Kyocera Ecosys FS-800

For a small workgroup printer, the FS-800 delivered reasonable output quality. Text was pin-sharp, while graphics suffered mainly from minor banding. You may have to fiddle around with the PCL driver, as using the default settings produced overly dark images. The PostScript driver, however, delivered noticeably sharper results with more detail and less pronounced banding. The FS-800 uses KIR2 (Kyocera image enhancement) to simulate 1,200dpi, but there seems to be little improvement over the standard 600dpi.

The combination of network capability and an 8ppm print engine puts the FS-800 in an area with little competition. Most workgroup printers have print speeds of between ten to 16ppm but are priced closer to £1,000, while good personal lasers are around £200 cheaper but are slower and have insufficient features to make them a good choice for sharing. The FS-800 is too expensive for the single user, but for small workgroups on a tight budget it's well worth checking out.

Author: Dave Mitchell