Best 11x17 copier/scanner/printer (standalone, not tabletop)?

April 12, 2012 10:55 AM

I'm overwhelmed by the task of finding a 11x17 copier which also scans and prints. I'm looking for a reliable product -- and willing to spend the money -- but I don't know where to start. Geeky details--

I'm a musician moving to an all-iPad workflow, which means I need to scan pretty much every score on my shelf. My current scanner (Xerox Documate 510) is way slow and too small (only LTR/A4 paper). My experience has been that photocopiers are awesome devices for the document scanning I'm talking about, and it would be useful to be able to print 11x17 from time to time -- I'm looking for a professional solution which:

• supports 11x17 paper
• supports printing from a Mac at 600x600dpi or higher
• scans!
• (has a document feeder, which I think is almost a given)
• is not room-sized -- I don't need a saddle-stitcher, for example
• (I don't need color copying/printing, though color scanning--which many of these have--would be good)

Some example devices:

• Toshiba e-Studio206L
• Xerox WorkCentre 5300
I know there are also similar machines by Canon and other companies, but I have no idea how to pick a company, no less a particular product. Also, I'm not an office, I'm a freelancer, so I'm a little worried about spending some serious cash and having it break in six months. The last question about similar issues had a <$500 budget, and I know this is going to cost at least $2000, probably more. Any advice or guidance would be very appreciated! Thanks, Metafilter!

posted by high5ths to Technology (6 answers total)

we have this at work and it does everything you ask

http://usa.canon.com/cusa/office/products/hardware/multifunction_printers_copiers/color_copiers/imagerunner_advance_c2020

This scans in color and black and white (to a usb drive also) prints in color and on 11x17.
posted by majortom1981 at 11:02 AM on April 12, 2012

I won this copier in a contest: Brother MFC-J6510DW. (Contest link here; I only include so it doesn't sound like some wierdo thing.)

It's 11x17 printer with a scanner. It also prints full bleed 8.5 x 11. And it's not too expensive!

I love this printer. I love the app that enables remote printing/scanning. The only problem is that the app doesn't print 11x17 (the paper choice isn't even listed). And that part really sucks!
posted by Kronur at 11:19 AM on April 12, 2012

Do any these fit your bill? (Google search for 11x17 multifunction)
posted by wongcorgi at 11:36 AM on April 12, 2012

Response by poster: Kronur: Thanks for the comment! Actually I tried a very similar device to that Brother printer but returned it when I realized it wasn't quite enough for me: the scanner is still slow (because it's just a normal flatbed scanner) and the inkjet printer isn't a real copier-replacement. won, although thanks for the comment, Kronur! I really need a copier, not just a desktop all-in-one.

wongcorgi: Thanks, I have in fact done that same search, but many of the results are these desktop multifunction things like Kronur's suggestion. Also, having done that search, you can see how many products there are out there -- I was hoping to get some more specific advice than just "google it."

Thanks, majortom1981, for the Canon suggestion. I don't know anything about their copier solutions, so I'll have to look into it. The specific Canon you mention looks great, although it prints in color and I'm hoping printing only in B/W will let me save a little money... But I'll check it out.

The biggest difference between the "normal" all-in-ones like the Brother printer and a copier like the Canon is that a photocopier scans pages basically instantly (you know, like the speed of a photocopier) while a scanner (like in the Brother printer) goes *slowly*. This time difference adds up hugely if you can imagine scanning hundreds and hundreds of pages...

Thanks for your help!
posted by high5ths at 2:25 PM on April 12, 2012

Another vote for the Canon imageRunner series. I have worked with a few of the C5000 series and they do really well at copying, scanning (rapid, using feeder) and networked printing. Also, they don't HAVE to print in color. You can default-set them to print in B&W, and they take dry toner, not ink that dries up; you'll simply end up refilling the black toner a lot and never using up the cyan,magenta,yellow toner bags that it came with.
posted by bartleby at 4:29 PM on April 12, 2012

The scanner might be a bit slow, but I just got an Epson WorkForce WF-7520, and it's rather nice. It's large, and now I see you want a standalone ...
posted by scruss at 2:21 PM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]