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By Hanleigh Daniels 3 May 2010

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Oki printers are known for their reliability and the B2200 is no exception, and it is best suited for high volume print jobs needed by SMEs.
 
Functionality 
 
The B2200 is conservatively styled and more compact (320 x 204 x 181 mm) than the HP Laserjet Pro P1606dn as well as Samsung's ML-1910 that we recently tested. It packs a slightly slower printing speed than the P1606dn, churning out up to 21 ppm, and also doesn't offer duplex printing. But the Oki is big on volume, boasting a duty cycle of 15 000 sheets per month, almost double that of the HP's and 50% better than that of the ML-1910. According to its Japanese manufacturer the B2200 can deliver an average 2 000 pgs worth of printsouts on its toner cartridge, which is just shy of the 2 100 pgs that the P1606dn can yield and less than the claimed 2 500 standard pgs that the ML-1910 can deliver. You can also save paper by printing multiple pages of your document on a single page, as the B2200’s driver allows you to fit two or four smaller versions of a page on the same sheet. 

If you're running low on toner, you can select Toner Saving on the software settings in order to stretch the number of pages that you’re able to print, but the quality of the print outs will be noticeably reduced though as they'll become lighter. 

Paper Handling

For a machine that is so strong on volume, its paper handling was rather disappointing. There’s a loading tray at the back of the printer which carries a below standard 150 A4 sheets. Using the tray is awkward as you have to unclip its lid every time you  fill it, ever so often, with paper. The printouts are delivered at the back of the printer and rest on the paper tray's lid's cover, supported by a plastic slide-out. A neat little output tray would have been much better. A single feed slot at the front of the printer takes care of special paper.

Other features
 
On the installation CD you’ll find the driver of the printer, and, the easy and straightforward Template Manager 2006 that allows you to create your own office documents by making use of the included templates for envelopes, banners, business cards and CD labels etc. Also onboard is Oki B2200 StatusMonitor, which notifies you of status changes, errors concerning print jobs and the like via pop-up messages. 

 
Final Word
 
Oki’s B2200 is compact, easy to set up and delivers print outs with a high quality at a fast pace, it's just a shame about the below average paper handling. You can pick one up at Computer Corporation (08616-08616) where it sells for a good R700.

PROS
Good economy when it comes to its toner cartridge and its duty cycle.
CONS
The paper loader carries only 150 sheets and printouts don't fall into a neat output tray.
USER COMMENTS

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