I had never heard of Gestetner until I started researching printers and copiers for my business. I had always stuck to HP because they had a reputation for quality. They were becoming a little expensive from my usual vendor which is why I began looking around. I saw the 2212 in the showroom and liked it instantly. It isn’t the prettiest machine in the world but it looks solid and is built to last.
Having read reviews of it, and saw it in action I decided to buy it. The vendor installed and connected it all up, so I don’t know how easy it is to do, but the engineer didn’t seem to be here long. I bought the model with the optional automatic document feeder, duplexer and 50 sheet bypass tray. There is quite an array of options to choose from, which took quite a while as some where ‘nice to haves’ while others were essential.
I needed the 2212 mainly as a copier, but it was nice to have the option of network printing, scanning and faxing too. I didn’t bother with the fax, but the other two I ordered.
Printing and copying are what we do most of and the 2212 doesn’t let us down. It prints at 22 pages a minute and keeps on going until paper or toner runs out. The print quality is excellent, much better than our old machine. Text really stands out while images look well done without any of the dark spots we used to get. We don’t need color which is why we went grayscale. The engine makes the different shades of images accurate to a color original which is about all you can ask of it.
The paper drawers and document handlers are good for all sorts of media. The 2212 came with a pair 500 sheet paper drawers, with the option of buying 2 more. The document finisher is an option which I didn’t go for, but that sits on the left of the machine and widens the footprint considerably.
The control panel is a marvel. It’s larger than anything I have seen before and includes a full QWERTY keyboard. It’s touch screen so the buttons surrounding it seem a little redundant. The screen is bright and easy to read, no much squinting required.
I like the Gestetner 2212. It does everything the users ask of it and it hasn’t broken down yet. The toner is cheap and lasts for 11000 pages, while the drum will last 60000. It is built to last, is well engineered and makes the users more productive. An ideal purchase in my mind.
