IT Pro Verdict
If you're after a reasonably priced mono network MFP that doesn't cost too much to run, can handle a decent number of pages every month and quickly produces good quality prints, you can do much worse than the MX20DN. Its clunky physical interface and the quality of its photo mode put it out of contention for our highest rating, but it's earned a solid five stars.
The AcuLaser MX20DN is the latest addition to Epson's ever-popular range of mono laser multi function printers (MFPs) for small-to-medium sized workgroups. It has the obligatory USB and 10/100 Ethernet ports, a web interface for remote administration and the ability to scan to shared folders on network servers or a USB stick. A version with an integrated fax machine - the MX20DNF - is also available.
The MX20DN has a pretty standard set of features but a few stand out from the rest. The most notable of these is its 1,200x1,200dpi print resolution - twice that of many similarly priced MFPs, although most can manage quality that's roughly equivalent to a 1,200dpi resolution through driver-based enhancement. You can also make up to 999 copies of a page and there's both duplex printing and scanning, which makes it simple to copy double-sided documents.
If fully upgraded with two optional 250 sheet paper trays, the printer can handle a maximum of 800 pages, including the 50-page capacity of the special media tray. The latter is of more use for printing on envelopes and card stock, though, and can take a maximum paper weight of 220gsm. We were pleased to find that it printed our envelopes without creasing them or causing a paper jam.
The Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) worked a little less smoothly. It's brilliantly useful, making short work of scanning large numbers of both single- and double-sided documents. However, the MFP sometimes failed to notice that we'd inserted a page into the ADF and instead attempted to scan from the flatbed platen. It's a minor annoyance, which mostly occurred when we tried to use the ADF to scan or copy just one page.
