Geesh, where do I start? When I first heard of the MP 501/601SPs, I thought they were just another mediocre multifunctional (copy, print, scan, fax) A4 device. I assumed the device was designed for low, low volume and would have a high cost per page.
I was dead wrong in my assumptions. In fact, I couldn’t be happier with the features, the speed, the hardware cost and the consumable cost of the MP 501/601SP. The MP501/601SP will not win any design awards. It looks kinda funky, but the end result is a true winner when it comes to value and cost.
A True A4 device with A3 Cost Per Page Model!
- Neither of these two devices will scan, copy, print or fax 11- x 17-inch paper. That’s not a bad thing, because a vast majority of businesses have no need for 11- x 17-inch paper.
- The MP 501SP will print or copy at 52 letter-size pages a minute. The MP 601SP comes in with an incredible print speed of 62 pages per minute.
- Just today, a client asked about the scanning speed of these devices. Here’s the kicker, most manufacturers will quote scanning speeds at 200 dpi, because the speed of scanning will increase significantly when scanning at a lower dpi. The MP501SP and MP 601SP boast a scan speed of 62 images per minute at 300 dpi. Scanning at 300 dpi will create a larger file size. However, you can bet the ranch that scans done at 300dpi will always be readable–excellent for contracts that have small print.
- If you have an average monthly volume of 10,000 pages per month, and you lease the system for 36 months. You may never ever have to purchase any consumables other than toner! The drum, developer and fuser system is rated at a yield of 500,000 pages! Even if you need a drum during the three-year lease, the cost is one-tenth of a penny per page.
- Toner/print cartridge yield is an astounding 25,000 pages based on 5 percent coverage of the page. You may ask, what is 5% coverage? The easiest way to explain this is to imagine you could condense all of the black toner that’s on the printed page to a square. That square should not cover more than 5% of the total page. Thus if you’re in that sweet spot of coverage, the cost per page for toner is a low .0054 per page, or a little more than a half-cent per page.
- If you don’t require stapling, color prints/copies, or hole punching, and your volume is under 10,000 pages per month, then this is the perfect MFP for healthcare, legal, insurance, and auto dealerships. This system also has an 8.5- x 14-inch platen.
- You have the ability to add four more paper trays for a total paper source of 2,600 sheets. The tray can accommodate letter or legal size paper. The base system comes with one tray and the other four are optional.
- Mobile print from tablet and or smart phone is available with the Ricoh Smart Device Print&Scan App. I’ve explained it this way for my clients. I just arrived back at the office. I’ve got a few minutes before I need to leave and really don’t have the time to turn on my PC, authenticate, wait for the boot sequence, then open my email application, read the email, open the file and then send the file to print. My Ricoh Print&Scan app allows me to send a file to the printer in seconds. It’s a great time saver, and we all understand that time is money.
- Mobile scanning is another awesome feature. Users are able to put documents in the document feeder or on the platen glass and then have those scans appear on their mobile devices. In addition, the Print&Scan App can also display those scans on Ricoh projectors and Ricoh interactive whiteboards.
- Ricoh ICE (Integrated Cloud Environment) allows you to scan to many of your favorite cloud applications: Google Drive, Microsoft 365, Box, Dropbox, and many more. What clients like most is the ability to scan as searchable .pdfs and the ability to scan documents back to a word or excel doc.
