Review: Fuji Xerox ColorQube 8570

There's two normal types of business printers, laser and inkjet. However, Fuji Xerox has been quietly plugging away with a different style of printer, a solid ink printer.

Strictly, it's a hot inkjet printer, but with printer ink costs spiralling up, the idea of cheap ink is both economically and environmentally friendly.

The 8570 is not the prettiest of printers, it's big and beige, looking like a late 90's laserjet printer (can beige be banned for any IT related product please!). It takes a little while to start up as it has to heat the ink, but once prepped it's quick to print and cheap to run with up to 40ppm for printing.

Fuji Xerox has introduced Managed Print Services (MPS) which can offer savings up to 30% by utilising fixed pricing, regular servicing and easy access to consumables. Solid ink has a massive benefit over its rivals such as inkjet and laser in that the cost per page is so cheap, offering colour printing for the price of a monochrome laser.

The 8570's software was very easy to use, with a good user interface that allows simple configuration and enhancement.

With inkjets, you should avoid power cycling them. Turning them off and on every day or over the weekend can quickly use up ink, the ColorQube is no different.

Fuji Xerox's smart software learns your usage pattern to optimize power consumption so you're saving energy and not wasting ink, this helps save even more, reducing your overall cost of ownership.

The prints are as good, if not better than a inkjet, not requiring any special paper to print out in colour (unlike those inkjets!).

If you want to move the printer, and you've just used it, turn it off and let it rest for a few minutes. The hot ink has to have time to cool and set.

Pros:

• Solid ink - cheap, much more environmentally friendly and brilliant finish
• Economical and quick to print
• With colour printing at mono laser prices, very low cost of ownership
• Compatible ink sticks are available

• Beige. Enough said!
• Don't move the printer when it's just been on or ink issues occur

An innovative solution that is being championed by Fuji Xerox that has the best (and cheapest) future support for ink. Should printer ink really cost more than gold?

Using solid inks mean that printers can become more innovative and not tied to a chip which decides how much you can print.

Well worth it and I'm sure Xerox will be bringing out a much wider range of printers using this technology! Where would you see ink sticks being useful? What would you like for your next printer?

Score: 8.5/10