The last printer we reviewed from this Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) was special because it offered Small to Medium scaled Enterprises the option to print in A3 and A4 sized sheets through a single machine. We’re, of course, talking about our review of the Oki MC853DN multifunction A3 colour laser printer. The subject of our affection is a different beast altogether. The Oki B512DN is a single function laser printer that is actually intended for high volume printers i.e. medium to large scale enterprises.
Unlike the Oki MC853DN, the Oki B512DN doesn’t print A3. Instead, it can print on sizes between A4 and A6. This machine is built on the Digital LED Electrophotographic Printing Technology, which is just another way of saying that it uses LEDs as opposed to a laser to fuse toner with the paper. While LEDs are the mainstay in the Oki B512DN, it is still classified in the laser printer category simply because the overall technology is the same.
Even if the technology of all laser printers is similar, it would still be prudent for a potential buyer, such as yourself, to delve into every option’s strengths, weaknesses, and key features. To help you along, here’s our review of the Oki B512DN.
Strengths of OKI B512DN
The greatest strength of the Oki B512DN is that it is made for high volume printers. This means two things. The first is that it is intended to be durable and boasts of tremendous stamina while the other is that it is economical in the long term. With respect to its durability and stamina, the Oki B512DN has a maximum duty cycle of 100,000 pages per month with the minimum recommended print volume being 5,500 pages per month.
In terms of economy, the Oki B512DN outstrips most of its competitors. It isn’t only economical on the initial purchase but also in the long term. The effective price of this machine will be around $650, give or take a little through discounts. This is lower than most other printers in the same segment especially if you start comparing the features. What is notable, however, is that the Oki B512DN is also economical in the long run.
If you’re one of those people who only accept genuine toner cartridges, then you should know that this printer will cost you about 2.74 cents for every page you print. If you’re smarter than that and are open to using generic cartridges, then you can save some more money because your per-page cost will go down to 2.52 cents.
Another way that the Oki B512DN will help you save is through its automatic duplexing feature. In case you’re new to printing, that means double sided printing, which means saving paper costs. With high volume printing, simply stamina and economy aren’t enough. The device has to be able to do justice to the printing task as well. In other words, the device needs to be able to save the user time. The Oki B512DN boasts of high print speeds and high paper capacity. It’s formal rating of 45 pages per minute (ppm) means that your print tasks are completed super-fast while its maximum standard paper capacity of 630 sheets means that you don’t have to halt your tasks to insert more sheets.
The standard paper capacity is actually divided between a 530-sheet paper tray and a 100-sheet multipurpose. That’s the standard configuration, however. You can take the total paper capacity up to 1,160 with the addition of another options paper tray worth 530 sheets.
Weaknesses of OKI B512DN
The biggest flaw of the Oki B512DN and it is a big one if you consider modern industry standards, is that this device doesn’t offer Wi-Fi connectivity in its standard variant.
While you won’t get Wi-Fi connectivity, you will get Ethernet and USB 2.0 (high speed) connectivity options. Fortunately, if Wi-Fi is critical to your needs, then the OEM has provided a compromise i.e. buying the optional Wi-Fi interface.
Because of the lack of proper Wi-Fi connectivity, mobile printing is limited with the Oki B512DN too. However, the device is still compatible with third-party cloud services such as Google Cloud Print and Air Print.
Finally, since the Oki B512DN is built for high volume printing, it could be a case of overkill for those buyers who don’t expect to print a lot. This means that small-scale enterprises and even the lower parts of medium scale enterprises may find this device to be a bit too much for their needs.
Key Features of OKI B512DN
The Oki B512DN is a fairly compact device as it measures 387mm wide, 394mm deep and 286mm high. You may find it a bit too heavy and require a minimum of two people to move it around as it weighs 15 Kg. The weight is understandable, though, if you consider the kind of features this device provides as well as its build quality. Even the print quality is comparable to most of its competitors.
Formally, the Oki B512DN has a maximum print resolution of 1200 x 1200 dots per inch (dpi) and it does justice to that rating as well. The standard version of this device comes with an inbuilt memory of 512MB which should be more than enough for even the most demanding print projects. The physical control panel of the Oki B512DN comprises an LCD display screen of two lines and 16 characters.
The first print out time of this machine is also impressive at 4.5 seconds. In fact, you can get to printing fairly quickly with the Oki B512DN because it takes only about five seconds to warm up from its Power Save mode. The Power Save mode is a part of the multiple environment-friendly features that this device comes with.
The Eco Mode in this machine is designed to reduce energy consumption at the cost of print speed. The Quiet Mode performs the same function in the same way except it also reduces the generated noise. There’s also an Auto Power Off mode to save energy for those users who like to keep their device on all the time.
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