Even though you probably can shop around and find the e-Studio162 desktop copier from Toshiba for one-third to one-half off its $1,495 suggested retail price, it remains an expensive option that probably will only appeal to the busiest SOHO settings. The e-Studio162 is definitely a high-powered unit that can handle 15,000 copies per month. If your SOHO copying needs are a little more modest, you probably can find a less expensive desktop copier or a multifunction device that can meet your needs.

The e-Studio162 uses laser print technology, and its text quality (and overall copy quality) is outstanding. It offers the standard resolution for a laser copier of 600x600 dpi. This unit also offers zoom capabilities that match the best desktop copier models, allowing for reduction and enlargement of original documents of between 25% and 400%.

Copy speed with the e-Studio162 is very good, as you'd expect in a high-priced desktop copier. In "Draft" mode, the e-Studio162 operates at a top speed of 16 ppm, and it doesn't lose much speed in "Best" mode. The e-Studio162 cannot accept paper sizes as large as some others in this price range, topping out at legal-sized paper (8.5-by-14 inches).

The e-Studio162 does require at least 30 seconds of warm-up time after you press the power button and before you can begin copying, which is slightly below average. Faster start-up times are something we simply expect to see in a high-priced unit.

The e-Studio162 does offer a pair of paper trays as standard equipment: A 250-sheet main tray and a 50-sheet secondary tray for specialty papers and copy jobs. A third paper tray (250 sheets) is optional. You can add networking capabilities to the e-Studio162 as an optional feature, as well, but we'd expect a top-end machine to include networking as a standard option. Bottom line: For the amount you'll be spending on the e-Studio162, we'd expect more.


Pros: Laser-sharp copies, very good copy speed, workhorse unit, specialty paper tray is handy, above-average warranty
Cons: Very high MSRP, warm-up time could be better, no networking, cannot handle extremely large paper sizes

Warranty
3 years, limited