Printers/Scanners

Last year at its annual IRISLink event, IRIS introduced its IRIScan Mouse device with the tag line “You swipe, it scans”. This year the combination of mouse and scanner has been upgraded to the IRIScan Mouse Executive 2 with the same tag line.

I seem to be in a run of laser units at present. This time not a colour unit, so here a workhorse unit designed for quick, efficient printing with a high standard of finish without problems, as seems essential today you can still copy and scan.

Colour lasers are no longer huge, they are no longer that expensive and they print colour at 25% of the speed that mono pages do. In fact the ‘other half’ could even be happy as it can connect wirelessly so does not need to be in sight.

It has been a while since I last had the opportunity to check out a HP printer. If memory serves me correct, this unit was a home photo printing model that I reported on in 2008. It was therefore quite a surprise when HP’s PR agency rang me up out of the blue and asked if I would like to review the HP Deskjet 2540 product.

Colour Lasers used to cost a lot and were also rather big. The next problem was that colour pages printed at only 25% of the speed of monochrome ones. Now all that has been solved with a unit little larger than an inkjet offering.

The latest multifunction device to arrive from Samsung offers print, scan, copy and remote printing facilities to users looking for a monochrome environment.

Adding to its range of All-in-One devices, Canon has released a product that leans towards quality as against speed of delivery

Described by Epson as the “Photographer’s Best Friend”, the Expression Photo XP-950 is an A3 All-In-One device. Predominately lacquered black in colour, with a matte silver band and Epson identifier on the front face, this unit offers scan, copy and print functionality with a choice of Wi-Fi, Ethernet or USB connectivity.

While colour can add visual impact, it does add to the cost and is not always necessary for certain documents. In such cases a monochrome laser might be the better option.

This unit will immediately find favour with ladies as it is creamy white and far more likely to fit in with the colour scheme. It is also rather stylish being sleeker than most other All In One units. It is fully touch controlled.

A three in one printer, that means it prints, scans and copies. The black colour may mean it is hidden from ‘they who must be obeyed’ when in the lounge but it can be connected by Wi-Fi and in fact can do extra things when in Wi-Fi rather than USB mode.

Brother continues to develop its range of multifunction devices. This latest model is aimed more at the office rather than home users.

While it shaped life a pen it is not one, it is a scanner – a rather good one – for scanning items into such things as Microsoft Office, it also has another function in that if you right click an image it converts it into a small PDF.

A four in one device is normally called multi-function, while a three in one device is often called an All In One, this is from the former category as not only does it scan, copy and print it also has a fax ability for those who still use it.

Many years ago my first scanner was a handheld device, shaped a bit like a paintbrush, with a scanning width of about 4-inches. A more modern version increases the scanning width and adds Wi-Fi capability.

This is a four in one item often called a multi function device. It can print either from a PC or memory stick, it can scan either to a PC or memory stick, send and receive faxes for those who still use this feature and it can also copy.

Continuing my look at various Canon printers, it is the turn of a model more suited to an office environment.

This is a four in one device and somewhat larger than recent items of this sort. Being black it will either need to work in an office, in the home of a Goth or be secreted away behind a sofa or in a cupboard, with Wi-Fi or Network it can be.

Normally when I get to see a colour printer, it is an inkjet model but in this case the printer is a laser unit.

This is a multi-function unit which means it also has fax as well printing, scanning and copying, I actually recently found a business that still uses fax, my local Pharmacy as urgent prescriptions can be sent from doctors surgeries.

Yet another Canon multifunction device has arrived on my workspace for testing.

While A3 printers can easily print A4 documents, it is unusual to come across an A4 printer that can produce A3 documents unless it is a Brother unit.

The Epson Expression Photo XP-850 is a multi-function device that is aimed more at the photo enthusiast than a general purpose user.

This is a three in one device as it scans copies and prints. Scanning can be done without any intervention once you start the wizard, at the other extreme I have never seen so many choices for copying should you wish to use them.

Having recently finished running the rule over the PIXMA MX395, it was almost a case of de je vu as I unpacked the latest unit to arrive from Canon, The new unit is the PIXMA MX525 and, like the earlier model, is a multifunction device offering the user print, copy, scan and Fax capabilities. The PIXMA MX525 was extremely similar in appearance with its rounded corner plinth top and reflecting black coating. Even the dimensions of 358 x 200 x 455

Even with Bluetooth allowing personal data to be transmitted over the airwaves between devices, business cards continue to be the main method used by many when supplying others with their personal details. The problem then exists of what to do with this information apart, of course, from forgetting about it and leaving the cards in your pocket thus increasing the risk that they could become mixed up with your own cards. Rather than take the time and effort to type in the information into a con

HP first delivered an Envy in the period when they sent nothing out for review, this then is a much later version and is the first to make its way into my office to be given the once over, it may even please the all-seeing lounge police!

The latest Canon printer to arrive in my work space belongs to the company’s small office/home range.

Although an ordinary flat-bed scanner handles individual documents and photos without any difficulty, there are problems when one needs to scan pages in a book or any other bound material. This is because the spine prevents the pages being held flat on the scanner’s platen and so you get a very distorted portion of the image. With its OpticBook 3800, Plustek has produced an effective solution to this problem in a machine which does not take up too much d

Where once it was enough for a device to satisfy discerning users by performing a single function, now devices need to be multi-functional in order to loosen customers’ purse strings and make a sale.