- Easy Print Utility, high speed 24-ppm All in One
- Convenient Copy Function
- Network Color Scanning up to 9600 dpi
- 33.6 kbps Super G3 Fax w/Incoming Fax Preview
- Standard Network Connection
: 5:00 Mins
Copiers, Printers, Fax Machines, Oh My! If you have your own home-based business or small business then you know that all the gadgets that are necessary for business to function can end up taking a huge chunk of your budget -not to mention your limited space! With the new Panasonic 2030, however, you can consolidate all those machines down to one -one that does a heck of a job and is built to last!
The first thing that impressed me about this office machine was how well it was built. Weighing in at a hefty 30+ lbs, this guy is not made of cheap materials that will break the first time you bump into it (and trust me, the first few days I had it I bumped into it a lot until I moved it!) It''s designed to take the constant use and abuse of a small office and keep right on going. Once I got it all setup I was equally impressed with the features -everything you''d expect, and then some. Scan, Print, Copy, Fax -and a few twists on them as well. You can scan to e-mail, an FTP server or a network location all with just a push of a button. Fax from multiple PC''s located across the office and even setup print queues so that everyone can get their work done without bumping into one another.
As this guy was designed for a business setting I should point out that it is rather loud. I would not recommend it for a home printer because of the noise and just because most of the features will never be used. This guy was designed for business, and will do its best when in a business setting. Some of the fax and scan features make use of ftp servers and SNMB shares on a network, things you probably don''t have setup at your home!
Standard connectivity includes a usb hookup, but to get the maximum functionality out of the printer you should connect it up to your network via the ethernet port. That way you can get all the cool print/fax/scan features as well as a handy web interface to check on the printer and make setting adjustments. It does not come with a wireless hookup, so you will need to make sure you have a cabled connection nearby for it to use.
The toner cartridges are reasonable priced and will average you about 2000 copies; and the document feeder is one of the most robust and sturdier ones I have seen on a printer in this price range for a long time.
All in all, a great business product that can really save you money and space no matter where you do business!
Buy Panasonic KX-MB2030 Multifunction Laser Printer Now
I thought I''d try the Panasonic multi-function printer since I figured it might help me in my home office. I''ve only really got a printer so the idea of having a scanner, copier and fax machine I could use for basic tasks sounded good to me. I''ll break this down by task/feature.
Setup
The printer was real easy to set up. Plug in a phone line, plug in a network cable (I''m using it on my home network) and plug in power. Install software. Done. The software isn''t even really required. Now, the downside is, if you''re looking to plug this into your computer because you honestly are just using it on one machine and don''t really have a network setup then you''re out of luck. It''s got a USB port so you can do just that (plug it into your computer directly) but it doesn''t come in the box. You have to go get one yourself. Not nice in my opinion. It''s one thing to say "Network Ready" and another thing entirely to be "Network Required". That being said, you still can use it as a printer, copier and fax machine if you don''t plug it into anything except the phone line.
One other thing to note, the printer cartridge included in the package comes in two parts. One smaller part fits into a slot in the bigger cartridge (with the ink) and needs to be opened (you rotate a drum that presumably exposes the print head to the incoming paper). I''m a big and strong guy and I had a whole lot of fun trying to get that drum rotated during the setup. Granted I was afraid I''d break it but the piece you''re pushing against is pretty solid plastic. It was more about how much resistance there was there. It''s possible it was just a freak thing with my cartridge but you''d think it would either be easier or not require you to assemble the cartridge in the first place (my other laser printer has one cartridge).
Printer
As a printer, the Panasonic is pretty straightforward. I think the best part of it is that it''s a laser printer. I''d always been used to seeing inkjet versions of these multi-function printers which has turned me off. It supports up to 600 dpi print outs with decent results. I did have some trouble getting the printer set up in Windows (using Win 7 64-bit) as the installer installed a printer in Windows that didn''t seem to go anywhere. You could print to it but the documents just disappeared in to the ether. I deleted that and reinstalled the printer (just using the built-in/available driver that Windows offered which could still be the same drivers) and it worked great. It can push out 24 ppm and though I didn''t run a speed test to check this out (not gonna waste paper on that...I don''t print that much in a week) what I did print out came out in a snap.
Scanner
I was really looking forward to the scanner part since I have a more "pro" scanner but it''s largely mothballed so it''s a hassle to break it out to do any scanning. It was real easy to run a scan though the results are a bit iffy. For most documents, it was just fine. Scans were clean enough on regular paper. But, when I used paper that had even a slight gloss to it (I''m not talking magazine gloss, I''m talking matte coated paper), I''d get glare artifacts all over the place. Basically, the light from the scanner was (and I''m just theorizing here, not an expert) reflecting back enough to create something like a feedback loop. And, this didn''t cover the entire page, just certain chunks of it. Even more odd was that the patterns, while consistent from scan to scan for the same document, were different from those when using the copy function. So, I can''t say if this is a fault of the machine or the technology itself.
The OCR software included with the printer is functional but nothing fancy. And when I say "nothing fancy", I mean it. The UI is incredibly retro (the software has a copyright of 2002). Whereas you''d expect to be able to use your mouse''s scrollwheel to either scroll or zoom in/out, the app constrains you to set zoom levels (50% of actual, fit to window, etc.) and you have to click around between the horizontal and vertical scrollbars to get where you want to go. You can then use boxes (no magic wand or anything for you PhotoShop types) to define areas that have text, images, etc. It includes a feature that lets you edit the OCR''s attempt at recognizing the word, number, punctuation though it can get tedious and the font they use to display the replacement character is terrible (sort of like a blobby Courier) to where you can''t always be sure if you''re looking at a zero versus an eight or a comma versus a period. The recognition itself is as good as the quality of the scan so your mileage will vary. Clean scans (non-glossy paper, straightforward fonts/text) work nearly perfect (line spacing might take a hit with a slightly misaligned original...especially since you can only rotate 90 degrees within the software). Anything else is a grab bag that usually results in missing sections or something that looks like a ransom note. If you really need OCR, you''ll want to find something better.
Fax
Another feature I was looking forward to. As much as faxing is on the decline (unless you''re dealing with companies that really just don''t trust online signatures for legal or other reasons), I still find myself wishing I had a fax handy at times. I usually end up heading to the Fedex store or letting my wife do it from work. By default, the fax feature is on and working. In my case, I don''t have a dedicated fax line and I was only really planning on using this on an as needed basis. It took a sec to find the right place in the instructions to figure out the correct setting (in fact, the machine''s own menu system had a print option to print a sheet of instructions related to that feature which helped the most). Once I did it though, I was golden. I faxed a doc off to someone (the one time I needed it in six months) and it went off without a hitch. They e-mailed me what they got as a PDF and it looked as good as you''d expect (it was an IRS form so text-dense, no graphics). Even better is the PC Fax feature which lets me "print" to the fax feature and fax something directly without having to print it out. The feature shows up as a printer and, when you print to it, prompts for a number to fax to--even offering a delayed send option so you can have it send out an hour later or something (say to avoid interfering with the phone during business hours). Very cool. The only down side is the software log that shows you sent and received faxes doesn''t seem to retain those faxes despite setting it up NOT to delete sent faxes and the like.
Copy
The copy feature is yet another function I''ve been wanting for a while. Of course, with a scanner, it''s effectively a scan and a print but as I mentioned before, my scanner isn''t exactly a convenient option. The copies worked well and, as you''d expect, are as fast as they can be with a fast scan and a 24 ppm printer. I didn''t try a large copy job but I don''t expect this thing to be some refrigerator-sized Xerox beast that churns out books in a few minutes. For the one-off copy, it works great.
As mentioned above with the scanner, with certain paper types, you do see some artifacting but strangely the pattern is different from the scan. This could be because the copies are lower resolution than the scans (sort of a fast scan) so there''s less opportunity for "feedback" from the light source but it''s strange nonetheless. For the record, the copy scan looks better than the scan.
Conclusion
All in all the product is good enough. I don''t have a previous product that this is replacing (at least not one I''ve used in the past decade) so I can''t really compare it to other products. But, if you''re in the market for a multifunction printer that does it all and you aren''t worried about the aforementioned scanning artifacting (i.e. it''s not about the quality of the scans, just that you have a digital copy you can use), then go for it. The Panasonic includes all the features you''d expect but upgraded with tech that used to be only in dream machines that did just one thing. Just something about having one of these printers as a laser printer rather than an inkjet that seems to make it feel so much better than it used to be when buying one of these devices.
Read Best Reviews of Panasonic KX-MB2030 Multifunction Laser Printer Here
I''ve always had a printer, but the printers that I''ve had have always been inkjet printers. The average person who has a printer at home would do well with an inkjet printer. A few years ago, however, I started my first small business, and then, this year, my second. While I did not require the services of a printer for my first business, my second business, photography, found me constantly printing out contracts and information for clients, and I was getting extremely sick of having to purchase ink cartridges, so I decided to try the Panasonic Multi-Function Printer.
One thing that caught my attention upon first opening it was that there were instructions for removing it from the package! I don''t think I''ve ever seen that before. I''ve never dealt with a toner before, and was worried that I wouldn''t know how to put it in, but the picture instructions were easy to follow along and detailed enough so that I was easily able to get it in right the first time. Within just a few minutes I had the printer put together and plugged in to the outlet.
The software installation was simple and painless and in only five minutes the printer was hooked up and ready to print except that I had to provide my own USB cable. I don''t understand why a product that''s this good, and affordable, doesn''t come with it''s own USB cable? Granted, many people may plug the printer into their existing network, but as I don''t have a network, I need to use the USB port, and would have loved to have a USB cable included in the package.
Printing is simple and extremely quick, especially if you''re used to an inkjet printer, and don''t get me started on copying! I''m able to put a contract into the top slot and to watch it feed through, lightening fast, and to print a copy that looks identical to the original. It''s saved me tons of time and has allowed me to have a number of copies of contracts ready at a moments notice.
THE PROS: Easy to set up (although I have had no reasons to try the networking capabilities) and works beautifully. Doesn''t seem too loud to me and I love that the copying function works so quickly, and that it was so easy to put together and set up.
THE CONS: No USB cable!! Please, Panasonic, add a USB cable to the next small office printer you offer!
My original plan was to put this printer in another room of my house, as I assumed that I would be more comfortable sticking with the inkjet printer. Once I saw what this printer could do, and calculated how much money it is going to save me in printing, the inkjet printer got moved and this printer now sits beautifully in my home office.
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The printer itself works ok...prints fine, fax works great, scans are mediocre-even from the glass because they turn out lopsided, printing envelopes or labels always turn out crooked as well and after having the machine for about 5 months I started having a line down the center of ADF scans and faxes but that was gone after I opened the lid and vacuumed. I have a few other issues: whenever I use the machine it causes the lights in my office to flicker until it goes back into power save mode (I am in an old building but my other two printers didn''t cause this), every day at noon it comes on by itself--causing the lights to flicker and the BIGGEST issue for me has been that the display is now reading drum life low. I have had the printer about six months and have gone through a little under a half a case of paper and when that display came on, I had JUST changed from the original toner cartridge. If I have to change the drum with every toner cartridge, I will be rethinking the economic value of this little guy. The other thing that is a pain about replacing the toner and drum is that they both are difficult to find! You can''t just walk into Office Depot and get it. I know I should have looked into that before I bought the printer. They both have to be ordered online and currently the drum is backordered on the Panasonic website. I am hoping that doesn''t mean that the part will soon be obsolete...
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I''ve been using this for about a month now something like this takes some time to put through its paces. I have to admit I didn''t test the fax at all since I have no use for it.
It was larger than I expected (I was spoiled by my tiny Samsung ML-1740) for an office it''s fairly compact, but for a home office it takes up a big chunk of space. But you get a black and white laser printer, fax, scanner, and copier all in one.
If you haven''t had a laser before, you don''t know how much better they are than inkjets for general use. Sure, printing pictures look worse, but they''re ready to go almost instantly and don''t require constant maintenance and expensive ink. You save so much time and wasted ink and paper. Want to print something? Hit print. Boom. 5 seconds later it''s printed, even if you haven''t printed anything for a week. Every 3000 pages you need a pricey new toner cartridge, but that''s still cheaper (per page) and much less often than inkjet.
Pros:
Quite fast once it ramps up, which doesn''t take all that long.
Feels solid as heck.
Completely quiet when not doing anything.
Doesn''t require constant coddling like an inkjet.
Does a decent job color scanning or b&w printing.
250 page tray is more than enough that you aren''t changing paper constantly. That''s half a ream.
The auto-feeder for scanning or copying is very convenient.
USB or Ethernet connection. I tested both you will definitely find ethernet needs more technical savvy to configure, but is more flexible for a multi-computer setup.
Small by office standards.
Cons:
Pretty noisy when in operation.
Software is pretty meh. The drivers are hard to find and you will need to do a lot of manual configuration on the printer itself (fine with me, but if you don''t have experience with this it could be quite a trial).
Black and white only. This might not seem so bad unless you''ve already had a cheap color laser and realize just how much even crude color improves comprehension of anything but straight text. For example, printed Google maps are incredibly more readable in color.
Initial set up instructions were rather obtuse. There''s a one page visual only, but the pictures are so small it''s a bit hard to tell what''s going on. I managed to do so, but that was mostly using the visual as a hint the hardware is well designed so there''s only one way for anything to fit, so if you get the drum in the vicinity you can figure out what to do next.
No connection cables included you''d better have your own ethernet or usb cable.
Fairly hefty for the home. This certainly does not fit in the printer cubby of my very nice oak desk.
It definitely did the job and at $180 it''s hard to complain too much, but it''s a huge step down from my Brother MFC-9120CN High Quality Digital Color All-in-One Printer with Fax and Networking which is admittedly twice the price, but if you can afford the $350 I suggest you take a look at that. But I''m still giving this four stars because I''m amazed at how much you get for the price.
