Multifunction printers call the tune

The Test Procedure

In testing these multifunction printers, we focused on several principal areas: print quality, scanning and copying results, speed, and cost-of-use. In each area we note the significant differences, notably in terms of speed and usage costs. The cost factor demonstrates that initial purchase price is not the only consideration, as consumables have a significant impact on overall cost-of-use.

Printing Performance Tests

All time measurements are taken from the moment the printer driver software is activated, not when printing actually starts. This is done to avoid the problem of including the time taken to prepare the document for printing, which will naturally vary from one PC to another. This is the list of performance tests we ran:

• Time taken to print ten pages of text in draft and standard modes
• Time taken to print a document of combined text, image and graphics, in standard color mode and grayscale
• Time taken to print an A4 color photo in photo mode at maximum resolution

Scanning And Copying Performance Tests

For this test, we used an A4 color document we carried out several tests to assess the performance of the scanner component. Principal measurements were carried out using Paint Shop Pro 9.

• Time taken to produce a preview of the A4 document
• Time taken to scan the A4 document at 300 dpi, 24 bits
• Time taken to scan the A4 document at 600 dpi, 24 bits
• Time taken to make a black and white copy at standard quality
• Time taken to make a color copy at standard quality
• Time taken to make a 200% enlarged copy of the original A4 document