Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have a tendency to release products in groups. When products are released as a part of a series, individual models tend to vary only slightly. The intention of OEMs is to allow the same market segment multiple options. This means that when you start considering a particular printer or any other IT equipment for that matter, you need to remember that there may be similar models you can consider also. This is relevant in this Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP review because we’ve already reviewed another printer in the model earlier.
At the end of January this year, we reviewed the Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8520MFP which is very similar to the object of this review post. The Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP is a slightly improved version of the FS-C8520MFP, which means that it actually offers everything that the latter does and then does one better. Since the FS-C8520MFP is an exceptional A3 colour multifunction printer, this makes the FS-C8525MFP even better. Here’s our review.
Strengths of Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP
There are two Unique Selling Points (USPs) of the Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP. The first is that it belongs to the ECOSYS family and the other is that it offers access to Kyocera’s much lauded and proprietary HyPAS™ solution platform. ECOSYS from Kyocera has wide-ranging benefits. Printers that qualify for this category are much better for the environment and even the pocket because they’re resource efficient, regardless of whether you look at consumables or hardware. In fact, they’re even more energy efficient.
Kyocera’s HyPAS™ solution platform makes devices more versatile and adaptable to their owners’ requirements. This solution platform is basically an ecosystem of apps and software programmes from Kyocera and third party developers. The platform contains various solutions that businesses can pick and choose from. Effectively, this solution platform makes the Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP multifaceted and highly flexible.
For an A3 colour device, the Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP also has a decent print speed. When printing A3 sheets, you can expect approximately 13 pages per minute (ppm). With A4 sheets, this speed goes up to as high as 25 ppm.
It is also worth mentioning that these print speeds are independent of whether the pages being printed are colour or monochrome. In terms of the time this device takes to spit out the first print, you can expect a wait of 12 seconds for colour prints and about 10 seconds for monochrome prints. One of the best advantages of owning a Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP is the kind of paper handling capacity you’ll get. Without using available add-on options, you’ll get a Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP with a total paper handling capacity of 600 sheets which can be split between a 500-sheet universal paper cassette and a 100-sheet multipurpose tray. The available add-on options comprise two 500-sheet universal paper cassettes that can take this device’s total paper handling capacity to 1600 sheets.
The Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP has another advantage in the form of cost efficiency. Running this device is more cost effective than many of its competing devices but the actual running cost varies on the basis of which type of cartridge you use. Using genuine cartridges i.e. cartridges manufactured by the OEM, will cost you about 7.82 cents per page. Using generic cartridges will be slightly more cost effective at 6.80 cents per page. The Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP will also help you save some dough on paper. The automatic duplexing feature of this device has the potential to reduce your paper costs by 50 percent.
It should also be mentioned that, unlike many other products in the same market segment, this device comes with a 36 month onsite warranty. Most competing products only have 12 warranties.
Weaknesses of Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP
A glaring limitation that you will notice, if you buy the Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP, is that this is a multifunction printer that offers only three function i.e. print, copy, and scan. There is no faxing function unless, of course, you go for the optional faxing component and pay extra. Superficially, you can see this as a flaw especially when you compare the FS-C8525MFP to its competitors. However, if you consider functionality, very few businesses fax these days which makes this component largely redundant.
A much greater drawback of owning the Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP is that it doesn’t have wireless connectivity. The OEM has offered the usual USB 2.0 and Ethernet connectivity options but going wireless is not an option here. This could be a breaking point for many of you particularly if you’re already used to Wi-Fi Direct functionality that many devices boast of. There is no way around this drawback, so we’ll leave it up to you to decide how important going wireless is for you.
The final flaw of the Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP is its weight. This device is quite heavy at 80 Kg which means that you won’t be able to redecorate your office space all that often.
Generally speaking, A3 printer owners don’t move around their machines too much because most A3 devices are heavy and kept out of the way of the normal official footfall.
Key Features of Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP
The Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP is heavy and fairly large in size. It measures 748mm in height and 590mm in width and depth. You should note that these measurements include the document processor. While many potential buyers consider dimensions, most consider print quality to be far more important.
Formally, the FS-C8525MFP is capable of producing print images up to a maximum resolution of 600 x 600 dots per inch (dpi). In practice, the output quality of this device falls well within the acceptable spectrum for its market segment. Images and graphics, as is the case with all laser printers, are less than perfect but text output is very good.
This is largely due to the print engine of this device which is complimented by the available RAM memory. The standard version of the device comes with a RAM of 1536MB but this can be increased to 2048MB also. Add-ons available with the Kyocera ECOSYS FS-C8525MFP than the aforementioned paper trays, faxing component, and extra RAM memory include wooden and metal cabinets, wooden and metal base units, a document finisher, a DIMM-1GBP Memory and a card authentication kit along with an USB IC card reader.