Issue #0618/2 - There are few laser-based devices with only three functions and ADF facility.
Here we focus on the DCP-7025 from Brother, LaserJet 3052 All-in-One from Hewlett-Packard and FS-1016MFP from Kyocera Mita.
These three devices are very similar in many ways, with specifications that, at first glance, appear to leave little to differentiate between them.
- All have USB 2.0 interfaces but the Brother DCP-7025 also has parallel
- All have 250-sheet paper input capacity but, while Brother and Kyocera Mita go for single-sheet bypass feeders, Hewlett-Packard stretches to 10 sheets
- While all devices have a multi-page ADF, Hewlett-Packard and Kyocera Mita have 50-sheet feed capacity but Brother’s device is restricted to 35 sheets (probably perfectly adequate for the vast majority of applications)
- All devices have colour scanner for PC scanning functions
At this point, some of the differences begin to kick in. Although all devices will copy and print multiple pages to a single sheet, 2:1 and 4:1, each one has different advanced functionality in its media flexibility.
- Brother’s DCP-7025 will also print in poster format (splitting the image onto a number of A4 sheets that can be joined together physically to create a poster-sized image)
- Hewlett-Packard has built auto-collation, fit-to-page functionality, manual duplexing and booklet printing capability into its LaserJet 3052 AiO
- Kyocera Mita’s FS-1016MFP will also handle electronic auto-collation and specifically notes the capability to scan-once-print-many when copying.
Page Description Language then emerges as perhaps the major differentiating factor. Hewlett-Packard utilises its PCL5e and PCL6 languages and also offers PostScript 3 emulation, while Brother goes for a GDI-based machine with PCL6 and PS3 emulations in addition. This seems hardly necessary but it does mean that the one device can be purchased for a wide variety of print environments. Kyocera Mita is the company that appears to have under-specified in this category with a GDI-only machine - but a very attractive one.
Kyocera MitaFS-1016MFP
However, Kyocera Mita is brave enough to specify that the ADF on its FS-1016MFP will feed at the rate of 5ppm for mono pages and 4ppm for colour pages. Neither Brother nor Hewlett-Packard publish a scan speed but it is likely that the speed capabilities will be similar to that specified by Kyocera Mita.
One does need to be careful here, in that maximum copy speed may be quoted at being the same as the maximum speed of the print engine. This could be misleading because it may be based on copying multiple copies of a single page rather than single copies of multiple pages. A machine that copies once, stores the image in memory and then prints as many copies as requested from the single stored image (scan-once-print-many), will, of course, produce those copies at the rated print engine speed.
This is a significant factor in the specification of an MFP device because a 16ppm printer relying on an ADF that feeds at 5ppm will be waiting for the scanner on multi-page copy jobs. It means that the effective copy speed (single copy, multiple pages) is only 5ppm even though the print speed of the device is rated at 16ppm.
Hewlett-Packard specifies maximum copy speed of 18ppm and Brother specifies 20ppm (both representing rated print speed) but neither company specifies a scan speed for the ADF. So, we have no idea what the real copy speed is and users could be severely disappointed if the ADF will not keep pace with the print engine.
These differences make evaluation of value for money difficult and users will need to identify their own needs in order to determine which set of features will be the most beneficial to them.
Brother DCP-7025
Hewlett-PackardLaserJet 3052 AiO
Kyocera Mita has probably underspecified it’s offering in this category, with a 16ppm print engine, GDI-only page processing and a price tag of €422 – the highest in the group by 16% and 53% higher than the Brother. Redeeming factors are that Kyocera Mita also provides PaperPort document management software and the machine will handle electronic collation of documents as well as offering scan-once-print-many functionality.
So, on to the question, ‘does the Total Cost of Printing change the viewpoint’?
Hewlett-Packard’s toner cartridge costs a little more than the cartridge for the Kyocera Mita machine but delivers only one-third the number of pages. This 2,000-page cartridge is Hewlett-Packard’s most expensive mono toner unit – a fact that has significant implications on Cost of Printing.
Sadly, this high price means that the nominal Cost Per Page of the LaserJet 3052 cartridge is 3.70 €cents against only 1.17 €cents for the FS-1016MFP ECOSYS cartridge. Brother’s two-piece (toner plus drum) configuration falls neatly in the middle at 3.12 €cents.
Carry this calculation over three years, with a total throughput of 90,000 pages, and not even the low purchase price of the Brother can push the overall Total Cost of Printing anywhere close to the Kyocera Mita model – still 90% adrift. Hewlett-Packard’s 4.10 €cents is a further 31% adrift of the Brother, making it 150% more expensive to run over a period of time than the FS-1016MFP.
| Euro – Mono |
Purchase/ Duty Cycle |
Print Speed |
Nominal CPP |
Long-term CPP over 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Brother DCP-7025 |
€275 n/a |
20 ppm | 2.86 €cents | 3.12 €cents |
|
Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 3052 AiO |
€363 7,000 |
18 ppm | 3.70 €cents | 4.10 €cents |
|
Kyocera Mita FS-1016MFP |
€422 10,000 |
16 ppm | 1.17 €cents | 1.64 €cents |
Note that for this group of printers, the long-term Cost of Printing over three years shown in the accompanying table is calculated on the basis of 2,500 pages per month; is based on the use of maximum capacity supplies; takes into account any standard, or starter, supplies shipped with the device; and also includes the cost of purchase. All prices are manufacturer’s recommended prices without tax.
Ultimately, this means that the Kyocera Mita FS-1016MFP is far and away the least expensive device to operate in the category. Linking this with the relatively low specification level of the machine, we can deduce that the FS-1016 is best suited to high-volume but unsophisticated, general purpose environments where the Total Cost of Printing is the paramount issue rather than high specification, feature set or low purchase price.
What this means though, is that the decision-making process for the potential buyer is by no means easy or straightforward. Is it better to buy a good feature-set at a low purchase price with middle-of-the-road long-term costs; spend a little more for the network-ready feature on top of a good feature set but accept heavy running costs over time; or accept a lower specification at a high purchase price in favour of saving money in the long term?
~End~
