Scanner MFP laser Fplus MB301DNW

The Fplus MB301DNW is a compact monochrome laser multifunction (MFP) engineered for small offices, home branches and budget-conscious workgroups that need dependable black-and-white printing plus scanning and copying with modern connectivity. It’s from Fplus Imaging, a vendor that positions itself between OEM brands and the “value” segment by offering solid hardware, a sensible feature set (duplex, wired/wireless networking) and country-focused software options for print management. Below I break down the hardware, software, real-world performance, running costs and the business scenarios where the MB301DNW makes the most sense — and where a different class of device would be better.

Quick spec snapshot — the headline numbers

Device type: Monochrome laser MFP (print / copy / scan).
Print speed: Up to 30 A4 pages per minute (mono).
Print resolution: Up to 1200 × 1200 dpi.
First page out: Under 4 seconds typical.
Scanner: Flatbed A4 scanner, optical 600 × 600 dpi; scan speed roughly 20 A4 ppm in simple modes.
Paper handling: Standard 150-sheet input tray; automatic duplexing (2-sided) supported.
Connectivity: USB, Gigabit Ethernet (LAN), Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct (wireless).
Memory / CPU: Typical configs list 512 MB RAM and a processor around 667 MHz (model/vendor pages vary).
Monthly duty / endurance: Marketing/technical pages list a maximum/durable duty capability up to 65,000 pages/month (design max); recommended “start” or realistic monthly service figures for sustained use differ by reseller and configuration.

(These numbers summarize the product documentation and reseller pages; I cite the most authoritative vendor/reseller pages below where relevant.)

Design & user experience

Visually the MB301DNW is compact and utilitarian: a neat A4 footprint, a front-loading paper tray, a flatbed scanner lid and a relatively small control panel with a touchscreen or capacitive touch area depending on the SKU. The build is aimed at everyday office handling rather than heavy industrial use; plastics and mechanisms are designed to be serviceable and easy to maintain. The top scanner glass and accessible toner path make routine actions (scanning, clearing jams, replacing toner) straightforward for office staff.

Connectivity and placement are flexible thanks to both wired Ethernet and integrated Wi-Fi — you can run the MB301DNW as a network MFP shared by a small team or set it up on a desk as a wireless device for a satellite office. Several retailers specifically call out the presence of Wi-Fi and network support, which is notable in the value segment.

Hardware & paper handling

The MB301DNW’s 150-sheet input tray is standard for its class and sufficient for many small workgroups. Where it stands out for the price tier is the inclusion of automatic duplex (two-sided) printing — a must for modern offices that want to reduce paper cost and produce professional two-sided documents without manual intervention. Output is handled via a basic face-up tray; optional stackers or finishers are not typically offered by Fplus on this SKU.

Physically the unit is sized so it can live on a side table or a smaller cabinet; the long network cable and suggested placement options on vendor pages indicate the vendor expects customers to situate the device where network cabling might be a constraint.

Printing engine & quality

Inside the MB301DNW is a tuned monochrome laser engine that aims to balance speed and text clarity. The 1200 dpi maximum print resolution produces crisp, professional text and solid graphics for business documents, contracts and reports. Users should expect very good text sharpness and acceptable greyscale rendering for charts. The device’s rated first-page-out time of under 4 seconds helps short jobs feel snappy — a useful perceived performance boost for reception desks or administrative stations.

Toner cartridges and drum units are replaceable assemblies; many resellers list starter toners with lower yields and standard replacement cartridges with higher yields. The usual tradeoffs apply: OEM supplies deliver predictable quality and page yields; third-party/remanufactured options can reduce cost but may affect reliability and warranty coverage.

Scanning & copying

The MB301DNW integrates an A4 flatbed scanner capable of up to 600 × 600 dpi optical resolution. For typical office scanning (contracts, invoices, ID pages) the scanner is more than adequate, and vendor pages list scan rates around 20 pages per minute for simplex modes. Copy functionality supports resizing (zoom), multiple copies and basic enhancements, making the unit suitable for everyday administrative copying tasks.

One notable omission vs higher classes is the lack of a large automatic document feeder (ADF) on many SKUs — if your office digitizes long stacks of paper daily, a model with a single-pass duplex ADF or a dedicated document scanner would be faster.

Connectivity, management & software

Fplus emphasizes network deployment: the MB301DNW supports wired Ethernet and Wi-Fi and typically ships with drivers for Windows and Linux. Fplus also promotes a software ecosystem called PRINTUM, a local print management/monitoring tool designed to optimize costs, secure print workflows and provide remote monitoring — an appealing differentiator for organizations wanting domestic software with local OS support (including Astra Linux / Russian OS variants). PRINTUM integrates device health monitoring, counter reporting and print accounting features — handy for small fleets and branch rollouts.

From an IT perspective the device fits into standard management workflows: network admin pages, SNMP monitoring (as implemented by reseller drivers), and remote alerting via Fplus management tools. For regulated environments, confirm feature availability (HDD overwrite, secure print release) with your reseller before purchase.

Performance & real-world behavior

In practice the MB301DNW performs as an efficient small-office MFP:

Sustained throughput: 30 ppm is realistic for plain-text jobs; mixed documents with heavy graphics will reduce effective throughput. Multiple pages and duplex jobs also increase processing time.
Warm-up & short job responsiveness: First-page-out under 4 seconds is consistently cited, making it feel fast for quick jobs.
Duty cycle vs recommended use: Vendor pages list a high maximum duty capability (up to 65,000 pages/month) — this is a mechanical maximum rather than a recommended continuous workload. For predictable lifetime and maintenance planning, budget for realistic sustained monthly volumes well below the absolute maximum and align with service coverage.

User feedback from reseller pages and marketplace reviews is mixed but generally positive for the class: reviewers praise the price/performance ratio and connectivity; some flag driver quirks or the need to confirm exact software support for non-Windows OS versions. There are also online videos showing hands-on cartridge and chip behavior (useful for admins considering refill/remanufactured supplies).

Consumables, running costs & TCO

Total cost of ownership depends on your print mix. Key items to model:

Toner yield and cartridge price: Use OEM yields from the reseller or vendor page and obtain local pricing for toners/drums.
Paper & duplexing: Duplexing saves paper but may increase job time.
Service & spare parts: Consider a service contract if uptime matters — rollouts to multiple branches benefit from predictable coverage.
Power & consumable turnover: Laser MFPs idle-power usage and periodic maintenance kits (fuser, rollers) should be factored for heavy use.

Fplus markets the MB301DNW to cost-aware buyers and offers PRINTUM to help manage and reduce print waste and unauthorized usage — a positive for controlled environments. Ask vendors for sample TCO figures based on your expected monthly pages and duty profile.

Ideal business use cases

The MB301DNW is a good fit for:

Small offices & branch locations that need reliable B/W output, basic scanning and flexible networking without the price of top-tier enterprise MFPs.
Reception, admin, and accounting desks where crisp text, quick first pages and duplexing are daily necessities.
SMB fleets managed centrally — PRINTUM and network monitoring tools simplify meter tracking and policy enforcement.
Environments with mixed OS needs — Fplus highlights Linux compatibility which can be important for organisations running non-Windows desktops.

Where it’s not ideal:

High-volume in-plant print rooms that need heavy finishing options, large paper cassettes or production finishing.
Teams with heavy duplex scanning and multi-page capture needs (lack of ADF on base SKUs).
Buyers requiring deep enterprise features like advanced secure print, large touchscreens or complex job accounting without third-party add-ons.

Deployment tips & recommendations

Right-size the fleet: Buy MB301DNW units for groups of 3–10 users; for larger groups consider a higher capacity device.
Enable duplex by default: This lowers paper cost and is supported natively.
Test drivers on your OS mix: Confirm Linux/Windows/macOS drivers and PRINTUM compatibility in a pilot.
Plan spare consumables: Keep at least one replacement toner per device in small offices to avoid downtime.
Negotiate service coverage: For mission-critical desks, a rapid-response service contract will keep uptime high.

Final verdict

The Fplus MB301DNW is a pragmatic monochrome laser MFP that delivers a strong feature set (30 ppm, 1200 dpi, duplex, Wi-Fi and Ethernet) at a competitive price. It’s well suited to small offices, branches and budget-sensitive deployments that want modern connectivity and vendor software to control print costs. If your needs are heavy production, color output or frequent automatic duplex scanning of long batches, you should evaluate a higher-end device — but for everyday office printing, copying and single-pass flatbed scanning, the MB301DNW is a capable, economical choice.

Sources & further reading

Primary vendor and reseller specification pages for the Fplus MB301DNW, product PDF/datasheet and reseller listings used to compile specifications and feature notes.

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Fplus MB301DNW — Features, Specs, Performance & Business Use