Kyocera FS-680 review

Verdict:

Sharp output, if a little dark on greyscales, and very reasonable running costs.

Review Date: 1 May 2000

Price when reviewed: (£280)

Our Rating 4 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

Kyocera has been making business-class laser printers for years, and usually produces a sound, hefty product - at a price.

The FS-680 is very much its entry-level printer, but still carries a price premium over budget lasers, with the exception of HP's similarly weighty offering.

Ease of use

Looking businesslike and angular, the FS-680 sports a full complement of buttons and lights alongside its output tray. However, its toner hatch didn't want to snap shut properly after use, giving the whole unit a flimsy feel, uncharacteristic of more expensive Kyoceras.

Print Quality

Output is dense - very dense - and almost too dark, reducing contrast on grey scales. The driver failed to render the headline on our newsletter test properly. On the upside, text looks great, and is as sharp as it is black.

Performance

The FS-680 gave us no qualms over its speed. It performs very well at multiple copies - bang on its eight pages a minute rating - and it's very quick at plain text, taking almost no time at all to whirr into life after you click the Print button.

Overall

Aside from a dodgy toner access flap, which cheapens the overall feel, the Kyocera FS-680 is a decent laser printer. Its output is somewhat dark and lacks contrast, but is sharp and readable - infinitely preferable to weedy greys. Running costs are more than reasonable too.

Author: - David Dorn

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