Axis Communications Imagistics 2500 MFP User Manual
Test Report
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MULTIFUNCTIONAL PRODUCTS
Imagistics 2500 MFP w/AXIS Print Controller 5400
15PPM/Fax/Copier/Printer
RECOMMENDED
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Test period duration:
Three months
Distributor:
Imagistics International, Inc.
Trumbull, CT
Manufacturer:
Brother International Corporation
Made in China
Serial number: 2510765
Suggested retail price: $1,995; $3,012 as tested with the
optional 250-sheet paper drawer ($299), 32-MB fax memory
($419) and Axis print controller 5400 ($299).
Type: Desktop, CIS stationary sheet-fed exposing unit,
laser printing, bond sheet paper, heat and pressure fusing
multifunctional device with standard standalone
facsimile, convenience copying, host-based printing,
scanning and PC faxing as well as optional network
printing and LAN faxing via an external print device.
03
GENERAL APPRAISAL
The Imagistics Model 2500 MFP, a reliable
15-ppm fax-centric multifunctional device
offering standalone faxing, convenience copying and host-based printing, scanning and PC
faxing in its standard configuration, as well
as optional network printing and LAN faxing,
was a good overall performer in BLI’s tests.
Competitively priced with features that are
competitive to above-average when compared
to other mid-volume fax-centric units (which
is how Imagistics markets this product), this
laser-based unit completed testing without any
misfeeds or malfunctions.
Manufacturer’s recommended monthly volume: Up to
10,000 impressions.
BLI’s recommended monthly volume for optimum per-
formance: High-volume faxing, mid-volume printing and
convenience copying.
Copyright 2003. WARNING: This material is copyrighted by Buyers Laboratory Inc. and is the sole property of Buyers Laboratory. Duplication of this proprietary
report or excerpts from this report, in any manner, whether printed or electronic (including, but not limited to, copying, faxing, scanning or use on a fax-back system), is
illegal and strictly forbidden without written permission from Buyers Laboratory. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law . To purchase reprints of any
BLI reports or articles, contact BLI at (201) 488-0404. Buyers Laboratory Inc., 20 Railroad Avenue, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Or visit our W eb site at www.buyerslab.com.
In addition to operating reliably, the unit
displayed good ease of use from its well-laidout control panel, which has separate sections
for fax, copy and scan functions. The device
continued
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BUYERS LABORATORY TEST REPORT Imagistics 2500 MFP Multifunctional
General Appraisal continued
can also be programmed remotely from a PC
when configured with the standard parallel or
USB interface and using the bundled remote
utility (this utility was not tested by BLI since
the tested unit was configured with a network
connection). Ease of use as a printer was also
good. Further contributing to the unit’ s good
ease of use are its procedures for loading
paper, removing misfeeds and replacing the
toner cartridge and drum unit. Moreover, unlike most units tested, the Imagistics Model
2500 MFP r eceived BLI’s highest rating in both
copy and print mode for all types of output evaluated (text, line art, solids and halftones). T esting also revealed that the unit’s multitasking
capabilities are typical of other units in this
range tested to date by BLI, with the user able
to program a copy job while a print job is in
progress, but not while another copy job is
in progress.
As a fax machine, the Imagistics Model 2500
MFP offers a 33.6-Kbps modem, JBIG compression, an 8-MB standard memory that can
be upgraded to 40 MB, the highest maximum
memory capacity for current mid-volume units,
a 30-sheet automatic document feeder , a 250sheet paper capacity that can be increased to
500 sheets, as well as a single-sheet bypass
tray, and multi-access. Other fax features of
this unit, which has a 3.56-second-per-page BLItested scan speed, include batch transmission,
50 timers for delayed operations, 132 autodial
destinations, 168-hour battery backup (the
longest battery backup time available for current units), broadcasting to 182 destinations,
distinctive-ring detection, error-correction
mode, an automatic cover sheet feature and
remote diagnostics. Furthermore, the
Imagistics Model 2500 MFP dials the destina-
tion and begins transmitting while pages are
scanned to memory.
As a convenience copier, the unit can output
up to 99 copies in a single run at 600-dpi resolution and provides an auto reduction mode and
pre-set (50%, 78%, 94%, 100%, 104%, 150%
and 200%) and zoom (50% to 200% in 1% increments) reduction/enlargement modes. Other
copying features include the ability to sort multiple copies and to copy two or four pages onto
one page as well as a fax and copy feature that
allows users to make a copy of their fax document at the same time they send the fax. Furthermore, the unit’s first-copy time, at 12.78
seconds, is faster than the large majority of faxcentric multifunctional units tested to date.
Connectivity
The Imagistics Model 2500 MFP was tested
as a network printer using the optional external AXIS print server network interface, which
was easy to install. The bundled PCL 5e (emulation) print driver for Windows 95, 98, 2000,
NT 4.0 and Me was also easy to use and includes such noteworthy features as toner -save
mode, brightness/contrast, manual duplexing
with margins (Windows 98 only), the ability to
print the date and time, and N-up printing with
or without borders. Also noteworthy is that the
driver allows users to click on a graphical
image to select the paper source. The
Imagistics 2500 MFP , which output at its rated
speed of 15 ppm, prints at 600-dpi resolution.
The Imagistics 2500 MFP also offers LAN
faxing as well as PC scanning to a PC directly
connected via the unit’s standard parallel or
USB interface (PC scanning was not tested by
BLI as the unit was tested in a network environment).
continued
Copyright 2003. WARNING: This material is copyrighted by Buyers Laboratory Inc. and is the sole property of Buyers Laboratory. Duplication of this proprietary
report or excerpts from this report, in any manner, whether printed or electronic (including, b ut not limited to, copying, faxing, scanning or use on a fax-back system),
is illegal and strictly forbidden without written permission from Buyers Laboratory. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. T o purchase reprints
of any BLI reports or articles, contact BLI at (201) 488-0404. Buyers Laboratory Inc., 20 Railroad Avenue, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Or visit our Web site at
www.buyerslab.com.
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BUYERS LABORATORY TEST REPORT Imagistics 2500 MFP Multifunctional
General Appraisal continued
Shortcomings
In addition to one criticism that is common for
fax-centric units (that it does not automatically
detect the size of paper after changing the
paper size), BLI technicians found the following shortcomings: 1) Feedback to PC workstations was rated “Poor” because, while utilities
that provide feedback to a PC user are available in the unit’s standard configuration via a
parallel/USB connection, the only information
available in BLI’s tested configuration with the
optional AXIS print server is a list of completed
jobs accessible from the Web page. 2) The
unit’s cost per page is higher than the average
for laser/LED fax-centric multifunctional units
tested to date. In fact, only two other units
tested have a higher cost per page. 3) When
the unit redialed the destination after being
subjected to excessive line noise, it transmitted the entire file, including the pages that were
successfully transmitted, which would cause
unnecessary telephone line costs.
Price Analysis and Summary
As mentioned above, the Imagistics 2500
MFP’s cost per page is among the highest for
laser/LED fax-centric multifunctional units
tested to date. However, the unit has a suggested retail price that is competitive when
compared to those of other mid-volume units
currently available, while providing a print
speed, compression method and a standard and
maximum memory capacity that are above
average for units in this volume class. Because
of its good overall performance, BLI recommends the Imagistics 2500 MFP for highvolume faxing, mid-volume printing and
convenience copying.
Copy Quality:
Text: ................................ Good
Line art: .......................... Good
Halftones: ....................... Good
Solids:.............................. Good
Print Quality:
Text: ................................ Good
Line art: .......................... Good
Halftones: ....................... Good
Solids:.............................. Good
Ease of use:....................... Good
Ease of maintenance: ....... Good
Estimated waste:............... Low
Estimated downtime: ........ Low
Total service calls
(including PMs) ................. 0
MIBF: ............................... Not applicable
MIBS: ............................... Not applicable
T oner yield
(at 6% page coverage) ..... 4,369
Copyright 2003. WARNING: This material is copyrighted by Buyers Laboratory Inc. and is the sole property of Buyers Laboratory. Duplication of this proprietary
report or excerpts from this report, in any manner, whether printed or electronic (including, b ut not limited to, copying, faxing, scanning or use on a fax-back system),
is illegal and strictly forbidden without written permission from Buyers Laboratory. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. T o purchase reprints
of any BLI reports or articles, contact BLI at (201) 488-0404. Buyers Laboratory Inc., 20 Railroad Avenue, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Or visit our Web site at
www.buyerslab.com.
3-TR
BUYERS LABORATORY TEST REPORT Imagistics 2500 MFP Multifunctional
TEST RESUL TS AND OBSERVA TIONS
T est equipment: BLI’ s dedicated test network, consisting of Windows NT 4.0 file servers, W indows 98 and 2000 workstations,
10/100BaseTX network switches and CA T5 cabling.
Reliability
Malfunctions encountered during tests: None. However,
there was repetitive misfeeding in tray two, which Imagistics
technicians attributed to a damaged tray. The tray was
replaced, after which there was no problem.
Misfeeds encountered during tests: See above.
Additional observations: 1) BLI technicians were unable to
start MFL-PRO Suite, the bundled software utility, when
the Imagistics Model 2500 MFP was connected to a
Windows 2000 workstation, requiring BLI technicians to
download a patch via the Scansoft W eb site, which resolved
the problem. 2) The AXIS print controller periodically lost
communication with the Imagistics Model 2500 MFP. To
resolve the problem, BLI technicians had to disconnect the
power cord from the controller, remove the controller from
the rear of the device (parallel port), disconnect the network
cable, reconnect the controller to the machine and insert
the network cable and the power cord. It should be noted
that these steps only temporarily resolve the problem and
must be taken each time the controller loses communication
with the Model 2500 MFP . 3) In testing it was observed that
once tray one is empty, the speed when printing from tray
two was much slower than when printing from tray one.
4) If the unit is configured with the optional second tray
and the user adds paper to the first tray while it’s feeding
from the second tray, misfeeding may occur because tray
two feeds through the front feed section of tray one.
5) When using Adobe Acrobat 5.0 on a Windows 2000 workstation, fonts did not print properly until the font package,
which is bundled on the CD-ROM, was installed. 6) Although there is a collate selection within the W indows 2000
driver, it does not function. Users must select collate from
within an application.
Maintenance
The Imagistics Model 2500 MFP employs a user-replaceable
drum unit and a user-replaceable toner cartridge.
Guarantee/Warranty: The Imagistics Model 2500 MFP is
backed by a 90-day warranty on parts and service.
Service pricing: Contact your local Imagistics sales office
for service contract pricing.
User-Replaceable Consumables
T oner cartridge: Suggested retail price, $195. Manufacturer’s
rated yield, 10,000 pages at 4% page coverage.
Drum unit: Suggested retail price, $195. Manufacturer’s rated
yield, 20,000 pages at 4% page coverage.
Ease of replacing toner: Good. When toner is low, the toner
icon flashes and the display indicates “TONER LOW”;
when the toner cartridge is empty, “TONER EMPTY”
appears on the display and the cartridge has to be changed.
Replacement of the cartridge is a straightforward and clean
procedure.
Toner replacement possible during a print/copy run: No.
Ease of replacing drum unit: Good. When the drum is near
the end of its life, “CHANGE DRUM SOON” appears on
the display; when the drum is empty, “Change Drum”
appears on the display and the drum unit has to be replaced.
The user removes the imaging cartridge assembly, which
consists of the toner cartridge and drum unit, separates
the toner cartridge and the drum unit by releasing the lock
lever, attaches the new drum unit to the toner cartridge,
inserts the imaging assembly into the machine, and resets
a drum counter. First-time users will need to refer to the
owner’s manual for instructions on how to reset the counter .
Replacing the drum unit was a straightforward and clean
procedure.
TESTED TONER YIELD/
COST PER PAGE
Toner Yield Impressions
(Impressions) Per Gram
4,369 37.69
Toner Supplies
Cost Per Page Cost Per Page*
4.463¢ 5.43¢
Print cartridge net weight: 115.9 grams
* Based on suggested retail price, tested toner yield
(based on 6% page coverage) and the manufacturer’s
claimed yield for the drum unit.
Copyright 2003. WARNING: This material is copyrighted by Buyers Laboratory Inc. and is the sole property of Buyers Laboratory. Duplication of this proprietary
report or excerpts from this report, in any manner, whether printed or electronic (including, b ut not limited to, copying, faxing, scanning or use on a fax-back system),
is illegal and strictly forbidden without written permission from Buyers Laboratory. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. T o purchase reprints
of any BLI reports or articles, contact BLI at (201) 488-0404. Buyers Laboratory Inc., 20 Railroad Avenue, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Or visit our Web site at
www.buyerslab.com.
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BUYERS LABORATORY TEST REPORT Imagistics 2500 MFP Multifunctional
TEST RESULTS AND OBSERVATIONS continued
Ease of Operation
Documentation: Good. The unit comes with a printed owner’s
manual and quick setup guide, as well as a CD-ROM that
includes the owner’s manual, quick setup guide and a manual
for PaperPort software. The optional AXIS print server 5400
includes a printed user’s guide and a CD-ROM that includes
instructions for installing utilities for W indows 3.1, 95/98
and NT environments as well as Mac, OS2 and UNIX
environments. However, there are no reference guides for
Windows 2000, Me or XP installations.
Ease of use: Good. The control panel offers a two-line,
32-character text LCD display and has separate sections
for fax, copy and scan functions. Users can automatically
scroll through the programming functions by pressing the
“Function” key on the control panel and program the
selection by pressing the “Enter/Yes” key. Alternatively,
the user can use the left and right arrow keys to scroll
through the menu selections or simply select the number
pertaining to the desired selection. The function numbers
along with the function selections are displayed on the
LCD. In addition, a list of the user-settable functions can
be printed via the “Reports” key on the control panel. When
configured with a parallel or USB interface, the device can
also be programmed remotely from a PC using a bundled
remote utility (not tested). Ease of use as a printer was also
good.
Control panel status messages/job access: Messages regard-
ing device status, such as “receiving data,” “dialing” and
“printing,” appear on the control panel. There is no print
queue listed, nor is there access to the job in progress.
Feedback to PC workstations: Poor. While utilities that
provide feedback to a PC user are available in the unit’s
standard configuration via a parallel/USB connection, the
only information available in BLI’s tested configuration with
the optional AXIS print server is a list of completed jobs
accessible from the Web page.
Pop-up status/error messages: No.
Icon alerts: No.
Device status: No.
Paper supply gauge from driver/utility/Web: No/No/No.
Paper size status from driver/utility/Web: No/No/No.
Always-on-top status information: No.
Ease of removing misfeeds: Good. Non-clamshell design with
three misfeed locations, including one for the document
feeder.
Ease of loading paper: Good.
Ease of adjusting paper drawers: Fair. The drawer must be
removed from the machine and the rear and side guides
adjusted. The correct paper size is then set using the
machine’s control panel. See “Operator error .”
Auto paper size sensing: No.
Operator error: Since there is no paper size detection for the
paper drawer, if the user does not set the correct paper size
after changing paper size, documents may be printed onto
the wrong size paper and misfeeding may occur. However , it
should be noted that the bundled software allows users to
make this change to either drawer from a PC, rather than
from the control panel’s menu system, when the unit is connected to a PC via a parallel or USB connection (the unit
was tested in a networked environment). The exit tray does
not have a sensor to stop the device from printing/copying; consequently, when the capacity is exceeded, a paper
jam will occur.
Throughput Capabilities/Materials
Paper output: Paper is output face down in correct page or-
der to an internal 150-sheet tray.
Ability to process labels: Avery #5351 labels performed
satisfactorily in the tests. (Imagistics recommends that users feed labels through the bypass tray).
Ability to process transparencies: 3M-PP2500 clear trans-
parencies performed satisfactorily in the tests. (Imagistics
recommends that users feed labels through the bypass tray).
Ability to process envelopes: BLI technicians were able to
successfully print onto single envelopes via the bypass.
Print job status: Yes, via the Web page for completed jobs
only.
Copyright 2003. WARNING: This material is copyrighted by Buyers Laboratory Inc. and is the sole property of Buyers Laboratory. Duplication of this proprietary
report or excerpts from this report, in any manner, whether printed or electronic (including, b ut not limited to, copying, faxing, scanning or use on a fax-back system),
is illegal and strictly forbidden without written permission from Buyers Laboratory. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. T o purchase reprints
of any BLI reports or articles, contact BLI at (201) 488-0404. Buyers Laboratory Inc., 20 Railroad Avenue, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Or visit our Web site at
www.buyerslab.com.
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