Konica-Minolta 210 Printer Review
Combining the multipurpose functionality of printing, scanning, copying and faxing into a single machine, the Konica-Minolta bizhub 210 offers a powerful solution for small offices with an assortment of different daily tasks. While print speeds of up to 21 pages per minute aren't the quickest in its class of monochrome laser devices, the 210 is still fast enough to handle low to medium-volume needs. With slightly slower speeds being one of its only drawbacks, small offices with expanding productivity will benefit from this device's versatile media handling, long-lasting bizhub 210 printer toner and efficient control features.
The most attractive aspect to this device is the opportunity it gives users to build and upgrade certain features, making it possible to add an automatic duplex unit for double-sided printing and finishing options such as job sorting and stapling. The option to add on an 80-sheet automatic document is another perk that will enable users to continuously scan larger projects. Perhaps the most prominent way users can upgrade the machine is by purchasing additional paper trays to increase its standard media supply of 251 pages to a maximum of 1,350 pages.
The unit's connectivity options will allow users to either walk up to the device and print documents straight from their personal USB flash drives, or share jobs to multiple locations over the office network with its ethernet interface. The control panel has a built-in number pad that can store speed dials and allow users to quickly send a fax to a popular location. While it would have been nice if the device included a larger color LCD for managing jobs, its simple monochrome display will be able to provide short status updates and error messages.
The unit can fax and scan documents with a resolution of 600x600 dpi, while it can print text and graphic projects with precision and a sharp resolution of 1200x600 dpi using black bizhub 210 toner. Although its ability to copy documents with a resolution of 600x600 dpi using Konica-Minolta 210 toner is slightly below par, the quality should be good enough to suit internal projects.
While this unit's simple print system and use of only one black Konica-Minolta 210 toner cartridge is cost-efficient, it also means that users won't be able to print documents in color as they would with a device that uses multiple toners. Those only interested in monochrome printing, however, will be able to achieve heavy-duty printing volumes with this unit's high-capacity Konica-Minolta 210 toner cartridge that can last 22,000 pages.
While there are models out there with higher-quality copying and faster output speeds, the 210 outperforms most of its competition in terms of its upgradable paper capacity and support of flash drive printing or scanning. A decent print output speed also makes it a more appealing device and allows it to support the monochrome projects of busy small offices.
