Xerox VersaLink C7020 assessment

Xerox likes to boast that it’s ‘the corporate that created the fashionable office’ and we’re happy to see that it’s nonetheless innovating within the MFP class. We’re referring to the ConnectKey expertise, which is a set of linked performance, fronted by a 5-inch touchscreen that provides up a smorgasbord of apps as a substitute of a conventional menu. These apps make quite a lot of duties nearly as intuitive as for those who had been utilizing a smartphone.

Xerox recommends this VersaLink mannequin to small and medium-sized companies, however we expect it has the options and capability to fulfill the calls for of bigger places of work – though for very high-volume printing, Xerox has the AltaLink vary. With further drawers, it may maintain as much as 5,140 sheets of paper, whereas Further Excessive Capability toner cartridges can print as much as 23,600 pages.

Design and construct

Even in its most simple configuration, as seen right here, it is a massive unit, and weighing 92kg, it was an actual wrestle for 2 individuals to get it off the bottom. We hoped it’d sit on a desk, nevertheless it’s very a lot a freestanding design to which you’ll add from a really sturdy catalogue of equipment. That features 5 completely different drawer models that experience on their very own coasters and increase the paper capability significantly.

An A3 multifunction printer of this measurement was by no means going to seem like something however an eyesore in your workplace, however at the least the off-white and petrol grey colour scheme is unobtrusive, and it feels well-made. The plastic parts are in no way flimsy and apparently there are fewer shifting elements inside the most recent fashions, so much less likelihood of failure.

The shape issue appears acquainted sufficient, with the scanner on prime, paper trays to the facet, prime and backside, and a paper-out tray on the centre. The place it differs from rival machines is the 5-inch tilting touchscreen show, however we’ll focus on that extra within the subsequent part.

Options

As you would possibly count on of a multifunction printer costing £7,325 excluding VAT (round $9,750, AU$12,780), the VersaLink C7020 comes with each characteristic you’ll be able to consider and some extra moreover. The C7020 is positioned in direction of the highest of the VersaLink product tree, and in contrast to the significantly extra inexpensive VersaLink C405, it may accommodate A3 paper.

Other than printing, scanning and faxing, this high-spec MFP could be hooked as much as a router by way of an Ethernet cable to allow cloud providers, distant monitoring and scanning, or printing, to and from electronic mail. It additionally presents a Wi-Fi Direct connection for wi-fi printing when there’s no web service.

VersaLink Safety features a raft options to guard your online business, equivalent to Safe Print, which asks for a safety code to be entered on the machine as a way to full a process. There’s additionally password safety for any PDF scans that you simply create and arduous disk encryption to guard any paperwork which can be saved on the printer whereas they’re ready to print.

Nevertheless, the distinctive promoting level for Xerox is probably the tablet-style management panel, which presents the person with a number of apps, as a substitute of a menu, similar to a smartphone. To entry the settings menu, you’ll be able to select the System app, and for the rest, you simply select the suitable app.

Just a few necessities are included, like USB, which takes you to the choices for no matter USB gadget you may have inserted. Extra apps could be downloaded freed from cost from the Xerox App Gallery. Right here you’ll discover enjoyable issues like Xerox Straightforward Translator Service – an app that allows you to scan in a web page of overseas language textual content and print out the English translation.

Setup and operation

Simply extracting this hefty piece of kit from the field is a wrestle, however when you’ve plugged within the energy and Ethernet cables (no Wi-Fi module is included in the usual package), getting began doesn’t require a complete background in IT.

Nevertheless, we did have some points, which required lengthy cellphone calls to a Xerox knowledgeable. The phrases ‘simple’ and ‘intuitive’ are used 47 occasions within the brochure and that’s deceptive as a result of that is essentially the most sophisticated machine we’ve examined thus far. There are such a lot of parameters and settings that require handbook checking earlier than you’ll be able to efficiently print a file, it may really feel as if the factor is simply searching for excuses to not do what you need it to.

Nevertheless, between the useful Xerox engineer, Google search and the 305-page person handbook (yep, that’s simply the English language part), we did obtain nearly all the pieces we got down to do. Putting in the torpedo-like toner cartridges is easy and when you take away the entire transportation gadgets and configure the entire levers and flaps, there’s a setup wizard to get you get linked and printing.

What it gained’t do is robotically detect what sort of paper inventory you’re loading, so you have to verify this each on the management panel and in your print settings. Additionally, it doesn’t all the time acknowledge which method round (portrait or panorama) you’re loading the paper. The identical is true whenever you place a doc on the scanner.

Normally you should utilize the Xerox Cell PrintPortal app on a smartphone to regulate a Xerox printer, however on this case the QR code solely brings up the message: ‘System isn’t accessible.’

Adjusting the printer’s settings are additionally fairly convoluted as just some could be accessed via the Units app within the management panel. For instance, modifying the time interval earlier than the machine switches from awake to standby is achieved throughout the printer’s internet web page menu.

Efficiency

The standard and consistency of the VersaLink C7020’s printing, in the case of black and white or colour paperwork, is superb. Textual content is especially spectacular whenever you cut back the purpose measurement to attempt to induce blocking or smudging.

Colourful paperwork and maps additionally show its consistency in print high quality, particularly whenever you’re turning out A3-sized pages. It’s fairly quick too, with colour paperwork taking not than mono prints at 20 ppm (pages per minute). Nevertheless, the time taken to energy up from an off state is sort of lengthy at over 90 seconds.

Printing images on photograph paper isn’t a robust go well with. There’s no setting for Shiny Picture Paper, though you’ll be able to select Shiny Cardstock, however even at optimum high quality, images look unnatural and considerably mottled. Picture paper tends to emerge fairly curled.

Excessive capability toner cartridges guarantee your online business retains printing with out having to cease for a refill, whereas the per-page value comes right down to lower than one penny per web page for black and white printing.

We skilled two paper jams throughout the take a look at interval and observed some creasing of plain paper, though this stopped occurring after a number of days.

There’s no sq. USB-B enter right here, so you can’t join your laptop computer instantly. Additionally, we discovered that the entrance USB port wouldn’t learn the information on an exterior arduous drive, and most of the time, it might discover no readable information after we tried to feed them in on a USB flash drive.

Scanning is quick, correct and pretty prime quality. We didn’t handle to ship emails to an iCloud deal with, or a folder on a MacBook operating Excessive Sierra, however PC customers may have no such issues.

Remaining verdict

This can be a premium multifunction printer and that’s evident within the construct high quality, print high quality and the wealth of options. If your online business has a busy print schedule, the VersaLink C7020 might be as much as the duty and has the potential to increase via its equipment. Smaller places of work might be postpone by the dimensions and value of this MFP, and will contemplate a less complicated (and cheaper) answer.