Multifunction Devices: HP vs. Xerox

Space tends to be at a premium in small offices, so a multifunction device--one device that can perform multiple tasks--may be just the ticket. At one time, buying an MFD meant having to make concessions, such as trading off slower print speeds for the convenience of having only a single device on your desk. However, as two new color MFDs from Hewlett-Packard and Xerox prove, that's no longer the case. These two products are each built around a color ink jet printer and a color scanner, and both can perform a range of tasks, from printing, faxing, scanning, and copying paper documents to sending faxes from your PC.

Though they're at opposite ends of the price spectrum, each model brings something different to the table: The $350 Xerox WorkCentre 490cx is a sheetfed scanner that can make color copies even when your PC is not operating, while HP's $800 OfficeJet G85 integrates a flatbed scanner and can be shared on an office network.

Same Concept, Different Approach

Installation was smooth for both units. Both HP and Xerox offer a parallel port connection as well as a Universal Serial Bus connection; however, neither provides a USB cable in the box.

On the surface, the OfficeJet and the WorkCentre are two very different machines. The OfficeJet, which features both a flatbed scanner and a 30-page automatic document feeder, costs over twice as much as the WorkCentre. The WorkCentre's less-expensive, more-compact design has a sheetfed scanner combined with its 30-page document feeder. Though the flatbed design makes the OfficeJet bulky, it's particularly convenient, as it allows the unit to scan objects--for copying, faxing, or saving to disk--that don't fit through a document feeder.

In our tests the OfficeJet's flatbed captured better-quality scans, which allowed it to produce fabulous copies with rich, solid colors and excellent detail. The copy function can even reduce several originals and gang them together on a single page.

By comparison, the WorkCentre's color copies appeared somewhat faded and dull--good enough for office use, but unattractive for presentations or for anyone you're trying to impress. One benefit of the WorkCentre, as compared to other inexpensive color MFDs, is that it can make color copies even when your PC is not operating. (Other inexpensive color MFDs make color copies by scanning to disk, and then sending the scan back to the printer--a slow, inconvenient process.)

When printing, both models produce output that's impressive for ink jet printers, even on plain paper. Xerox specifies the WorkCentre 490cx at 10 pages per minute on black text and 5 ppm on color graphics; however, those stated figures are for the unacceptable draft resolution, and better-quality printing is considerably slower. Similarly, HP specifies the OfficeJet G85's draft resolution at 12 ppm for text and 10 ppm for graphics.