Konica Minolta bizhub 42
42ppm
Sum-up: Compact small-to-midsize workgroup machines with excellent features.
Konica Minolta’s new bizhub 36 and bizhub 42 are the latest entries in Konica Minolta’s small-to-midsize-workgroup MFPs. Each machine includes standard monochrome copying, printing, and color scanning functionality with faxing as an add-on. The $4,300 (list) bizhub 36 is rated at 36ppm with a monthly duty cycle of 48,000 pages. The $5,000 bizhub 42 copies and prints at 42ppm with a 60,000-page monthly duty cycle. Other than price and speed, both models are identical.
Paper handling: These models come standard with two 250-sheet trays and a 150-sheet bypass. The standard trays accept up to letter-sized paper, while the bypass lets you copy and print up to legal-sized paper. You can add a dual 500-sheet tray as an option ($1,124) for a maximum of 2,150 sheets. The machines also include a 50-sheet reversing automatic document feeder. Automatic duplexing is standard.
In terms of output, there is a standard 250-sheet tray. An optional finisher ($1,200) provides 50-sheet stapling at a capacity of 300 sheets.
Multifunctionality: Both machines include standard printing with PCL and PostScript emulation, as well as Windows XPS and PDF direct printing support. The 800MHz controller has a standard 1.5GB of memory as well as a 320GB hard drive. Ethernet and USB (including a USB host port) are supported.
Color scanning is supported, with the ability to scan-to-PC, scan-to-FTP, scan-to-SMB, scan-to-USB, and scan-to-email. PDF, TIFF, JPEG, and encrypted PDF file formats are supported. The scan functions include LDAP email support, which provides integration with email address books.
These models also have enhanced user mailbox functions that include the ability to preview files as thumbnails and to do some editing on stored documents in the mailboxes. In addition, Konica Minolta has added WebDAV (Web-based distributed authoring and versioning), which allows you more ability to manage your files stored on a network server.
The optional fax function ($290) includes a 33.6kbps modem with JBIG compression. Fax routing, Internet faxing, and LAN faxing come with the fax option.
Konica Minolta’s security features include secure print, network authentication, and secure erasure of older jobs on the hard disk. Optional features include an HID Proximity Card Authentication and HID Card Reader.
Administration is based on Konica Minolta’s PageScope suite of products, which allow administrator management over any network. This includes the usual troubleshooting, system status, and user creation features, along with logging features. Like its competitors, Konica Minolta has an application programming interface (API) to integrate third-party scanning and accounting software into this machine. Konica Minolta has also released an updated version of PageScope Mobile that includes downloading and uploading data from a mobile device to an MFP.
Conclusion: Konica Minolta continues to update its products. With its fast speed and very good paper-handling features, the bizhub 36 and bizhub 42 are good buys for small or medium offices that need standard multifunctionality but not color copying/printing or ledger-sized input. Color scanning and mobile device connectivity are good pluses. We give them our Editor’s Choice Award.
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