Ricoh Aficio 2018

As technology improves all the time, so does the product lines of manufacturers. Ricoh always seems to be right there, at the front, offering its customers all the new features as soon as they become available.

While not the most handsome device, the Ricoh Aficio 2018 is all about functionality. The printer, copier scanner and fax are all fully featured. The 250 sheet capacity paper drawer is solid and moves freely. There is also a 100 sheet multi-purpose tray on top and the option to add a second 250 page paper tray in the body. If you need more, there is also an optional cabinet which can take the full paper capacity to 1600 sheets of legal-sized paper.

The control panel is clear and easy to follow. Each function has its own set of buttons to keep things simple. There is also a clear blue LCD screen which displays messages, errors and menu choices. This is one of the brightest screens we have seen so far.

Printing and copying is simple and straightforward. The print quality is as clear and text precise. The blacks are actually black and grayscale is a good, even duplication of the original image. For printing a standard business document the Aficio 2018 is excellent. It produces good quality prints at a rate of 18 pages per minute at a resolution of 600 dpi.

Faxing is simple with the easy to use interface, clear keys and bright LCD display. There are speed dials, phone memories, enough built in memory to record up to 500 pages of fax, and a multi-function feature which allows faxes to be loaded while the fax is transmitting or receiving, or the printer or copier is being used.

Consumables consist of just toner, which is readily available at online retailers. A single high yield cartridge will produce up to 9000 prints at an average of 5% coverage. That is more than many of its competitors. This brings the running costs down considerably. Add that to the power saving sleep mode, which the Aficio 2018 can wake up from in 7 seconds, this device could be quite economical to run.

The Aficio 2018 is a high duty cycle device with a long life and inexpensive running costs. Its functionality is its strength along with the ability to multi-task. A worthwhile investment for a small to medium business who need a multifunction device that can do everything well.