Konica Minolta MagiColor 2590mf

The Konica Minolta MagiColor 2590mf is a color laser printer, copier, scanner and fax all in one. It offers a lot of features, enough to keep even the busiest office satisfied.

Once unpacked, the device can be configured in no time at all. It’s just a matter of unwrapping and connecting it as the toners and drum are already installed. The configuration process is simple, once the device is connected to a network or PC, just install the drivers and off you go. The MagiColor 2590mf comes with USB and network connections built in. They both worked as soon as they were plugged in and had the drivers installed on the relevant machines.

The well populated control panel may look a little busy, but is clearly marked and simple to use. The grey LCD can be a little cryptic, but the enclosed manual is easy enough to follow to keep up. Each button has enough space around it as to not press others accidentally, with each function having its own discrete area.

The standard paper tray holds 200 sheets with the option to expand to 500. The multipurpose tray a further 50 and the output tray can hold 100 sheets.

Copying and printing provided good quality documents every time. Color reproduction was a little light on detail, but is more than good enough for office use. Text quality was clean and crisp, which is the main consideration for most office machines. Even though it’s a four pass laser. the speed of operation is impressive at an average of 18 pages per minute for monochrome and 5 for color.

The scanning and fax options are basic but reliable. Scans on the standard setting came out a little murky, but with a little adjustment in the software, they cleared up nicely. The fax has the usual broadcast, phone book, memory and answer phone compatibility options, but doesn’t offer anything others don’t. While it’s true that most multifunctions are primarily printers and copiers, it does seem as though the scanner and fax were an afterthought. Despite that, the four functions work well together, and don’t seem to trip over each other like some others we have seen.

This is a solid machine that would work well in any office. Decent print quality, with good accuracy make this a viable contender. Reasonable toner costs, and easy access to them add to the mix. A good purchase for those who want a decent printer at a decent price.

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HP LaserJet 1020

I bought the HP LaserJet 1020 after reading reviews about it on a couple of websites. I always research my purchases, especially as cost doesnt always mean quality. I like to learn from others misfortunes before committing time and money to something.

I must admit I was glad I bought this, and not some of the others out there. Its small and quite easy to set up and the quality of the prints is excellent. It comes with a starter cartridge which lasts for around 1000 sheets of normal printing. A replacement only costs $30 and will last another 2000, or a high yield for $37 will last 3000 sheets.

I use this printer for personal stuff and have found it ideal. It is only black and white, but I dont need to print color. It connects to my computer by USB and is controlled completely from there. It has to be because there are no buttons or controls on the printer itself. It is pretty much a blank box, paper goes in one end and the print comes out the other. Any fiddling with settings or cancelling of print jobs has to come from the printer control panel on the pc, which isnt a problem for home users, but might be for an office.

The prints themselves are good. I mainly print code, or text and every single sheet I print looks clear and bright. I occasionally print an image or photograph and they come out okay too. The grays make the picture look old fashioned which adds extra appeal. It marks the color differences well, with a different shade of gray for each different color.

The LaserJet 1020 prints at something like 14 pages a minute, although I rarely print that many. The other good thing about it is that is warms up almost immediately, which is a nice bonus for us impatient users. It still takes a few seconds to warm once it has been powered down, but if you use standby its ready almost instantly.

This is a great black and white printer, ideal for the home or home office user. Its easy to put together, to install and to run. The prints are as good as youre likely to need and it wont let you down.

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Copystar CS 2030

The Copystar CS 2030 is a well-built copier that has the multi-function capability that all businesses require in today’s technology dependent world. The CS 2030 is another in the long line of efficient but sturdy copiers produced by Copystar, the MFP division of Kyocera Mita America.

As a basic unit, the CS 2030 is a digital copier capable of digitally storing an original document and printing it multiple times. This allows for noise-reduction, but more importantly helps preserve and shield original documents from the wear and tear of older model copiers. In fact, the CS 2030 can continuously copy up to 250 pages automatically

As for specifications, the CS 2030 comes with a standard copier memory of 64 MB RAM and can produce an impressive volume of up to 30,000 pages per month. Furthermore, it has two paper drawers that each has a paper capacity of 250—along with a multi-purpose tray that can hold an additional 50 pages. Copystar claims that the CS 2030 can print 20 pages a minute—however, consumers should remember that this number refers specifically to pages printed in black-and-white.

The CS 2030 advertises a warm-up time of 30 seconds and a first-copy time of about 5.5 seconds. The consumer would be pleasantly surprised to find out that these figures are fairly accurate in practice.

In terms of digital resolution, the CS 2030 offers a crisp 600 dpi to its users. It also has a copy ratio from 50% to 200%—in this new era of digital copiers this ratio is industry standard. The copier, while advanced, is not cutting-edge, as can be seen from its ability to print in grayscale and not color ink, as some businesses might require.

The Copystar CS 2030 really starts to become attractive when considering the array of options that are offered. The CS 2030 is modular in design, allowing it to be easily fitted with a printer and fax-machine, making the CS 2030 an MFP that most offices would look to buy. As this standalone digital copier can be converted in to a fully functional network-connected printer/scanner/fax machine, it is ideal for a smaller workgroup or a division of an office.
The optional printer comes with an upgradeable 8 MB memory and is compatible with PC’s and Mac’s. The fax machine capability uses the industry-standard Super-G3 Laser Fax, making the machine ready for everyday faxing. The optional scanner is also fairly standard, as is an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) allowing for increased productivity.

The Copystar CS 2030 is a solid digital copier. However, its true quality is unveiled when it is converted into an easy-to-use multi-purpose copier/fax-machine/scanner, which is ideal for most small business units.

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HP LaserJet 2200

If you are looking for a user friendly printer that is ideal for small work requirements and while it is built for small printing tasks it offers high quality, resolution, fast speed, efficiency and reliability at an affordable rate, look no further than the HP LaserJet 2200.

This printer has been designed with a large number of additional features and many additional components and programs that will enhance and aid the functioning of this machine. Furthermore, many users will attest, this printer is versatile and can adequately handle both small and large printing tasks.

Talking about numbers and other specifics of this printer, it prints at a speed of up to eighteen pages per minute and with a low warm and start up time it is capable of producing the first print in under fifteen seconds which is impressive. The HP LaserJet 2200 also allows automatic dual side printing which serves to save time and paper. While the dual side printing is being done, you will not have to stand over the printer for long stretches of time because its dual printing feature does not require manual support. It switches sides on its own so that all you need to do it specify data to be printed and select print.
In addition to being able to use the computers memory to retrieve data, integrate and organize it, retrieve it and then finally print it with the HP LaserJet 2200, you can also transfer data from your PC, PDA or cell phone on to the printer via the fast infrared receiver that has been built in to it.

With a resolution of 1200 dots per inch x 1200 dots per inch, high print quality is guaranteed with bright colors, sharp features and overall neatness. the HP LaserJet 2200 can adequately handle up to three hundred and fifty sheets of paper at a time.

There are numerous additional products that show compatibility with the HP LaserJet 2200 and further enhance its working and efficiency. These include the original HP LaserJet 49a black print cartridge, the HP LaserJet CE505X black print cartridge, the LD remanufactures Hewlett Packard set of three black laser toner cartridges and more. In addition to being speedy, efficient, reliable and easy to use, this printer works very quietly which means that you will not at all be badgered by loud churns and clicks while the printing is working away.

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Lexmark E260

The Lexmark E260 is a monochrome LaserJet printer with a high printing speed and quality results. The Lexmark E260 is a relatively lightweight printer with an average weight of 29.8 lbs. It offers automatic duplex printing that makes things easier for businesses and even for home users, especially if they have high work volumes.

The Lexmark E260 offers an average printing speed of 33 pages per minute; it is an above average speed for standard A4 pages. Speed goes down for A-size paper at 35 pages per minute and goes further down for duplex printing. Average duplex printing estimate on A-size papers is estimated at 17 pages per minute, which is still pretty decent.

Lexmark E260 offers parallel and USB network interfaces along with a maximum resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi. It uses image enhancement technology with final results as high as 2400 IQ. It supports PCL 5E, PostScript 3, PCL 6, Adobe PPDS and IBM PPDS technology. A standard 250-sheet input tray along with a one sheet manual tray is provided with the Lexmark E260.

The E260 has a 400MHz processor along with 32MB RAM that can be expanded to 160MB. This printer is equally good for general printing as well as for printing envelopes, letterheads and transparencies. Standard toner cartridges ensure excellent printing quality and image resolution. The Lexmark E260 is Energy Star compliant and does have economical use of electricity that is further improved during sleep and hibernation modes. The Lexmark E260 is a quiet printer with an average sound volume of 55 dBA during average printing jobs. This level of noise is further reduced during the quiet mode. Lexmark E260 is good for offices where a high level of silence is not just required but is part of the normal operating procedures.

Installation of the Lexmark E260 is easy and does not take much time. An average user can easily install the Lexmark E260 within 10 to 15 minutes. The Lexmark E260 comes with user-friendly manuals that have detailed information on setting up the system. It can be easily synchronized with the desktop and works as an excellent desktop printer. Network printing task can also be done easily and without any technical glitches. The Lexmark E260 is good for offices that need to print plenty of documents on an average working day. It’s typical speed of 33 pages per minute is above average and better than many of its competitors. The Lexmark E260 is overall a better choice for businesses and can also be good for home offices where a high volume of printing is required.

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