Epson has a record for often being the first to release new printer technologies, and it has done so again with the Aculaser 2600 series - a  'convertible' mono laser that can print in colour.

The 'convertible' idea behind it is simple. It can function as standard mono that uses black toner, and can later be made to print colour by adding colour toners. A bit like a standard colour Inkjet, but without the ink.

Unusually, the 2600 series uses four toners. Up to four black toners can be installed (for longer print life), or a combination of cyan, magenta, yellow and black for colour printing.

You can tailor the 2600 to your requirements by switching between these configurations.

We got the chance to put it through its paces at its launch in Rome yesterday, and were very impressed. Epson demonstrated it against rival products from HP, and in all the tests, the Aculaser 2600 finished printing before the others had even started.

We'll bring you a full review of the 2600 and information on the multifunction Aculaser CX11 for workgroups (also recently unveiled) very soon.