Dan Littman

Toshiba E-Studio 20CP

Expandability is the E-Studio 20CP's main claim to fame: It includes a 500-sheet feeder and a 100-sheet auxiliary tray, and it can support up to three more 500-sheet feeders (at $479 each), a 2000-sheet paper well ($1289), a duplexer ($639), a 650-sheet output tray ($279), or a five-bin mailbox ($549). The number of 500-sheet feeders the printer can hold depends on the other add-ons: it can take one 500-sheet feeder with both the 2000-sheet well and the duplexer, or it can take two 500-sheet feeders with either the 2000-sheet well or the duplexer. The output tray and mailbox work independently of each other and of the paper inputs. Toshiba's online documentation provides extensive information on use of the printer's features, troubleshooting, network administration, and so on. We were impressed with the quality of the E-Studio 20CP's text, which looked black, solid, and clean, even at small sizes.
At 9.5 pages per minute, the 20CP didn't print text especially fast, compared to its competitors.
The printer was less adept printing graphics than text; in our tests, gray-scale graphics looked somewhat speckled and lacked detail, and colors appeared somewhat pale and flat. Be prepared for a big piece of machinery: The E-Studio 20CP weighs more than 100 pounds and is 24 inches wide by 19 inches deep before you add any paper-handling options.
Businesses with high-volume, complex printing needs may swallow hard and accept the E-Studio20CP's steep price--all others should look elsewhere.

Buying Information

Toshiba E-Studio 20CP Rated 20 ppm text/20 ppm graphics color laser, 1200-by-1200-dpi maximum resolution,64MB RAM standard, 600 sheets input, 250 output. $ 4049 Rated 20 ppm text/20 ppm graphics color laser, 1200-by-1200-dpi maximum resolution,64MB RAM standard, 600 sheets input, 250 output. http://www.eid.toshiba.com 800/468-6744