The Bottom Line
Pros
- Lightweight, smaller than usual form factor
- Quick printing
- All cables included
Cons
- Slow scanning
- Manual duplex printing
- Irritating beeping with errors
Description
- 50-sheet ADF and 250-sheet main tray
- Windows (including Vista), Mac, and Linux compatible
- Energy Star qualified
- Scan directly to desktop, USB drive, SMS messages, or computer-based TWAIN applications
Guide Review - Xerox Phaser 3100MFP Multifunction Printer
This is an updated review of the Xerox Phaser 3100MFP, a small, lightweight laser printer with built-in copier and fax. The first review noted many issues with paper jams; after a discussion with the Xerox support team, this turned out to be the result of adhesive residue on the paper tray.Printing worked well this time. After a 21-second warm up, it took about 21 seconds for the first page of a 10-page PDF to come out, averaging an impressive 3.8 seconds/page for the whole job. As expected, the sharpness and clarity of the prints were exceptional; even 72-point font was perfectly sharp and clear.
The Phaser 3100 is not likely the right choice for small workgroups, given that the duplex function is manual; that is, take out the printed pages, flip them upside-down, and reinsert them into the paper tray.
Scanning was a long, complex process. At first I resisted installing the PaperPort software, since like most users I already have software on my computer that can handle scanning. But pressing the Scan button on the printer started a scan job that took nearly three minutes to complete, for a single color page (it was scanned to a .jpg, though I changed the preference in the Xerox Companion to .pdf).
So I installed PaperPort, with no change in scan times. Scanning the same image using Adobe Acrobat gave me a one-page .pdf in about 44 seconds. I'm not quite sure what the two additional pieces of software, the Xerox Companion Monitor and the Xerox Companion Director, are meant to do, but they certainly didn't facilitate or expedite the scanning process.
Was I doing something wrong? Possibly. There are few directions included, and my task as a reviewer is to emulate your experience as a home or small-office purchaser. You won't have the luxury of three Xerox team members on the phone with you if you have problems with your machine.
