LabCheck Report Toshiba e-studio 35 Copier-Printer-Fax-Scanner

Transcription

1 1 May 2001 LabCheck - Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories Page 1 of 8 LabCheck Report Toshiba e-studio 35 Copier-Printer-Fax-Scanner Also Sold As (ne tified) END USER PERSPECTIVE: This LabCheck report, of the above named device, is designed to provide a Concise, Easy to Read, Independent Analysis of product performance based upon tests we have performed from the End-User s Perspective. We do not quote retail prices nor full product specifications within LabCheck reports as this information can be easily obtained via our DataCheck On- Line service at. This LabCheck report provides User-Relevant test analysis and constitutes a Summary of the Product, its Position within its Target Sector and its Performance during Benchmarked Testing. LABCHECK ON-LINE: Every year Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories (Digital Test Lab) tests and analyses hundreds of digital document imaging systems and related products. All LabCheck reports are published in our subscription-based service called LabCheck On-Line; many new reports are added each month. To subscribe or view LabCheck On-Line visit TIMES.NET. Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories experience of working with digital systems stretches back over 20 years to the introduction of the first mini computers and connected digital printing systems. BERTL publishes the widest range of On-Line Information Services, eg. LabCheck reports, Machine Data, Industry News, Toner Coverage Software, Advice & Guidance. Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories has pioneered new methods of testing multifunctional devices, introduced a highly sophisticated range of user-relevant tests on 'Connected' imaging output devices and is the developer of the world's leading image analysis software, PageCheck. TOUR DIGITAL TEST LAB: To gain a more in-depth view of our expertise; view Head to Head comparative test reports, view LabCheck, DataCheck, PageCheck or read Digital Times magazine, visit.

2 1 May 2001 LabCheck - Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories Page 2 of 8 LAB STAR GRADING RANGES FROM 0-5 STARS 0 = POOR 1 = BASIC PERFORMANCE 2 = FUNCTIONAL but has limitations 3 = RECOMMENDED 4 = HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 5 = EXCEPTIONAL LABCHECK SUMMARY Pros Cons One of the best print drivers tested at this level of the market (a) PostScript and PCL drivers are virtually identical in look and functionality; (b) it has more finishing / document building capabilities than most competing drivers. Copier touch screen display is large and easy to use. 2 Line Kbps JBIG fax. Good Network Management system. Flexible network scanning and send-to- capabilities. Good Internet Fax option. Above average finishing capabilities with no slow down when hole punching or stapling. 5 next job copy memories and job build. Image quality was acceptable but may need consideration if the system is to be used in graphically orientated departments (especially so for the PCL driver). PostScript driver produced very large print files and printed slowly / reduced network print speeds. physical mailbins. This LabCheck Report covers the Toshiba e-studio 35 with print, fax, copy and scan capabilities. Our test was conducted using a 100BaseT network connection on a 700Mb/160Mb RAM client PC linked to a Toshiba e-studio 35 with Toshiba s GL-1010 print controller, 256Mb RAM, both PCL (GL-PCL5e Version # ) and PostScript (GL- PSL3 Version # ) drivers provided by Toshiba along with their stapler - hole punching finisher. An over riding benefit of the Toshiba e-studio 35 is the print driver s extended functionality and the wide range of capabilities available on this system. These factors carried Toshiba s e-studio 35 a long way towards our star grading. The Toshiba e-studio 35 is a departure from Toshiba s current range and is a clean sheet design catering for the digital multi-functional marketplace rather than an updated analog copier engine converted for use as a digital product. Some aspects of the product design look similar to third party products, many of which now have an internal output area plus an optional divider which automatically separates copy/fax and print jobs. Like many copier based systems, the e-studio 35 is designed as a copier with the added options of network (or parallel port) printing, fax and scan options. You buy the e-studio 35 as a copier and if you wish to add the other functions, they are chargeable upgrades. For your money, in standard configuration, you get 2,400 x 600 dpi copy capability and a maximum of 35 pages per minute. There is also 32Mb of page memory with 4.3GB hard drive. Toshiba offers a 35ppm version (e-studio 35) and an e-studio 45 which is a 45 page per minute version of the same product with some minor differences. These differences are mostly found in finishing configurations. In terms of printing, the e-studio 35 offers PCL printing within the standard price and Postscript 3 as an optional extra. To use the e-studio 35 as a printer, you have a choice of two main controllers. 1) GA-1040 / EFI print controller which offers a number of printing features including 2,400 x 600 dpi (via interpolation). The optional EFI printer board delivers PCL 6 within the base price but you have to pay extra for PostScript 3. The processor is 366Mb with 64Mb RAM in its standard configuration (you can upgrade to a total of 192Mb if required). EFI s embedded controller (GA-1040) supports vell Netware Versions 3-5, Windows NT4, Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000 and EtherTalk. 2) Alternatively, Toshiba s own processor, the GL-1010 Document Controller, offers higher Mb (433Mb) and its RAM starts at 128Mb rising to 512Mb. The Toshiba GL-1010 also has PostScript and PCL as standard. Network support for the Toshiba GL-1010 seems more advanced than the EFI version and Toshiba can link to the MacIntosh 8.6 (or later) plus Unix. Both of these may be an advantage over the EFI controller. Another nice touch in the Toshiba GL-1010 controller is its optional token ring support. Both EFI s GA-1040 controller and Toshiba s GL-1010 controller offer proof print and private print. In addition, the EFI GA-1040 offers stored job printing (not available on GL-1010). However, scheduled printing is available (ie: stack print jobs to run when office is closed) on the GL-1010 but not on EFI s GA-1040.

3 1 May 2001 LabCheck - Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories Page 3 of 8 Overall, the Toshiba GL-1010 controller offers a greater upgrade path than the EFI controller because GL-1010 users can access network scanning, scan to and internet fax capabilities. Network fax (print to fax and inbound routed faxes) are provided when the document controller, the fax board and optional software are installed together. Scanning (for copying and network scanning) takes place at 600dpi. The standard unit ships with a 1,200 sheet paper supply contained in 2 x 500 sheet cassettes and a bypass stack feeder. By adding the optional large capacity feeder, the paper supply can be increased up to 3,700 sheets, which should suit for most purposes. Toshiba stress a shorter warm-up time and shorter first copy time as part of the design for the new e-studio 35. Toshiba has also introduced single pass automatic duplexing whereas other Toshiba models have used stack duplex systems similar to analog copiers. Optional finishers enable single or multi-position stapling and saddle-stitching. You can also have an optional hole punch unit installed on the multi-position stapling finisher or saddle-stitch finisher. SPEEDS: Compared to alternative 30-35ppm printers tested, we measured the Toshiba e-studio 35 as good, if not trail-blazing, as our productivity comparison tables show. When duplex printing the Toshiba e-studio 35 outperformed its competitors. On single sided work the Toshiba e-studio 35 was outperformed by several units rated at slower engine speeds than the 35ppm Toshiba (however, we stress that the difference in speed was marginal). PRINTER PRODUCTIVITY COMPARISON All figures reported in pages per minute (PPM) Printed Based MFP Copier Based MFP Network Printer This Product Max Advertised PPM Word 35 page document 1: Word Perfect 5 sets of 6 page document 2: Network Load Mixed Work Average PPM When we ran the same jobs with stapling and/or hole punching, our print speeds did not change (a big bonus for e- Studio 35 users). Obviously you have to install the finisher to see this productivity gain but our guess is that many buyers will. COPIER PRODUCTIVITY COMPARISON All figures reported in copies per minute (CPM) Printer Based MFP Copier Based MFP Copier Based MFP This Product Max Advertised CPM set x 5 pages (1:1) sets x 5 pages (1:1) set x 5 pages (2:2) sets x 5 pages (2:2) set x 20 pages (2:2) Average CPM On copy speeds the Toshiba e-studio 35 performed well, equaling or bettering several of the copy job speeds achieved on units rated up to 148% faster than the Toshiba. Single run duplex copy speeds were particularly good with the Toshiba performing 147% faster than a 45ppm rated rival. We were also impressed to see that no time was added to the job when we stapled or hole punched; this differs from other units which have added time to the job and slowed productivity.

4 1 May 2001 LabCheck - Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories Page 4 of 8 Toshiba s PCL and PostScript drivers are well laid out with the main required functions on two tabs. We especially liked the fact that all three drivers are virtually identical in layout / design (this will make it easier for users to choose the best print method). The Help function was one the best seen and can be accessed on every print driver screen. SET-UP: This let us choose a number of copies, the finishing options and whether we wished to send as a scheduled print, private print, proof print or to print to an image overlay file. PAPER: We liked this tab because it had most of the print options that are useful for a network printer; many of these functions are missing on alternative copier-printers. As can be seen from our screen shot, we were able to choose to have the main paper supply taken from the large capacity tray while adding a front cover from a different paper source, a back cover from an alternative third paper source and insert chapter divider pages from a fourth paper source. We could also specify the page numbers where the inserts were to be placed. This allows the production of manuals and is far more advanced than many network printers can offer. The front cover feature also allows the use of a separate letterhead to be used for the first page. LAYOUT PAGE: Allowed us to do book imposition (ie., layout a book ready to be printed and folded) as well as dropping overlays or watermarks onto the paper or dictating where page numbers should appear on the document. MAILBOXES: Missing from the Toshiba e- Studio 35 is any form of physical mailboxes. This means that you can not successfully separate work in larger network environments where remote users may wish to send work to the printer to collect later. PRIVATE PRINT: Provides security and virtual mailboxes where you have to enter a PIN on the control panel to print your document. Optional finishers include a two bin, floor standing unit which can cascade (switch to next bin for continous printing when full), Offset, staple and hole punch (USA = 3 side holes or 2 top holes, this varies from country to country). Saddle stitching is a nice touch on the Toshiba e-studio 35 because, when combined with Book Format imposition software in the print driver, it allowed us to produce a centre stapled magazine style booklet with all of the pages automatically laid out in the correct order for folding and stapling into a booklet.

5 1 May 2001 LabCheck - Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories Page 5 of 8 Toshiba has produced a simple to use copier control platen which is also used for Fax, Scanning and some print functions. The control panel consists of touch screen LCD and buttons. To send a fax or use the Toshiba e-studio 35 as a copier you simple press the button. The printer button opens the print queue management controls on the LCD touch screen. IMAGE QUALITY was mixed. The PostScript driver delivered high quality line drawings, fine lines, photographs and grey scales but was dark. When interpreting screen colors, colored text on solid areas were all printed as black, this was fine on light shades but light colored text (Red, Green and Yellow) vanished into darker files.we measured 100% black density at 1.42 (about as dark as you can get on a printer) with 25% black/gray measuring 55% and 15% black/gray at 42%; this would account for the darkness of images. The PCL Driver delivered acceptable text on black but broke up when printing colored text. Graphics had light and grainy graphic output with some fine line work missing lines. Copy quality was also mixed. Colors could have had better differentiation and some photographs looked a bit dark which tended to hide detail. In its favor -image quality on standard text, lines and black solids was high. BANDWIDTH: Most people will install and use the PCL driver which was in line with many copier-printers and some dedicated printers. However, the PostScript on the GL-1010 print controller proved to be the most bandwidth hungry tested to date. Word and WordPerfect documents were about the same as many other print systems but a five page Acrobat PDF file generated 32Mb of network traffic / data to produce the image compared to 6.54Mb on the PCL driver. This increased the total file sizes of our network load test to just over 73Mb on the PostScript driver versus 14.29Mb on the PCL driver and 3.68Mb on a third party s 32ppm network printer. We feel that Toshiba need to work on their handling of Acrobat documents in their PostScript driver. JOB BUILD AND NEXT JOB MEMORIES: Both functions are supported on the Toshiba e-studio 35 which has 5 next job memories.. Without next job memories you can not scan a second job into the work queue which can be a limitation in a busy office with a lot of printing and copying (ie: you may need to queue copy jobs to slot in with print jobs arriving over the network). Job build is extremely useful because you scan copy jobs larger than the document feeder s capacity and mix and match different sizes and types of originals into one memorised job which can then be printed. PRINT ON DEMAND: The Toshiba e-studio 35 is one of the few mid level copier-printers to include print on demand capabilities (called Job Storage by Toshiba). You can scan and store up to 24 documents of up to 400 pages each. These documents can be saved in memory and reprinted by entering a code at the LCD touch screen. FAX OPTION: Toshiba offers the e-studio 35 with the option of a built in Super G3 fax (up to 33,600bps modem) with a second line / 2 nd fax upgrade option. MH, MR, MMR and JBIG compression are supported. JBIG is a bonus for modern documents which have lots of images. Our tests measured standard text documents as being slower transmission in JBIG than MMR but mixed text and graphics has been faster (this applies to all JBIG faxes tested). Fax scanning takes place via the standard document feeder or copy glass and you can scan/fax/ledger/a3 sized faxes plus get the benefit of the duplex capability in the scanner unit. Fax functionality is impressive and in-line with high end corporate faxes. In reality most faxes around the world are 9,600 and 14,400bps therefore above 14,400bps fax options do not speed up fax transmissions, nor cut fax costs, unless you are regularly sending to higher specified 33,600bps fax machines. For busier fax environments you can have the two fax lines running on the Toshiba e-studio 35, this may be required in limited environments but does increase costs and require a separate dedicated telephone line. Network Fax capabilities are also on offer for the Toshiba e-studio 35 and, provided you buy the Fax Kit, you can send documents direct to the fax in the same way as you would to a printer or PC Fax modem.

6 1 May 2001 LabCheck - Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories Page 6 of 8 The Toshiba e-studio 35's fax option is a solid, corporate level fax but we have reservations about whether the inclusion of a hardware based fax function in any copier-printer is a better option than including network scanning and a LANfax option. IT managers often prefer systems that move the work away from the print/copy engine and process in background on a central shared fax server / resource which can be monitored and controlled. Network scan based systems also allow other scanning functions to be performed on the system thereby opening the network / digital possibilities that can not be undertaken via a traditional fax machine. SCAN TO / TCP/IP ADDRESS: Toshiba cater for most business requirements by having both a fax option and a scan to option; though note that you must install both the print controller and Scan/ Print. Most copier based scanning systems are improving and we feel that the copier industry has a significant advantage over the printer and scanner industry when it comes to convenience scanning and document scanning. Toshiba has a good scanning system. Many systems offer scan to but you can not walk up and enter an address from the control panel, this means that you have to use a predefined store of names and addresses which you select from a list at the fax/copier. Toshiba lets you store a list but also includes a touch screen alphanumeric keyboard on the LCD panel to type an address and send the document. Once saved in a template, you can also display speed dial buttons which show the recipient s details on the button in the LCD touch screen. Templates are like Speed Dials on a fax machine and can be set up by either an administrator or authorised user. Templates are more intelligent than a fax Speed Dial because you can also save scanning settings such as image quality, paper size, resolution, etc. Templates are created using Toshiba s browser based network utility, Top Access. The Toshiba e-studio 35 offers the user a choice of two types of template 1. Public Templates Toshiba E-Studio 35's alphanumeric keypad These are set up by the administrator, have no password protection and can be used by anyone in the office. Public templates might be used for general filing of office post, sending standard s or for scanning images to software packages. A maximum of 60 public folder templates can be set up by the administrator. The administrator also has the capability to set up a standard public template and autmatically send it multiple E-Studio s (saves time and effort). In order to access public templates the user simply scrolls through the public templates at the copier control panel, chooses the one they want and sends the documents. 2. Private Templates These are set up by end users and can be PIN protected to prevent other users from accessing them. There are a total of 200 groups per device, with each group holding up to 60 templates each. This allows every individual in a company to have their own group and series of templates for their own private use. To access private templates the user (a) types in their individual group number, (b) enters their pin code and (c) scrolls through their template list until they find the twenty they wish to use. Scanning can be either Scan to File or Scan to Twain. The difference is that Scan to File lets you store images as either TIFF or PDF anywhere on your PC or network. Files are stored in either PDF or TIFF format at the network location. Toshiba do not provide a viewer for the function, we therefore used Imaging For Windows which is a free / standard part of the Windows operating system. Imaging For Windows provides TIFF viewing and thumbnail options. Acrobat Reader is provided free of charge by Adobe for viewing PDF files. Files are named in numbered increments with the file name matching the first caption name. This means that if we set up a file called post to store our daily post the first piece of mail scanned would be stored as post001. The second scanned image would be auto-named as post002, etc. Unlike scan to file solutions offered by rival copier manufacturers, (which save all documents using the same template file name and differentiate each document by a number), users of the Toshiba scanning solution can

7 1 May 2001 LabCheck - Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories Page 7 of 8 type a specific file name directly from the copier control panel using the alphanumeric keypad. This means that a user can have a single template which scans documents to a folder on their hard drive while personalizing each document they save with a specific file name. This saves the user having to go into the folder to manually change the file names after the scanned image has been stored, making later retrieval easier. Example: A user wants to save orders to a standard file on their hard drive. Using a rival scanning solution they would create a template directing all documents to a folder called 'orders'. Each document saved would be auto-named order001, order002, order003 etc. You would then have to rename each document in their order folder with the client name for easy retrieval. Using the Toshiba solution the user could have a single template which saves each document to their order file, but (by using the alphanumeric keypad) the user could type in the client name at the copier, before sending, and would not need to rename each file back at their desk. Toshiba s scanning solution does not deliver the complexities of some rival solutions. Other products include: scanning to FTP, incorporated viewer software, scan monitoring at PC, Macros that run routines on arriving scanned images (ie: OCR the document you just sent while you walk back from the copier) and other capabilities as a standard part of their scanning package. Scan to Twain temporarily stores the image on the hard drive in the Print / Document Controller. You can then browse to the image from your PC using the Twain driver. SCAN TO INTERNET FAX: The Toshiba e-studio 35 lets you scan a document and send it across the Internet to any Internet capable fax machine. This cuts the cost of faxing. The document is sent from the copier to your mail server, it is then sent to a mail server at the other end and transferred to the Internet fax machine where it is printed. This works like sending normal ; the difference is that you can open an on a PC while Internet Fax machines only print. NETWORK MANAGEMENT & TANDEM COPYING / PRINTING: Cluster printing is not available on the Toshiba e- Studio 35; this is similar to a number of other copier-printers but this capability is now available on a number of units provided you have two devices (tandem printing on third party products needs a print controller). DocMonitor is Toshiba s PC / LAN based network administrative tool, it provided us with several tabs and functions: Device Status provided information on the device configuration and current status including paper quantity loaded in to the unit. DocMonitor has a handy icon that allows the user to instantly check on the status of the device from the desktop. However, unlike other systems there is no color coding systems (e.g: Red - Unavailable, Yellow - Warning, Green - Ready) linked to the icon so a user has to open the program to see if the device is available or not. Print Queue provided a list of normal print jobs waiting to be printed, including (information on the user, date/time, size of job,status or job, type of job). There was no prioritization option which allowed us to move urgent print jobs up the queue, though all jobs in the queue could be paused or deleted. In its standard setting this could encourage people to delete or pause other peoples work to get around the lack of priority printing (though this function can be restricted by the administrator if desired). Private Print provides details on private print jobs waiting at the copier-printer. Proof Print provides details on proof print jobs waiting at the copier-printer. Top Access is a browser based tool which provided much of the same information on the device as the PC based DocMonitor but had additional levels. We could see the copier status, device capabilities and all jobs that have been sent to Copy, Print or been Scanned. In most respects the capabilities of TOP ACCESS are good and should satisfy most users and administrators. Top Access is also used to create and modify scan to file / scan to templates. DESIGN / BUILD CONSIDERATIONS: The Toshiba e-studio 35 is built with replaceable Charger, Developer, Fuser and Cleaning unit. This allows the swapping of components rather than having to rebuild or service them in the field. There is a relatively short paper path unless you add the finisher which requires a bridge and takes the paper up and over the print engine to the finisher(s). Overall the unit was easy to load paper into, clear paper jams and maintain.

8 1 May 2001 LabCheck - Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories Page 8 of 8 Productivity Tests Remote Control from Client Terminals / Network Output Origin Job Pages per min View Toner Levels before printing Copying A4/Letter 5 pages CPM Estimate max pages printed from toner Copying A4/Letter 5 sets of 5 pages CPM View paper levels in trays Copying 1:2 10 single to CPM Specify problem (paper jam, door open) double Obtain departmental management figures Copying 2:1 5 double to 10 single CPM See \ View 3 rd party products Copying 2:2 5 double to CPM Check page throughput \ copy totals double Estimate toner usage Copying 2:2 5 sets 5 double to CPM Short documents sets 5 double Bandwidth \ File Sizes & Send Once Print Many Copying 2:2 Long Documents 20 double to 20 double CPM Print Job Network Printer PCL PostScript PCL Network Load Test 3.68Mb 14.08Mb 73.31Mb Printing Duplex 5 sets of 6 pages Word Perfect PPM 1 copy of 35 pages Office 2000 / Word 300 Kb 492 Kb 822 Kb Printing Various Networked Jobs Mixed Network Workload 8.29 PPM 1 copy of 5 pages Word Perfect 140 Kb 304 Kb 1.52Mb Printing Simplex: 35 Page Word PPM 5 copies of 5 pages Word Perfect 140 Kb 304 Kb 1.52Mb Production Efficiency & Network Usability / Capability Reproduction Quality Copier: Scan Once Print Many Copying Printing Printing Copier: Max Jobs Auto Scanned into memory 5 PCL PostScript Print:: 1 st page from a different tray than rest of page Banding \ Screen Clash Print: Insert dividers for chapters from the driver Small Text \ Good Low Good Print:: Insert front and back cover from the driver Lines Print: Offset separate finished documents Color Definition Borderline Acceptable Too Dark Print:: Send to physical mailbox for later collection (in grey) Print: Send to virtual mailbox & print with a password Photo Fine detail Dark - low definition Light Too Dark Copy Quality measured to ISO standard from a test pattern placed on copy glass Clarity Lines High 50 High 5.0 Low 140 Low General impression Dark & grainy, low definition on images. Photos, shadings and images were borderline Acceptable for most documents but fairly dark