The Oki MC362DNW printer falls in the same product line as the Oki MC562DNW printer that we reviewed a long time back on this blog. The Oki MC562DNW falls in the top end of this line, while the Oki MC362DNW is the mid-level printer in the same series. The series is propped up by the Oki MC342DNW. Each of these printers is a colour LED multifunction printer. The differences between the features of these printers, apart from their monthly duty cycle ratings, are only minor.
Setting aside duty cycles, the primary difference between the Oki MC562DNW and the Oki MC362DNW is that the latter is slower and has no QWERTY keyboard on the control panel. Since we’ve already reviewed the Oki MC562DNW, our focus will be on the other two with special emphasis on the Oki MC362DNW. Here is the Oki MC362DNW colour LED multifunction printer review.
Strengths of OKI MC362DNW
Every printer in this series from Oki boasts of an excellent feature set. Each of these multifunction printers can operate as a standalone fax machine and copier. Furthermore, each of them can print and fax directly from PC or USB drive. Additionally, they all can scan to either a computer or USB drive. One of the key benefits of each of these printers is that every one of them supports automatic duplex printing and scanning. This means that the duplexing feature is available for printing, scanning, faxing, and copying! While the automatic duplex printing feature is double pass (scanning or printing one side before turning the page over and doing it again), the fact that it is available as a standard feature is a major boon.
When it comes to paper handling, the Oki MC362DNW is as good as the Oki MC562DNW and significantly better than the Oki MC342DNW. The standard configuration of either the Oki MC362DNW or the Oki MC342DNW will give you 350-sheets worth of paper capacity split between a 250-sheet drawer and a 100-sheet multipurpose tray. However, you can upgrade on this standard configuration in both the Oki MC362DNW and the Oki MC562DNW by sampling going for the optional 530-sheet drawer.
This means that the maximum paper capacity of the Oki MC362DNW is actually 880 sheets. The build of these printers can also be seen as a positive because they’re built to withstand much more wear and tear than most of their competing multifunction printer models. The strong construction material and design mean that this is a study printer that can deal with rough handling. Thus, it is not surprising that the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) ships this printer out with a three-year warranty.
Weaknesses of OKI MC362DNW
Even though the Oki MC362DNW is one of the better multifunction printers out there (especially for micro and small sized offices), it isn’t completely free of flaws. For instance, you may or may not find the print speed of this printer to be satisfactory.
While the Oki MC562DNW’s print speed of 26 pages per minute (ppm) for colour and 30 ppm for monochrome was more exceptional, the Oki MC362DNW’s print speed is only 22 ppm for colour and 24 ppm for monochrome. The Oki MC342DNW, in comparison, only has a print speed of 20 ppm for colour and 22 ppm for monochrome.
The biggest problem you may have with the Oki MC362DNW, however, will be its operating costs. Printing every page with the Oki MC362DNW is significantly more expensive than the Oki MC562DNW at 20.1 cents.
The MC562DNW’s per-page cost is 18.1 cents. The discrepancy between the two remains even if you use generic cartridges. The per-page cost of the Oki MC362DNW with generic cartridges is about 15.8 cents while the Oki MC562DNW’s is 13.3 cents. The Oki MC342DNW is even costlier than the Oki MC362DNW at 29.1 cents per page with genuine cartridges and 23.5 cents with generic cartridges.
The reason why the Oki MC342DNW is more expensive than the Oki MC362DNW and the Oki MC362DNW is more expensive than the Oki MC562DNW is print volume. The maximum monthly duty cycle of the most financially efficient model i.e. the Oki MC562DNW is 60,000 sheets per month with a minimum of 5,000 sheets per month. The maximum monthly duty cycle of the next most financially efficient model and the subject of our review, Oki MC362DNW, is 45,000 sheets per month with a minimum of 3,000 sheets per month. Lastly, the least financially efficient model i.e. the Oki MC342DNW has a maximum monthly duty cycle of 30,000 sheets per month while its minimum is 2,000 sheets per month.
With respect to the overall output quality, the Oki MC362DNW meets the established benchmarks for its market segment. In fact, it would’ve been much higher had it not been for the poor output quality of its photo prints. The text print quality of the Oki MC362DNW is good while the graphics print quality is average.
Key Features of OKI MC362DNW
The technology behind these printers is the same, which results in many of their features being identical. For example, the Oki MC362DNW stands 444mm tall, measures 427mm wide, and stretches 509mm deep, dimensions that remain same for all models. Similarly, all these models weigh the same at 29 Kg, something that is on the higher side in the product segment.
The print resolution of these printers is 1200 x 600 dots per inch (dpi) while their scanning resolution is 1200 x 1200 dpi. Furthermore, their internal memory is 256MB, something that can be increased to 768MB if the buyer opts for the optional upgrade. The Oki MC362DNW, along with its brethren, offers multiple connectivity solutions including USB 2.0, Ethernet, and wireless.
These printers support Android and iOS operating systems and are compatible with mobile applications such as Oki Mobile Print Android, Cortado, and ePrint. You will be controlling these printers through a graphics panel with backlighting. The blue graphics panel will measure 84.1mm x 33.6mm.
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