Instruction manual

Sharp MX-3501N
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Page 26
Color at Work
®
Copy
Moving throughout the menu system was
intuitive with little head scratching, even
when building more complex.
To allow users to keep track of job build
features the device includes an Information
”i” button which displays all the current
settings on a single screen.
We were impressed by the job queue,
which is displayed as a separate margin to
the left of the display. When the margin
area is touched the entire display switches
to show the queue of print and copy jobs,
including information and the user’s name.
We were disappointed to see that the
queue monitor does not count down print
jobs, so users do not have a clear picture
of how long the print job might take before
they can get started. This was irritating
since copy jobs do count down sets as well
as total pages.
In addition to the comprehensive job
details screen, users can also see a
pictorial interpretation of the job which is
displayed in the center of the screen. This
helps users keep track of the job they are
selecting or have selected, cutting down
on double checking and running jobs more
than once due to human errors.
There is also an Information icon on the
front screen which provides a complete
profile breakdown listing all the various
features that comprise the copy job.
Concurrency and Contention
Copy While Copying: The Sharp MX-
3501N is well-equipped to handle multiple
copy jobs at a time. Unlike some other
devices, the Sharp does not set aside
specific queue locations for copy jobs,
allowing users to simply queue copy jobs
into the device’s memory until the device is
full.
Print While Copying: We experienced no
problems sending print jobs to the device
while a copy job was in progress. We
would have liked the ability to see the
queue of copy jobs already at the device
before committing our desktop print job.
This would allow users to decide whether
to send urgent jobs to another device if the
queue is long.
Copy While Printing: We experienced no
problems sending copy jobs while print
jobs were being output and while print files
were arriving off the network being ripped
by the Sharp MX-3501N’s controller. This
is a feature that causes bottlenecks on
some competing devices can due to the
device controller’s ability to handle either
the ripping of a copy job or a print job one
at a time.
Scan While Printing: We experienced no
problems sending scans via email or to the
desktop while print jobs were arriving off
the network. We were even able to
continue scanning jobs while the front
panel was open for routine maintenance.
Overall, the Sharp MX-3501N performed
well under a wide variety of mixed
workflow conditions, and looks well-
equipped to handle the rigors of multi-
tasking.
Job Build
We were disappointed to find that there is
no ability to combine scans from the platen
with those from the document feeder. This
is a factor that might be important in some
niche markets where combining cut sheet
with images from bound books or
photographs might be a common workflow
practice. The Sharp’s inability to carry out
this task would force a user to create a
second generation copy of the platen
pages before incorporating them within the
cut sheet pages.