Forgoing colour, Michael Fereday checks out a mono laser printer
The Ricoh SP3600DN is a mono laser printer that has been developed to replace the company’s SP3500N, SP364510DN and SP4100DN models. As you might suppose the 'DN' section of the product’s model number refers to the fact that this printer has duplex and network capabilities.
Forming the base of the unit is a pull-out paper tray with a capacity of 250 sheets. This drawer has a front-mounted handle grip for easy removal when paper filling is required. To help with this task, the drawer has an elongated window on the left so you can check on the paper situation without opening the drawer. There is also a small wheel device on the right side of the drawer that can be set to show the size of paper currently being used for printing.
There is a second paper input tray revealed when you lower a flap at the front of the unit. This tray is mainly for odd sizes of paper or envelopes and has a capacity of 100 sheets. Printed documents are ejected from the top of the printer into a recessed area that has a pull-out flap to help keep the documents under some sort of control.
Sitting along the paper output area is the printer’s control panel. This does tend to stand out due to its black colour and it being slightly raised above the body of the printer. The control panel features a 60 x 25mm LCD screen for feedback purposes plus a navigation wheel, selection options and LED indicators for power, alert and data reception.
If, for any reason, you need to gain access to the printer’s insides, such as replacing the toner cartridge or drum, then there is a button on the right side of the printer’s body. When pressed, this button will release the front of the printer and give you access to this area. You might also need to gain access in the case of a paper jam, which happened to me during my first print run.
When this occurs, the control panel screen displays instruction as how best to proceed. These instructions include opening the front and rear panels, removing a blocking component and any recalcitrant paper. Replacing the rear component proved to be tricky, but fortunately this was just a one-off occurrence.
There are a number of pre-set settings for different types of print runs, including the default job that insists on duplex printing. There is an option to select a one-sided print setting – or you could go the whole hog and create your own print job with specific settings that include paper sizes, orientation, finishing,
effects (watermark etc.) and print quality. With the latter you have a choice of 600 x 600 or 1200 x 1200dpi. My aging eyes were unable to detect any difference between the two, and print speeds were also the same as I achieved 30ppm when printing an 830-word document using both settings.
Replacement cartridges are available as Standard or High Yield, with the former (rated at 3000 pages) costing around £58, and the latter (6000 pages) currently available priced at around £67. Michael Fereday
Better suited to a small office environment rather than for home use.