RICOH AFICIO 2051 TONER CARTRIDGE

Ricoh Aficio 2051 Review

Overview:

If your business needs to take copy and print output to the next level, the 51 page per minute Ricoh Aficio 2051 copier could be an option worth considering. Its incredibly fast and extensively expandable hardware, however old, is still capable of keeping those in need of massive output ahead of the curve for years to come.

Pros:

The core unit of the Ricoh Aficio 2051 is actually a simple stand alone copy machine, but with a huge catalog of expansion hardware, it can become whatever machine you want it to be. The core copy machine boasts an incredible 51 page per minute copy speed. Not only that, but it can copy at the high resolution of 1200 x 1200 dots per inch, whereas many lower end units will only get you up to 600 x 600 dots per inch.

The hard disk drive found in the Ricoh Aficio 2051 is actually one of the few things that is not optional, as all models do include the 40 GBs of storage space. Standard RAM memory, on the other hand, can sit at either 128 MBs of 384 MBs, as well as a few steps in between.

It almost goes without saying that paper storage is expandable for the Ricoh Aficio 2051. The standard paper trays consist of 2 x 1,550 sheet tandem style paper trays that can be used for the smaller paper sizes, 2 x 550 sheet paper trays that will accept Ledger sized paper, and a 100 sheet bypass tray for special media types such as envelopes and transparencies. There are a variety of ways to build on the standard paper supply, but the maximum total allowable storage space is a whopping 8,300 sheets. With such heavy output possibilities, a printer such as this really does need massive paper storage and the device delivers.

Probably the first expansion option most need to consider is the printer/scanner (no, these are not standard features). Once printing ability becomes active, an entire office network can take advantage of the extra low cost per page available from this full sized machine. PCL6 emulation allows the device to print at its full 1200 x 1200 dot per inch resolution, though systems relying on PCL5e will be limited to 600 x 600 dots per inch.

When the scanner is incorporated, the mind boggling speed of 75 originals per minute can be scanned. The optical scan level is only 600 dots per inch (TWAIN: 1200 dpi), and color scanning is, sadly, not an option.

Cons:

The maximum allowable memory for the Ricoh Aficio 2051 copy machine is lower than one would like. It would have been nice to see a 1 GB option thrown in there but, then again, the device is very old and this amount of RAM was uncommon in any setup. This brings up what is really the ultimate downside of the machine: its age. Don’t expect to find a full color touch screen or a dedicated keyboard on this unit, as these are more modern ways of document handling from a copy machine.