The Xerox WorkCentre PE120i is a standalone copier and fax machine as well as a printer. It can't scan or fax over a network, but connect to it directly and you can use it to fax from or scan to your computer, including scanning to e-mail. This trade-off is a big part of what makes the PE120i worth considering, though it's far short of a slam-dunk choice.

Physical setup is simple. But rather than offering the fully automated network installation that's standard today, the PE120i requires manual network installation, with step-by-step instructions that are, unfortunately, on CD only.

Performance on our business applications suite was a relatively slow 16 minutes 49 seconds, compared with 8:42 for the $600 21-ppm Brother MFC-8840DN. Nearly 7.5 minutes of the difference between the two, however, came from just two Acrobat files. The PE120i actually tied with or was faster than the Brother printer on 7 of the other 11 files. It was faster on files that contained only text, not far behind on files with graphics, and noticeably slower on files with photos, including the Acrobat files.

Quality dovetails with performance on both strengths and weaknesses. Text garnered a rating of excellent, with more than half the fonts we test with easily readable at 4 points and none requiring more than 8 points. Graphics earned a rating of good, marred only by minor issues, most notably a streaking effect in some output. But photos were at the high end of poor, hurt primarily by unacceptable posterization.

All this makes the PE120i a marginal choice if you care at all about printing photos or want to connect over a network.

Sub-ratings:
Text:
Graphics:
Photos: