The MicroBoards G3P-100 has been on the market in the UK for well over a year now and I have to admit we have been slow to feature this review. Normally the market for disc publishers at this price point is dominated by solutions manufactured by Primera, but now due to contractions in the market, product innovation and a competitive pricing strategy from MicroBoards the game has changed.
Weighing in at a paltry 12kg and measuring 23cm x 40cm x 45cm, the Microboards G3 Disc Publisher is both a joy to behold…..and a doddle to use. Straight out of the box, it’s small foot-print enables the G3 to, unobstrusively, sit on the desk near my PC – though, this network-enabled baby can be put to work almost anywhere.
With a perusal of the excellent quick-start guide, the hardware set-up and software installation is a fairly painless operation – all the necessary software such as PrintWrite 2 (for recording), and SureThing (for label design) is installed in one go and, in no time at all, I was able to copy a 4.25GB DVD, complete with a classy, full-colour printed label. The actual printing process took a measly 1 minute and 24 seconds.
The G3 can be connected to a PC, or a Mac, and handles up to 50 CDs or DVDs at a time. Inside the sleek looking, durable black plastic exterior lurks a high-performance DVD/CD writer (24X DVD / 48X CD / 8X BD) cleverly attached to a 4800 dpi HP printer. The blank discs are loaded at the top in the well-established Microboards fashion, and are neatly stacked in the enclosed output bin after the copying and printing has finished.
My only gripe, and it’s a small one, is there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of visible on-screen information regarding the G3’s current operation – example, waiting while the temporary disc image of the DVD was created, seemed to take ages and I could well have gone to make a cup of tea and some toast had there been a process countdown feature (sorry, Microboards, if there IS one that I did not enable!).
Nevertheless, the attractive G3 Disc Publisher is a quality machine that further enhances Microboards reputation as a manufacturer of some of the best and most innovative duplication products available. (insert remaining screen shots)
(c) Duperman 2012