Xerox WorkCentre 7346 Review

The WorkCentre 7346 is listed at $14,699, and is quite an expensive printer. I reviewed the 7328, and said that it wasn't worth the price tag of $11,000 because of it's low speeds, but the 7346 is much faster. But is it really worth such a high price tag? Let's examine it and let you decide.

The speed is now impressive instead of mundane on this model. With a PPM (pages per minute) rating of 40 on color printing and 45 on black and white, this should be able to keep up with your printing needs without any excessive waiting periods. The 7328 was only at 26 color and 28 black, which is pathetic considering what you were paying, but the 7346 pumps it up to an acceptable level.

The first page out speed though is still the same at 5 seconds for black and white and 7 seconds for color. Not bad, but I was hoping they would make this a little better. However, this speed should be good enough for most needs (even commercial printers).

Paper capacities are the same as well. Standard without upgrading is 2,180 sheets, while the maximum upgrade lets you place 3,140 sheets into the printer. Both of these are good really, so it depends how busy your copying/printing really is. If you find yourself flying through paper, I would go for the upgrade. If you do a lot of printing, but not excessive, I would still with the standard amount then.

This printer is capable of duplex, or double sided printing, which is great for the environment as it saves paper, and can make some professional looking documents. Many printers of this caliber only give the option of an upgrade, but Xerox made duplexing a standard feature.

As for finishing, you get some good options here. Hole-punching, multi-position stapling, saddle stitch booklets (great for booklets, as it folds the page, prints it double sided and in booklet position, and finally staples it in the middle to bind it), and v-folding or folding the document/sheet in half.

As this is a multi-functional model you are able to print, copy, scan, and fax from this machine. However, only the print and copy are standard, for scanning and faxing you will have to pay extra. If you feel you need these I would go for the upgrade, but if have no need for them I would skip this upgrade.

There still aren't any really interesting features that aren't stock, so I see no reason to cover this area.

I would say with the speed upgrade, Xerox redeemed itself with this line. The 7346 is finally not a waste, but a printer worth the price tag. I suggest this model. Considering commercial printers with double the speed are usually around $30,000-40,000 you are actually getting a bargain with this printer.