Business IT

Pantum's P2000 laser printer reviewed

By Staff Writers on Jun 12, 2013 11:08AM
Pantum's P2000 laser printer reviewed

Editor's Picks

Don't miss Australia’s premiere IoT Conference on 9th June

5 essential digital transformation ideas

Top 5 Benefits of Managed IT Services

Venom BlackBook Zero 15 Phantom

Pantum is a new name on the laser printer scene, and has its sights set on toppling the big brands. With a 20,000-page monthly duty cycle, and claims of 20% lower running costs than rivals, the P2000 makes an impressive start.
At this price, you may expect the P2000 to feel cheap, but that isn’t the case. A metal skeleton helps it feel sturdy and solid – and it’s compact, too. The front panel folds down to act as the paper input tray, which holds up to 150 sheets of paper. There’s a manual tray for envelopes and card stock up to 163gsm. It’s also the only mono laser to come with a USB cable in the box.
Newsletter Signup

Get the latest business tech news, reviews and guides delivered to your inbox.

I have read and accept the privacy policy and terms and conditions and by submitting my email address I agree to receive the Business IT newsletter and receive special offers on behalf of Business IT, nextmedia and its valued partners. We will not share your details with third parties.
The Pantum claims print speeds of 20ppm for A4 paper, and it fell just shy of those claims in our tests, managing 19.4ppm across our range of business documents and PDF brochures. There’s no automatic duplex printing, but manual duplexing is supported in the driver.
Pantum’s claims of low running costs disappoint, but we can’t help but wonder if this is due to the printer being a relatively rare beast in the Australian market. The toner cartridges last an average 1500 pages, and are priced the same as the printer itself. This translates to a cost of 4.7c per page. Which is a shame for what is clearly intended as a budget option, but instead works out as having average to high running costs over 10,000 pages.
Print quality is its biggest weakness. Text is up with the best, but more complex documents are the P2000’s undoing. Despite decent reproduction of detail, images, graphs and charts are covered in banding. Detail in darker areas all but disappears, too, with darker greys crushed into black.
It’s great to see a new name giving the usual suspects a run for their money, but Pantum’s P2000 doesn’t quite have what it takes. Ultimately, low initial cost isn’t enough to offset ropey print quality. The award-winners in the group test of which this review is a part of achieve a far better balance.
Verdict
Pantum's P2000 laser printer makes waves with cost and good build quality, but prints aren’t up to scratch.
Quality
Speed
Features & Design
Value for Money
Overall
Specs
$70 AUD
(pricing info)

Other Reviews in the Group Test:
Lasers vs inkjets: 12 budget printers reviewed including HP, Canon, Epson and Brother

Brother's HL-2250DN laser printer reviewed
Brother's HL-2250DN laser printer reviewed
Canon's i-Sensys LBP6200d laser printer reviewed
Canon's i-Sensys LBP6200d laser printer reviewed
Dell's B1160w reviewed: a wireless laser printer that doesn't need data cables
Dell's B1160w reviewed: a wireless laser printer that doesn't need data cables
Kyocera's FS-1041 laser printer reviewed
Kyocera's FS-1041 laser printer reviewed
Oki's B401d laser printer reviewed
Oki's B401d laser printer reviewed
Brother DCP-J140W inkjet reviewed
Brother DCP-J140W inkjet reviewed
Canon's Pixma MG5460 inkjet printer reviewed
Canon's Pixma MG5460 inkjet printer reviewed
Canon's Pixma MX526 inkjet printer reviewed
Canon's Pixma MX526 inkjet printer reviewed
Epson's WorkForce WF-3530 inkjet printer reviewed
Epson's WorkForce WF-3530 inkjet printer reviewed
HP's Photosmart 5520 inkjet printer reviewed
HP's Photosmart 5520 inkjet printer reviewed
HP's Officejet 6700 Premium inkjet printer reviewed
HP's Officejet 6700 Premium inkjet printer reviewed
Copyright © PC Pro, Dennis Publishing
Copyright © PC Authority, nextmedia
Tags:
hardware laser p2000 pantum printer review
By Staff Writers
Jun 12 2013
11:08AM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • Home Security: D-Link Wi-Fi cameras reviewed (DCS-6500LH and DCS-6100LH)
  • Epson launches new EcoTank printers for the Home Office
  • MSI Prestige 14 Laptop Review | Model A10SC
  • MSI launches MacBook rival and updates GE76 to become fastest gaming laptop
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

5 essential digital transformation ideas

5 essential digital transformation ideas

Why you can’t miss Australia’s premiere IoT Conference on 9th June

Why you can’t miss Australia’s premiere IoT Conference on 9th June

How to build a digital-ready business fit for the future

How to build a digital-ready business fit for the future

Technology predictions for 2022 and beyond

Technology predictions for 2022 and beyond

Poll

What would you like to see more of on BiT?
News
Reviews
Features
How To's
Lollies
Photo Galleries
Videos
Opinion
View poll archive
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.