Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Xerox DocuColor 250 Color 3 in 1
PROS:
The first thing that grabs your attention on the DocuColor 250 is the prominently positioned blue control panel. The touch screen User Interface (UI) gives easy access to popular functions, with additional menus for all of the DocuColor’s features. A traditional 10-keypad is provided along with the buttons most users are used to using with copiers.
One of the nice features of this multifunction is it can multitask. A person can scan or copy directly on the DocuColor while print jobs are being performed via the network. Even if it’s printing, you can still program the 250 to scan ahead without having to wait.
The DocuColor 250 prints at speeds up to 50 pages per minute in color, 65 single-sided pages per minute in black-and-white. Having one of the highest resolutions at 2,400 x 2,400, it gives you professional high-image quality and clarity. The polymerized toner helps enhance definition and sharpness. An Enhanced Gloss mode allows you to adjust the amount of glossiness on the print.
The duplexing Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) can handle the copying and scanning of your 2-sided originals, be they in color or in B&W. With a 250-sheet capacity, it handles about twice the amount of other ADFs. Sensors allow the multi-function to determine document sizes.
The DocuColor 250 comes with two 500-sheet cassette trays, an 870-sheet and a 1,140-sheet tandem tray that supports papers from 8½ “x 11” up to 11” x 17”. When one tray is empty the DocuColor 250 will automatically switch to a tray containing the same size and type paper. A 250-sheet multi-purpose bypass tray handles various paper weights and sizes up to 13” x 19”.
The 250 comes standard with a built-in auto-sensing network card that can support up to gigabit Ethernet speeds. The expandable 256MB of memory and an 80GB hard drive enables this DocuColor to handle any size print request and to securely save jobs to the hard drive.
Color copies up to 13” x 19” can be made directly on the glass platen, or using the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). The duplexing ability of the ADF allows for making copies from 2-sided originals without having to manually flip the papers. Zoom ranges from 25% to 400% with a choice of 1% increments, automatic resizing, or in ten jumps. Resolution and print speeds are spec’d at 2,400 x 2,400 dpi and by scanning one time and storing the images to memory allows for copying speeds of 65 ppm. You can choose if copies are to be collated or stacked into the offset catch tray.
Scanned documents can be exported as 600 x 600 PDF files and sent to a network directory, e-mail, or on the internal hard drive.
Two optional Finishers can give the DocuColor series full publishing features including staple, multi-hole punch, Z, C, and V-folding and binding for catalogs and magazines. The DocuColor is able to interface with 3rd party peripherals such as magnetic strip readers (for ID cards) and coin machines, to expand its functions beyond the workplace to universities and self-serve copy stores.
CONS:
In spite of Xerox’s claims, you don’t want to just plop anybody in front of this unit without some training. As a support engineer, I found the most downtime for machines of this size comes when untrained people start “using” them. Since most buyers of DocuColors and WorkCentres will want to establish passwords and user accounts for auditing and security, the end-user will need to be taught the basics (like what their password is). With a 1-hour training and “lab”, I‘ve been able to get the most technophobic people productive on these office machines. Here’s where an hour of prevention is worth days of non-productivity.
Normally multifunction printers have identical resolutions for scan and copy functions, often with the scanning resolutions being higher. While it’s not a big issue, it is interesting that the DocuColor 250 is only spec’d to have a 600 x 600 dpi resolution in scan mode.
INK / TONER NEEDS:
The DocuColor uses Xerox’s Emulsion Aggregate toner, a resin-like ink for sharper imaging and less color bleeding. Prints that use polymerized toners like EA tend to have a nice glossy look and a waxy feel to them.
Dual black cartridges allow for easy changing of the highest consumed item without stopping the printer. Each black toner provides 5% coverage on 30,000 pages, and the three colors 34,000 pages each. Just remember that if you’re doing full-color spread layouts and photograph prints, the actual toner usage per page is going to be at least 10 times more, reducing the number of pages you can get out of a cartridge.
The toner can be purchased separately, especially if the yellow toner gets consumed the most. To save on costs, toner combo-packages are also available.
Other consumables to consider are replacement of the imaging units (drums) every 65,000 prints (the black drum every 150,000), the fuser and transfer roller after 160,000 prints, and the waste toner bottle after 50,000 prints.
