Kyocera FS-2020D review

Kyocera has a long history of winning PC Pro awards for its lasers, and FS-2020D is no exception, putting in another excellent display.

The FS-2020D's greatest strength is its low running costs. With a starter cartridge lasting 6,000 pages, replacements going on for 12,000 pages, and no other long-term consumables, it has an advantage over competitors that require replacements more frequently. But it's the low costs that really swings things in its favour.

After having printed 30,000 pages, this printer will have cost you only £557 exc VAT, and after 50,000 pages the cost is a reasonable £631 - the cheapest printer to run here bar none. Kyocera, surprisingly, didn't supply the network version of this printer for review, but even the dearer FS-2020DN would have beaten the rest on value for money.

That's because in terms of core business features, speed and quality, this printer has it all covered. First, it's capable of churning out high volumes, with a massive maximum monthly duty cycle of 150,000 pages ensuring hiccup-free operation in even the most demanding environments. Second, its paper-handling capabilities are beyond reproach, with a built-in duplexer, plus 600 sheets total input capacity.

Also, there's a USB port for direct printing of PDF documents from flash-based media, plus the ability to print on heavyweight paper up to 220g/m2. Speed, too, is good: our basic 50-page text test was printed at 33ppm, while more complicated material only reduced that rate by 3ppm.

Output quality is its weakest area, with photographs looking dark and grainy, and small text output far from crisp, although there was no sign of any banding.

But for most print jobs, the quality is perfectly acceptable and, elsewhere, the FS-2020D more than makes up for its shortcomings. If you're after a printer to output serious volume, and want a low-cost option, look no further. Whether you buy this model or the more expensive network-enabled version, you won't be disappointed.

Author: Jonathan Bray