Pros & Cons
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- Small size.
- Prints and scans over network.
- Standalone copier.
- Ample paper capacity.
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- No duplexer.
- No paper handling upgrade options.
- Relatively high cost per page.
- No fax features.
The first time I saw the Panasonic KX-MB2000's price, I thought it was a typo. At $130 (street), it's priced like a single-function mono laser printer for personal use—hardly any more expensive than the Editors' Choice
If that's not enough to pique your interest, it has more going for it too, including fast speed, reasonably high quality output, and a higher paper capacity than you might expect for the price, with a 250-sheet input tray. It doesn't offer a duplexer, fax capability, or automatic document feeder, but it certainly delivers enough capability for the price to qualify as both a bargain and an Editors' Choice.
One other attractive feature for a micro or home office is the printer's small size. It measures just 10- by 16.5- by 17-inches (HWD), so that even if space it tight you shouldn't have any trouble finding room for it. Note too that it weighs just 24 pounds, making it easy for one person to move into place. Setup is typical for the category.
Speed and Output Quality
Considering the price, the KX-MB2000 is extraordinarily fast, with times on our tests that are fully appropriate for the 24 page per minute (ppm) engine rating. On a wired network using Windows Vista, I timed it on our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing) at a total of 7 minutes 45 seconds. That's essentially a tie with the significantly more expensive
The printer's output quality is at the low end across the board for what counts as typical for a mono laser MFP. Text is good enough for almost any business use, unless you have an unusual need for printing at 4 or 5 point size. Graphics are easily good enough for any internal use. However, they also show enough flaws, most notably obvious dithering patterns, so that you probably won't want to use them for output going to important clients. Photo quality is suitable for printing recognizable images from Web pages, but a little short of the quality you'd probably insist on for client newsletters.
Other Issues
One potential issue for the KX-MB2000 is a relatively high running cost, at a claimed 4.2 cents per page. This isn't an unusually high cost per page for such an inexpensive printer, but it does raise the issue that if you expect to print enough pages, you might be better off with a printer with a higher initial cost.
The Editor's Choice
The one feature the KX-MB2000 doesn't have that I seriously miss is an ADF for scanning multi-page documents. But then again, at this price you're essentially paying for a single function personal printer and getting the scanner, copier, and network support thrown in for free. Factor in the fast speed, better than expected paper capacity, and more than acceptable output quality, and the KX-MB2000 easily qualifies for our Editors' Choice as budget personal and micro office mono MFP.
BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS
COMPARISON TABLE
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