jeavinl's Full Review: Sharp UX-P115 Plain Paper Thermal transfer Fax
I bought my Sharp UX-P115 fax machine last year when I was pregnant. I was working from home a few days a week and my boss said the company would reimburse me for a fax, but only if it was cheap, say, under $80. So I took a trip to Staples and picked this one out. It was $50 after a $20 rebate. I decided to buy a refill cartridge ($19.99 for the Staples brand) during my trip since the salesman said the cartridge the fax comes with isn't intended to last as long as the replacements. "The initial starter roll of imaging film can print about 30 letter-size pages. One [replacement] roll can print about 150 letter-size pages." [From the instruction manual.]
SETUP
Overall, the setup was easy, with one major hangup. The phone receiver clicked into place, the phone cable hooked into my phone jack, the paper tray clicked into place. BUT, installing the original cartridge took a great deal of patience. There are two round plastic inserts that click into place on either side of the cylindrical cartridge. The inserts are then supposed to fit inside the fax machine. I spent at least an hour (on and off) trying to do this before I gave up and told my husband to try. He looked at me like I was a child until HE couldn't do it either. I think it took him about 30 minutes to fit it into place.
TRANSMITTING
I generally only use the fax for transmitting since I get my work e-mailed to me. I've never seen what comes out on the other side, but there have been numerous times when my boss has called me up and said the pages didn't transmit properly. Sides are missing, there are smudges where I've written corrections, and the pages don't always all go through. Although some of these issues may be due to occasional problems with my phone line, they happen even when my phone signal is crystal clear. Also, it takes a long time to transmit using the UX-P115 so my boss often finds my pages mixed in with other faxes he receives in the interim.
Another transmission issue happens on my end. After the pages have been scanned they stack up in front of the fax. If there's more than 5 or 6, the fax often jams. I was able to send 10 pages yesterday without this problem occurring, but usually I need to split my submissions to prevent jamming.
RECEIVING
I've only received a few faxes. Each time the quality was poor. I had to squint and hold the page close to my face to read the work. I edit magazine articles, so the font size was probably 10. The photos on the pages came out dull, gray, streaked, and fuzzy. Since I'm not concerned with the photos, that doesn't bother me.
COPYING
The Sharp UX-P115 doubles as a copier. I've only used this feature a couple of times. I've been satisfied with the results. The quality was a lot clearer than the received faxes I've gotten. Although there was a little bit of streaking, it wasn't significant. This fax allows you to enlarge a copy up to 135% or reduce it to as low as 50%.
FEATURES
There are a lot of features and settings on this model. I haven't explored all of them. You can set the date and time, change the resolution/reception mode, adjust volume, select fax (just for faxes) or phone (when you intend to receive calls and faxes on the line) mode, adjust resolution and contrast, speed dialing, broadcasting (sending a fax to multiple destinations). You can block faxes from a particular caller or poll another fax machine (allows you to receive w/o human assistance on the other end). Caller ID can be used where available (if you already subscribe to a service). The machine itself is relatively compact and fits neatly on top of my filing cabinet. It's lightweight compared to other machines (6.2 lbs). Sharp plugs this as a space-saving model. The dimensions are 12.9" (width) x 7.6" (depth) x 6.4" (height).
WHERE TO BUY
I bought my Sharp UX-P115 at Staples. It is still available there and on their online site. I have not seen this model sold at other office supply/electronics stores such as Circuit City, Office Depot, or Best Buy, but you can find it online.
OVERALL
For my purposes, I give this a rating of 3. It does what it needs to do and hasn't been a total nuisance. I'm able to transmit and receive faxes a few times a month and I can make copies once in a while. I wouldn't suggest this fax for someone who needs to receive good quality faxes on a daily basis.
QUICK SPECS
Paper tray capacity: 50 letter size, 5 legal size
Input size: automatic: 5.8 to 8.5" width, 5.5 to 11" length/ manual: 5.8 to 8.5" width, 5.5 to 23.6" length
Effective scanning width: 8.3" max
Effective printing width: 8.3" max
Copy function: single/multi (99 copies/page)
FROM THE MANUFACTURER
The UX-P115 is a plain paper fax that offers a sleek new design for space savings at an affordable price. With its standard features, it is a perfect solution for anywhere in the home or office. The EZ Navigation button allows for easy access to features such as caller ID, copier functions or speed dialing.
Send or copy up to 10 pages automatically. 50-sheet paper tray adjusts to fit 50-sheets of letter or 30-sheets of legal size paper. 256 KB memory stores approximately 15 pages of incoming and outgoing documents should supplies run out.
Features:
* Plain paper fax: Prints or copies on standard copier paper
* EZ Navigation button: Quick and easy access to all fax and phone functions
* Copier functions: Features an auto document feeder and multi-copy capability on letter or legal paper
* Telephone: Full function telephone including 30 speed dials
* Caller ID ready: Displays caller's name and number
* 10-Sheet automatic document feeder: Allows for sending or copying of up to 10 pages automatically
* 448 KB memory feeder: Stores approximately 24 pages of incoming and outgoing documents
* 50-Sheet paper tray: Adjusts to fit 50 sheets of letter or 30 sheets of legal paper
Recommended:
No
Purchase Price (if leased, monthly payment): 50 Machine age (Months in use): 12 months
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