Olivetti OFX 580

This MFD is meant for people, whose primary requirement is faxing (monochrome only) but also need printing, copying and scanning functions. The product that came for review had a black cartridge. However, it can also take a color cartridge in place of the black for color printing.

This was also the only MFD to come with just a parallel port interface, has a roller scanner and not a flatbed as in most other MFDs. Being primarily for faxing, it has good fax features like storing both incoming and outgoing faxes in memory. Outgoing faxes can also be scheduled. This is a good option if you need to send an international fax during late hours. Two added feature are a built-in telephone handset and an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder). 

On the performance front, its print and copying speeds were slow with just 1.5 ppm and 2.5 cpm for full-page black text. A monochrome text scan took 45 secs and color scan took 78 secs. The print quality in best mode was good. Scan quality was average, especially if you tried scanning a full page of text with a small graphic.

Though the machine stands low on print, scan, and copy performance, it is still a good option for people looking for something which can perform more than a simple fax machine. At this price, it’s a good choice.

Anoop Mangla