Kyocera ECOSYS FS-680

For general text printing the FS-680 delivers its quoted 8ppm speed, with a 15-page Word document output in 113 seconds. More complex prints will put the laser under pressure though, as a five-page report with graphs and tables dropped speed to 6.5ppm. This fell further with our standard PC Pro mono laser test. Its 23 pages of heavy formatting, graphics and photographs had the FS-680 struggling at only 4.25ppm.

For a personal laser, the FS-680 produced good-quality output. As you'd expect, text was razor-sharp at 600dpi, and photographic images revealed high levels of detail with none of the banding that was evident with the FS-800. Another bonus is that the 4Mb of memory proved sufficient for printing high-resolution pictures, whereas the FS-800 failed with memory overruns.

On a price comparison, the FS-680 is slightly cheaper than the PC Pro Recommended Samsung 6050 (reviewed issue 57, p153). While both offer similar specifications, the Samsung has an edge on speed - rated at 12ppm. What may swing things Kyocera's way, however, is the Samsung's high printing costs (1.3p per page) and its lack of network upgrade options. If you're on the lookout for an inexpensive workgroup printer, the FS-680 definitely deserves a place on your shortlist.

Author: Dave Mitchell