The OKI MB471 ($399 direct) is the next step up in OKI Data America's line from the OKI MB461 ($349, 3 stars) that I also recently reviewed. OKI targets both models at micro or small offices with relatively heavy-duty print, scan, and copy needs. The key difference between the two is that the MB471 SEE IT adds faxing. And just as the MB461 SEE IT is an attractive choice if you don't need a fax capability in your multi-function printer (MFP), the MB471 is equally attractive if you do.

Let me amend that.

The MB471 might be your preferred choice even if you don't need faxing—which, not so incidentally, also makes it an Editors' Choice. As I mentioned in the MB461 review, there are other differences between the two models. The maximum resolution for the MB461 is 600 by 2400 dots per inch (dpi), for example, while the MB471 offers 1200 by 1200. The difference can affect both speed and output quality, and, indeed, the MB471 offers slightly better-looking output, particularly for text.

A potentially more important difference is printer language support. Both printers support PCL, which is all that most offices need. For those that require PostScript, however, the MB471 offers it as well, letting you install drivers for PCL, PostScript, or both. Even if you don't need faxing, either of these differences—the resolution or the extra language support—could easily justify the extra cost for the MB471.

Also worth mention is that OKI sells a Wi-Fi version of the MB471, the MB471w ($475 direct). According to OKI, except for Wi-Fi, the two models are identical, so this entire review should apply to both. Keep in mind, however, that if you print using Wi-Fi with the MB471w, the speed may be different than it is with the Ethernet connection I used.

Basics
The MB471 can print and fax from as well as scan to a PC, including over a network; it can work as a standalone copier; and it can print from and scan to a USB memory key. As with most office MFPs, it offers a letter-size flatbed, but supplements it with an automatic document feeder (ADF) that can scan up to legal-size pages. The ADF in this case offers a 50-page capacity and the ability to duplex, turning the page over after scanning one side to scan the other.

The printer's paper handling is another feature that's goes a step beyond the MB461. Both models include a 250-sheet paper tray and a built-in duplexer (for two-sided printing), but the MB471 adds a 100-sheet multi-purpose tray. This should be enough for most micro and small offices, but as with the M461, if you need more, you can add an optional 530-sheet tray ($183.99 direct), for a maximum 880-sheet input capacity.

One other feature the two printers share is that because the ADF and printer both duplex, you can copy both single and double sided originals to your choice of single- or double-sided copies. In addition, the MB471 can scan both single- and double-sided originals for faxing.

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Setup and Speed

Although the MB471 is too big to share a desk with comfortably, at 17.9 by 16.8 by 16.7 inches (HWD), it is small enough to fit easily in most micro or small offices. Setup is absolutely typical for the breed. For my tests, I connected the printer to a network and used the PCL driver on a Windows Vista system.

As with the MB461, the MB471's speed on my tests was on the slow side for its 35 page per minute (ppm) rating, a speed that you should see for text documents with no formatting. I timed it on our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing), at 9.5 ppm.

That makes the MB471 essentially tied with the MB461, at 10 ppm, but slower than the Editors Choice Canon imageClass MF4570dn ($299, 4 stars), at 12.3 ppm. As another point of reference, it's also tied with the more expensive Samsung SCX-5639FR ($550 street, 3.5 stars) at 9.7 ppm. The measured speed, in short, counts as respectable, if not particularly impressive.

Output Quality and Running Cost

Output quality is slightly above par overall, with above-par text, and par graphics and photos. The quality is a tad better than the MB461's output, particularly for text, but it falls in the same general categories across the board.

Text is one step above the tight range that includes the vast majority of mono MFPs, making it easily good enough for any business need short of high-quality desktop publishing.

Graphics output is easily good enough for any internal business need, but depending on your level of perfectionism, you might or might not consider it good enough to hand out to an important client or customer when you need to convey a sense of professionalism. Photo quality is good enough to print photos in client newsletters or the like, and more than good enough to print Web pages with recognizable photos.

One last, and particularly welcome, plus for the MB471 is its low claimed running cost, at 1.8 cents per page. Most other mono MFPs in this price range claim at least a penny more per page, which means that—depending on what other printers you're considering—the MB471 can easily save you $100 or more for every 10,000 pages you print. Print 40,000 pages over the printer's lifetime, and you'll save enough to pay yourself back for the initial cost.

As may be obvious, the OKI MB471 offers a lot to like. It doesn't stand out for its speed or output quality, but it delivers a balance of speed, output quality, paper handling, price, and MFP features that make it a highly attractive choice as a workhorse MFP for a small office. More important, any office that needs this level of heavy-duty printing will almost certainly benefit from the low claimed running cost as well. And that's enough to make the OKI MB471 not just an attractive choice, but Editors' Choice as well.

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