Panasonic KX-FP121 Compact Plain Paper Fax

The KX-FP121 holds up to 150 sheets in its paper tray, which is located at the back of the machine, and accepts up to 15 sheets in its automatic document feeder. The unit doesn't have a paper stacker, however, so you need to leave some desk space in front of it.

The KX-FP121 offers voice capabilities via a handset and speakerphone. These features are located on the left side of the machine, next to a large button keypad and the usual start and stop buttons. An LCD panel displays fax status, menus, and caller ID information, while three nearby buttons let you easily control the machine's digital answering machine. Perhaps the most distinctive Panasonic control is the jog dial--a thumbwheel that offers quick access to stored numbers, menu settings, and voice messages.

We were able to set up the Panasonic quickly and found the documentation comprehensive. One pleasant surprise was the recorded voice prompts that informed us of fax status. The digital answering machine and jog dial were both easy and quick to master. We did, however, experience occasional double-feeding when loading faxes over six pages in length. Nevertheless, we were very pleased with the unit's memory capacity and operation.

A number of remote features add to the product's value. For example, you can set the KX-FP121 to automatically dial a telephone number to forward voice messages as they come in. The unit can also dial your pager when it receives a fax or voice message. An IQ-FAX button on the control panel gives you quick access to FaxSav, an Internet faxing service for economical worldwide transmission.

The KX-FP121 is flexible enough to meet your business's needs for a long time. Its digital sophistication yields many useful features to adapt to your evolving requirements in a plain-paper fax. --Stephen W. Plain

Pros:

• Jog dial wheel for browsing numbers
• Integrated answering machine
• Help button prints instructions

Cons:

• Outputs pages to desktop
• No remote fax retrieval

Pros: 1)Sending/Receiving Faxes and Making Copies are simple tasks 2)Retrieving voice messages is a simple task 3)Saves space on the desk 4)Preloaded greetings are clear and present a professional image.

Cons: 1)Noisier than I expected 2)Print quality is slightly less than expected 3)Too many functions make it more complex to use...I need the manual(thick) to perform the steps for some functions 4)Adding phone directory entries is awkward 5)The absence of a paper stacker results in paper on the floor; however, it can be ordered separately for approximately $12.