Color MFPs prove capable and costly

The features go deep into production-level controls. For example, when building a complex copy job from several batches of originals, you can mix documents scanned on the platen with ones sent through the ADF, mix simplex with duplex pages and number some pages but not others, run a sample copy, and correct individual settings without reprogramming the whole job. After setting up the job, you can switch to Program mode and save it. Unfortunately, the machine stores only 10 programs, and it labels these with numbers instead of meaningful names.

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The WorkCentre Pro C2636 also provides good capabilities for ordinary users. You can adjust the color of scans and copies with preset schemes called Lively, Warm, and so on, and it can check color swatches on the LCD to see what the adjustments should look like. The machine automatically detects mixed-size pages in the ADF and pulls appropriate paper from different drawers. Job Status, a physical button, displays all pending jobs in the queue in one list, where you can move jobs around.

Xerox designed the WorkCentre Pro C2636 to be partly user-serviceable via Smart Kits. Smart Kits include the tube-shaped toner cartridges and the imaging drums, which are a snap to replace, and the waste-toner collector, which is a little trickier to install. Smart Kits won't save you any cash because they simply take the place of a service visit, but they can keep you from waiting on a technician.

The WorkCentre Pro C2636 aced our image-quality and performance tests. Its 18.1-ppm speed printing black text outpaced the rest, and the text itself looked impressively matte-black, clean, and crisp at all sizes. Grayscale photos showed a somewhat limited range of shades, but images still looked highly detailed and smooth. Color graphics -- always the Achilles' heel of performance -- printed at a comparatively good 4.5 ppm. And samples such as Excel pie charts and wide swaths of color on PowerPoint slides showed some minor patchiness. Speaking of patches, we had to install one for the WorkCentre Pro C2636's PostScript driver to fix a PowerPoint 2003 rendering issue: When using the standard image-quality setting, some colors printed inaccurately.

Copy speed and quality in our tests were similarly impressive. Plain-text copies appeared at a zippy 31.1 ppm, color graphics at a competitive 16.8 ppm. All copied documents looked saturated and fairly solid; copied color photos displayed delightfully sharp focus.

Substance over style

When you shop for a color MFP, keep these factors in mind: The MFPs we tested all offered similar lists of features but differed more in terms of how easily, quickly, or well they executed on those features. Take the time for a full demonstration of the unit and its options, and try using the control panel yourself before you buy. Also, think of the machine not just as a printer/copier/scanner/fax but as a device that can help you smooth office workflow and document management. Storing forms electronically for on-demand printing, scanning documents directly into a database, running custom applications -- these are some of the real reasons an MFP could be a good upgrade for your office.