Necessity precisely realized by our test laboratory « to be more close to people » somewhere in a shower alternates with constant aspiration to fine. The prices for budgetary color laser printers become more and more democratic, that can please us. However any inexpensive printer, from the engineering point of view, it is impossible to name the excellent device unequivocally: each page of the printed document testifies to any compromise incorporated in a design of the concrete device. Unfortunately (and can be and, on the contrary, fortunately!), We can see the best technical decisions and absence of "bottlenecks" only in dear and functional models costing usually on uppermost stupen'kah of the firm hierarchies. Obeying own e`goistichnomu to desire to estimate scope of developers, and also to altruistic desires to tell about this estimation to people, we net-net, and shall take on the test the device, characteristics and which cost leave toshiba satellite notebook reviews far for frameworks of problems and opportunities of the average inhabitant (actually, in a private use anybody and does not buy similar printers). In it the double advantage sees: those who on an occupation is interested in purchase of the similar equipment, will receive a trustworthy information about qualities of model, and all the others can lead parallels or, if one may say so, perpendiculars with budgetary rulers and, probably to draw for itself any conclusions. The honourable role of a bouquet of firm technologies today is allocated to printer KonicaMinolta magicolor 5450, and we need to estimate efforts of floral artists only.
Magicolor 54 has angular, almost cubic form. Corners, ledges and have niches convenient, ergonomic zakrugleniya. The ex-terrier of the printer you will not name revolutionary, but the combination of dark and light plastic does its quite nice. Plastic matte also is not inclined to excessive markosti. As well as it is necessary to the toshiba satellite notebook reviews device of such class, the printer rather dimensional and heavy. To establish it it is better on a separate table or a curbstone, or to get floor updating with a curbstone on rollers. The given printer is equipped by various opening panels behind which those or other functional units disappear. I shall notice, that quality of some panels mismatches a level of a product a little: there is a small tinkling sound and poskripy'vanie, and some parts that refers to, "walk". Probably, it is cavils, but for two thousand dollars it would be desirable sensation of reliability, and from such nuances it a little … is greased, whether that. At once the attention not absolutely usual configuration of the printer draws: access to it to " internal bodies » is carried out at once from all four parties and is firstly not so clear, where at it forward and back parts. Such approach is dictated first of all by an arrangement of internal functional blocks, but pleases, that all the account materials demanding regular replacement, remain accessible from the obverse panel, and on each side and less demanded units are behind placed.
Speed of a toshiba satellite notebook reviews press: (on the one hand) str/min color str/min monochrome
Speed of a press: (from two parties) str/min color str/min monochrome
Emulation: PostScript 3, PCL 5e, PCL 5c, PCL 6, PDF 1. (the additional hard disk is necessary)
Compatibility: Windows 98SE/ME/NT 4.0/2000/XP/Server 2003, Mac OS X (10. or above), OS 9, Linux, Netware
The interface: USB 2. (high-speed), Ethernet (10BaseT/100BaseTX/1000BaseT), camera direct (through allocated USB-interfeys)
Standard trays of submission of a paper: the Bottom tray of submission of a paper on 5 sheets the Multipurpose tray on 1 sheets
Additional trays of submission of a paper: the Bottom tray of submission of a paper on 5 sheets (it is as much as possible possible to add trays)
The supported sizes of a paper: the Multipurpose tray: A4, A5, B5, Letter, Legal, Executive, Statement, Folio, Letter Plus, Foolscap, UK Quatro, Govt. Letter, Govt. Legal, Kai 16, Kai 32, 16K, Japanese Postcard, Double Postcard; Monarch, Com 10, DL, C6, C5, You 4, toshiba satellite notebook reviews Chou 3, Chou Envelopes; the user size 92–2 mm, 148–3 mm the Standard bottom tray of submission of a paper on 5 sheets: A4, Letter the Tray manual submissions (option): A4, Letter, Legal, Executive, Folio, Letter Plus, Foolscap, Govt. Letter, Govt. Legal, B the Device of a bilaterial seal (option): A4, Letter, Legal, Executive, Folio, Govt. Legal, B5, Govt. Letter
Cyan ’ pages (in the complete set of delivery – on ’ pages) A4
Magenta ’ pages (in the complete set of delivery – on ’ pages) A4
Yellow ’ pages (in the complete set of delivery – on ’ pages) A4
Black ’ (in the complete set of delivery – on ’ pages) A the First sight at characteristics lets know pages, that before us the extremely powerful device: the big resource of account materials, powerful RISC-processor in the controller of a press and support gigabitnogo the network interface is a good cocktail, at competent realization capable to force the user to forget about delays during a press. We shall glance « under toshiba satellite notebook reviews a cowl ». As it was already spoken, operations with rashodnikami the user will make all, opening the forward panel of the printer. From here cartridges with a toner and a tank with the fulfilled powder become accessible to us. So, cartridges … They are huge! It is perfect monstruozny'e products at which the capacity with a toner is located in the top part, and the photoshaft is from below. The toner moves to a photoshaft on the channel inside of the connecting crosspiece. To what, it is asked, such complexities? The answer: compactness of a printed path. The matter is that in the printer the additional tape of carry of the image (all over again all four toners the picture is under construction on this tape and already at once in polnocvetnom a kind it is transferred on a paper) is used. toshiba satellite notebook reviews Such scheme of a path allows to improve privodku separate colors. If to not forget, that modern laser devices use more and more perfect algorithms rastrirovaniya, frequently with elements stohastiki such approach looks logical. Pursuing the purpose to reduce dimensions of the printer, this tape could be put under a corner, cartridges on a diagonal, and it is a little to reduce volume of cartridges. But Konica-Minolta has decided to kill all hares at once. The tape is passed "through" cartridges. As a result two functional blocks are combined in volume of one toner without damage to capacity, however – with osch'utimy'm complication of a design. It brings a attention to the question on quality of prints on an outcome of a toner – the powder is how much effectively spent, and whether there are strips and artefacts? I do not apply for true in last instance, but I can unequivocally declare, that the printer has come to us on tests with almost empty cartridges. Nevertheless, our tests have not found out any negative influence of a design of cartridges on quality of a press.
Despite of intricacy of a toshiba satellite notebook reviews design, cartridges vary very simply. Each color is supplied individual vy'stupami-klyuchami, excluding wrong installation, and the handle (without it this mahinu it will be simple there is nothing to seize). As to a tank for the fulfilled toner this detail in itself is rather artless, something therefore is difficult to tell about it especial. It is unique – lyuchok, locking capacity and not giving to be scattered to a powder, simultaneously is the lock without which turn the capacity from the printer is not taken out (accordingly, chances to scatter a toner on all room are noticeably reduced). A trifle, and it is pleasant.
The tape of carry mentioned above is taken for service from the left party of the printer. For this purpose it is necessary to turn on and remove the decorative panel. In the same place nearby there is not absolutely usual detail – replaceable ozone kataliticheskiy the filter. It reduces ozonization of air during work of the printer and represents mesh metal brusok in porolonovom a toshiba satellite notebook reviews sealant. On a back wall, but too at the left, the interface sockets are located: parallel port, USB and Gigabit Ethernet.
On the right the cover covering an oven is located. On this cover the demountable tray of manual submission of a paper and from the same party to the printer pristy'kovy'vaetsya the module of a duplex (it as an accessory, it is necessary to order separately also fastens; on our copy the duplex was absent). Accordingly, at installation of the printer it is necessary to leave a stock of a place as required to have an opportunity to print the document on a separate leaf of a paper or nadpechatat' addresses on ten envelopes. It seemed to me not so convenient, but here all individually and strongly depends on a lay-out of toshiba satellite notebook reviews office.
The most often filled up type of account materials – a paper – keeps within the basic tray of quite typical capacity. The tray is put forward in front, and procedure of filling by its paper, on idea, should not cause intellectual spasmes in the average user. I hope, by this moment the dear reader has understood the basic design features of the printer magicolor 5450, and therefore it is time to start the most cognitive part of the present narration already. That is to studying the controller.
Certainly, in this printer the most intriguing component is not the mechanics, not ergonomics and appearance, namely the controller. The payment of green textolite disappears under a plastic covering on the back panel of the printer. Heart of system is powerful PowerPC G frequency of 6 MHz (!) . toshiba satellite notebook reviews More recently such chip was considered normal for a high-grade workstation and till now still it is possible to meet in the use desktop and portable computers on this processor. Moreover, memory of the printer extends up to GB, and at installation in a local network data to the printer can act on very fast interface Gigabit Ethernet (certainly if only other network equipment supports such operating mode). This complete set dostoin not the printer, but present chislomolotilki! However it is known, that in vain even flies do not fly. And application of such components in the printer with the working sanction only" 6 dpi too is completely not casual. To estimate volume of the calculations made by given system during a press, it is necessary to make small deviation and to explain toshiba satellite notebook reviews some principles of work magicolor 5450. For certain there will be readers to whom this information will seem too obvious and boring, therefore they can jump at once on section of tests. I, from reasons of political correctness, should lead specifications and not raise detail of process for those who never penetrated into principles cvetoobrazovaniya on a paper and for whom a word «rastrirovanie» shows an empty phrase. KonicaMinolta magicolor 54 is the four-colourful printer, capable to deduce images in a mode contone. What is contone? Under this name (contone – continuous tone, from English continues tone) disappears the whole sonm the various technologies pursuing, nevertheless, the identical purposes: to try to reproduce in each point of the image as much as possible exact shade and to disguise raster structure of a print. True contone-ustroystvami are considered sublimacionny'e printers: They do not use rastrirovanie, and each point of the image contains that shade what was in an initial file – separate paints are imposed directly against each other, forming a uniform optical filter of the necessary shade, without use of all corners of turn, lineatures and other toshiba satellite notebook reviews potustoronney magics. All other types of printers are compelled rastrirovat' color and half-tone pictures. All (that is jet, laser, light-emitting diode, tverdochernil'ny'e and other), except for matrix: to print on them pictures – pure water a crime. It means, that everyone piksel images generates a quantity of the isolated points (that is a raster), ink of the concrete printer corresponding a set and put on a paper on certain, is frequent rather not trivial, to a principle. Accordingly, if for such devices support contone is declared, it means no more than masking under contone. Ways of such masking there is a great variety, and, in jet and laser devices they can strongly differ. This both hybrid rastrirovanie, and versions of a stochastic raster, use of drops of variable volume or, for example, special modulation of the laser beam, allowing to operate a saturation of raster points, toshiba satellite notebook reviews and other in the same spirit. What of focuses uses at a conclusion of images the hero of the present test? Contone in execution magicolor 54 it is realized matematicheski. On the physicist of process this technology is similar to a traditional laser press, with that only a difference that uses very qualitative toner, but matematicheski is slojnoorganizovannaya raster structure. We shall imagine ordinary AM-rastr, for a long time applied in laser printers: four toners are put on a paper in the form of the points located in units of a regular lattice with fixed step of a cell. The size of points can vary, defining a saturation of color in corresponding points of the image. For elimination of by-effects the lattice for each color is turned on the certain corner because of what there is so-called « a raster socket » which gives to a print some granularity appreciable approximately. Long time this problem was solved « in a forehead » simple reduction of toshiba satellite notebook reviews a step of a lattice (and accordingly – increase of the sanction of a press): the socket also decreased, becoming less appreciable. But such way is effective only partly: however the raster point was not fine, traditional laser AM-rastr cannot relieve us of visible granularity of the image. And in general – can reach that, is a little having won in the sanction, we shall strongly lose as color and semitones. Cunning minol'tovskogo contone consists that for the user sending the task for a press, the printer looks the device with the sanction 6 dpi. However actually it uses much higher sanction, the order of 2-2, thousand points on inch. It enables it to print not rough 1-bitnoy a point, and to set for each of them (I shall emphasize: separately for each raster point) the polutonovy'y a toshiba satellite notebook reviews shade by means of subpoints (we shall name them so). If in concrete area of the image there is a certain dominating shade color of the raster points forming the raster socket, can be adapted under a concrete situation (for example, printing a photo of carrots, the printer, instead of a "pure" raster of channels Magenta and Yellow, uses a raster c several variations of color « carrots red », that is purple raster points will contain an impurity of a yellow toner, and yellow points will have an impurity of purple). Dominating color appears larger subpoints, and for additional shades fineer elements are used – so even greater uniformity of color is reached. For coding a shade within the limits of one raster point are used bat, that in the sum gives us polutonovy'h variations on each raster point at a press with the sanction 6 dpi. As though the raster in a raster As a result turns out, the truth, contone the user to affect algorithm cannot in any way – toshiba satellite notebook reviews this problem entirely lays down on shoulders of the controller. Now we shall recollect, that the printer operates with four colourful channels, and at adjustment of shades of raster points uses dizering (dithering, entering shumovoy a component) which helps to smooth in addition voice-frequency transitions and to improve reproduction of gradients – only then there is clear a volume of the calculations made by the controller with rather high speed. Rendering of the image (rastrirovanie the basic color channels, allocation of the information for toning raster points and construction of complex dependence of one raster from another – some kind of secondary cvetodelenie, formation and exhibiting of final raster structure) uses the processor of the printer to the full extent. Results such rastrirovaniya natalkivayut on the remote analogy from area of polygraphy – a press of images with use of additional paints (taken, for example, from catalogue Pantone). However distinction that if to try to involve the same quantity of additional shades what uses this printer on a press of one image it should to involve some tens in polygraphy, and even hundreds additional paints, that is absurd inherently. For the sake of justice, it is necessary to toshiba satellite notebook reviews note, that the polygraphic industry also can brag of very advanced rasters together with ultrahigh sanctions so the situation with one hundred pantonov there too can be transformed into a four-colourful press. With use contone, except for a prize as and uniformity of color transitions, are one more pleasant bonus. The traditional raster socket imposes restrictions on the minimal size razlichimy'h polutonovy'h elements. For example, if to imagine an inclined, thin, greenish-blue line in width in 0,5– pt without use contone instead of uzen'koy a blue strip we shall see rough raster a step without claims for observance of the necessary shade. The technology contone allows to lead toning of such line at a subraster level, therefore on a print we shall see a thin greenish-blue line without stupenek. Easier speaking, for reproduction of thin color and monochrome elements contone approaches as well as possible.
Adjustments of driver PCL of Adjustment of driver PostScript toshiba satellite notebook reviews In conclusion of this section, more or less having understood with a software (we cease to be sleepy!), We shall concern the interface part of the printer. The Control panel is speredi-sverhu, includes the traditional liquid crystal screen and a small amount of buttons, that is here all is quite traditional. The menu branched out, it allows to influence rather numerous adjustments. As well as it is necessary to the modern printer of such class, it is onboard established own web-server, allowing to execute adjustment of the printer and to receive the information on its current condition by means of a usual browser. Interesting feature of the built in software is that fact, that if at you at office before printers of manufacture HewlettPackard under control of a firm server of press HP JetDirect device KonicaMinolta is integrated into such network have already been established and also can cope it print-serverom. In general, continuous convenience. Also on the left party there is a curious socket for connection of digital chambers with function of a direct press under standard PictBridge. What here to tell – spirit of the times. Though on the test sample this port did not work toshiba satellite notebook reviews (a current insertion of the printer did not support PictBridge), on our last data updating an insertion where all regularly functions is let already out. As to drivers their installation has not caused any difficulties, and opportunities of adjustments correspond to a class and opportunities of the device. As the interface of connection has been chosen Gigabit Ethernet as the most logical and convenient (accordingly, the printer was connected to free port gigabitnogo the switchboard and there the bench computer with gigabitnoy a network card has been connected. I shall remind, that sockets in network sockets and on patchkordah also should be closed up with support gigabitnogo a mode).
Whatever one may do, and gigabitny'y the network interface is very fast piece. Tasks for a press in volume on 100–1 MB are sucked in by the printer as the gluttonous monster, and almost at once in a target tray appear the first prints. Though the declared maximal speed and so it is good ( str./min.), this device goes further and gives out all « with hvostikom », at all poperhnuvshis'. But the fact is even more remarkable, that with photos toshiba satellite notebook reviews it gives out the average multipage color document on the speed close to maximal – almost str./min. Whether it is necessary to speak, that simple 1-stranichny'e documents are printed even more quickly. The tandem « Gigabit Ethernet + PowerPC G » works simply excellently! It just that rare case when the declared characteristics are very close to vital realities. All data of high-speed tests are resulted in the table.
High-speed characteristics Monochrome mode Polnocvetny'y a mode the Measured maximal speed of a press, str./min. 26, 26,1
Press 20-stranichnogo the document with color illustrations the General time, min:sek Speed,
str./min. PCL6, color, 6 dpi, the maximal condensation 1: PCL6, B Quality of a press through driver PCL6,
Adjustments: color, 600dpi, photo-quality, the maximal condensation, a paper g/m Quality of a press through driver PS3, adjustments: color, 600dpi, automatic color, a paper 1 g/m 2
The price the Average retail price in Moscow on the product of company KonicaMinolta considered in clause for last moment: KonicaMinolta magicolor 54 $16 (12)
At KonicaMinolta magicolor 54 two conclusive advantages: quality and speed of a press. On both parameters this model is so toshiba satellite notebook reviews good, that without any difficulties will carry out any problem corresponding such class of technics. Defects which were showed during testing, concern, most likely, to the concrete version of the built in software and have not rendered appreciable influence on an estimation of the given printer. The effective technical decisions used in a design and computing power of the printer allow it on equal to compete with top-modelyami other manufacturers.
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