The Value of Lab Test Reports
We may be biased of course, but after decades of subjecting copiers, printers and MFPs to rigorous tests over the course of weeks or months, we feel that a lot more can be understood about the product by reading a test report. Buyers Lab publishes Lab Test Reports that detail everything about the device, from ease of installation to how it performs when used in a wide variety of circumstances. This provides you with an understanding of the product well beyond just the specifications.
Buyers Lab Test Reports provide the following comprehensive information:
- Reliability (number of misfeeds, service calls or other malfunctions);
- Productivity (how fast it actually runs in various print, copy and scan modes, in simplex and in duplex, running different types of jobs, and how its speed stacks up against typical units in its market sector);
- Image Quality (with both copy and print modes examined for quality in various modes, including text, photographs and fine line drawings, and color reproduction and fidelity);
- Ease Of Use (how easy it is to change paper and toner, use the print driver and program a typical copy job at the control panel, to name a few of the areas covered);
- Feature Set (what you get for the money, and how it stacks up compared to competitive products);
- Security and Environmental features;
- Administrative Utilities and Feedback To Workstations that make it more convenient to use the device; and, of course,
- Cost Per Page, based on actual toner and consumables usage during the lab test and not on the manufacturer’s rated yields.
Each Buyers Lab Test Report also lists the product’s specific competitive strengths and weaknesses when compared against comparable devices in its market sector. This helps buyers zero in on the essential differences between MFPs that are most important to them (for example, “Among the lowest supplies costs for models in its speed range,” might be an advantage, while “No pop-up messages to alert users of warning conditions” might be a disadvantage on the same device).
Ask each dealer presenting to provide this (most have access to bliQ) or subscribe to bliQ yourself if you prefer to perform this type of analysis on your own.