Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
4.5 stars!! Fantastic value, great network printer / scanner / fax machine!!!, December 26, 2007
I purchased this printer when it was on sale recently, and could not believe the incredible value of this all-in-one network capable printer.
I'd give this printer 4.5 out of 5 stars, instead of the 4 out 5 as the rating system doesn't allow for halves.
Here are the key features of this printer:
1. Network ready in addition to the USB connection - use either ethernet LAN cable (not included) or USB cable (not included) to set it up on your home network, and you can print, scan and fax through the network or the USB cable.
2. Laser 600dpi printer with 32mb memory - more than enough to print most household documents without a hitch. You won't get the dreaded "out of memory" errors here.
3. Very nice full logged fax machine, with detailed status and reporting on all fax activity (with auto document feeder to fax multiple pages).
4. Decent scanner, that can send scans to networked PCs, as well as scan to PDF for emailing without the need of a computer (may work with auto doc feeder also but I have not tried). There is OCR software that is included that allows you to scan searchable PDFs, which might come in handy. The scanner is not a speed demon but as with most all-in-ones you have to compromise somewhere, so a dedicated scanner will be faster but you will pay for that feature.
5. Great copy function, with the an auto document feeder to copy multiple pages.
Everything is included in the box, except for a USB cable or ethernet cable (but most printers normally don't either). This is not important except during firmware updates (see later) or if you want to print via USB only.
The capabilities of this printer / fax/ copier are outstanding, with very fast printing, great printouts (black / gray only), and great fax features. It has an phone extension so you can add an answering machine or another phone to make phone calls, without having to buy a phone line splitter.
Here are some very minor quibbles I had with this printer:
1. You must install the included printer/scanner software on any PC that you want to use to print / scan via this printer. Some other network printers don't require this. For example a Brother networked printer has a web printing interface which means you can print from any networked PC without the need to install the software / drivers. However, this is understandable since the software allows you to scan / fax as well, so it is not a big problem to have to install it to access all the functions of this printer via the network.
2. This printer came with 2 CDs. The first CD is the printer install CD, which worked smoothly. I chose the network connection method, and the software seamlessly detected the printer via my local network, and installed itself easily. However, CD 2 is a firmware update for the fax machine. It appears to have been added at the last minute, because the CD / CD case was lying on top of the contents in the box when I opened it, along with an instruction sheet. The instructions stated that the firmware update must be done via a USB connection, which was annoying because I had installed CD1 and configured network printing.
To allow for the firmware update, I had to plug the printer into my PC USB port, and then install the USB drivers for the scanner and printer by putting in my first CD. Only after this was completed, was I able to proceed to update the firmware. I searched for info about the firmware version before and after the update, but the printer application was completely lacking in detail about any firmware versions, and the update CD had no information about why the firmware was needed.
So it was very annoying to have to install the USB connections just to update the firmware, even though I'll never use the USB connection in the future. The USB install also created the USB printer as well, which I could have deleted, but I just renamed it "USB Panasonic printer" to differentiate it from the network connected printer. This could be confusing to someone who is not as careful / detailed as I am in observing the details.
3. There are no USB cables included with the printer. This normally shouldn't be a problem, except you are required to have it to update the firmware. Hopefully in the future they will update the firmware at the factory, and not require the user to have to update the firmware during install. However, as new firmware come out, you will still need the USB cable to update the firmware, so keep a USB cable handy for that purpose.
The box also states very clearly that the laser cartridge included with the printer is a "trial" cartridge, and only lasts 500 pages. The replacement cartridge, KX-FAT92, will last for 2000 pages, so you may want to buy that if you print a lot. I also read somewhere that it's very easy to refill this laser cartridge, since the cartridge has very easy to access openings to the toner, so you don't have to drill holes to refill it. I may explore refilling the toner cartridge this way since it shouldn't be any worse than tossing the trial cartridge.
This printer is Energy Star rated, which means when it's in standby mode, it's completely silent. It's a bit noisy when printing / faxing but not out of the ordinary for a printer of this type, and it goes to standby fairly quickly for noise and energy reduction.
Finally, I compared this printer to the lower-end Panasonic KX-MB271, which is the same printer / scanner, minus the fax and networking capabilities. There are about a $50 difference in price between the printers, so the networking capability and the fax capability is a no-brainer for the $50 difference - this printer is the much better buy!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad, but keep a distance., January 7, 2008
I bought this all-in-one machine and returned it after one day. it does all the functions at it described nothing more or less.
What bothered me about it was 2 things:
1-if you put it close to your desk; it has a constant fan sound that doesn't turn off. A regular laser would have the fan on only at printing. This product has all it the time. That drove me mad. So, if you a have your home or office setup in a away that will keep it away from you, or at a distance, it will be just fine.
2-in a house setting, it flickered the lights too much. It made focusing on work kind of difficult.
The new laser I bought Canon imageCLASS MF4150 Laser Duplex P/s/c/f 21PPM Adf didn't have those 2 annoying flaws. It ( the new laser ) had a fan that only works when it prints, and it didn't flicker the as much. Only at startup.
As I mentioned, if you overcome those 2 things by putting it away from you and by having a stronger electric circuit, it's a steal.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Network printer...., February 25, 2008
The set up was super easy took about 5 mins to set up the printer.
Just insert the toner to the roller then place in printer.
I plug it in and was able to do copies immediately.
I was able to set up for network printing easily. I now can print anywhere.
The text is clear and crisp. Not bad for a lazer.
The scan can only be done with the included software. I had trouble installing on 2 XP machines. But I was able to install it on my Vista machine. So all scans goes to my Vista machine now. The scan quality is good. Takes about 1-2 mins for a 600dpi scan. Image file comes to 6MB.
Cons: I dont think there is a power button to shut off. So, I plug into a power strip so I can turn on and off.
Fan is a bit loud.
Good quaility, I would recommend.
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