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Photograph: Rick Rizner
Sharp AL-1661CS All-In-One Pinter
Pricing
$419.99 From 1 Vendor Get Best Prices »
- Spec Navigator
- Core Components
- Media Handling
- Network
- Connectivity
- Platform Support
- Dimensions
- General Features
- Green
- Resolutions
- Scanning
Media Handling
| Manual Feed Slot | Yes |
| Maximum Number of Input Trays | 1 |
| Maximum paper size, height | 14.0 inches |
| Maximum Sheets With All Paper Trays | 250 |
| Output Tray Capacity | 250 |
| Standard Number of Input Trays | 1 |
| Maximum paper size, width | 8.5 inches |
| Standard input sheet capacity | 250 |
| Duplex printing | Yes |
2.5
3 User Reviews Add your own »
$419.99
From 1 Vendor
Get Best Prices »
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Printers »
Pros
Full-featured scanner and copier
Cons
Text quality and print speeds are subpar
Bottom Line
The Sharp AL-1661CS offers a full-featured scanner and copier, but its text quality and print speeds are subpar.
Sharp AL-1661CS
AL-1661CS All-In-One Pinter Review, by Lisa Cekan August 27, 2004
At $799, the Sharp AL-1661CS is midpriced among the laser MFPs we tested this month. The front panel includes buttons (with big text labels) for copying, printing, scanning, and faxing, as well as a large LCD. In addition to a speed-dial pad that can hold up to 18 numbers, the console includes a phone pad. One minor annoyance: The AL-1661CS is loud.
Text printed at 11.8 ppm--the slowest rate from a laser MFP by more than 3 ppm. Graphics speed was also slower than average: The AL-1661CS printed grayscale graphics at 5.2 ppm, compared with an average of 5.6 ppm for the group.
The AL-1661CS was the only laser MFP we tested that received a lower score than Outstanding for text quality. Granted, it earned a Good on text overall, but letters in our test document looked thicker and less sharp than those printed by all other models. Also, in our line art test narrow lines printed as a single, bled-together block instead of remaining distinct. While this unit's test grayscale photograph merited a score of Good, in part for its well-balanced contrast, it still had a fuzzy, grainy texture.
Copies printed at 6.2 ppm--faster than any other MFP we tested--and received a Very Good score for quality, putting the AL-1661CS on a par with most other laser MFPs. Copies of grayscale graphics showed good detail and attractively light contrast.
The AL-1661CS excels as a scanner: It was the only laser MFP to earn a score of Outstanding for its color scans, though its grayscale scans received a more modest Good rating. Unfortunately, its scan speeds were the slowest of all the MFPs we tested; the AL-1661CS took 59 seconds to scan a 4-by-5-inch photo at 100 dpi.
The AL-1661CS comes with the most extensive software of the laser MFPs we tested. Once you scan from the front panel, you can choose whether you want to save your image in the ABBYY Fine Reader 5 optical character recognition application, in Adobe Photoshop, or in the company's own Sharpdesk software. Sharpdesk lets you organize your documents in an Explorer-style interface that includes preset categories such as receipts, expense reports, and statements. It also includes image editing capabilities and can help you with documents such as brochures and contracts. Once you preview an image, you can also indicate what type of document it is, such as a photo or fax.
Upshot: The Sharp AL-1661CS offers a full-featured scanner and copier, but its text quality and print speeds are subpar.
Sharp AL-1661CS
Print: Rated 16 ppm, 600 by 600 dpi maximum resolution, 250 sheets input, 250 output. Scan: 600 by 1200 dpi, 8-bit external color. Copy: 16 ppm black and white; 99 copies. One-year warranty, 12-hour daily toll-free phone support.
$799
800/237-4277
www.sharpusa.com
Lisa Cekan
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
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79
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82
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77
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Printers
79
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82
82
Performance
| Color Photo (secs) | 22.75 |
| Color Photo, Normal Settings | 22.75 |
| Copy Output Quality | Very good |
| Copy Quality | Very good |
| Final Scan Time, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | 16.32 |
| Grayscale Output Quality | Good |
| Line Art Output Quality | Fair |
| One-Page Copy | 9.68 |
| One-Page Copy (secs) | 9.68 |
| One-Page Grayscale Graphic | 22.78 |
| One-Page Grayscale Graphic (secs) | 22.78 |
| Output Score, Grayscale Graphics, Best Quality Settings (formerly pf-Output-Print-Grayscale-Best) | Good |
| Output Score, Line Art, Default Settings (formerly pf-Output-Print-LineArt-Default) | Fair |
| Output Score, Text, Default Settings (formerly pf-Output-Print-Text-Default) | Good |
| Preview Scan, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi | 30.64 |
| Preview Scan, 2-by-2-Inch Document, Maximum Resolution (formerly pf-MFPs-pv2x2maxmax-Average) | 30.64 |
| Preview Scan, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi | 30.98 |
| Preview Scan, Line Art, Maximum Resolution (formerly pf-MFPs-pvLAmax1-Average) | 30.76 |
| Preview Scan, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | 30.49 |
| Ten-Page Word Document | 51 |
| Ten-Page Word Document (secs) | 51 |
| Tested Color Graphics Speed (formerly pf-PCWColorSpeed) | 5.2 |
| Tested Color Speed (ppm) | 5.2 |
| Tested Text Speed (formerly pf-PCWBWSpeed) | 11.8 |
| Tested Text Speed (ppm) | 11.8 |
| Text Output Quality | Good |
| Three-Page PowerPoint Document | 25.29 |
| Three-Page PowerPoint Document (secs) | 25.29 |
| Three-Page Word Document | 24.7 |
| Three-Page Word Document (secs) | 24.7 |
| Total Scan Time, 2-by-2-Inch Document, Maximum Resolution (formerly pf-MFPs-2x2maxmax-Average) | 30.57 |
| Total Scan Time, Line Art, Maximum Resolution (formerly pf-MFPs-LAmax1-Average) | 18.51 |
| Total Scan Time, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | 16.32 |
| Two-Page Excel Document | 20.7 |
| Two-Page Excel Document (secs) | 20.7 |
Scanning
| Preview scan, 2-by-2-inch document, 600 dpi | 30.64 |
| Preview scan, 4-by-5-inch document, 100 dpi | 30.98 |
| Preview scan, one-page Word document, 300 dpi | 30.49 |
| Preview scan, one-page Word document, 300 dpi | 30.49 |
Text Printing
| Text output quality | Good |
User Reviews
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: sdrunner
Strengths: double-sided printing, N-up printing, networked appliance, auto-sleep mode
Weaknesses: none
Overall: The biggest bang for your $$$$. I thought the 250-sheet cassette was too small at first, but I find that with the double-sided and N-up printing--I use about 1/4 the amount of paper than before! It is network-ready, so it doesn't need a computer to operate. It is relatively fast at 16ppm--you will hardly notice it unless you are printing manuals. The copier feature is a time-saver. It has a bypass tray and an auto-feeder that you will find with any serious office machine. The fax capability is excellent, except that at times a memory error comes up when sending large documents.The resolution is excellent for most office document uses/simple presentations. I can't say anything about the scanner feature because the scanner will only work if the printer is connected via the USB cable. My machine is networked.The footprint is smaller than most multi-function machines with as much capability. It is also visually clean and looks just like more expensive office machines. My AL-1661CS just got promoted to a life in the big leagues (a real office); So, I'm looking to get a new one for my home office as soon as possible.
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Reviewed by: rhinoboy
Strengths: tremendous capability for the price, extremely reliable
Weaknesses: none
Overall: This is my second such Sharp, and they consistently give me more, for less and the machines typically take quite a beating here. As a printer, it is outperforming my HP Laserjet 4100 (extremely fast processing complex documents). And it has network capability to boot. And lastly, not to be overstated is the included program Sharpdesk which has been a tremendous asset in organizing all my documents on my computer - it even indexes them all and provides thumbnails when browsing.
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Reviewed by: ishopper
Overall: The unit is slow and expensive compared to the competitors.New out of the box, the sheet feeder broke. Customer service could only offer a refurbished unit in exchange.
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