The last two Fuji Xerox printing devices we’ve reviewed were both from the DocuPrint series. The one we reviewed in October last year was Fuji Xerox DocuPrint CM405DF while the one reviewed in December was Fuji Xerox DocuPrint M465AP. Now, if you follow the Office Hacks blog from Inkjet Wholesale, you would’ve noticed that we’ve been reviewing A3 devices nowadays. So, it is time for us to delve deep into one of the more popular A3 offerings from this Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) – the Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020.
The Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020 is the first entry-level multifunction function printer from this OEM that is targeted at the enterprise market. It is a low-cost A3 printer that is aimed at both, the Small Office / Home Office (SOHO) segment and the Small to Medium-scale Enterprise (SME) segment. The device was launched in 2014 amidst a lot of fanfare simply because it was the first effort from Fuji Xerox to cater to smaller businesses.
If your business falls under either the SOHO or the SME segment, then you may be considering the Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020. For your benefit, here is our Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020 review.
Strengths of Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020
At the time of its launch, the Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020’s print head was based on a new self-scanning Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology from the company known as the Current Confinement Self-Scanning Light Emitting Device. This technology is based on another technology from Fuji Xerox called the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser.
This happens to be one of its strengths because of the way these technologies work. What this technology does is that it makes the print head more efficient by ensuring that the emitted light volume is increased through controlling and focusing techniques. The direct result of this isn’t just better efficiency but higher resolution and better output quality. Moreover, these improvements don’t come at a cost either because energy consumption is kept to a minimum by this technology.
If you’re wondering what kind of maximum resolution we’re talking about. The Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020 is formally rated to print at 2400 x 1200 dots per inch (dpi).
With respect to costs, while the new technologies used save on energy consumption costs, the device has the automatic duplexing facility which will end up saving paper costs. It is also important to note that you can get this heightened output quality without compromising on volumes. The Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020 is as supportive of high volume printers as it is of high-quality printers. The standard variant of this device comes with a total paper capacity of 330 sheets which is divided between the 250-sheet primary tray and the 80-sheet bypass tray.
However, if you need greater capacity, the OEM has provided the option of installing an additional 500-sheet paper tray. There is another way through which the Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020 supports high volume printing and that is by offering tremendous continuous printing capacity of up to 999 pages per job.
The print speed of this device, while not exceptional, isn’t all that bad. The Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020 is rated to print at 20 pages per minute (ppm), regardless of whether you print monochrome or colour sheets. In terms of scanning, the device will be able to scan a monochrome sheet at the rate of 24 images per minute (ipm) while it will take be able to scan 19 colour images in a minute.
Despite boasting of so many different features and functionalities, the Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020 isn’t a device that requires its own nook in the office. Instead, the OEM has managed to fit all the features into a compact shell that can be placed on a desktop. This device actually measures only 595mm wide, 586mm deep, and 34mm tall.
Weaknesses of Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020
The biggest wall you will hit when you start considering the Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020 is its label price. Despite the fact that it is Fuji Xerox’s low cost, entry level offering, it can still seem expensive for start-ups with limited funding. Compared to other Fuji Xerox products, this device is on the economical side but compared to its primary competitors in the market, it is on the expensive side.
Moreover, despite all the energy and paper-saving features, the running costs of this device aren’t very conducive to the cash-strapped business. Estimates suggest that if you use OEM cartridges in this device, you’ll get a running cost of about 14.76 cents per page. This estimate is valid even with extra high capacity toner cartridges.
Luckily, you can reduce this per-page cost a little more by using generic cartridges. With generic toner cartridges, your per-page costs will drop down to about 12 cents. Another issue with the Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020 is that it doesn’t offer the wireless connectivity, leave alone Wi-Fi Direct.
Wireless connectivity has almost become common with multifunction printers of today and many newer models even boast of Wi-Fi Direct functionality. Fuji Xerox has chosen to avoid that feature and has, instead, given the usual USB 2.0 and Ethernet connectivity options. It is also worth mentioning that while the OEM has managed to make the Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020 compact, it has not been able to make it light. This device weighs a hefty 49 Kg which means that you better have, at least, four people in your office if you want to move it around.
Key Features of Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020
The Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020 comes with an inbuilt memory of 512 MB which should be more than enough for the usual SOHO or SME. If you want to physically control the device as opposed to controlling it from your computer, there is a control panel that has a 109.22mm colour touchscreen and multiple buttons. This touchscreen has intuitive software which will guide users through various functionalities in a step by step way.
This device is also fairly responsive. For instance, it takes only about 8.6 seconds to print a monochrome A4 page and approximately 10.8 seconds to print a colour A4 page. Furthermore, there are a number of small additional features that the Fuji Xerox DocuCentre SC2020 incorporates to make its owners’ lives easier. A good example of this is that you’ll be able to print two sides of a document side by side on a single sheet to save paper and improve efficiency. There are two other add-ons that the OEM offers to buyers apart from the extra paper tray. These options are a Fuji Xerox cabinet and a Fuji Xerox fax kit.