Reviews related to : Printers
Printers have changed dramatically over the last few years moving from office work-house to home gadget
The technology leading this shift from office to home has been 'inkjet' where the printer shoots high-quality liquid ink at paper through a fine array of nozzles.
Although Inkjet technology has come to dominate most home printers, laser printers have also quietly improved and dropped in price. Most notably here it's now possible to get a colour laser printer for under £100 (although consumables can remain very expensive!).
Like many other areas of technology, printer manufacturers have integrated what were separate devices into single units to deliver 'multi-function' or 'all in one' printers incorporating scanners, copiers, printers and faxes into a single compact device.
While colour does give documents eye-catching appeal and helps emphasize points of importance; not all documents require this feature.
In many cases a well laid out document in black and white is all that is required to get a message across to interested parties. As a result monochrome printers, especially of the laser variety, have an important role to play in the creation of certain types of documents. The Canon i-SENSYS LBP3360 falls into this category. Designed more to give a feeling of solidity rather than an overall stylish appearance, the LBP3360 is a boxed-shaped unit.
I first saw a pre production unit of this tiny printer at the start of the year, I got a working unit around a month or so ago, here just in time for the Christmas party season is my review.
It is very small and runs in a built in rechargeable battery so you can happily print with no mains power around. It is 12x7x2.2cm and weights 220grams. It will fit easily in a bag or at a push in a pocket. The special coated paper comes in packs of ten or thirty. The sheets are 7.5x5cm. Images can be printed direct from a camera or phone using Bluetooth or by direct connection using Pict Bridge.
This is a rather squashed looking grey unit, but it does have some surprises, it is an All In One unit, it can print direct onto CD’s and DVD’s and while on printing, in custom mode you get close to 30PPM.
The Canon MP610 is 44x40x18cm the last figure the height increases by around 20cm when paper is waiting to be printed in the vertical rear tray. Although it has the squashed look it is remarkably clean as all the controls are under a lid that also has the 5x4cm TFT display inset into the rear of the cover.
You know you are in for a variety of visual treats when the Polaroid gang are in town showing off the latest range of products (and that doesn’t include the strong rumour that Kylie was in the immediate vicinity).
The new offerings feature digital photo frames; digital cameras for all ages; LCD TVs; a portable photo printer; and a PMP (Portable Media Player). First up are a couple of digital photo frames that both feature a black bezel. The XSU-0770S is a 7-inch model with a contrast ratio of 250:1, brightness of 300cd/m and a 480 x 234-pixel resolution.
Multi Function Machines with wireless are not that unusual, what is unusual is that it has USB but no Ethernet. So you can setup for Wireless or USB.
This is not a large unit it is cream in colour so it just may pass the lounge police. The dimensions are 44x30x20cm the last figure the height increases by 13cm when the vertical paper tray is lifted and paper inserted. This is a printer, scanner, copier and fax. The scanning can be either sheet fed or flatbed and the printing can be duplex. For a novice the excellent software can guide you with wizards to do everything.
Although taking photographs with your digital camera is fun, even more enjoyment can result from creating your own prints and sharing them with others.
While the printing of photographs could be carried out using a basic inkjet or multifunction device, for increased functionality and ease of use you might prefer a dedicated photo printer such as the HP Photosmart A826 Home Photo Centre model. Despite being fairly compact, measuring 275 x 263 x 244mm (H x W x D) and weighing 2.63kg, the photo printer is not particularly portable as it lacks a carry handle.
This is quite a beefy All In One unit, so it scans, copies and prints via the PC. It can also copy when not connected to the PC and it also prints directly from a range of card media.
The is 46x40x22cm when closed. The output shelf opens automatically at print time and initially this adds 13cm to the depth. Having paper in the rear mounted tray adds 18cm to the 22cm height. Canon Pixma MP970 All the controls surround the screen that flips up in the central part of the top at the front and as this goes to just beyond 90 degrees you can choose the display angle. The screen is 7.5x5.
This is described as an ‘Office All In One’ As it is black and grey it is unlikely to pass the ‘lounge police’ but apart from that it is not that tall and the output quality is good. It is actually a multi function unit as it has fax.
The dimensions of the Canon Pixma MX300 are 45x42x16cm however the height required will be increased to at least double the 16cm stated when you insert A4 paper (face forward) in the rear near vertical tray, this should also be sufficient to insert items onto the flat bed. However to fully raise the lid to vertical would require 30cm on top of the 16cm height of the unit.
This is quite a squat unit, it will never pass the lounge police as it is very dark grey, so if not in an office into a cupboard never to see the light of day.
It is 44x34x16cm the latter figure the height increases by 18cm when there is paper in the rear vertical tray waiting for printing. This is an All In One unit as it prints copies and scans. There is no fax capability so it's not a Multi Function unit.
Labels for Everything
Published in Printers/Scanners
by mfereday
on Nov 24, 2007
I have been a long time user of a Dymo handheld device for printing labels on tape. The company also produces printers for creating paper-based labels.
I am an inveterate labeller. Whether it is my music collection, DVDs or even just to identify which plug connects to which device, you will usually find a label, with appropriate information, attached. As a result I am an obvious candidate for a device that can print professionally looking labels to add that touch of style which I would rarely achieve if left to my own devices.
As an Officejet it is unlikely to ever get past the ‘lounge police’ partly because it is not small but mainly because it is black with grey sides, shame really as it is a nice MFU.
Firstly for those occasional readers an MFU (Multi Function Unit) has fax capabilities whereas the AIO (All In One) does not. Both have the ability to print, scan and copy. It is 54x42x36cm and compare that to a lot of similar machines and you will see it is big. Mind you it has a duplex unit that adds to the second figure the depth and the third figure the height would be less without the page feed.
Put together a scanner, printer and copy facilities with a make-over and you have a new multifunction device from Brother.
Brother has recently redesigned its range of colour inkjet machines. Comprising of ten multi-function models, these machines provide a range of features aimed at different sections of the marketplace. Acting in the role of the entry level model is the DCP-135C unit which has been priced at £49.99 with replacement cartridges cost £12.91 for black and £7.63 each for cyan, magenta and yellow.
Silver and grey this is a multi function unit (it has fax) and it is described as an office product so unfortunately however nice it may be it will be expensive.
First the all important dimensions it is 44x34x18cm rather different than what is stated in the HP link, mine include the inserted power lead. All the controls are in a panel in the centre of the face with the exception of the on/off switch that for some reason is at the bottom left of the front.
This All In One product is small and when closed will probably be inoffensive enough to get past the lady of the houses ‘lounge patrol’.
Paper dresses were not the only items on display when Canon revealed its new product line-up.
Canon G9 12.1 Mega-pixel digital camera As summer draws to an end (you must remember those few hours of sunshine which were our allocation this year), you know it is time for Canon to roll out its autumn collection of new and enhanced products. To mark this occasion, Canon was involved in an exercise in creating haute courtier fashion using paper decorated by Canon printers.
Here the word portable means no mains and not just with a 15x10cm offering. So for anyone needing to produce documents while away from mains power this is it. It is a product that Canon have successfully produced in various forms for years.
This latest incarnation of the is a little larger simply because the battery fits in an attachment at the rear. The overall dimensions with the battery extension attached at the rear are 31x20x5cm and the weight is such it could easily fit into a bag to be carried around. However in it's 'mobile' life I would expect it would live in a car as a mobile office for people who need to produce quotes and invoices on the move.
Put together the components of an inkjet printer with duplex capability, a flat-bed scanner, fax features, card reading facilities with wireless connectivity and the results could well be the Lexmark X9350 product
This Wireless Office All-in-One (AIO) device is the latest edition of the Lexmark family of products aimed at the small office and home office environment. Tastefully decked out in matt silver and pale cream, this box shaped unit has a protruding control panel and 150 paper input/output tray. Convenient hand grips, positioned on either side of the box, help when you need to relocate the X9350 for any reason.
This is a MFU (multi function unit) as not only can it copy, scan and print but should you require it then it can also send and receive faxes.
The is cream with grey trimmings and as such may just creep into a lounge. It's dimensions are 44x33x23cm and it weights just over ten kilos. I would describe this as an office machine and as such it is fast but on the other side of the scales it is not cheap. HP PhotoSmart C6180 The units controls are on a sloping front edge - 45% below horizontal - and the 5x3.
This is a multi function inkjet printer, so it prints, scans (flatbed and page fed), copies and just for those who still need one, it has a fax.
The is 44x38x25cm and rather boxy by today's standards, it is silver/grey and black. It weights a little less than eight kilos. It is a two cartridge four ink solution. Lexmark X7350 While a lot of recent devices have card slots this only has a Pict Bridge socket. One reason maybe is that it only has a fixed two line LCD display and this is black on blue and not that easy to read at certain angles.
This is a small 15x10cm printer that prints from almost all cards, direct from cameras via Pict Bridge or from a PC using a USB lead and yes for regular readers I did review it the autumn of last year, however the huge price reduction is the reason for a second look.
This however it a totally new review of the and I only cribbed after I had researched the bulk of the article, so while it is partly the same the actual review was totally new. HP PhotoSmart A516 my original article This is really small at 21x10x10cm when shut, in use the back tilts backward by 3cm at the top to allow storage of a few sheets of 15x10cm paper waiting to be printed.
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