Basically the multifunction version of the Editors' Choice Ricoh Aficio SG 3110DNw, the Ricoh Aficio SG 3110SFNw starts out with excellent printing credentials. It also adds the ability to scan to and fax from a computer, including over a network, scan to a USB key, and work as a standalone copier, fax machine, and direct email sender. The combination makes it an attractive multi-function printer (MFP), though it falls just a little short of being an Editors' Choice.
Much like the SG 3110DNw, the SG 3110SFNw delivers enough capability for heavy-duty use in a micro or small office. Unlike its single-function cousin, however, it's a little too big, at 12.9 by 15.7 by 17.2 inches, to sit on your desk as a personal printer.
Beyond that, the SG 3110SFNw shares most of its single-function cousin's printing-related basics. It offers the same 250-sheet capacity, for example, along with duplexing (two-sided printing), which should be sufficient paper handling for most micro and small offices. You can also increase the capacity to a total of 850 sheets, with up to two more 250-sheet drawers ($153 direct each) and a 100-sheet bypass tray ($140 direct).
The two printers also share the same connection choices, with USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi, and the ability to print from both iOS and Android devices over a Wi-Fi connection. Unlike the Editors' Choice Epson WorkForce WF-3540 , however, the SG-3110SFNw doesn't offer Wi-Fi Direct, which would let you print over Wi-Fi even without a Wi-Fi access point on your network.
More Basics, Setup, and Speed
Like most MFPs meant for office use, the SG 3110SFNw offers both a flatbed and an automatic document feeder. As is typical, the flatbed is limited to a maximum of letter-size paper, with the 35-page ADF able to handle up to legal size. The ADF doesn't allow duplex (two sided) scanning, but menu choices let you copy single-sided originals to your choice of single- or double-sided copies.
For my tests, I connected the printer to a network using its Ethernet connector and ran my tests from a Windows Vista system. Setup was standard for an inkjet.
The SG 3110SFNw's speed counts as a strong point. I timed it on our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing) at an effective 4.8 pages per minute (ppm). That makes it only a touch faster than the Epson WorkForce WF-3540, at 4.5 ppm, but much faster than the 2.4 ppm Editors' Choice Canon Pixma MX922 Wireless Office All-In-One Printer, another inkjet aimed primarily at office needs.
Interestingly, the SG 3110SFNw was slower than the single-function Ricoh SG 3110DNw in our tests. However, it's not unusual for the MFP version of a printer to have a different speed than the single-function version, especially if the two are using different controller boards or have different amounts of memory.
Output Quality and Other Issues
Output quality for the SG 3110SFNw is uneven, with reasonably good text and graphics, but well below par photos. Text quality was near the high end of the range for an inkjet MFP. That makes it a little short of what you would want for, say, a resume, but good enough for almost any day-to-day business application, as long as you don't have an unusual need for small font sizes.
Graphics output was just below par by inkjet standards. It was easily good enough for any internal business use, but the colors were a little dull. Whether you consider the quality good enough for PowerPoint handouts or the like will depend largely on how critical an eye you have. Switching to high-quality mode improved the color quality tremendously, but the speed slowed down tremendously too.
As with the SG 3110DNw, photo output for the SG 3110SFNw is a special case. Unlike most inkjet printer manufactures, Ricoh didn't provide photo paper for the printer. Following our standard testing procedures, I used the same color copier paper we use for lasers. The results were what you might consider newspaper-quality, which is well below par for an inkjet.
As an extra, unofficial, test I printed some photos on semi-gloss paper I had on hand from another printer. The quality improved dramatically, with most color photos at the low end of true photo quality. Keep in mind, however, that color quality can vary with different papers, so you may have to experiment to find a paper that gives you the best quality. Also, the printer took more than twice as long with the photo paper, at roughly 2 minutes 14 seconds for a 4 by 6, compared with 55 seconds with plain paper.
If high-quality output for graphics or photos is an important consideration for your needs, the Ricoh Aficio SG 3110SFNw may be able to do the job, but not with the default settings that gave it such a fast speed in our tests. That said, if what you need is a fast MFP with better than average text for an inkjet and usable graphics and photos, the Ricoh Aficio SG 3110SFNw may well be the printer you want.
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