HP PSC 2353: The ultimate MFD for the SOHO environment

With the popularity of multifunction devices (MFDs) increasing in both the SME and the home market, Tarsus Technologies has announced the availability of the HP PSC 2353 MFD - designed to deliver the highest quality photo printing, combined with high quality scanning and copying abilities.

"Designed for creative families and demanding SMEs, the HP PSC 2353 could very well become the centre of input and output functionality in any SOHO environment," says Drikus van der Walt, HP IPG product manager at Tarsus Technologies.

"The 2353 features high-quality photo printing through HP`s six-ink technology, as well as support for multiple media formats (including CompactFlash, SecureDigital cards, SmartMedia and Sony Memory Stick). The 4.5cm colour LCD screen and easily accessible menu-buttons on its front panel provides users with easy manipulation, never before expected in a combination printer, scanner and copier," Van der Walt enthuses.

"The convenience and features don`t end there, however. Digital photography enthusiasts need not remove media cards from their digital cameras in order to take advantage of the photo printing and manipulation functionality the 2353 possesses," Van der Walt continues.

"Providing they have a PictBridge compliant camera, users can use a dedicated port on the unit to print photographs, without involving their PC in the process. If the pictures do require more complex editing the 2353 cannot handle natively, pictures can be edited and re-touched using HP`s bundled Image Zone software."

Focusing on print quality for a moment, Van der Walt says the 2353`s 4800-optimised dpi capability allows for crisp, right and bright results every time. "The six ink technology allows users the benefit of grain-free and long-lasting images that a professional print shop will struggle to rival. Topping this off the 2353 features border-less printing functionality, meaning users can expect to produce high-quality A4 prints with no white-space border, a must for users that take their digital photography seriously," Van der Walt says.

While it`s clear that the PSC 2353 is crammed full of digital media features, that by no means implies that the unit is not capable of delivering on the demanding business tasks busy SMEs will require of it. Van der Walt says the unit is still capable of churning out laser quality printouts at a rate of 23ppm in monochrome and 18ppm in true-to-life colour. The same obviously goes for the unit`s copying performance, which is identical to its print speed.

Van der Walt continues: "As a scanner the unit also delivers the goods with 1 200 x 4 800dpi optical resolution and up to 19 200dpi enhanced resolution in 48-bit colour. This essentially means that the 2353 delivers perfect copies of original documents when copying and is a first-class choice for users that have their photographic assets in physical form and want to convert them to digital format or save on reprints.

"Overall, I see the 2353 as a competition killer and a leader in its class - definitely a product that will do well in the home and small office environment," he concludes.