If you are looking for an all in one color printer, you may want to check out the Brother MFC-6490CW. This device is able to not only print, but copy, scan and fax information out to different machines. On top of this, the built in media slots allow you to import images from a digital camera, which in turn prints the images directly from the media card, so you don’t even need to upload the content to a computer before creating the images. Of course, it is important to know everything about the printer, and if it has any shortcomings, before going out to purchase the equipment.
The Brother 11×17 printer is able to produce images at up to 6000×12000 dots per square inch (DPI). It produces these images at 33 pages per minute in black and white, or 27 pages per minute in full color. the printer has built in wireless, so you don’t need a computer directly connected in order to use the printer. Any computer with a wireless adapter built in allows you to send the print signals. This makes it easier to use in a household or small business. The printer uses a four cartridge ink system, with three different color cartridges for each color. This means when one particular color runs out, you only change the specific color. With printers that have a single cartridge for color, you must toss out the entire cartridge, even through two of the three ink colors are probably still productive.
The Brother MFC-6490CW printer has a common issue of going offline, even when the printer is on. This is troublesome, as you don’t want to fiddle with the printer and the computer, each and every time you need to perform a print job. This is common when first starting up the computer. Generally, to fix the problem you must restart the printer, wait for it to boot up, then try the print again. The printer also takes a few moments to load up, but is nothing out of the ordinary. If you are using a single computer that is directly connected via USB cable, his offline issue does not come up.
For those of us that have been looking for a wide format printer there is an inexpensive model out there from Lexmark, the Epson Workforce 1100 color inkjet 11×17 printer (C11CA58201). This printer promises to be fast, easy to use high quality and an inexpensive way to produce your wide format photos and black and white prints.
Reviews of the Epson Workforce 1100
Pros- There are many good things to be said about this printer it has an average of 3 stars in the ratings, it sets up very easily, it is inexpensive compared to its counterparts, it delivers crisp detailing, its fast and it works well with windows 7. It offers high quality black and white copies, it has a sturdy construction, and it is great for making heat press transfers, it is a great value for the price.
Cons- the downside to this little invention is that if you want to make double sided copies you have to do it manually. The printer is also a little slower than some of its more expensive counterparts. The ink is very expensive and it has to be replaced often. The printer itself is a little heavy and bulky, and it is not very attractive to look at. It uses a lot of colored ink to print photos and the quality is not that high quality. The printer heads have a tendency to clog up after high volume use. The lasting power of the Epson workforce 1100 tends to ware out after about a year of use, and the noise level is fairly high when the printer is operating.
Summary
The bottom line is that for the price it is a good deal, the black and white copies are of high quality and all printers that use ink are a little expensive. The best advice is to purchase the printer with cartridges as a package deal and use whatever discounts are available on or offline, and purchase extra ink cartridges in bulk this will save a lot in the long run. This model can be purchased for as low as $120 from many major retailers and for that price it does give you your moneys worth.
The HP Officejet 7500A Wide Format e-All-in-One 11×17 comes with a wide variety of features that are more than sufficient for most needs. Whether shopping for a home office, a small business or personal needs, the functions available cover most day to day tasks as well as many advanced jobs as well.
Print
The Officejet 7500A offers printing in black and white or color for documents from 3 x 5 to 13 x 19. The black and white printing speed is a speedy 33 ppm and color up to 32 ppm. With professional quality color prints as fast as 17 seconds for 4 x 6, outsourcing projects will become a thing of the past. The 150 sheet input tray is moderate but adequate for the price range. Built in wireless printing and wired networking allow for the whole family to print with ease. The HP ePRINT feature allows for printing from a mobile device for added convenience. Additionally there is an AIRPRINT feature which allows wireless printing from an iPad, iPhone or iTouch. The only function noticeably missing from print functions is the ability to print double sided.
Copy and Scan
The copy features on the HP Officejet 7500A are relatively standard for the price range. Reduce and enlarge features can adjust your copies from 25%-400%. The auto document feeder is a very convenient feature for copies, and at 35 pages it is more than adequate, meaning no standing at the copier feeding pages. The scanner resolution is an impressive 4800-dpi which will allow scanning of high detailed items without a major loss of quality.
Extras
In addition to the print, copy and scan features, there are, of course, standard fax capabilities included. This machine also includes fax forwarding and a digital faxing option which are nice bonuses. Other extra features include memory card slots, a color LCD touchscreen, and borderless printing up to 13 x 19.
For its price range, the HP Officejet 7500A Wide Format e-All-in-One has a tremendous amount of features. The functionality is more than adequate for a home office or a small businesses and it is extraordinarily easy to get up and running. At approximately 24 x 17 x 11.5 it is not oversized and will fit well in a small business or home office, not only in size but with it’s incredibly functionality that can handle almost any task that you can come up with.