Best Buy in Multi-Function Devices

Pro

1 April 2005

Saving space can be very important in today’s office, regardless of whether you work at home or in a busy office trying to make the most of limited space.

Devices that perform two or three functions in one are an obvious choice for those who are faced with space problems. Whether it is a printer and scanner you want, or a printer, scanner, fax and photocopier, there are plenty of models out there that could fit your requirements.

We took a look at what devices are on the market for under €1000, and examined what consumers get for their money. With budget-minded small business owners in mind, the test distinguished between inkjet and laser all-in ones and gave a best buy award in each category. The HP Laserjet 3330 was the only laser model on the market and we tested it singularly. Oki uses its own technology called LED and as such its OkiOffice 87 had to be tested in isolation as well.

HP OfficeJet d145 — €729

The Officejet d145 is an inkjet printer, scanner, fax machine and copier in one. Although it is not as compact as some models, it looks quite stylish. There are various one-touch buttons on its front panel that allow you to scan and copy easily, and settings such as print quality can also be altered using a single button. The LCD panel keeps you informed of what is going on with the device – i.e. whether it is warming up, busy or having problems.

The printer uses HP Photoret III technology and prints at a resolution of 2400 x 1200 dots per inch (dpi) in colour, using photo paper. Monochrome prints at a resolution of 1200 x 1200 using photo paper, and 1200 x 600 dpi using best or normal mode.

The scan resolution is 1200 x 4800 dpi, which is a bit higher than some of the machines reviewed here. However, the 48-bit technology only applies for PCs, so Mac users miss out. The flatbed scanner also users OCR software, so users can scan a document into editable text format.

The printer documentation claims the d145 prints at 19 ppm, but our tests put it at a bit less than that, depending on the documents or graphics you are trying to output.

The copying function is quite useful and extremely easy to use, thanks to the one-touch buttons. Users can expect to output 18 ppm in black and white, and 16 in colour – a bit faster than some of the other models. There are also some advanced copy functions, such as poster, mirror and clone. The copy resolution is 600×1200 dpi, so any copies you make should be quite clear. 

Another advantage of the HP OfficeJet d145 is that it has a built-in photo card reader, so you can print directly from the card without having to go through your PC. It supports Compact Flash II, Memory Stick and SmartMedia.

An optional print server, the Jetdirect 200m, allows you to use the printer over a network.   There are a couple of other optional accessories available for the Officejet d145, such as a two-sided printing accessory and a 250-sheet plain paper tray. 

  • Weight & form factor 8
  • Number of functions offered 9
  • Print, scan and copy resolution 9
  • Network connectivity & ports 7
  • Value for money 8
  • Total: 41/50
  • Contact: HP +353 (0)1-615 8200

OkiOffice 87 — €725

The OkiOffice 87 differs from the rest of the machines reviewed here slightly in that it uses its own proprietary Light Emitting Diode technology.

So what exactly does the OkiOffice 87 do? Like the other devices here, it faxes, prints and copies, but it does so solely in black and white. There is no scanning facility on the machine, which puts it at a bit of a disadvantage to the other machines. The OkiOffice 87 appears to be primarily designed as a fax machine and printer — the copy function is similar to that of any plain paper fax machine, in that you must run the document through the machine rather than place it on the glass like a regular photocopier. This may not be suitable for all offices – after all, not everyone is confined to photocopying text-only documents. For convenience, copying is conducted at the touch of a button.

But for a small office without any colour photocopying or scanning needs, the OkiOffice 87 will probably more than satisfy requirements.

The machine can be used on PSTN and PABX networks. As an optional extra, users can choose to get the ISDN compatible version of the OkiOffice 87.

The fax machine transmits at up to 33600kbps automatic fallback, with 64000 for the ISDN option. The horizontal resolution reaches 600 dpi. Ten one-touch keys on the front panel of the machine allow automatic, single key dialing of pre-programmed fax numbers. If you need to send faxes to multiple recipients, the machine can be programmed with five groups so that you can do so with a single selection. The fax machine also has advanced transmission and reception features, including delayed transmission, confidential transmission and reception and polling.

Print quality delivered by the OkiOffice 87 is excellent – text reproduced crisp and clear and in a reasonably short space of time.

This is probably one of the most compact machines in this review – it took up a minimal amount of space on the desk (probably due to the integrated fax/copy function and lack of a scanner). Its dimensions are a mere 316mm x 383mm x 190mm when the paper trays aren’t connected. And at 8kg, it is not the heaviest device in this group test.

Another advantage of the OkiOffice 87 is that it included the necessary cables to attach it to the machine — in this case, a printer cable was included. Internet and network options are also available.

  • Weight & form factor 8
  • Number of functions offered 7
  • Print, scan & copy resolution 7
  • Network connectivity & ports 7
  • Value for money 8
  • Total: 37/50
  • Contact: Oki +353 (0)1-404 9590

Lexmark X75 — €229

The Lexmark X75 is a printer, scanner, colour copier and fax machine all in one. The main difference between this machine and others in this test is that its fax function requires the user’s PC fax modem to work. Whether or not this puts the machine at a disadvantage to others is purely a matter of user choice; and after all, what you lose in the independent fax function, you gain in a smaller footprint.

The X75 uses thermal inkjet technology, which involves heating the ink and transforming it to a vapour-like substance before putting it on the paper.

The print heads are placed on each cartridge rather than the printer itself, so the documentation for the printer claims you get a new printer every time you change the ink cartridge.

As a printer, the X75 delivers up to 2400 x 1200 dpi in both monochrome and colour. The print speeds are a little slower than other devices; in monochrome, the printer will produce 11 pages per minute and this falls to six for colour printing. Both reproduce crisp text, and graphics are quite good.

Copying in monochrome will yield up to nine pages per minute, while colour manages four. This can be conducted at the touch of a button. The colour reproduction, for the most part, is quite accurate, although the copier did have a few hiccups when it came to reproducing more vibrant colours. However, this appeared to be a minor problem across the board in this review, not just the X75.

Scanning is relatively easy. A one-touch button on the front panel of the machine begins the scan without having to touch your PC (although, naturally, you will actually have to switch it on!).

Resolution-wise, the scanner performs at 600 x 1200 dpi optical, and 9600 dpi enhanced. This produced high quality scans, with very little deviation from the original image – if any.

The software included with the X75 allows you to touch up images you have scanned, eliminating red-eye, adjusting the brightness and contrast and rotating the images.

To function, the device requires a minimum of Windows 98 for a PC and OS 9.x for a Mac. The device connects to the PC through a USB cable, which was included in the box.

Aesthetically, the X75 may not be as impressive as some of the other devices, but without a multitude of buttons to dazzle you, it is a bit less intimidating for the less technology-inclined.

  • Weight & form factor 8
  • Number of functions offered 8
  • Print, scan & copy resolution 8
  • Network connectivity & ports 7
  • Value for money 9
  • Total: 40/50
  • Contact: Emcee +353 (0)1-456 7911

Canon SmartBase MPC600F — €575.55

This replaces four devices in your office, as the SmartBase MPC600F is a printer, scanner, fax and copier in one. The device can be hooked up to PCs using either a parallel cable or USB connection  – once again, neither were included in the box.

One advantage of the MPC600F is that it uses single ink technology, which means that you won’t have to replace the entire ink cartridge just because one colour runs out — you just replace that colour.

Print speeds of up to 17 pages per minute in monochrome and 12 ppm in colour are quite impressive, although whether the printer reaches its top speed really depends on the type of document you are trying to print. Its resolution of 2400 x 1200 dpi gives impressively clear text and graphics, regardless of whether it is colour or monochrome.

The flatbed scanner uses Contact Image Sensor (CIS) and scans at up to 9600 dpi (digital) and 600 x 1200 dpi (optical), which is a bit less than some models reviewed here. However, the images scanned are still quite clear and there is no visible distortion. 

More vibrant colours proved a bit of a problem when scanning and colour copying, but in general, the colour reproduction was good. Copies can be enlarged or reduced at the touch of a button, while image quality can also be adjusted from the front panel. Users can also switch between colour and black and white copying easily using the buttons. Copying in black and white allows users to output up to 17 pages per minute, while colour copying will produce ten in the same time.

If you are sending a fax to a machine with colour fax capabilities, the MPC600F allows you choose whether you want it sent in black and white or colour. If the machine you are transmitting to doesn’t support colour faxing, the MPC600F will alert you of this fact via the LCD panel.

The Canon model includes Canon’s MultiPASS Suite for Windows software.

  • Weight & form factor 7.5
  • Number of functions offered 9
  • Print, scan & copy resolution 7.5
  • Network connectivity & ports 7
  • Value for money 8
  • Total: 39/50
  • Contact: Canon +353 (0)1-205 2421

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