Multifunction Device Offerings

Some organisations still opt for dedicated printing devices, but the real action is in the multi-function market segment.

Here feature sets are improving as fast as prices are coming down.

The current crop of devices offers everything from colour document and photo printing to scanning, copying and faxing.

Many units come equipped with colour LCD screens for preprint viewing and manipulation. Another feature of many is an ethernet or wireless connection that allows the printer to be easily added to a network.

If you’re kitting out a small or home-based office and don’t want to be surrounded by multiple devices, a multifunction printer is worth the investment.

Brother MFC-6490CW

BROTHER has moved the goalposts in the multifunction inkjet market by releasing the first unit capable of A3-size printing.

Although this won’t be of great use to some, if your work involves producing large diagrams, charts and plans, it will appeal instantly. To deliver this large-format feature, Brother has created a very large printer.

The MFC-6490CW weighs in at more than 15kg and is almost 0.5m wide. Think carefully about office space constraints before you purchase one.

The front panel houses an array of control buttons and a 3.3in LCD screen. The layout is intuitive and all functions easily accessible without having to delve into the instruction manual.

The scanner has a maximum resolution of 6000 by 1200dpi and handles copying and faxing functions. Connection options include ethernet, WiFi and a phone line for faxing.

On top of the scanner is a document feeder, paper and inks are fed into the unit through panels on the front.

Document output quality is good (albeit not as good as a laser printer would produce), but make sure you’re not in a rush to see the results.

Black-and-white pages take about 20 seconds to appear and colour is much slower, especially if you’re after an A3 image. A test print of a 1.5MB photo file took 12 minutes.

Photo-print quality is reasonable, but if you’re looking for A3-sized prints to hang on your office wall, you’d be better off going to a photo printing shop.

Overall, this unit will appeal to those needing to produce A3-sized output on a regular basis, and who have the office real estate to house a large printer.

HP Photosmart C5380

CLOAKED in a curvy white case adorned with a 2.4in LCD display and a row of silver buttons, the C5380 looks like it should cost a lot more than its $219 sticker price.

Aimed squarely at the home-office market, this unit is just as happy printing black-and-white documents as it is high-quality photos. The only way to connect the printer to a PC is via a USB cable, but images from digital cameras can be printed easily from a range of card reader slots on the front panel. MemoryStick, CF and SD cards are accepted.

The inbuilt colour screen is handy when all you’re looking for is some quick prints of photos that don’t need any work.

There’s even a red-eye removal button on the front panel that automatically overcomes this basic but regularly occurring problem.

Overall, images are where this MFP comes into its own.

HP’s legacy of photo printing is clearly evident, with prints on photo paper showing strong colours and excellent clarity.

A standard 4in by 6in print takes about 30 seconds to create.

Black-and-white text printing is handled well, with pages appearing in about 20 seconds.

The clarity of the text is good and stands up well when compared with similar output from a laser machine.

The C5380 comes with some worthwhile software that helps new users through the set-up process, including paper choices and resizing photos for printing.

One downside of the unit for office use is that it doesn’t come with fax functionality.

Although it happily scans, prints and copies, this is one thing that might count against it for anyone looking for a single device to handle all tasks.

Lexmark X5650

STRAIGHT out of the box the X5650 screams corporate printer, because of its black and grey case and utilitarian design.

Functions are accessed via an array of front panel buttons. Lexmark has opted not to include an LCD display, instead equipping the MFP with a two-line text screen. The key functions of copy, scan, fax and photo are accessed via dedicated buttons.

Also on the front are a choice of memory card slots and a USB port.

On top of the scanner lid is a document feeder and a removable cover for accessing the unit’s internals.

On the performance front, the X5660 is good but not spectacular.

A page of black-and-white text with some colour logos printed clearly took about 30 seconds to appear.

Photo printing is relatively quick, with 6in by 4in prints taking about two minutes to complete.

Quality is OK, but it’s pretty obvious the unit is not designed specifically for this. Colours are a little washed out and prints lack the clarity of those produced by dedicated photo printers.

Not having an LCD screen is also quite limiting when it comes to photos. Because you’re unable to preview images on the device, you have to revert to a connected PC to see exactly what you’re ordering.

For anyone looking for a solid, reliable printer for a small or home office, the X5660 is worth considering, but if you’re doing more than the occasional printing of photos it would be best to look elsewhere.

CONCLUSION

THE MFP sector is crowded and there are many combinations of features, capabilities and prices.

In this trio, the Brother 6490CW stands out because it creates A3-sized outputs.

Size aside, though, while the Lexmark X5660 offers solid, dependable performance, the photo printing capabilities of the HP C5380 makes it the stand-out in this group.

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Multifunction Device Offerings

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