OKI MB491

As the top-of-the-line model in the OKI MB401 series, the OKI MB491 ($499 direct) delivers all the same features as the Editors' Choice OKI MB471 ($399, 4 stars) along with both a little more and little less. The little more includes a slightly faster speed, with a 42 page per minute (ppm) rating. The little less is a lower cost per page. The balance of features and price doesn't quite hit the sweet spot that earns the MB471 Editors' Choice, but it's more than enough to make the MB491 worth considering.

Like all the printers in the MB401 series, the MB491 is aimed primarily at micro and small offices with relatively heavy-duty print needs. Like the MB471, it offers slightly better output quality than the MB461, and it includes support for PostScript as well as PCL, a feature that doesn't matter at all in most offices but is essential in some. It also comes with drivers for both PCL and PostScript.

Basic MFP features include printing and faxing from, as well as scanning to a PC, including over a network; working as a standalone copier; and being able to scan to and print from a USB memory key. The 50-page automatic document feeder (ADF), which complements the letter size flatbed, can scan pages up to legal size, and it also duplexes by scanning one side of the page, turning it over, and scanning the other.

The printer's paper handling is one of its stronger features, with a 250-sheet drawer, a 100-sheet multi-purpose tray, and a built-in duplexer (for two-sided printing). That should be enough for most offices, but if you need more, you can add an optional 530-sheet tray ($183.99 direct), for a maximum 880-sheet input capacity.

Another important touch for offices with heavy-duty needs is that the duplexing ADF can work in combination with print duplexing for copying, letting you copy both single and double sided originals to your choice of single or double sided copies. And unlike some printers with duplexing ADFs, the MB491 can also scan both single- and double-sided originals for faxing. Note too that the MB491 also offers private printing, which will let you tell the printer to hold sensitive print jobs in memory until you walk up to it and enter a PIN through the front panel.

Setup and Speed
Like most MFPs in this category, the MB491 is larger than you'd probably want sitting on your desk, at 17.9 by 16.8 by 16.7 inches (HWD). However, it's small enough so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding room for it in a small office. Setup is standard. For my tests, I connected it to a wired network and installed the PCL driver on a Windows Vista system.

The speed on my tests was slow for the 42 ppm engine rating. You should see something close to that speed for text documents with no formatting, but on our business applications suite, I timed the printer (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing), at an effective 10.5 ppm.

That makes the MB491 a little faster than the MB471, at 10 ppm, and also faster than the more expensive ?Samsung SCX-5639FR ($550 street, 3.5 stars) at 9.7 ppm. On the other hand, it's slower than the less expensive Editors Choice Canon imageClass MF4570dn ($299, 4 stars), at 12.3 ppm. So although the speed is fast enough so it's not an issue, it's also not particularly impressive.

Output Quality and Running Cost
The MB491 is essentially identical to the MB471 for output quality, scoring slightly above par overall, with above par text, and par graphics and photos. Text is easily good enough for any business need short of high-quality desktop publishing, and one step above the tight range that includes the vast majority of mono MFPs.

Graphics output is good enough for any internal business need, but depending on how critical an eye you have, you may or may not consider it good enough to hand out to an important client or customer when you need to convey a sense of professionalism. Photo quality is suitable for printing photos in client newsletters, which also makes it more than good enough to print Web pages with recognizable photos.

Also worth mention is the low claimed cost per page, at 1.6 cents. This is a little lower than the MB471's 1.8 cents per page, and it promises low running costs, which is certainly a plus. However, it isn't quite as impressive relative to other similarly priced printers as the MB471's cost per page is relative to other printers in the MB471's price range.

The OKI MB491 might stand out a little more if it delivered better speed or still better output quality. However, both are good enough for most purposes, and they're combined with excellent paper handling plus all the MFP features most small offices need. For any micro or small office that needs heavy-duty printing, scanning, copying, and faxing, the OKI MB491 stands ready to serve as a more than attractive choice as a workhorse printer.

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