Ricoh Aficio SP 100SU e review

A personal three-in-one, with the SU suffix kept intact

The Ricoh Aficio SP 100SU e is an earlier USB monochrome laser device that prints, copies and scans. Its scanner captures color even though its printed output is black and white. The main attraction is a compact personal document routine, rather than shared network printing or a large unattended paper workflow.

The exact US SU model is part 406944. The SP 100SF e in the same brochure is a different configuration: it adds the document feeder and fax. Those features should not appear in the SU's questionnaire results or be implied by a shared family photograph.

Letter and A4 are the documented paper choices

The listed paper sizes include Letter and A4, with a custom-size maximum of 8.5 × 11.7 inches. Legal printing is not established here. That is an important difference from some later small Ricoh models whose separate paper lists explicitly include Legal.

The ordinary input is declared at 50 sheets when using the specified 70gsm paper, while the face-up output holds ten. The smaller output stack can require attention before the input tray is empty. Use the supported paper conditions rather than assuming every heavier stock preserves the same stack capacity.

Scanning is a glass-and-USB routine

The SU scanning surface accepts originals up to 8.5 × 11.7 inches, suitable for Letter and A4. The scanner's computer interface is USB with TWAIN/WIA compatibility. It needs the exact compatible driver and application rather than merely a cable with the right connector.

The 15-sheet automatic feeder belongs to the SF model. ID-card copying and manual duplex copying on the SU do not establish an automatic original-handling route. A stack of loose originals therefore should not make this model qualify an essential ADF or automatic duplex-scanning requirement.

The print driver is a first buying check

The controller is host-based DDST/GDI with 16MB of memory. The SF's larger memory figure is not the SU's included configuration. The brochure's Windows list is historical, so confirm working exact-model software for the intended computer before deciding an older unit is suitable.

USB is the documented connection. No included Ethernet, ordinary wireless LAN or native mobile-printing arrangement is established. The print interface and scanner interface also have different USB speed descriptions, so they should not be merged into a universal transfer-speed promise.

Manual duplex and timing figures describe different tasks

Two-sided printing is manual. Follow the supported reinsertion instructions rather than expecting the machine to turn each sheet itself. A manual duplex-copy layout similarly does not make either the printer or scanner an automatic duplex device.

The manufacturer declares 13ppm Letter monochrome print/copy output. First print is specified from ready-mode job receipt, and recovery is from sleep. A first-copy figure described from the ADF belongs to the feeder context of the SF configuration; it should not become a measured SU glass-copy promise.

Check the complete older installation and supply package

The SU body is declared at 15.8 × 14.5 × 6.4 inches and 17.6 pounds. Allow room above the glass for originals and the lid, plus paper supports, cables and cartridge access. Match the documented US 120V/60Hz electrical label and inspect the actual offered hardware.

The original starter is declared at approximately 500 pages, with a 1,200-print Type SP 100LA replacement. Those yields do not establish remaining toner or current page cost. Choose the SU for supported small-stack Letter/A4 monochrome printing and occasional color scans, provided Legal paper, an ADF, fax and network sharing are not essential.