Xerox WorkCentre M940

Product Review

Toner Cartridge for HP LaserJet 8100 Series, 8150 Series, Black Features solid blacks and smooth grays. Tested and inspected to ensure that it is reliable and dependable. No more mess -- cartridge installs quickly and cleanly.

Amazon.com Review

The Xerox M940 is a high-quality printer, copier, and scanner in one compact package. It's rated to print and copy at 12 ppm in black and 7 ppm in color. Plus, it features 1,200 x 1,200 dpi printing resolution, 600 x 600 dpi scanning resolution with 30-bit color depth, and a flatbed design to accommodate originals of many shapes and sizes.

To set up the M940, we followed the Getting Started guide--carefully unpacking the unit, inserting the two print heads and four print cartridges, and connecting the power and USB cables. Then we followed the driver software's onscreen instructions to install additional components and third-party utilities. The setup process was easy but unusually lengthy at about 30 minutes.

To test the M940, we scanned, copied, and printed a variety of documents in both color and monochrome using all of the printer's modes (draft, express, normal, and best) and printing on plain, coated, and photo papers. Prints and copies in draft mode were faded and grainy and showed unwanted banding (a horizontal striping effect). Express mode brightened the color and reduced the banding. Normal mode eliminated the banding and greatly reduced the graininess. Best mode provided sharp edges, vivid and more accurate color, and excellent transition from one shade to another. However, in all modes, reds appeared more orange and pinks more purple than they did in the original. Text documents showed similar improvements from draft mode to best, with the latter being only slightly distinguishable from the output of a laser printer.

Printing speeds were good but nowhere near the manufacturer's rating. A single heavy-color copy required 30, 39, 75, and 135 seconds, respectively, for each of the four modes. A single monochrome copy required 21, 33, 50, and 68 seconds. For day-to-day operation using express mode, you can expect about 4.3 monochrome and 2.6 color pages per minute. These results are comparable to those of other multifunctions in this class. The M940 required several minutes to print photographs in best mode, but on photo paper the results are excellent--definitely worth the wait.

The M940 comes with QuickLink III so that you can fax your scanned originals or send them via email. (Note that you cannot dial numbers directly from the unit's control panel, as no keypad is included.) It also includes a document cover, input paper tray, output tray, multipack ink cartridges, print heads, USB cable, power cord, software CD-ROM, user's guide, getting started guide, and USB installation card. It is backed by a one-year warranty. Overall, the M940 is a good all-purpose multifunction unit, ideal for offices with modest volume needs. --Mike Brown

Pros:

• Easy to set up and use
• Prints very sharp text
• Great all-in-one compromise

Cons:

• Lengthy software setup
• Slow color printing in best mode
• Inaccurate reproduction of red shades

Amazon.com Product Description

The Xerox M940 multifunction is a high-quality printer, copier, and scanner in one compact package. It can print and copy at 12 ppm in black and 7 ppm in color. It features 1,200 x 1,200 dpi resolution and a flatbed design to accommodate a variety of media in all shapes and sizes.

With the M940, you can scan at 30-bit color depth and 600 x 600 dpi resolution and export the scans to any compatible application, including fax software and e-mail. The M940 has reduction and enlargement capabilities from 25 to 400 percent. It also lets you send and receive faxes via your PC modem. The M940's Express mode allows you to print good-looking documents in half the time of those printed in high-quality mode. It uses InkLogic technology to save ink and to warn you when your cartridges need to be replaced.

The ControlCentre document management system will help you scan, use OCR, copy, edit, e-mail, find documents, and fill in forms. The M940 is easily networkable via the optional CentreDirect external print server.

The M940 comes with TextBridge Pro for accurate OCR, and MGI PhotoSuite to enhance and edit your scanned photos. It is backed by a one-year warranty.

Customer Reviews