Panasonic KX-MB1520

The Panasonic KX-MB1520 ($149.95 list) is the next step up in the company?s line of compact, inexpensive mono laser MFPs from the KX-MB1500 ($125.95 list, 3.5 stars), adding the ability to fax. It?s speedy for its price, prints solid text, and well worth considering if you?re looking for a personal MFP for the workplace.

The matte-black KX-MB1520 measures 8 by 14.2 by 15.0 inches (HWD), as small as many inkjet MFPs, and weighs 19.8 pounds. The front panel is conveniently tilted slightly up, and houses a 4-way controller, 2-line monochrome display, alphanumeric fax keypad, Menu, Start, and Stop buttons, a few other function buttons to control Copy, Scan, and Fax functions.

On top of the KX-MB1520 is a flatbed that fits A4 and letter-sized paper; this model lacks an automatic document feeder (ADF). The main paper tray fits 150 sheets, and there?s a 1-page manual feeder. (The Editors? Choice Panasonic KX-MB2000?s main tray holds 250 sheets.) The KX-MB1520 lacks a memory-card reader or a port for a USB thumb drive.

The addition of fax capabilities is a nice touch?you can fax either from the printer?s keyboard or from a computer?although its utility is mitigated by the lack of an ADF, for faxing (as well as copying and scanning) multi-page documents without having to feed each page by hand. Some inkjet MFPs priced at $100 or less, such as the Editors? Choice Brother MFC-J430w ($100 street, 4 stars)?a good fit as a personal printer in a small or home office?include both fax and ADF.

The KX-MB1520 is limited to USB connectivity (making it best as a personal printer for a sole proprietorship or a micro office); I tested it with the driver loaded on a computer running Windows Vista.

Print Speed and Output Quality

I timed the KX-MB1520 at 8.1 effective pages per minute (ppm) in printing out our business applications suite, a good speed in light of its rated speed of 19 ppm. (Rated speeds are based on text-only printing, while our tests include text-only pages, graphics-only pages, and pages with mixed content.) The KX-MB1520?s speed was essentially the same as the Panasonic KX-MB1500 and KX-MB2000?s 8.3 effective ppm speeds. (Speed differences of less than 1 ppm are generally not considered statistically significant.) The slightly higher-end Editors? Choice Canon imageClass MF4570dn ($299 direct, 4 stars zipped through the tests at 12.3 effective ppm; its rated speed is 26 ppm.

In our quality evaluation, the KX-MB1520?s overall output was a bit subpar for a mono laser, with text of average quality and both graphics and photos slightly subpar. Average text quality for a laser is still very good; this printer should be fine for internal business uses and most external ones except those requiring very small fonts.

As for graphics, some illustrations had contrast problems, with a lot of the gradations between shades lost. Most graphics also suffered mild banding in the form of a regular pattern of finely spaced, thin striations that give the illustrations a slightly textured look. Dithering (graininess) was also common. Many monochrome printers have trouble printing thin lines, which had been in color in the original art, against darker backgrounds; in the KX-MB1520?s case, these lines were often missing altogether. The graphics should be adequate for personal or internal business use if some care is taken as to the shading of the original art. I wouldn?t feel comfortable, though, handing the output to important clients.

Photo quality was similarly problematic, with issues including mild banding (striations similar to those in the graphics, dithering, and poor contrast, with detail in brighter areas often lost. You can print out recognizable images from Web pages or files, but that?s about all.?

Other Issues

The KX-MB1520?s claimed running cost is the same as it was for the KX-MB1500, 3.8 cents per page?on the high side for a mono laser, though a bit lower than the KX-MB2000?s 4.2 cents.

The KX-MB1520 has a lot to recommend it as a personal mono laser MFP: low price, compact size, very good speed for its price, solid text quality, and the ability to fax. The addition of fax capabilities sets the KX-MB1520 apart from the KX-MB1500 as well as the KX-MB2000, though the lack of an ADF somewhat limits this feature?s usefulness. The somewhat larger KX-MB2000 has higher paper capacity and slightly better overall output quality, although their text quality is comparable. (If you?re getting a mono laser, text printing is presumably paramount.) Which of these two models is preferable may depend on which is more important?fax capabilities or paper capacity. If neither feature is essential, the KX-MB1500 offers the same features and compact form factor, sans fax, as the KX-MB1520, for about $25 less.

If you can?t see getting an MFP with fax but without an ADF, though, you could spring for the Editors? Choice Canon imageClass MF4570dn through an e-tailer for about $100 more. Also offering fax and ADF, although an inkjet, is the Editors? Choice Brother MFC-J430w. Though it can?t approach a laser in speed (testing at 4.3 ppm), it has very good text quality for an inkjet, adds WiFi, and can print in color, and is a worthy choice as a personal MFP for the workplace. It?s strictly light duty, though, as its paper capacity is 100 sheets and the KX-MB1520 and its ilk can finish a print job in about half its time.

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