Xerox Workcentre M940 C A Multifunction Masterpiece
A Hardware Review
by Herb Goldstein
Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc.
I need to start by thanking many of you for arousing my curiosity. There has not been a device in recent memory about which I have received so many inquiries as multifunction machines. For the unindoctrinated, multifunction machines combine into a single peripheral device such worthy duties as printing, scanning, copying and occasionally faxing. What most of you most frequently indicated you were looking for was an inkjet color printer and color copier and scanner in one capable machine. A trip to Office Depot provided a good look at the best variety of such machines on display. Although you can play with them all at the store to your heart's content, you need to take advantage of their 30-day free home trial to discover and fully appreciate what appears to be one of the better kept equipment secrets in town-those fabulous multifunction devices.
Spending the better part of a morning at Office Depot, I looked carefully at the display of multifunction machines from several different major manufacturers, and tried each and every one in its various functional modes. It soon became clear that for reasons I will indicate to you, the device that warranted further investigation in depth was the Xerox WorkCentre M940, a spiffy looking color inkjet printer, color copier and color scanner.
Our devoted readers will possibly remember my enthusiasm a few short years ago over a laser printer, a Xerox Docuprint P12. It has easily proved itself to be the very best printer among a variety of several I have owned in the close to 20 years I have been using printers. For many of the same reasons that I am endeared to my P12, I was strongly attracted to the WorkCentre M940. You asked for my recommendation, so here it is, and for reasons I will expand on. The Xerox WorkCentre M940 is the king of the lot!
The name "Xerox" itself is a very powerful recommendation. Their proven reputation over the years for producing high-quality, rock-solid equipment is well-known throughout the business community. And although quality is job #1, equally important is service and support. When it comes to backing up their equipment and concern for customers after the sale, Xerox has neither peers nor competition. To illustrate, let me offer a case in point. Some time after I purchased my P12, I stupidly failed to follow directions (when all else fails, read the instructions!) and my printer would not print. It was a Thursday afternoon. I called their toll-free support number, and the very next morning, Friday, a new printer was delivered to my door, and mine was picked up at their expense. Unbelievable! They made a customer for life!
In addition to the major considerations of quality and support, here are the features that endeared me to the Xerox WorkCentre M940 and why I recommend it without reservation or hesitation to you:
- Economical footprint - A multifunction device is a great space saver. It occupies the small footprint of an inkjet printer alone, yet provides a quality color copier and flatbed scanner in the same space.
- Speed - It is blazing fast, providing 12ppm printing in black and white (as fast as my laser printer!), and 7ppm in color. As a color copier, it produces an amazing 10 copies average per minute. You have the option of printing in an "Express Mode" which provides exceptional quality at speeds up to 50% faster than normal mode. All settings are easily accessed by buttons and displays right at the top, front of the machine. Four modes are provided to supply your choice of output and speed: draft, express, normal and best. The device can optionally be used as a print server.
- It is the essence of simplicity to setup and use. Simply plug its USB cable (provided) into your computer, and Windows will automatically recognize and install it as a plug-and-play device. A printer cable is also provided just in case you don't have USB.
4. Copier functions include reduction and enlargement between 25 and 400% in 1% increments including seven automatic pre-sets.
5. As a scanner, resolution can be set anywhere from 600x600 to 1200dpi, and to 30-bit (several million) colors, and 10-bit (1024 levels of gray) in black. The scan protocol is the ubiquitous TWAIN used by all software and a pre-scan mode with provision for image editing, modification and enhancement, and completion of forms. Both copier and scanner operate with simple push-button ease. You can scan to any program, including your email.
6. INK: Hooray for Xerox! Their patented Ink-Logic System provides separate tanks for black and for each of their 3 colors (instead of the competition's more common single tank for color) so that you need only replace the tank you run down, a sensible ink saver of about 20% over the average inkjet printer! When you are low on any ink tank, a convenient optical sensor will automatically provide you with an on-screen reminder. An optional high-capacity black tank is available if you do a lot of black printing. The Virtual Control Centre 2.0 also enables you to monitor the status of the device via your PC screen.
7. Quality of output - In a word, simply superb! Xerox uses a specially formulated, ultra-high quality vibrant ink resolving to a photo-quality 1200x1200 dpi on plain paper. The colors seem to leap right off the page. You can optionally select a draft mode which saves ink, yet provides exceptional output quality that is more than adequate for most occasions.
8. Great media handling- The WorkCentre M940 will accommodate just about anything you would normally print, copy, or scan. That includes plain paper, card stock, continuous feed, envelopes, transparancies, transfers, banner, letter, legal, executive, A4, A5, B5, 3x5, and much more. A high-capacity (150 sheet) input front tray and a rear single item feed are provided. A 50-sheet output tray sits atop the input tray.
9. Software provided with the WorkCentre M940 includes Xerox Control Centre 2.0 for document management. It embodies Pagis PRO 3.0 and TextBridge PRO 9.0 for graphics and OCR, MGI PhotoSuite for photo editing, and Smith Micro Quick Link III for faxing. Although not a stand-alone fax machine, it can be used to fax via your computer's ISP connection.
10. Minimum requirements - To successfully operate the WorkCentre M940, you will minimally need a 133MHz Pentium with 32MB of RAM and 40MB hard drive space available. USB cable is provided. IEEE 1284 is optional.
The machine weighs a mere 26.4 lbs and occupies W 18.9", D 15.9" and H 11.2" The average price of the WorkCentre M940 is $399, somewhat less than you would pay separately for a quality printer, scanner and copier.
The technology in every area of WorkCentre M940 is unequaled. Two high quality 600 nozzle-per-inch printheads are provided and easily user installed or changed. Between the printhead design, the ink quality and the patented functionality, the output of text is laser sharp, and graphics are photo quality. The output in all modes is just superb! Combine that with extraordinary ease of installation and use and outstanding customer support and you can see why the Xerox WorkCentre M940 is unequivocally the multifunction machine that we recommend. Take the route that we did and try it. You'll love it!
The warranty that accompanies the Xerox WorkCentre M940 is for one year with overnight exchange. Extended warranty is available. Customer support is toll-free. For further info, call (800) 832-6979, or visit xerox.com on the Web.
I usually make it a point to avoid recommending a particular vendor for your purchasing, but I would be remiss in not doing so in this instance.. By far, the best price I was able to find for the M940 was at Sarasota's Office Depot- $299. That's an amazing $100 less than anyplace else I'd found. Add to that the fact that Office Depot is a stalwart supporter of SPCUG and you will have adequate reason to shop for this item there. See either Jeff or Brad and identify yourself as an SPCUG member. :
Copyright 2001. This article is from the March 2001 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/
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See http://www.spcug.org for all reviews from the Sarasota PC Monitor, go to the Newsletter Section.