Color MFPs prove capable and costly

When we reviewed monochrome MFPs (multifunction printers) a few months ago, it was already clear that multifunctions were the output wave of the future for corporate offices. Not only do they combine print, copy, and fax functions, but they also act as input centers for digital archiving, OCR, and the sending of images via e-mail or fax. And yet for some offices, that's still not enough. Workgroups that want to produce short-run marketing materials, professional-looking proposals, or punchier internal documents could save outsourcing time and money by moving up to a color MFP.

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The six midrange color MFPs in this roundup offer a plethora of features. Five have tabloid or slightly larger paper paths. All can print and scan in duplex, and all the scanners are color-capable. All offer myriad paper input options. Most include finishers that can staple document sets, drill holes, or even fold booklets. Speed was the biggest disappointment: None printed at full engine spec in our tests, but some approached it when making monochrome copies.

Xerox's WorkCentre Pro C2636 takes top honors for printing and copying the quickest, producing exemplary output, and offering plentiful features that are also easy to use. Canon's Color imageRunner C3220 and Ricoh's Aficio 2238C rated nearly as well. Hewlett-Packard's Color LaserJet 9500mfp and Sharp's AR-BC320 Color Imager stumbled in our speed tests, and Lexmark's X762e struggled with output quality.

Power has its price

As you admire that full-color copy, remember that such pages cost roughly six to eight times what a monochrome version costs -- and users might print more to fine-tune colors or just to have fun. All the systems we tested include tools for monitoring and restricting access, but quiz your reseller: Can the machine set up usage-constraint templates that you can apply to individuals and groups? Can it block color jobs that don't have an associated billing charge-back code but let uncategorized monochrome jobs go through? Can the job log export to a spreadsheet, or do you have to pay extra for a link to accounting software? And ask yourself: Who needs it? Image-conscious departments -- sales and marketing, HR and training, the executive suite -- probably get first dibs.

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The machines themselves are pricey. The MFPs in our roundup start at less than $7,500 and top out at close to $25,000. Most organizations buy under a service contract that replaces a warranty with an agreement to pay a certain charge per page. Expect a 25 percent to 35 percent discount off the list price, more in a competitive market. Negotiate against paying a click charge for scanning and other jobs that don't use toner, or bargain it against a concession on something else. The more you use the machine, the lower your click charges will be, of course. With moderate usage -- 4,000 to 8,000 clicks a month -- you should be able to get your charge down to less than 1 cent for a monochrome copy or print and 8 cents for a color copy or print.

Canon Color imageRunner C3220

Canon's Color imageRunner C3220 is one of the best MFPs in this roundup. It might cost a bit more than the competition, but the machine's speed, long list of features, and easy-to-use design could justify the premium.