Xerox M20 Reviews and Information

The Xerox WorkCentre M20 ($2,199 direct) prints, scans, faxes, copies, and lets you e-mail, but it's not really an all-in-one. It's better understood as a standalone fax machine, copier, and e-mail sender, with a network connector that lets it serve as a network printer. And although a USB connector lets a directly-attached computer scan and print, you can't fax from a computer or scan over the network. Even so, the M20 can be useful for those who want standalone functions and a network printer.

The M20 unit measures 19.2 by 21.3 by 17.4 inches (HWD), which means you'll want to put it on its own stand, and it weights 58 pounds, so you'll probably need help lifting it. The manual network installation process was a surprise to us, since Xerox was the first to offer fully automated installation. This isn't to say that installation was difficult, just that we expected it to be automatic.

The M20's performance (tested with QualityLogic's software and equipment; www.qualitylogic.com) was less than stellar for the 22-page-per-minute (ppm) engine. It slowed down noticeably for photos, printing a 2-page Microsoft Word text file in 15 seconds, but taking 32 seconds for a similar file with both text and photos. Total time for our business applications suite was 12:25, compared with 8:42 for the 21-ppm Brother MFC-8840DN.

Output quality is a strong point. We scored text quality as excellent, with more than half the fonts we test with easily readable at 4 points. Graphics fall between good and very good, and photos rate as somewhat better than fair. The M20's lackluster speed, output quality, price, and features make it hard to recommend as an AIO. But for those in the market for a stand-alone copier, fax machine, and e-mail sender, the M20 earns extra points with its network printer and direct-connect features.