The copy feature is accessible through the controls on the front. Scanning and printing are done through the Smarthru software.
The top lid is expanding as it lifts to accomodate larger items like books and such.
I went ahead and found a copy of the Declaration of Independence online. The print job was initiated through the browser, but you can also start them through Smarthru. These can be images instead of text documents. The printed page was crisp without any smudging. The process takes roughly about 15-20 seconds if the printer is already warmed and ready, 30-35 seconds if not.
I decided to make a copy of the PCUpgrade magazine I had laying around. After hitting the start button, it takes about 30 seconds from start to copy in tray. You can also start the copy process through the software.
The copy was not at all bad, except maybe a bit too dark. You can adjust darkness through the controls on the front if choose to.
The scan process consists of a pre-scan, scan and final save.
You can save the file as BMP, JPG or TIF. Also note, the max dpi is 4800 which brings the scanned image to a whopping 6GB. You can see the final 300dpi scanned image of the magazine here.
The SCX 4100 also offers OCR (optical character recognition) scanning which converts a scanned text image into a editable document. I decided to scan the printed Declaration of Independence I printed earlier from the web. Instead of selecting 'Folder' in the scan option, choose OCR. It lets you save it as a Word document, RTF or PDF. Very useful if you are scanning older documents you need to edit digitally.
Click here for the Word .doc of the OCR scan.
Overall, the SCX 4100 does a bang up job of providing scanning, copying and printing abilities. The Smarthru software is easy to install and provides an easy way to access your printer.
The noise factor is a plus as the device does not whine as it starts up like previous laser printers we've tested.
One thing I did notice is the warm up times do get long when the printer is cold. As long as you can be a bit patient, this printer is an excellent buy if you are in need of a MFP unit.
