Sharp AM-900 Digital Office Laser Copier, Printer, Fax, and Scanner

List Price: $249.99 Discount Price: $129.98

Features:

• Copies, prints, faxes and scans
• Up to 12 ppm print speed, up to 600 x 600 dpi resolution
• Reduces and enlarges copies from 25 to 200%
• 600 dpi scan resolution, 9,600 dpi enhanced
• USB 2.0 interface; PC compatible

Customer Reviews:

Squeals like a stuck pig [Posted on 2006-06-02]
I would not recommend buying this printer. Mine is only 4000 copies old, has already gone through 3 toner cartridges, and emits a high-pitched earsplitting squeal when printing. Since it was still under warranty, I got Sharp to exchange it. Sharp customer service is fast and pleasant, but the problem remains unsolved. The replacement (refurbished) machine is even louder.
I can't pinpoint the origin of the noise, except to say it is not the scanner unit. My guess is either the paper exit roller or the drum. The drum is not guaranteed, but should certainly last longer than 4000 copies. It also eats large quantities of toner while producing copies that are way too light. It is also considerably slower than the 12 sheets a minute it is rated.

Not recommended [Posted on 2006-08-18]
The AM-900 works as a copier, scanner, printer and fax.

It is very noisy.
It is slow.
The toner is hard to find except at $99.00. It does
not seem to last that long.

Acceptable but may not be compatible with Vista [Posted on 2007-02-24]
I bought a couple of these when they were on sale. In a lot of ways it's convenient. It does a fairly good job of scanning, copying, printing and faxing in a Windows XP environment. Perhaps most impressive to me is I've run thousands of copies through the auto sheet feed with minor problems. I've found that more reliable than most.

I have had some problems with it waking up to print. As one of the other reviewers suggested, unplugging the USB cable and plugging it back in seems to help. It doesn't happen that often but it's more likely to happen if you've been copying and now want to print.

Perhaps my biggest issue with this all-in-one is the lack of Vista support. I checked with Sharp. They confirmed they didn't have Vista drivers and were unable to say if they ever would. This makes me cautious about this printer and will also make me cautious about buying Sharp products in the future due to poor support.

From a scan and copy perspective, the AM-900 does fairly well with good copy. If you have something that is light or faded, you will probably need to find another copier or scanner. I have an inexpensive Samsung Laser all-in-one that does a good job scanning and copying faded documents that this device has difficulty reproducing.

The device does seem to be durable as I have carried it to a location to use for making copies and I haven't had any reliability problems in doing so.

I also find the scan software fairly easy to use and you can use the auto document feeder. Unfortunately, the software, at least the XP level can be unreliable so save your work often or it may abend and lose it.

When I upgrade to Vista, I'll probably be limited to using the AM-900 for copies and faxes only unless Sharp updates their drivers and software.

Be cautious about buying from Sharp until you know what kind of support they offer.

Tries to do a lot but not well [Posted on 2007-02-27]
This review is for a Sharp AM-900 bought in 2005 so it may not apply to newer models. Scans, copies, faxes and prints. Scanning and faxing is fine. Copying is slow and printing is extremely slow. Toner is expensive and it has all kinds of minor problems. Would not recommend.

Terrible support! [Posted on 2008-01-22]
If you want an opinion about this product: Do not buy it if you intend to upgrade to Windows Vista! I've been trying to find a solution for about three months. Sharp support contact do not answer e-mails!! It is a shame for such an acknowledged company!! No driver available for scanning on Windows Vista!

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