Konica-Minolta 211 Printer Review
All-in-one machines are essential in busy offices with a variety of daily tasks, especially when space is a bit limited. The Konica-Minolta bizhub 211 combines multiple pieces of equipment into a skinny, modular device that is accessible to the entire office without getting in the way. It measures approximately 23x24x19 inches and weighs over 80 pounds, which would make it difficult to move, but the 211 has wheels on the bottom of it for quick and easy mobility.
In addition to offering scanning, printing, and copying capabilities, this laser device has a number of optional features that users can add if applicable to the daily transactions of the business. For instance, if the office uses faxing to communicate with vendors or customers, a Super G3 fax board can be added that will process faxes in as little as 3 seconds. If the type of tasks being performed by the 211 requires finishing options, such as stacking, sorting, or stapling, these modes can be added to the machine as well. To set up a functioning network that allows various computers to connect to this unit, an ethernet interface is also an optional addition.
The single, black bizhub 211 toner cartridge that is needed for operation can yield up to 22,000 pages, which is actually more than the maximum monthly duty cycle of the machine (16,000 pages). High-yielding toners help to minimize the cost per page. Another way to do this is to print in Draft mode, which reduces the amount of Konica-Minolta 211 printer toner distributed on each page. Clearly, print will not be as bold, but for basic text documents, the slight decline in quality will hardly be noticeable.
The control panel on this machine is very user-friendly and has an angled LCD screen that will show the progress of documents as well as any warning, such as low paper or bizhub 211 toner levels. In the aforementioned Draft mode, the maximum production speed is 21 pages per minute, with a first page out time of 11 seconds. In Best mode, the speed will decrease, but the maximum print quality of 1200x600 dpi can be reached because more Konica-Minolta 211 toner is used per inch.
As for paper capacity, the base model has only a single tray that holds 250 sheets as well as a single-sheet bypass slot for alternative media such as envelopes or labels. This capacity can be increased up to 1,350 sheets by adding more trays. The memory is also upgradable from 32 MB to 160 MB, making the 211 modular in design, meaning it can expand its capabilities.
Other than purchasing replacement Konica-Minolta 211 toner cartridges, the operational demands of this office all-in-one device are minimal. It is built to endure continuous daily usage, and do so with efficiency and quality. Though it may be a bit much for small offices, the 211 will be an asset to larger businesses.
