Ricoh Aficio GX e3300 Ink Cartridges

Ricoh GX e3300 Printer Review

The Ricoh Aficio GX e3300 and GX e3300N are a series of printers that are designed to fit the needs of small workgroups looking for an inexpensive single-function device. The device can print the first page of a job in as little as 6 seconds, with maximum output speeds of up to 29 pages per minute for monochrome and color projects. While it's quicker than a majority of inkjet printers in its class, many of the unit's other attributes such as its expensive Aficio GX e3300 ink and small bundle of features keep it from being one of the top models.

The device is geared towards light-duty printing needs, offering users a decent media capacity of 350 pages that includes a main input tray and a multipurpose bypass tray for unique media. Supported media includes glossy paper, postcards, envelopes and plain paper, which will allow the device to handle a variety of jobs from quickly addressing a piece of mail to full-color graphics.

Users have the option of connecting either to their computer through its USB port or over the office network with its ethernet interface. While its size of 16x19x10 inches makes the device a bit bulky considering it doesn't have multifunction capabilities, the e3300 should still be able to share a desktop with a user's computer. Supported operating systems include modern versions of Windows and Mac OS X, and it also comes with Web Image Monitor and SmartDeviceMonitor utilities for monitoring it remotely over the network. A handful of computer-free control tools are provided on the front panel, including a monochrome LCD for job status updates and a 4-way pad for navigating menus.

Some of this unit's highlights include the ability to automatically print double-sided on media and its GelSprinter print technology. This technology allows the device to print documents with an exceptional color output that has a resolution of 3600x1200 dpi using Ricoh GX e3300 printer ink.

The device operates with 4 individual pigment-based Ricoh GX e3300 ink cartridges that may become expensive to replace over time. The black and cyan Aficio GX e3300 ink can yield up to 1,920 pages, the magenta supply can last approximately 1,560 pages and the yellow Ricoh GX e3300 printer ink cartridge has a capacity of 1,750 pages.

Printing slower and offering a smaller media capacity than other comparable inkjet printers, the e3300 isn't quite the best model in its price range. The machine does benefit from quick speeds and a sharp output, but this may not be enough to convince buyers it's the right choice for their small workgroup, and its operating costs are expensive.