There are many challenges that Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) face but the most frustrating of the lot has to be scalability. Scalability, in simplest of terms, is a business’s ability to expand its resources and capabilities so as to keep pace with increasing demand for its services or products. For example, if you are set up to provide a service to 20 clients but you suddenly get 30 contracts, your business will need to scale up to keep up or deliver substandard service.
Unfortunately, scalability is often the last thing start-ups consider during their earlier years. Whether you are running a start-up or have a medium scale business, you’ll do well to consider the Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN simply because it will make it easier for you to scale up. The P6130CDN is a colour laser printer whose biggest strength is that it can provide significant scaling options while simultaneously being pocket and environment-friendly. Here’s our review of this high volume workhorse of a machine.
Strengths of Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN
The fact that the Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN is all about conservation comes as a surprise to a lot of potential owners because this colour laser printer can also be classified as a high volume workhorse. The P6130CDN is, in fact, a mid-range machine that is aimed at the SME sector. However, it is a little more specific because it is most suited to those businesses in the SME sector, whose printing requirement is heavy now and expected to get heavier in the future.
When a high volume capable printer focuses on conservation, it is inevitable that businesses sit up and notice. The Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN boast of one of the lowest operating costs within its segment.This is something that is bound to attract its target audience, especially considering that expanding SMEs are almost always cash strapped. The low operating costs of the P6130CDN includes everything from toner cartridges and drum unit to its power consumption.
This is something that is bound to attract its target audience, especially considering that expanding SMEs are almost always cash strapped. The low operating costs of the P6130CDN includes everything from toner cartridges and drum unit to its power consumption. The best example of this inherent conservation-centric nature of this printer is that automatic duplex printing is its standard setting. In practical terms, the Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN will require you to spend about 16.8 cents per page but you should remember that this is with genuine Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) toner cartridges.
If you go for generic cartridges, then you can most probably save even more money with this nifty device. Needless to say, when a high volume machine saves money, it also means that it saves the environment because it is essentially saving resources. Here’s another example: this machine will save you money by not requiring you to ever change its photoconductive drum. The drum on the Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN colour laser printer is a lifetime component because it has the OEM’s proprietary ceramic coating. Since this drum will last a long, long time, only components you’ll have to change in this printer are the cartridges.
The Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN colour laser printer also offers considerable scalability options. This is best evident by the fact that Kyocera provides the option of adding three extra paper trays in the P6130CDN laser printer if the buyer wishes so. Moreover, the monthly duty cycle of this printer at 100,000 is more than enough to cope with the most aggressive scaling up projects. Other optional components can also be added to the mix if required. Another notable aspect of the Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN that is clearly a positive trait is its low noise levels. In a nutshell, this is one of the quieter colour laser printers not only within its segment but beyond it as well.
Weaknesses of Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN
There isn’t a lot that is wrong with the Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN colour laser printer. The most obvious lack with this printer is that it is only a printer. This is something that may put off many potential buyers. For instance, if an SME is going to require high volume printing, then it is very much likely that they’ll need other functions such as scanning, copying, and faxing. Unfortunately, they won’t get it here.
This means that this machine is best suited for those businesses that either don’t need those other functions or are happy to get standalone devices for them. There’s another supposed drawback of the Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN that needs to be mentioned. This is the fact that this printer is slightly more expensive than its competitors in the same segment.
Even though the initial cost may be on the higher side, if you know you’ll be printing a lot, then this printer will end up saving you a lot of money in the medium to long term. Therefore, so long as you need high volume printing, you shouldn’t get daunted by its high initial price.
Key Features of Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN
One of the first things you’ll notice with the Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN is its unique design. This printer doesn’t have the squat design that most other printers in the market have. Instead, this printer is slim and tall. The unique design is neither conclusively positive nor negative. It simplifies some things and complicates others. So, you’ll have to make up your own mind.
The dimensions of this printer are 345mm x 518mm x 480mm. The thin and tall design means that this printer isn’t going to occupy a lot of floor space in your office. This is definitely a plus for most SMEs since spatial constraints are fairly common in their offices. At the same time, the construction of this printer is also sturdy with high-quality materials being used. This reflects in its weight, which is a hefty 29.5 Kg.
The control panel of this printer is placed at a convenient height right on top of the printer. The control panel boasts of a two-line, 21-character LCD screen along with basic controls that are the hallmark of Kyocera printers. The keys you’ll find on the control panel include eight function keys and three indicators. While the controls are simple, the range of options in the digital menu is quite extensive.
Those were the positive aspects of the Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN’s unique design. Unfortunately, there are negative aspects as well. For instance, the USB port on this printer is placed in a very inconvenient spot at the back which makes it virtually inaccessible. Another downside of this printer that falls within the realm of design is that the LCD screen scrolls horizontally. However, these design based restrictions can be nullified by using the printer’s other control functions. For instance, because there is Ethernet connectivity, there isn’t any need to use the inconvenient USB port.
More importantly, when you buy the Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN, you’ll have the option of going for the additional wireless network interface. The optional wireless network interface feature can be categorised as one of those options that make this printer scalable. There are other such options you can go for too. For example, the printer comes with 512 MB of memory which can be augmented to 1024 MB along with 128 GB of SSD storage.
The real scalable optional feature, however, has to do with the machine’s total paper capacity. The Kyocera ECOSYS P6130CDN comes standard with 500 sheet paper tray and a 100 sheet multipurpose tray but this can be enhanced with three other 500 sheet paper trays. With those additional paper trays stacked one on top of the other, the total paper capacity of this printer becomes 2100 sheets, which is huge for most SMEs.
The high volume trait of the printer is also supplemented by its print speed which is formally rated at 30 pages per minute (ppm). The print quality, surprisingly, isn’t all that bad either, whether you consider monochrome prints or colour prints. The rated maximum resolution of this printer is 600 x 600 dots per inch (dpi).
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