Comparative Test of 8 MFCs with Fax

von Florian Heise

übersetzt von Ulrich Junker

If you work in a home-office or a small working-group, looking for professional assistance, you should take a closer look at this test. DRUCKERCHANNEL tells you all about eight MFCs on ink-basis, which can print, scan copy, and fax and which cost less than 380 Euros.

Erschienen am 21. August 2007 bei Druckerchannel.de, 22 Seite(n)

https://www.druckerchannel.de/artikel.php?ID=1969

Ink Cartridges

Brother MFC-5860CN and MFC-845CW

On the Brothers´right front side you find four replacable cartridges. A tube-system feeds ink into the printhead. The latter is designed to last a printer´s life. An optical monitoring system tells you about the remaining ink. There are no smartchips (yet) to prevent refilling or clones.

Four single cartridges...

...with optical fill level control and without annoying chips.

Canon Pixma MP830

In addition to the standard colors cyan, magenta, yellow, and black the Pixma MP830 holds a photo-black cartridge.

Ink cartridges: Individually exchangeable with permanent printhead...

...and a chip that prevents clones and hampers refill.

Epson Stylus DX7000F

Epson´s DX7000F comes with four exchangeable cartridges.

Ink cartridges: Four with very little ink...

...and a chip, which doesn´t prevent clones.

HP Officejet J5780 and Officejet Pro L7580

HP´s smaller MFC is equipped with two disposable cartridges (350 - black, and 351 - color). The bigger one holds four single exchangeable cartridges.

HP: The Officejet J5780 comes with small cartridges...

...as replacements you can buy big ones (XL).

Cartridges: Come with small and high capacity (XL).

Cartridges with chip: The Nr.88 cartridges have a chip, just like the previous model.

Kodak Easyshare 5300

Kodak´s Easyshare 5300 comes with a thermal permanent printhead, containing two ink cartridges: One for black ink, one for cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and a brilliance-optimizer, doing the same job as Epson´s gloss-optimizer. Kodak doesn´t offer low capacity cartridges. If the printhead fails after warranty´s end, you can buy a new one for about 40 Euros.

Chips prevent refilling.

Both blacks, the one in the single ink tank and the one in the combinded cartridge, have the same chemical composition, says Kodak. Putting an extra charge of black into the color cartrige is hard to comprehend.

The nozzles in the single cartridge for black and the yellow ink tank emit droplets of 6,5 picoliters in size, all others go down to 2,7 picoliters.

Cartridges: Colors in universal cartridge contain...

...cyan, yellow, and photoblack - in addition a gloss-optimizer.

Print-head: The thermal head...

...is made for the device´s lifetime.

Refill ban: At the frontside sits a little...

...chip that prevents refilling.

Print-head: With nozzle plate taken off.

Nozzles: Gloss-optimizer, magenta, yellow, cyan, black twice (left to right).

Lexmark X9350

Lexmark´s X9350 comes with one cartridge for black and one for color, both with an integrated print-head.

Cartridges: With the X9350 Lexmark deliveres...

...cartridges with high capacity (Nr. 43 und 44).