Sharp AR-207 Printer Review
The Sharp AR-207 multifunction laser copier has more speed than one might expect for its low price, at up to 20 pages per minute. It also has a fairly large paper capacity, and Sharp AR-207 printer toner supplies are inexpensive, with large capacities to keep the cost per page down. Upgrade options can expand its feature set for network printing or more paper capacity as well.
Although output is limited to monochrome, color scanning is included, though it requires a USB connection to a single computer unless the network expansion upgrade is installed. The Sharpdesk software included with the device can help users organize and share their digital documents, and a 40-sheet automatic document feeder can be added for faster scanning and copying of multi-page documents.
With two paper trays of 250 sheets each, users can load multiple types or sizes of media, but there is no bypass tray available for specialty media. Upgrades can be added for more capacity, up to an additional 500 sheets, however, so it is ready to grow along with an expanding workflow.
The control panel is easy to use, though the compact design of the machine means small buttons and a fairly small monochrome screen that might be difficult for some users to read. Users can invoke the Toner Save mode right from the panel to help conserve Sharp AR-207 toner, resulting in only a small decrease in output quality.
On the subject of toners, the cost of Sharp AR-207 toner cartridges is quite low compared to other models in its class. When you consider the large 16,000-page yield of each Sharp AR-207 toner cartridge, the cost per page is well below 1 cent, which is impressive for a small office device.
The Sharp AR-207 has a lot of great features right out of the box. It can easily cover the basic printing, copying, and scanning needs of a busy individual. Many offices might need to spend a bit more for upgrades, however, which reduces its value just a bit.