machine, the copies are distributed to a recessed paper tray. We really like the idea of integrating this output tray inside the machine because it saves a lot of desk space. Setup. We had a few problems setting up the AL-1041. The assembly took quite some time, especially when we were connecting the printer trays. We also had problems installing the toner. There is a quick release button on the right side of the machine that releases the toner, but the toner assembly did not fit into position correctly, and it took about 15 minutes to get it installed correctly. The unit includes plenty of documentation with instructions, just plan on spending some additional time for assembly if you purchase this device. Sharp doesn't include any application software with the AL-1041, but there are drivers to connect the machine to your PC. Performance. The AL-1041 impressed us with sharp copies, and at 1:04, it delivered the fastest print speed in the 10-page text test when compared to the other lasers in this roundup. The unit printed 12 pages of text and graphics in 1:23, and it printed three pages of PowerPoint slides in 55 seconds. The graphics were a bit fuzzy. In our last test, the AL-1041 produced a Photoshop print in 43 seconds, but the image lost a lot of integrity in darker sections of the print. Even with its lengthy assembly process and merely adequate graphics, the AL-1041 renders excellent copies and finely honed text. This multifunction device is certainly affordable at $549, but if you print a lot of graphs or highly detailed documents, you probably want to look at a different machine.
Sharp Electronics' other entry in this roundup is the AL-1250. With its razor-sharp text and solid graphics output, the AL-1250 is our choice for Best Performance in the laser multifunction device category. The unit is speedy, capturing the fastest print speed in our 12-page text and graphics test, and it has plenty of features to make it worth the $899 price tag. Components. The AL-1250 multifunction device is colossal, measuring 20.4 inches wide x 18.8 inches deep x 18.27 inches high, so you'll need to reserve plenty of desktop space for the unit. It's also fairly heavy at 56.4 pounds, so it may take two people to heft it on the printer stand or desk. Similar to the Sharp AL-1041 in this category, the AL-1250 has an integrated interior document tray and the Scan Once, Print Many feature for making multiple copies after scanning the document once. The unit has plenty of paper capacity with two 250-page paper trays and one 50-page tray. Like the AL-1041, there is a bypass tray on the side of the unit that folds out and holds up to 50 sheets of paper, and there is an individual 30-page document feeder on the top of the unit. The main control panel is easy to navigate, and there are specialty buttons for adjusting the zoom function from 50% to 200% and changing the exposure. The AL-1250 also has a Photo Mode for printing detailed grayscale photographs and offers a 600 x 600 resolution for printing or copying; it can make up to 99 copies at a time. Setup. Unlike the Sharp AL-1041, the AL-1250 was simple to assemble. We installed the paper trays and the necessary drivers, and the unit responded right away. Sharp includes plenty of documentation with instructions for using the AL-1250. The unit has a control panel similar to those found on most standalone copiers, so using the device is straightforward. Performance. It was hard to tell the difference between the original documents and copied documents in our tests, and the 1250 delivered a 12-page mixture of text and graphics in only 1:19, faster than any other laser in the roundup. When we printed a 10-page Word document, it came within a few seconds of the Sharp 1041, and it printed PowerPoint graphics in 36 seconds. All of the text was crisp and clear, and the graphics had a sharp contrast. The 1250 also rendered an impressive Photoshop image in 42 seconds. Although it doesn't include components for faxing and scanning, with its impressive text output and quick print speeds, the Sharp AL-1250 is our choice for Best Performance in the laser multifunction category. The $899 price tag is more than the HP LaserJet 3150 or Sharp AL-1041, but for quicker prints, extra paper capacity, and numerous functions, it is worth the cost.
The Xerox WorkCentre PRO 16fx is the most expensive laser multifunction device we reviewed. This all-in-one unit serves as a copier, fax, and printer for $1,899. The WorkCentre PRO 16fx delivered some of the quickest print speeds of any of the multifunction devices in this category, and it produced sharp copies and vibrant graphics. The unit failed to impress us with its printing capabilities, as the text had some rough lines, and photos were lackluster. Components. The WorkCentre PRO 16fx is nearly identical in design to the Sharp AL-1250 with the same output trays and extra paper capacity, except the PRO16fx also has a standalone flatbed fax feature. With this extra feature included, the unit is the largest multifunction device in this issue, weighing a whopping 58 pounds and measuring 20.4 inches wide x 19.3 inches deep x 18.3 inches high. The unit can store up to 120 pages in memory for faxing, and it includes a 30-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF) and uses a 14.4Kbps modem for transferring data. There is a separate control panel to navigate the fax functions on the PRO 16fx, including 20 programmable buttons for dialing groups or frequently used numbers. Other buttons offer speed dial and search options, and there is a one-touch button to start the fax. Once you attach the PRO 16fx, you can print documents at a maximum resolution of 600 x 600 dpi. The 600 x 600 dpi resolution remains the same for making copies, and you can print card stock or envelopes using the bypass tray on the side of the unit. The PRO 16fx also provides two 250-page paper trays and one 50-page tray. Similar to the two Sharp units in this roundup, the PRO 16fx features the Scan Once, Print Many utility and the control panel for controlling copy sizes. Altering image quality is simple to do without pouring over the manual. Setup. The WorkCentre PRO 16fx was easy to assemble out of the box, and the included software installs all of the necessary drivers. You won't find any additional software with this unit, but for the basic functions this machine handles, the installation software is adequate. We did need to use the users guide to set the time and date on the machine, but otherwise the display panel was simple to follow. Performance. The WorkCentre PRO 16fx had an excellent performance in our tests, surpassing every multifunction device in this category in our PowerPoint and Photoshop tests. The device printed the Photoshop document in 39 seconds, but the output was dark and had a lot of streaking. For the PowerPoint test, the PRO16fx printed three pages filled with graphics in 28 seconds, and the final product consisted of sharp edges in charts and good contrast. Other print speeds included an acceptable 1:17 when printing 10 pages of text and 1:23 in our text and graphics test. We also tested the faxing capabilities of the machine, and although the original document featured crisp text, the faxes received and printed by the PRO 16fx were a bit dark, and the edges of the text were jagged. The WorkCentre PRO 16fx sells for $1,899, rather high when you look at the other laser devices in this category. However, the machine delivers sharp copies and graphics in a short amount of time, so for good quality copies and quick printing, you might want to see if this powerhouse fits into the office budget. by Buffy Cranford-Petelle View Chart
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