Colorqube 8570 Printer Review

The Colorqube 8570 is a solid ink color printer ideal for a small to medium sized office that needs a compact printer that can handle the workload of an office while still providing exceptional quality prints. This printer has a monthly duty cycle of as much as 85,000 pages, with a recommended monthly print volume of 8000 pages. The Colorqube 8570 measures only 16 inches wide, 20.5 inches deep, and 14.5 inches high, making it compact enough to be easily incorporated into an office.

This printer connects via a high speed USB cable that can be purchased from almost any office or computer supply retailer. For connection to a network or a workgroup, the Colorqube 8570 utilizes a wired Ethernet connection. The Colorqube 8570 is compatible with many operating systems in use today, including Windows 2003, Windows 2008, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.5 and higher, Linux, and Solaris.

The Colorqube 8570 utilizes four solid ink color sticks that produce bright, vivid prints throughout the life of the ink stick and produce less waste than a standard toner cartridge. The black solid ink stick for the Colorqube 8570 can produce as many as 4,300 pages before needing to be replaced. The magenta, yellow, and cyan solid ink sticks for the Colorqube 8570 can each produce as much as 4,400 pages before needing to be replaced. The standard page capacity of the Colorqube 8570 is 650 sheets, with the option to upgrade to as much as 2,200 sheets. The output page capacity of this printer is 350 sheets. The high page capacity of this printer, combined with the high page capacity of its solid ink sticks make it easy to print even large jobs without needing to worry about replacing the consumables. The Colorqube 8750 prints at a rate of 30 pages per minute for black and white and color prints, with a first page out time of only 5 seconds for black and white and color.

This printer is powered by a 1 GHz processor, and prints with a resolution of 2400 dpi. The standard memory that ships with the Colorqube 8750 is 512 MB, with the option to upgrade to as much as 2 GB. Duplex printing is optional on the Colorqube 8750.

Overall specs:
• Paper Capacity: 650 sheets, upgradable to 2,200 sheets
• Print Speed: 30 ppm black and white and color
• Measurements (WxDxH): 16 in x 20.5 in x 14.5 in
• Resolution: 2400 dpi
• Connectivity: USB
• Duty Cycle: 85,000 pages/month
• Memory: 412 MB, upgradable to 2 GB

The Advantages of Solid Ink Sticks

As opposed to ink cartridges used in an inkjet or laser printer, solid ink sticks are just that – solid. When the printer warms up it also warms the ink stick and applies a thin layer of ink onto the page where it then cools instantly. All of this usually takes place in five seconds or less.

One of the major advantages to having a printer that uses solid ink is that it reduces the waste that is produced by traditional ink cartridges because it is sold with very little packaging. Since solid ink sticks do not come in ink cartridges, they are made to be handled directly and are therefore nontoxic, as demonstrated the Tektronix CEO when he swallowed a piece of solid ink. Also, solid ink sticks are easier to produce and therefore spill less CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.

Another advantage to solid ink sticks is how easy it is to put new ink into the printer. When the printer alerts the consumer that the ink is low, they can simply open the top of the printer. The instructions are clearly displayed and if the right type of ink was purchased, it should be the only kind that fits into the specific slot in the printer. Solid ink sticks are very purposely manufactured to be different shapes and sizes so it is nearly impossible to load the wrong kind of ink into the printer.

Finally, printers with solid ink sticks are made to be shared, and would be good for an office or public setting due to their high print speeds and quality. Although the printer may take a little longer to warm-up at the beginning of the day than some printers, after that it prints high quality pages from the very first time. Even with the high print speeds, solid ink sticks are very competitively priced and will last for a long time.

These solid ink sticks are among the most sophisticated Xerox ink products that the company produces. You’ll find this technology within the popular Xerox Phaser 8560 and most recently the Xerox ColorQube 8570 model printers.

Xerox Phaser 7760 Printer Review

If you are in the marketplace for a printer with the wow factor, then the Xerox Phaser 7760 is the printer for you.  The type of office this printer will naturally find a home is in a creative one, where bulk documentation is printed out on a regular basis as the duty cycle is an enormous 150,000 pages per month.  There are a distinct range of software options with many different types of colour enhancement tools including the PhaserMatch 4.0 colour management and calibration tool.  The Xerox toner on this model are manufactured in a high capacity to take the hassle out of changing toners on a regular basis and even though this is an A3 printer, the machine is relatively compact and will not dominate the office space it resides in.

Xerox Phaser 7760 Printer

The Xerox Phaser 7760 does not need constantly nursemaiding and it is a relatively simple matter to change the Xerox 7760 toner.  These have been manufactured into astonishingly large capacities, with the black toner giving 32,000 page yields at 5% coverage and then the cyan, magenta and yellow Phaser 7760 toner giving 25,000 page yields at 5% coverage.  The standard paper capacity is 650 sheets with options to add in an additional 500 sheet tray, then a further 1,000 or 2,000 sheet trays depending on the model you pick.

Everything about this machine is exceptionally compliant when it comes to setting up onto your network, PC or Mac and the installation CD makes this a breeze to install.  The CD is worth an extra look because there are a host of extra software enhancements for both administrators and colour management and calibration tools.

The important part of this machine … how does it perform as a printer, does not disappoint.  Printing speeds are 35 pages per minute for colour and 45 minutes per minute for black and white.  The resolution is 1200 x 1200 dpi and Xerox also have a tool for ‘trapping’ blacks, to make sure the text stays crisp and the colours unsullied.

The printer can have the memory taken from the standard 512MB right up to 1 GB of memory and the processor is 800 MHz.  If you regularly print out documents in-house, you may want to invest in the professional finisher, which gives stapling, folding, stitching and stacking options.

Printer Overview
Printer Type: Colour Laser
Duty Cycle: 150,000 pages per month
Dimensions (w x d x h): 644 x 724 x 493 mm weight: 92kg
Memory: 512 MB / 1GB
Print Resolution: 1200 x 1200 dpi
Print Speed (Colour): 35 pages per minute
Connectivity: USB 2.0, 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet
Paper Capacity:  650 sheets

Lexmark C736 Review

For medium sized businesses and workgroups the Lexmark C736 is a remarkable choice for a printer. The Lexmark C736 offers a high quality printer at a very affordable price and cost cutting toner options. Lexmark created a printer that can accommodate offices and needs of all types, with the extensive list of optional features including; expandable input trays up to 4,300 pages, high yield toner options, network ready printing and a 550 page specialty media drawer. The Lexmark comes standard at a size of 17.7 inches high, 17.1 inches wide and 18.5 inches deep, which could easily fit on an average sized desk. With all features added, the Lexmark C736 could be a free standing printer  of nearly 4 feet tall.

Connecting this printer to any already established group or network of computers can easily be done without any hassle. The Lexmark C736 comes standard with a 10/100 Ethernet port to easily connect into any wired network. Also, the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port enables it to be easily added to just one computer if it’s only needed for one computer. The Lexmark C736 Color Laser Printer is compatible with just about any Windows operating system that is newer than Windows 98. Also, this printer is compatible with Mac OS X and Mac OS 9.x.  Also another optional feature in which you can upgrade this printer with is wireless networking, if wireless printing is needed in your office space, this printer could work very well.

For printing in color the printer’s 2400 x 600 dpi resolution should be more than enough for most office’s needs. The Lexmark C736H1KG (Black), C736H1MG (Magenta), C736H1CG (Cyan), and C736H1YG (Yellow) are the high yield toner cartridges for the Lexmark C736 and offer yields of 12,000 for the black cartridge and 10,000 for the color cartridges. The extra value in the high yield toner cartridges are more than worth it considering it will lower your overall cost of owning the Lexmark C736.

Overall specs:

•    Print Speed: 35 ppm color and monochrome
•    Paper Capacity: 650 sheets standard
•    Memory: 256 MB standard, upgradable to 1280 MB
•    Resolution: 1200 dpi by 1200 dpi
•    Connectivity: High speed USB and Ethernet
•    Duty Cycle: 85,000 pages/month
•    Measurements (WxDxH): 17.7 in x 17.1 in x 18.5 in

Brother MFC 9120 Multi-Function Color Printer

Designed for a small office that needs a compact printer that also performs a variety of tasks while still producing high quality images and text, the Brother MFC 9120 is an ideal choice. Boasting a monthly duty cycle of as much as 25,000 pages and a recommended monthly print volume of up to 1,500 pages, the Brother MFC 9120 can easily meet the needs of a small office and while also functioning as a copier, fax and scanner combo. The Brother MFC 9120 has an average print speed of 17 pages per minute whether printing in black and white or full color, making it more than capable of quickly and easily handling even large print jobs.

For printing and copying in black and white and full color, the Brother MFC 9120 uses four Brother TN210 toner cartridges that can each produce a high yield of pages while still maintain excellent print quality. These Brother TN210 toner cartridges come in black, magenta, cyan, and yellow. The starter toner cartridges that come with the Bother MFC 9120 can each print as much as 100 pages. In addition to the starter cartridges, Brother also sells high capacity toners that significantly increase the number of pages they are capable of printing. The black high capacity toner cartridge can print up to 2200 pages, while the cyan, yellow, and magenta cartridges can each print 1400 pages.

In addition to high print capabilities, the Brother MFC 9120 can copy at a speed of 17 copies per minute and can function as a standalone copier. The integrated fax machine transmits at a rate of two seconds per page in monochrome and color. This printer supports 64 MB of memory that can be upgraded to as much as 576 Mb for users who need it, and can print with a resolution of 600 dpi by 2400. The Brother MFC 9120 measures only 16.9 inches wide, 19.3 inches deep, and 15.7 inches high and can support a page capacity of 250 sheets.

This printer is compatible with Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above. The Brother MFC 9120 utilizes a high speed USB cable, wired Ethernet connection, and phone line for connectivity.

Overall specs:

Print Speed: 21 ppm monochrome or color
Paper Capacity: 250 sheets standard
Memory: 64 MB standard, upgradable to 576 MB
Resolution: 600 dpi by 2400 dpi
Connectivity: High speed USB
Duty Cycle: 25,000 pages/month
Measurements (WxDxH): 16.9 in x 19.3 in x 15.7 in