Sharp AL 1655CS laser copier scanner printer

OVERVIEW:  The Sharp AL-1655CS all-in-one offers the copying, scanning, and printing features of earlier models, plus Ethernet network connectivity and 2-sided printing of 2-sided originals.

PROS:
At 51 pounds, the all-in-one copier has a footprint 20.4” x 19.8”. The copier is a little large to put on a desk but will feel right at home on any credenza, and the second paper tray brings it at a height comfortable for someone standing next to it to manually make copies or scans.

Having built-in Ethernet network support and a hi-speed USB, the AL-1655CS is right at home either in the middle of an office floor or connected to a secretary’s computer. It gives an office with multiple computers to be able to utilize one machine for printing instead of having to buy a printer for every workstation.

Sharp has made some major improvements on the AL-1655’s control panel, making it even more useful than before. Now users have more programming preset control at the panel, plus the alpha-numeric display makes troubleshooting easier than with earlier models.

The AL-1655CS uses a stationary 8½” x 14” platen for scanning instead of a sliding platform to keep its footprint no bigger than its physical size.  The automatic document feeder allows for 30 double-sided copies to be made up to legal-size: more originals can be fed in as the level lowers. By scanning the original once and storing the image into its 10MB memory allows the AL-1655CS to produce copies at the rate of 16 pages per minute, up to 99 copies.

Unlike earlier models, the auto-doc feeder of the AL-1655CS can automatically scan 2-sided originals and create 2-sided copies. When you think of all the times you had 20 pages of 2-sided originals and the hoops you had to jump when a copier could only read one side, this feature alone makes this worth buying.

Another nice feature the AL-1655CS has (if you use the automatic document feeder) is the ability to physically shift the position of each set of copies in the output tray for easy collating and stapling. This is achieved by pressing the Electronic Sort (or E-Sort) button on the control panel. The multi-page original is scanned first into the 10MB memory, then copied in order. This offset sorting feature is rarely found on other desktop copiers or all-in-ones.

The AL-1655CS has three different exposure modes & resolutions (auto, manual, photo). Automatic (or default) resolution is 600 x 300 dpi. “Photo quality” is 600 x 600 dpi at 256 grayscale levels. The magnification can be changed from 25% to 400% in 1% increments or in 8 jumps.

This Sharp has two sliding paper trays, each holding up to 250 sheets of either letter (8½” x 11”) or legal (8½” x 14”) size paper. The two-tray feature is especially nice in an realty or legal office where legal and standard size papers are often used. Non-standard sizes from 3” x 5” up to 8½” x 14” can be placed singly on the scanning platform, or up to 50 sheets placed on the multi-purpose flip-tray on the side of the copier.

CONS:
During its prime, a 16 ppm copy speed was impressive for a small copier. In truth, the touted 16 ppm speed can only be achieved at lowest resolution, but that’s the caveat for any printer specs. Don’t expect the faster print speeds of 20 ppm or more that’s typical of current monochrome laser printers.

As this was one of Sharp’s first attempts at network copiers, it runs on the slower 10BaseT and cannot be connected to a hub or switch that cannot auto-switch between the two speeds.

With all the improvements made with the AL-1655CS, it’s strange that Sharp reduced the resolution for the scanning down to 600 x 600 dpi. Older CS models, while having the usual 600 x 600 for printing and copying, could at least color scan images up to 600 x 1,200 dpi.

Sharp’s does not offer PCL or PostScript print emulation. Instead, Sharp provides their own SPLC print emulator. For most printing users won’t notice any difference in performance, and considering the low resolutions of this all-in-one, it’s unlikely any high-end Adobe graphics will be going to this unit anyway.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
Starter toner cartridge that comes with the AL-1655CS will last for only 2,000 sheets, so it’s a good idea to place an order for more toner when you get the all-in-one.

The AL-1655CS has separate toner and drum to help reduce overall consumables costs. Sharp offers a choice for toner: the standard-size toner (4,000 pages at 5%), or the High-yield (6,000 pages) unit. The drum unit will need to be replaced ever 18, 000 pages or every 3rd toner replacement.

During the course of changing toner, people often forget to keep track when it’s time to change the drum.  Combo-packages are available that offer the drum with several toners. By the time the toners are consumed, the remaining drum is replaced. These combo-packages make maintenance easy and increases overall longevity and print quality.

SOFTWARE:
Included is Sharp’s desktop document management software. The software does a decent job in giving you control of the unit’s various printing and scanning functions.

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Sharp AL 1631 Laser Copier

OVERVIEW:  While many offices have laser printers that tend to double as copiers, their smaller toners causes an increase in replacing consumables and may exceed the recommended duty cycle. Yet many forgo buying a copier because they think only the large floor models are available. The Sharp AL-1631 is a desktop copier able to handle copy jobs at a lower cost and taking up less space.

PROS:
The 53 pound copier has a footprint 20.4” x 19.4”. The copier is a little large to put on a desk but will feel right at home on any credenza.

The AL-1631 uses a stationary 8½” x 14” platen for scanning instead of a sliding platform to keep its footprint no bigger than its physical size.  The automatic document feeder allows for up to 30 single-sided legal-size originals: more originals can be fed in as the level drops. By scanning the original one time and storing the image into its 8MB memory allows the AL-1631 to produce copies at the rate of 16 pages per minute, up to 99 copies.

The AL-1631 has three different exposure modes & resolutions (auto, manual, photo). Automatic (or default) resolution is 600 x 300 dpi. “Photo quality” is 600 x 600 dpi at 256 grayscale levels. The magnification can be changed from 25% to 400% in 1% increments or in 6 jumps.

The control panel for the AL-1600 series is pretty straightforward, so you don’t need to go to the manual to figure things out. In addition to magnification, quantity, and exposure, you can control which paper tray to use and to switch to “toner save” mode. Indicators blink for toner and drum replacement, and paper jams. Unfortunately, the paper jam indicator does not show where inside the copier the misfeed is, so you’ll have to do a little sleuthing to find it.

The sliding paper tray can hold up to 250 sheets of either letter (8½” x 11”) or legal (8½” x 14”) size paper. Non-standard sizes from 3” x 5” up to 8½” x 14” can be placed singly on the scanning platform, or up to 50 sheets placed on the multi-purpose flip-tray on the side of the copier.

This Sharp model was made for compactness, not expandability. There are no options available to increase its paper or memory capacities, nor to add printer network capability.

CONS:
During its prime, the 16 ppm copy speed was impressive for a small copier. So don’t expect the faster print speeds of 20 ppm that’s typical of newer copiers.

The 250-sheet paper tray is woefully undersized for office copy use. It’s typical for even a small office to go through a ream of paper in a single day. And it’s also common for offices buy paper in 500-sheet reams, if not a 10-ream case. For personal and home use, a 250-sheet tray is sufficient, so long as you’re not someone whose home is their office. Having a tray that you can dump an entire ream of paper into would be something any office would invest a few extra dollars for.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
The AL-1631 only comes with a 50-percent full toner cartridge, which will need replacing after 4 reams of paper.  The standard-yield toner can hold 4,000 pages at 5% coverage, the high-yield producing 6,000 pages.

The AL-1631 has separate toner and drum to help reduce overall consumables costs. The front plate flips open, allowing for the toner, then the drum units to be accessed. Since the cartridges have to be slid out sideways, it will take a little bit of practice to get the hang of replacement.

The drum unit will need to be replaced every 18,000 pages, or on the 3rd toner change. During the course of changing toner, people often forget to keep track when it’s time to change the drum.  Combo-packages are available that offer the drum with several toners. By the time the toners are consumed, the remaining drum is replaced. These combo-packages make maintenance easy and increases overall machine longevity and print quality.

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The Sharp AL 1642CS Duplex All In One

OVERVIEW:  With twice the paper capacity of other AL-1600’s, the Sharp AL-1642CS also produces 2-sided copies and printouts.

PROS:

At 51 pounds, the all-in-one copier has a footprint 20.4” x 19.4”. The copier is a little large to put on a desk but will feel right at home on any credenza.

The AL-1642CS uses a stationary 8½” x 14” platen for scanning instead of a sliding platform to keep its footprint no bigger than its physical size.  The automatic document feeder allows for 30 single-sided copies to be made up to legal-size: more originals can be fed in as the level lowers. By scanning the original once and storing the image into its 8MB memory allows the AL-1642CS to produce copies at the rate of 16 pages per minute, up to 99 copies.

The AL-1642CS has three different exposure modes & resolutions (auto, manual, photo). Automatic (or default) resolution is 600 x 300 dpi. “Photo quality” is 600 x 600 dpi at 256 grayscale levels. The magnification can be changed from 25% to 400% in 1% increments or in 6 jumps.

One of the “gotchas” for 2-sided copying is the originals in the ADF must be single-sided. One option rather than burning through paper making the originals 1-sided is if the originals are in electronic form to use the printer capabilities of the AL-1642CS to print them from a computer as 2-sided duplicates.

Using either Parallel or the USB 1.1 connection, the AL-1642CS can be connected to a computer to double as a modest laser printer. In a small office, the Sharp can be set up to be a shared printer provided the computer it’s connected to remains on during the hours the printer would get used. When connected to a computer, the AL-1642CS can scan color images with resolutions up to 600 x 1,200 dpi.

The control panel for the AL-1600 series is pretty straightforward, so you don’t need to go to the manual to figure things out. In addition to magnification, quantity, and exposure, you can control which paper tray to use and to switch to the toner save mode. Indicators blink for toner and drum replacement, and paper jams. Unfortunately, the jam indicator does not show where inside the copier the misfeed is, so you’ll have to do the sleuthing yourself.

This Sharp has two sliding paper trays, each holding up to 250 sheets of either letter (8½” x 11”) or legal (8½” x 14”) size paper. The two-tray feature is especially nice in an office where legal and standard size papers are often used. Non-standard sizes from 3” x 5” up to 8½” x 14” can be placed singly on the scanning platform, or up to 50 sheets placed on the multi-purpose flip-tray on the side of the copier.

CONS:

Sharp’s does not offer PCL or PostScript print emulation. Instead, Sharp provides their own GDI print emulator. For most printing, users won’t notice any difference in performance and considering the low printing resolution of this all-in-one, it’s unlikely any high-end Adobe graphics will be put to this unit.

The design of the AL series is primarily based to focus on copier features. During its prime, a 16 ppm copy speed was impressive for a small copier. In printer mode, the touted 12 ppm speed can only be achieved at lowest resolution (but that’s the caveat for any printer specs). Don’t expect the faster print speeds of 20 ppm that’s typical of current monochrome laser printers.

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Sharp AL 2030 Laser 2 in 1 Copier Printer

OVERVIEW: The Sharp AL-2030 comes with a new design, a new look, and faster copying.

PROS:
At 45 pounds, the 2-in-1 (can’t really call it an “all-in-one” since it does not also have a scanner) has a footprint 25.4” x 17.5”. The copier is a little large to put on a desk but will feel right at home on any credenza.

The AL-2030 uses a stationary 8½” x 14” platen for scanning instead of a sliding platform to keep its footprint no bigger than its physical size.  The automatic document feeder (ADF) allows for 50 single-sided originals up to legal-size: more originals can be fed in as the level lowers. By scanning the original once and storing the image into its 8MB memory allows the AL-2030 to produce copies at the rate of 20 pages per minute and up to 99 copies. By using the high-speed USB connection to make it a shared printer, the AL-2030 can handle multiple print jobs at a speed of up to 16 pages per minute.

The AL-2030 has three different exposure modes & resolutions (auto, manual, photo). Automatic (or default) resolution is 600 x 300 dpi. “Photo quality” is 600 x 600 dpi at 256 grayscale levels. The magnification can be changed from 25% to 400% in 1% increments or in 6 jumps.

One of the “gotchas” for 2-sided copying is the originals in the ADF must be single-sided. One option rather than burning through paper making the originals 1-sided is if the originals are in an electronic form to use the printer capabilities of the AL-2030 to print them from a computer as 2-sided duplicates.

The control panel for the AL-20x0 series is pretty straightforward, so you don’t need to go to the manual to figure things out. In addition to magnification, quantity, and exposure, you can control which paper tray to use and to switch to the toner save mode. Indicators blink for toner and drum replacement, and paper jams. Unfortunately, the jam indicator does not show where inside the copier the misfeed is, so you’ll have to do the sleuthing yourself.

This Sharp has a  250-sheet sliding paper trays, capable of holding either letter (8½” x 11”) or legal (8½” x 14”) size paper. Non-standard sizes from 3” x 5” up to 8½” x 14” can be placed singly on the scanning platform, or up to 50 sheets placed on the multi-purpose flip-tray on the side of the copier.

CONS:
The design of the AL series is primarily based to focus on copier features, not so much on the printer side. During its prime, having a 16 ppm speed was impressive for a laser printer. In truth, the touted 16 ppm speed can only be achieved at lowest resolution, but that’s the caveat for any printer specs. Don’t expect the faster print speeds of 20 ppm or more that’s typical of current monochrome laser printers.

The 250-sheet paper tray is woefully undersized for office copy use. It’s typical for even a small office to go through a ream of paper in a single day. And it’s also common for offices buy paper in 500-sheet reams, if not a 10-ream case. For personal and home use, a 250-sheet tray is sufficient, so long as you’re not someone whose home is their office. Having a tray that you can dump an entire ream of paper into would be something any office would invest a few extra dollars for.

The printer emulator doesn’t include PCL or PostScript, but relies on Sharp’s own proprietary emulator. For standard printing, most users won’t notice any difference in performance or print quality.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
Starter toner cartridge that comes with the AL-2030 will last for only 2,000 sheets, so it’s a good idea to place an order for more toner when you get the unit.

The AL-2030 has separate toner and drum to help reduce overall consumables costs. Sharp offers a choice for toner: the standard-size toner (4,000 pages at 5%), or the High-yield (6,000 pages) unit. The drum unit will need to be replaced ever 18, 000 pages or every 3rd toner replacement.

During the course of changing toner, people often forget to keep track when it’s time to change the drum.  Combo-packages are available that offer the drum with several toners. By the time the toners are consumed, the remaining drum is replaced. These combo-packages make maintenance easy and increases overall longevity and print quality.

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Sharp AL 1641CS

OVERVIEW:  The first all-in-one of Sharp’s AL-1600 series, the Sharp AL-1641CS offers computer printing and scanning, as well as the original copier features found in their AL-1631.

PROS:
The 53 pound all-in-one copier has a footprint 20.4” x 19.4”. The copier is a little large to put on a desk but will feel right at home on any credenza.

The AL-1641CS uses a stationary 8½” x 14” platen for scanning instead of a sliding platform to keep its footprint no bigger than its physical size.  The automatic document feeder allows for 30 single-sided copies to be made up to legal-size: more originals can be fed in as the level lowers. By scanning the original once and storing the image into its 8MB memory allows the AL-1641CS to produce copies at the rate of 16 pages per minute, up to 99 copies.

The AL-1641CS has three different exposure modes & resolutions (auto, manual, photo). Automatic (or default) resolution is 600 x 300 dpi. “Photo quality” is 600 x 600 dpi at 256 grayscale levels. The magnification can be changed from 25% to 400% in 1% increments or in 6 jumps.

Using either Parallel or the USB 1.1 connection, the AL-1641CS can be connected to a computer to double as a modest laser printer. In a small office, the Sharp can be set up to be a shared printer provided the computer it’s connected to remains on during the hours the printer would get used. When connected to a computer, the AL-1641CS can scan color images with resolutions up to 600 x 1,200 dpi.

The control panel for the AL-1600 series is pretty straightforward, so you don’t need to go to the manual to figure things out. In addition to magnification, quantity, and exposure, you can control which paper tray to use and to switch to the toner save mode. Indicators blink for toner and drum replacement, and paper jams. Unfortunately, the jam indicator does not show where inside the copier the misfeed is, so you’ll have to do the sleuthing yourself.

The sliding paper tray can hold up to 250 sheets of either letter (8½” x 11”) or legal (8½” x 14”) size paper. Non-standard sizes from 3” x 5” up to 8½” x 14” can be placed singly on the scanning platform, or up to 50 sheets placed on the multi-purpose flip-tray on the side of the copier.

This Sharp model was made for compactness, not expandability. There are no options available to increase its paper or memory capacities, nor to add network capability.

CONS:
During its prime, the 16 ppm copy speed was impressive for a small copier. In printer mode, the touted 12 ppm speed can only be achieved at lowest resolution (but that’s the caveat for any printer specs). Don’t expect the faster print speeds of 20 ppm that’s typical of current B&W laser printers.

The 250-sheet paper tray is woefully undersized for office copy use. It’s typical for even a small office to go through a ream of paper in a single day. And it’s also common for offices buy paper in 500-sheet reams, if not a 10-ream case. For personal and home use, a 250-sheet tray is sufficient, so long as you’re not someone whose home is their office. Having a tray that you can dump an entire ream of paper into would be something any office would invest a few more dollars for.

Printer emulator doesn’t include PCL or PostScript, but relies on Sharp’s own proprietary emulator. For standard printing,  most users won’t notice any difference in performance or print quality.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
The AL-1641CS only comes with a 50-percent full toner cartridge, which will need replacing after 4 reams of paper.  The standard-yield toner can hold 4,000 pages at 5% coverage, the high-yield producing 6,000 pages.

The AL-1641CS has separate toner and drum to help reduce overall consumables costs. The front plate flips open, allowing for the toner, then the drum units to be accessed. Since the cartridges have to be slid out sideways, it will take a little bit of practice to get the hang of replacement.

The drum unit will need to be replaced every 18,000 pages, or on the 3rd toner change. During the course of changing toner, people often forget to keep track when it’s time to change the drum.  Combo-packages are available that offer the drum with several toners. By the time the toners are consumed, the remaining drum is replaced. These combo-packages make maintenance easy and increases overall longevity and print quality.

SOFTWARE:
Included is Sharp’s own desktop document management software. The software does a decent job in giving you control of the unit’s various printing and scanning functions.

Unfortunately, the software is only for Wintel machines. Apple machines running OS 10.3 and above may be able to use the printing and scanning functions native to OS X or through 3rd party applications, like Photoshop.

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Sharp AL 1540CS All in One copier scanner printer

OVERVIEW:  The Sharp AL-1540CS has all the features of its older brother, the AL-1530CS, but includes a 30-page automatic document feeder so you don’t have to stand around the copier all day feeding it.

PROS:
The 42 pound all-in-one copier has a footprint 20.4” x 17.5”. The size is a little large to put on a desk but will feel right at home on any credenza.

The AL-1540CS uses a stationary 10” x 14” platen for scanning instead of a sliding platform to keep its footprint no bigger than its physical size.

With a maximum resolution of 600 x 600 dpi, the AL-1540CS can produce up to 99 copies. Scanning the original once and storing the image to memory allows the AL-1540CS to make copies at the rate of 15 pages per minute. The Automatic Document Feeder (or ADF) can hold up to 30 legal-size originals. The user can change magnifications from 50% up to 200%--not the widest range compared to other models but the most commonly used.

The sliding paper tray can hold up to 250 sheets of either letter (8½” x 11”) or legal (8½” x 14”) size paper. Non-standard sizes up to 10” x 14” can be placed singly on the scan platform.

Using either Parallel or the USB 1.1 connection, the AL-1540CS can be connected to a computer to double as a modest laser printer. In a small office, the Sharp can be set up to be a shared printer provided the computer it’s connected to remains on during the hours the printer would get used. When connected to a computer, the AL-1540CS can scan color images with resolutions up to 600 x 1,200 dpi.

This all-in-one Sharp was made for compactness, not expandability. While it offers an automatic document feeder, there are no options available to increase its paper or memory capacities, or to make it a network printer.

CONS:
The design of the AL series is primarily based to focus on copier features. During its prime, a 15 ppm copy speed was impressive for a small copier. In printer mode, the touted 12 ppm speed can only be achieved at lowest resolution (but that’s the caveat for any printer specs). Don’t expect the faster print speeds of 20 ppm that’s typical of current B&W laser printers.

The 250-sheet paper tray is woefully undersized for office copy use. It’s typical for even a small office to go through a ream of paper in a single day. And it’s also common for offices buy paper in 500-sheet reams, if not a 10-ream case. For all you office folk out there: How many times have you taken a ream of paper from the supply cabinet to fill an empty printer, only to find the printer’s tray only has the capacity to hold half that amount? Now, next question: what usually happens to the rest of that ream? By the end of the day you’ll see the remaining ream somewhere near the printer, sheets pulled haphazardly by people who needed just a couple of blank sheets. By the time the printer needs to be refilled again, the state of that paper is now so uneven and disheveled it’s likely to jam in the printer. For personal and home use, a 250-sheet tray is sufficient, so long as you’re not someone whose home is their office. Having a tray that you can dump an entire ream of paper into would be something any office would invest a few more dollars for.

INK / TONER NEEDS:
The AL-1540CS has separate toner and drum to help reduce overall consumables costs. Sharp offers a choice for toner: the standard-size toner (4,000 pages at 5%), or the High-yield (6,000 pages) unit. The drum unit will need to be replaced ever 18, 000 pages.

During the course of changing toner, people often forget to keep track when it’s time to change the drum.  Combo-packages are available that offer the drum with several toners. By the time the toners are consumed, the remaining drum is replaced. These combo-packages make maintenance easy and increases overall longevity and print quality.

SOFTWARE:
Included is Sharp’s desktop document management software. The software does a decent job in giving you control of the unit’s various printing and scanning functions.

Unfortunately, the software is only for Wintel machines. Apple machines running OS 10.3 and above may be able to use the printing and scanning functions native to OS X or through 3rd party applications, like Photoshop.

Read More