Konica Minolta promptly delivered another unit for testing via a courier service; it was obvious that the new unit had been previously unpacked and configured before being shipped out. While that may have sped up the review process and made things a little easier for our Lab's crew, it did deny us the experience that a VAR may have with a new unit.

That said, the replacement unit functioned fine and operated without a hitch. That is, until we installed the duplexer unit. The duplexer snaps onto the back of the printer, after popping out a few plastic tabs/port covers. Regrettably, our duplexer came with no instructions and the printer instructions lacked any guidance on installing the duplexer. A search of the tech support area of the Web site offered no clues on how to install the duplexer. We pushed on and installed the duplexing unit using common sense, and we were rewarded with a horrible grinding noise when we tried to print.

Further investigation showed that a piece of tape, which is the same color as the unit, covers a paper feed slot on the back of the 2590MF. Removing the tape and reinstalling the duplexer solved all of our problems. Perhaps Konica Minolta should consider making that piece of tape a color that does not blend in with the back of the printer or add some text to the tape that says "remove for duplexer", or at the very least, make instructions readily available.

Installers will encounter other setup hassles, complicated by the fact that the unit's LCD interface and push buttons are very inconsistent. For example, when setting up the 2590MF's IP address, an installer would use the cancel button to clear out any existing settings and then the arrow keys to input new parameters. If the installer tries to use the same procedure for setting the time and date, the menu will exit.

Date and time are set using the numeric key pad instead. Those inconsistencies live throughout the setup interface and prove to be an annoyance. It's clear that the machine is destined for a global market; installation docs are included in several languages and regrettably all are lacking the details to quickly set up and operate the unit.

For typical use, the unit is easy to operate, but once you attempt to do something out of the ordinary, the interface proves to be annoying. For example, if you want to do a duplex copy, you need to hit a function button several times. Wouldn't a "duplex" copy button make much more sense? The same goes for selecting document types; a user is expected to use the quality button to determine that -- not very intuitive.

Setup and usage hassles aside, the unit did offer impressive color output. We used the SpencerLabs printing suite to test image quality and found that the unit recreated details and colors on par with a much more expensive color laser printer. Scanning and photo copying also offered excellent detail and color. Black and white text output was crisp and clear, while printed photographs offered faithful color reproduction.

The bottom line here is if you can deal with the quirks, inconsistencies and irritations associated with installation, set up and advanced feature use, you will not be disappointed with the unit. And happily, pros outweigh the cons, and all of the cons should be easy fixes for Konica Minolta to accomplish.