Say that while drunk.
This might be a bad way
to start off a review of a printer, but we're a little surprised that
anyone needs printers any more. As we creep toward a fully digital
world, paper seems outdated and unnecessary... right up until the
point you need to print something. Be it a return label for an Amazon
delivery, or a 300 page scientific research paper, printing is still
a thing, and we've found a solid and reliable device to do just that.
We check out the Kyocera ECOSYS M5521cdw Printer.
Yeah, we know. Printer
names are often lacking in 'pizazz', and the title of M5521cdw is up
there will some of the most confusing. Still, the ECOSYS part of the
name is important, as this printer is a member of Kyocera's new low
energy, low running costs devices. And that's a good thing. Because
just look at it; this is not a small printer to perch on the edge of
your desk.
Kyocera clearly had
home offices, small businesses, and startups in mind when putting
this together, and it seems to be a something of a hybrid of home and
office printer. Because of that, it can tear through 21 pages of
colour or black and white print in a minute, yet also be conveniently
connected to via WiFi – both across a network and using WiFi
Direct. This means that both Android and iOS devices can print
directly to it, which works well with our previous comments about
that coming digital world.
The convenience of this
thing doesn't stop there, because as well as printing it can also
scan and fax... if that is something you need to use. There is also a
USB port allowing you to print directly from a flash drive's file
directory, and also so you can scan an image to the drive –
something really useful, especially for designers or design
companies.
However, far smaller
printers that we've seen before can do all that, so why is the
Kyocera ECOSYS M5521cdw Printer the size that it is? At almost half a
metre cubed, it ain't small, but the majority of that mass is taken
over by the paper tray which can accommodate 550 sheets in one go.
That means that – unless you print several hundred pages each day –
you're going to go a while before you need to refill the tray,
meaning the convenience of hitting print on, for example, your phone,
then having the page pop out moments later without hassle, is
tenfold.
Sure, the Kyocera
ECOSYS M5521cdw Printer might not look all that sexy, but in terms of
ease of use and reliability, this thing performs. Although we can't
necessarily recommend it for home use – purely because of the size
– it is the perfect printing machine for small businesses and
offices.
£267
