Kyocera Mita TASKalfa 500ci review

Kyocera Mita's new TASKalfa range is a departmental level multi-function device, based on a copier engine, but with full network print, fax and scanning facilities. It handles A4 and A3 paper as standard and can include a duplex scanner, as well as duplex print facilities.

The look of the machine depends on how many of the options you choose to add. In its basic configuration, it has two, 500-sheet paper trays and an additional multi-purpose tray for special media, including card up to 163gsm. All the trays can be configured to take A4 or A3 paper and the built-in flatbed scanner has an integral 100-sheet Automatic Document Feeder.

This is only the start, though, as you can enhance the configuration with a range of extra trays, finishing devices and multi-bin collators. There are hole punches, folders and staplers, so fully extended, the TASKalfa can produce folded, A5 booklets of up to 64 pages, in one operation.

All such printing and copying tasks are controlled from the machine's full-colour, 216mm, 800 x 600 pixel, touch-screen. While the array of different options can be daunting, particularly if the machine is well expanded, Kyocera Mita has tried to simplify things by offering a series of up to 10 programmable function keys, which take you straight to any control screen with a single press. There's also the facility to assign a sequence of settings to a virtual button, so you can, for example, have a single button for producing that 64-page, A5 booklet.

Consumables load from the front of the machine in typical copier fashion and the TASKalfa, like most Kyocera Mita machines, benefits from the company's long-lasting ceramic print drum, which should be good for 300,000 pages. Black toner is supplied in 25,000 page cartridges and colour toners are each good for 18,000 pages. This gives the machine page costs of around 0.53p per black page and 2.7p per colour one.

These costs assume a direct purchase of the machine. Many customers will opt for lease purchase or per-click leasing and several different options are available through Kyocera Meta's dealer network.