Low-end MFDs 

Xerox WorkCentre PE114e



If you don't have the budgets, but still need a MFD with a good duty cycle that can also print, copy and scan, then take a look at the Xerox WorkCentre PE114e. Even with its small size and low price, the MFD has a duty cycle of 10,000 pages per month. It was the cheapest laser-based MFD for workgroups we received. The cost of its toner however isn't the cheapest, coming to Rs 4520. On the brighter side, this toner gives a yield of 3000 pages, which is higher than HP's 3030, which gives a yield of 2000 pages at Rs 2953. It doesn't have a fax function. The MFD has both a parallel and USB port

for connectivity. Unlike other MFDs, this one doesn't have a network port, which basically limits its functionality. 

Coming to performance, the MFD's print speed lived up to its claimed rating of 15 ppm. Monochrome graphics print speed came down to 3 ppm with average quality. Its copying speed came to 14 cps, and scanning a full page graphic at 600 dpi took 6 minutes. It's an overall average performance. The MFD's controls are made up of a collection of seven keys and a single line LCD display which makes the control panel really very barebones and difficult to operate when it is not connected with the PC. For instance if you are planning to make 90 copes of a page then you have to use the arrow key repeatedly to scroll down to 90. whereas in case of the other MFDs we had numeric keypads which were very easy to use. Overall, a really compact MFD meant for really small workgroups. We wished it had built-in network connectivity instead of its parallel port though. The MFD comes with OmniPage OCR software. So if you are one who needs to buy an MFD but already have a fax machine or you don't even need one then you can give it a try. 

RQS# E25 or SMS 130825 to 9811800601

HP LaserJet 3030



This MFD is the younger brother of the HP 3380 model and has almost the same set of features barring a few. It has a duty cycle of 7000 pages, lowest amongst all MFDs we received. It has a rated print speed of 15 ppm, and the MFD lives up to this claimed rating. It has a slightly larger footprint than the Xerox WorkCentre, but is far more expensive. The reason is that it's far more feature rich than the WorkCentre. For one, it has a comprehensive control panel from where you can do many operations independent of the PC. You can copy, fax, do minor adjustments to the print quality directly from the control

panel. The MFD has a built-in ADF unit. By default the MFD has a USB and parallel port connectivity, and also has the option to connect an HP JetDirect print server. The cost for that of course is extra. The MFD has a 50 sheets feeder. Text print quality of the MFD is really good and comparable to its elder cousin the 3380. Monochrome graphics print quality though, were not as good. The MFD also came with ReadIris Pro 9 OCR which also performed well in our test bed. Another thing to note here is the price of the product, which is higher than that of the Xerox model but the consumable price of this device is around half of the Xerox. But at the same time the yield of Xerox is 3000 pages per refill whereas the yield of this one is 2000. This makes this product cheaper in the long run. If you want a small MFD for workgroups and need features like ADF, faxing and better PC-independent operation, then this might be worth a try. Or else, you can go for the WorkCentre PE 114e. 

RQS# E26 or SMS 130826 to 9811800601