Fujitsu PrintPartner 20W review

A ten-page A3 text document was completed smoothly in just a little under one minute with speed halving at 1,200dpi.

Fujitsu bundles Lexmark's MarkVision software for monitoring the printer over the parallel port or network connection. The entire control panel can be remotely operated and a status screen keeps you in touch with the action, but there are no indicators showing toner levels. Along with both Type B and C parallel ports, the 20W has a serial port for connections up to 15m, but you won't be able to use MarkVision as it requires a bidirectional parallel link. The controller board has a single expansion slot and Fujitsu offers a variety of networking modules. Along with its software, it also uses Lexmark's MarkNet dual-speed print server cards and, while not supplied with the review model, our previous experiences with these cards have always been highly favourable.

At this price point, there's not a great deal of competition in the large format workgroup laser arena. HP's LaserJet 5000 offers a true 1,200dpi resolution but is substantially more expensive. The PrintPartner 20W is a good choice for workgroups on a tight budget but, before buying it, check out Kyocera's FS-6700. It has a very similar specification and price, but its running costs are a quarter that of the 20W making it more cost-effective in the long term.

Author: Dave Mitchell