Sharp AL-2040CS Laser Copier

Comments about Sharp AL-2040CS Laser Copier:

WE WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER SHARP PRODUCT !! IN LESS THAN 9 MONTHS THE AUTOMATIC FEED ON TOP STOPPED WORKING. SHARPS ANSWER TO EVERY PROBLEM IS GIVE ME A CREDIT CARD NUMBER AND SEND THE MACHINE TO THEM. MY SUGGESTION TO THEM IS YOU KNOW THE MACHINE IS JUNK YET YOU KEEP PUTTING IT OUT THERE FOR PEOPLE TO BUY-TAKE IT OFF THE SHELVES. [...] SHAME ON SHARP & STAPLES...

Comments about Sharp AL-2040CS Laser Copier:

My main concern is the expense for the new cartridges and drums. I seem to be buying them every other month. The machine ran fine for about 3 years, and then started jamming frequently. It finally just had a fit and start making a horrible grinding sound. I originally bought it for the duplexing feature which is very important in my business. There is no one locally who will work on Sharp machines. I will look for another brand when I replace it this weekend.

Comments about Sharp AL-2040CS Laser Copier:

I have had two of these machines, which have both gotten moderate use. The first machine lasted two years, then the "inner workings burned up," as the technical support operator and local repair person told me. Assured by the locals that this was a good machine, and that this was just a fluke, I purchased a second. It lasted 18 months, almost to the day. It has been out of warranty for 6 months, and this morning I came into the office to find it VERY loudly running and grinding gears. There was a VERY LARGE pile of toner on the counter in front of the copier....apparently when it spontaneously started running overnight, it started spewing toner all over the inside of the machine until it could not hold anymore and it started spilling out through any opening it could find. We opened the machine up and took out the drum cartridge and toner to find that every surface inside is COVERED with toner; the local repair shop told me that if it ran for any period of time with the gears grinding like they were, that it will likely be unrepairable. I will not take a 3rd chance with the same machine.

Comments about Sharp AL-2040CS Laser Copier:

Very nice as a copier and printer. Not so good as a scanner. Scanning software is poorly documented and not intuitive. Several reviews mentioned slow copy time. To work around this, look up "User Programs" in the manual, and extend the "Preheat Mode" time to a longer value, like 30 minutes. Overall I like the unit, but, because the scanner feature is lame, I would recommend the next model down (i.e. without scanner), model AL-2030 for about $100 less.

Comments about Sharp AL-2040CS Laser Copier:

We use it for about 1000 copies per month. I purchased it from Staples online January 2008. I also paid for an extended 2-year warranty, so I could be covered through 2011. We use the duplexing feature everyday, so when it stopped working correctly (still copied/printed one-sided just fine), [...] Sharp wants to charge our credit card to ship us a box and then return the copier to them, where it will take 5-7 days to diagnose it. When I explained that we are a small business and can't be down without a copier, nor spend another[$] for a replacement, all they said was, "sorry." [...] This is really frustrating. Brother, HP, and Epson make really great comparable copiers, so Sharp will never see another dime from me again. Staples has also lost my business. I guess the duplexing, 2-tray system I paid so much for is a loss in the end :(

Comments about Sharp AL-2040CS Laser Copier:

We use this product to make copies and copy letters to letterhead paper does what is required of it