Manufacturers come at multifunction machines from one of two directions: with expertise in printers and in fax machines. Panasonic could have done either, but the name and style of the Panasonic KX-FLP851 suggests faxing was foremost in its mind.

This is a substantial device, looking more like an office photocopier than the laser printer on which it's based. From its auto-document feeder on top, to the three paper out bins at its right-hand end, it says business.

TrustedReviews made a review of this printer and here are some of their impressions:
One particular strength of the machine is its control panel. Despite dealing with all four multi-functions, it manages to remain fairly simple and obvious to use. The main panel includes a two-line by 16-character LCD display, though with no backlight, under which is a set of four dual-function buttons and a small four-way wheel for navigating its menu system.

The KX-FLP851 is very easy to use; to copy you place an original in the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) or on the flatbed and press Copy. For printing, you use the machine exactly like a desktop laser printer and for faxing you can send from the flatbed or ADF. If the machine receives two instructions at once, for example being sent a print job at the same time as a copy job is started from the control panel, the KX-FLP851 intelligently queues whichever arrives last.

The conclusion is that this is a robust multi-function machine which would suit a small office or workgroup of half a dozen people. It won't need servicing that frequently, so running costs should stay low, though the asking price for the original machine is comparatively high. Devices with the same feature set are available for considerably less than half the asking price, so you have to decide if the Panasonic name and reputation for reliability is worth the extra money.

Read full review on trustedreviews.

The Lexmark X342n ($399 direct) makes a great first impression. With a metallic front panel that's set off by the dark-gray case surrounding it, it looks good enough to fit into the kind of office where décor matters. It also has the right price for an AIO for a small office, a busy home office, or a small workgroup in a larger office. And it can work as a standalone fax machine and copier, as it comes complete with both a flatbed scanner mounted on a monochrome laser printer and a 50-page automatic document feeder in the scanner lid. Unfortunately, what's inside the case isn't as well designed as the outside. Even though the X342n does a reasonably good job as a printer, fax machine, and copier, it delivers less than I'd expect for the price.

An AIO should let you take advantage of all of its capabilities. The X342n doesn't. In particular, you should be able to use it to fax from any PC on the network. But with the X342n, you have to print a document and fax the hard copy instead. This wastes paper, wastes time, and ensures that the faxed version won't be as readable as it would if you had faxed it directly from your hard drive. On an equally sour note, even though the Lexmark X342n lets you scan to a PC over your network, you have to jump though some unnecessary hoops to do that.

The X342n also drops the ball just a bit on paper-handling. It comes with a 250-sheet input tray, which should be enough for most small offices, and it offers a 550-sheet option ($199 direct) for a total 800-sheet capacity. But unlike the similarly priced Dell MFP Laser Printer 1815dn or the Editors' Choice Brother MFC-8860DN, it doesn't include a duplexer for printing on both sides of the page, even as an option.

The X342n's speed and output quality are acceptable, but nowhere near good enough to make up for its shortcomings. I clocked it on our business applications suite at a total of 12 minutes 9 seconds (timed with QualityLogic's hardware and software, www.qualitylogic.com). I'd call that tolerable but sluggish. The Dell 1815dn took about two-thirds the time, and the MFC-8860 took only a little over half as much.

Text quality is on the low side for a monochrome laser, but that's still good enough for almost anything short of desktop publishing. More than half of our test fonts were easily readable, with well-formed characters, at 5 points, and some were easily readable at 4 points. Only one heavily stylized font with thick strokes needed 10 points.

Graphics show obvious dithering, in the form of patterns in some levels of gray. I wouldn't hand them out to an important client or customer, but they are easily good enough for any internal business use. Photos also show dithering but are good enough for things such as client newsletters and printing Web pages.

Ultimately, the Lexmark X342n can do the job it's meant for: taking the place of a printer, fax machine, copier, and scanner. But it doesn't shine at any of these tasks, and it's easy to find other choices in its price range that do more, cost less, or both, making it hard to recommend the X342n at this price.

Read full review on pcmag.

Canon Imaging has launched another portable printer for its loyal consumers. The Canon SELPHY CP720 Portable Photo Printer sports a 1.5 inch color LCD and a 300 x 300 dpi (256 gradations/color) resolution. Since my knowledge of the Japanese language is limited, forgive me for the sketchy details. It can print images in different modes and sizes like :Postcard Size, Large Size, Card Size and Wide Size.

The printer measures 178.0 x 125.0 x 63.0 mm and weighs about 930 grams. It comes bundled with the following accessories: # Paper Cassette, Standard Sheet/Ink Cassette, Compact POWER Adapter, POWER Cord, Cleaner Stick and a CP Printer Solution Disk. No word on pricing or availability.

Via mobilewhack.

We talked about the CP720 Portable Printer and now let’s look at the Canon SELPHY CP730 Portable Printer which is a more advanced printer. The CP730 has a 2 inch LCD and is a perfect solution for those who are on the go. The printer is equipped with a high resolution 2 inch LCD and a 300 x 300 dpi (256 gradations/color) resolution. The printer measures 178.0 x 131.0 x 63.0 mm and weighs just below 1 kg!

Print Sizes include: Postcard Size, Large Size, Card Size and Wide Size and one also comes across some handy features like Trimming Mode, ID Phone Mode, Movie Print Mode, Print Effect Mode, Borderless Image Mode and My Colors Mode. It comes bundled with the following accessories: Paper Cassette, Standard Sheet/Ink Cassette, Compact POWER Adapter, POWER Cord, Cleaner Stick and a CP Printer Solution Disk.
No word on pricing or availability.

Via mobilewhack.

Two new printers have been intorduced by HP - the Photosmart D7360 Photo Printer and the Photosmart A618 Compact Photo Printer.

The D7360 doesn't need a PC - it features a large 3.4-inch screen so you can insert your memory card or connect a camera to the PictBridge port to start your printing. It runs on six Vivera ink cartridges, and produces 10x15cm prints in just 12 seconds. Feature-wise, it has a PhotoFix button for one-touch red-eye removal and sharpening and the option of Bluetooth connectivity, with a Wireless Printer Adaptor for printing from camera phones or PDAs. Bundled with Photosmart Premier software, you should be able to pick it up for just under £200.

The A618 is a portable printer, with battery pack and handle and featuring a flip-up 2.4-inch screen. Again, there's a One-touch Photo Fix button, with 10 x 15cm photos produced in just under 40 seconds. It's available for £150.

Via techdigest.