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Reading the fine print: 7 laser printers tested September 04, 2002 URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/hardware/printersscanners/soa/Reading-the-fine-print-7-laser-printers-tested/0,139023422,120267928,00.htm
 
Just because a printer is cheap to buy off the shelf doesn't mean it's going to save you money in the long term. We look at the real costs of network laser printers. No matter how much you spend upfront on a printer, running and maintaining it will most likely end up more expensive over its lifetime. For businesses, finding the printer that offers best long-term value for money is not an easy proposition. Most printer vendors will give you total cost of ownership figures, showing how their printer ends up cheaper than the others. But it's relatively easy to skew these figures—so how can you tell? In this review we examine fast printers suitable for all but the heaviest printing requirements, with an upfront cost around AU$5000. For this sort of money we found most of the printers were capable of printing 30 to 40 pages per minute. This should be fast enough to cater to 50 staff members sending jobs to it all day long. Unlike colour printers, replacing monochrome toners is relatively inexpensive. Toners also vary in life somewhat. Features An interesting recent development is the ability to set private print jobs. This means the printer will store the document and not print it until you enter the correct code on the printer's keypad—very useful for confidential documents. Some printers are now also allowing you to send documents via e-mail, and most can be administered and have the firmware updated remotely. We are used to seeing these features in high-end copiers, but they are increasingly showing up in printers as well. Many of the printers can effectively be turned into copiers or multifunction devices by buying and plugging in the appropriate extras. Many of the vendors also offer additional paper trays, output bins, duplexers, and other paper handling and finishing accessories. Except for the Brother, all the printers we received shipped with an internal 10/100Mbps Ethernet card, which will enable you to connect your printer via TCP, IPX/SPX, NetBEUI, EtherTalk, NDS Support, IPP, and SNMP. You will also find most printers fitted with bi-directional parallel ports, serial, and USB ports. Speed and Output Quality An output resolution of 600 x 600dpi is fairly standard for these printers, and is suitable for the vast majority of business uses. Some of the printers we tested were capable of 1200dpi or higher. Software Most vendors ship the printers with remote management software that allows you to manage multiple printers from a single desktop PC. Some vendors, like Ricoh, include software that can manage printers from other vendors as well as their own. The printers Brother HL-2460
The Brother HL-2460 is targeted for a small workgroup, and unlike the other printers in this review, did not come with a network card. We had to test the speed of this printer by using the parallel port, which was a somewhat unfair because of its reduced throughput.
The HL-2460 shipped with only 16MB of RAM, which can be expanded to 272MB. For our testing, 16MB was a little on the low side, especially when we were printing a 44MB graphics file. However, it can be just as flexible as many of the other printers when it comes to adding options. You can add up to three paper trays to provide a total paper input capacity of 2100 sheets, as well as a five or 10-bin mailbox as well as a duplex unit and a hard disk. The HL-2460 was the least expensive printer, but it was also the slowest printer we tested. It had less memory and a lower paper capacity than the other printers we looked at. The print quality was quite good overall, but if you're after razor-sharp output you should look elsewhere. The HL-2460 was quite expensive to run, unless your requirements are quite small—if you're not printing more than 5000 pages per month, it can be quite economical. However it requires frequent servicing, which is a bit of a nuisance.
Fuji Xerox Phaser 5400
The Fuji-Xerox was the smallest and fastest printer of the lot, with very impressive paper handling capabilities. IT shops with a 500-sheet paper tray as standard, but this can be expanded to 3150 sheets. You can add a duplex unit and hard disk drive, but not a finishing unit or additional output bins.
The standard memory is 32MB, which can be expanded to 192MB. The Fuji-Xerox's control panel is undeniably the least user friendly; the buttons are not clearly labelled, instead featuring esoteric symbols. It peaked at 40 pages per minute in our simple word document test and 32 pages per minute in our complex word document test. It also took the least amount of time to print the first page. However, it was the slowest printing photos at both 600dpi and 1200dpi. Text output appeared quite sharp but wasn't as black as the Lexmark or Ricoh. The Fuji-Xerox was the second most expensive printer to run. Like the HP, replacing toner is expensive at AU$500 a pop.
HP LaserJet 8150N
The HP LaserJet 8150N was one of the larger printers we tested at a little over 50kg. Unlike the Ricoh, it doesn't have carry handles, but at the same time, how often do you have to move a large network printer?
The HP is very versatile when it comes to paper handling. It comes with two standard 500-sheet trays. You can add high-capacity input/output and finishing options for high-volume printing, as well as a hard disk. You can also add to its functionality with copying, scanning, digital sending, and LAN faxing options. The printer's memory can also be upgraded to 160MB from the standard 32MB. The HP printed the simple word document at just fewer than 32 pages per minute and the complex word document at 24 pages per minute. However, it was the fastest at printing photos at 600dpi. The HP was one of the more expensive printers to run. It will cost you almost $20,000 to run over three years at 15,000 pages per month. The big killer is the price of toner. This costs almost $500 to replace, and has to be replaced approximately every 20,000 pages.
Kyocera FS-9100DN
The stylish and robust Kyocera was the heaviest printer we tested, weighing in at 68kg with its two 500-sheet paper trays. Like the Ricoh, it has metal handles that pull out of the chassis to help you with moving the printer. The 36ppm Kyocera comes standard with network connection, duplex unit, and 32MB memory, which can be upgraded to 288MB. There are many other options available, such as a large capacity finisher, a booklet finisher, additional paper trays, a 3.2GB hard disk drive, and a barcode reader. The Kyocera managed to print our simple word document at 36ppm, while our more complex documents printed at 30ppm. It was also the second fastest at printing photos. Its text output was very good where text appeared sharp as well as dark. On an even better note the Kyocera printer scored the second highest score in our photo test. Kyocera has a reputation for making low-cost printers, thanks to its low-cost consumables and a silicon drum that lasts 500,000 pages. The printer we looked at had the lowest TCO—printing 15,000 pages per month over three years will only end up costing you approximately $12,000. The most expensive printer in this feature would cost $20,000 over three years with the same usage.
Lexmark T622n
One of the standout features of the Lexmark was management. Using a Web browser, we could see an exact copy of the printer's control panel, and we could navigate through the menu system as if we were standing over the printer. Not only does this give administrators more control over their printers, but it will also save them time. The Lexmark featured two 500-sheet paper trays. You can add a 2000-sheet drawer, a duplexing unit, a five-bin mailbox, a stapler, and a 5GB hard drive. Memory can be expanded to 384MB, which is oodles. The Lexmark peaked at 38 pages per minute, which is spot on Lexmark's claimed speed. In our more complex Word document, it managed to print at 29 pages per minute. The Lexmark was also very fast at printing our photo at 600dpi and it was the fastest at printing photos at 1200dpi. Text generally appeared sharp and there was no visible signs of toner spatter anywhere. Its photo quality was quite good but we lost some detail in some dark areas. However by tweaking the drivers we were able to print a better photo. The Lexmark was the most expensive printer to run. Despite its low initial cost, it would cost you a whopping $20,000 to run over three years at 15,000 pages per month. You won't have to replace the toner very often—it's good for approximately 30,000 pages—but it will cost you almost $800 to replace.
Minolta-QMS Page Pro 9100
This was one of the few printers that made it below our budget. It wasn't any slower than the more expensive printers and can print in true 1200 x 1200dpi. The Minolta-QMS printer featured a 500-sheet universal cassette as well as a 200-page multi-purpose tray. You can increase the paper capacity with up to three additional 500-sheet cassettes. You can also add a four-bin mailbox, a hard disk, and a duplexing unit. The Page Pro comes standard with 64MB of memory and can be expanded to 512MB. The Page Pro 9100 did quite well in our speed stakes. It was up there with the fastest of printers at printing standard Word documents, but when it came to printing photos, it was unusually slow considering it was equipped with the most RAM. Its print quality on the other hand was exceptional. It was undoubtedly the best printer in this area. The TCO was relatively low. There were four printers that were more expensive to own and only two printers less expensive to own.
Ricoh Aficio AP3200
The Ricoh was one of the heaviest printers we tested and conveniently it had four internal metal handles to help with moving. The standard unit comes with two 500-sheet paper trays. You can buy additional paper trays, which will allow you to hold a maximum of 3100 sheets of paper, as well as a stapling finisher, a duplex unit, a four-bin mailbox, and a 6GB hard disk. The Ricoh ships with 32MB of memory, which can be expanded to 160MB. The Ricoh peaked at 33ppm in our simple Word document test and still managed 25ppm in our complex Word document. In our photo test the Ricoh was over 2.5 times faster than the Fuji-Xerox. In plain text the Ricoh was excellent, and it produced a blacker black than many of the other printers. Characters were also well formed and there was no evidence of toner spatter. However when it came to printing photos we weren't very impressed in its ability to produce subtle changes in shading. The TCO was quite low for the Ricoh and rivals the Kyocera printer in this area. It only becomes more expensive to own once you start printing more than 6000 pages per month (over three years). You have to replace the black toner bottle every 12,000 pages but that only costs $50. Worthy of a mention is the monitoring software that was shipped with the printer. The Administrator and Client SmartNetMonitor will not only give full control of the printer over your network, but it also picks up the status of other printers attached to your network.
About RMIT Test LabsSteven Turvey.Working on your image: how to pick a printerPrint speed: Should be based upon the number of users that will be using the printer as well as the estimated number of pages they will print. Total cost of ownership: Look at the initial cost as well as the cost of replacing toners. It's also worth comparing the cost per page between various printers. Print quality: Check to see the maximum print resolution the printer can support. Paper capacity: Check the number of pages it can hold and the paper sizes it supports. Expansion potential: What's the maximum memory the printer can accommodate? Can you fit a hard disk, duplex unit, or finisher to the printer as well as any additional paper trays and output bins? Scenario 1:Pennywise IndustriesCompany: Pennywise Industries Approximate budget: $5000 per printer. Requires: Eleven laser printers capable of 25-32ppm. Estimated duty cycles are 15,000-20,000 pages per month. Network connectability and remote management ability are essential. Concerns: Total cost per page is the key criterion, but this calculation must take into account the company's estimates of usage. The availability of finishing options such as duplexers, staplers, and mail bins is a factor. Print quality and speed are not deal-makers, but will also be taken into consideration. Best Solution: Kyocera FS-9100DN The Kyocera FS-9100DN printer wins easily because it is the least expensive printer to own. Print speed and quality are also on its side; even though it wasn't the fastest or the sharpest printer, it offered a good balance. The FS-9100DN can also be very flexible when it comes to attaching finishing options. The only drawback is the relatively high upfront cost. How we testedWe tested each device for its speed, print quality, and cost of ownership. All the printers were attached to a Netgear FSM726S switch, which was attached to the RMIT backbone. We printed each test document from an Acer Pentium 4 1.8GHz desktop PC with 256MB of RAM running Windows XP Professional. Word Simple 50-page Test (600dpi): This test comprised 50 pages with a single font (Arial 10-point) and is used to evaluate the printer's maximum real-world throughput. Word Complex 20-page Test (600dpi): This test comprised 20 pages of complex word processing and includes 18 different fonts some in multiple sizes, eight images ranging from simple clip art to high-res TIFF photos, and multiple column styles. Fontkey.PDF (600dpi): This test confirms the printer's ability to correctly and accurately render multiple font sizes from 4-point up to 48-point in two font styles—Times New Roman and Gaudy Handtooled. Laserkey.PDF (600dpi): This test exercises the printer's ability to produce smooth gradients (both linear and greyscale), smooth straight, oblique and radial fine lines, and smooth solid black fills. Colorkey.PDF (600dpi): This test is similar to the previous test but also includes smooth colour gradations, ink mixing, fine yellow grid lines on a solid green background and a JPEG image of a small child. Photo Realistic Graphics Test Photo (Max Resolution): A very large 44MB (once “flattened” by PhotoShop) test image was created and printed using Photoshop 5.0 LE, to evaluate a whole range of printer abilities such as skin tones, sky colour fidelity, accuracy with fine white on colour details, accuracy of dithering (particularly in areas of low contrast), handling of low contrast shadows, and overall greyscale accuracy. Printing Quality Assessment: Printer output was assessed for quality by the Test Lab staff, both with the naked eye and also an 8x magnifier. Purity was also judged with the naked eye, assessing how close the output was to the actual screen image. While we acknowledge this is a largely subjective process, especially given the different technologies, we feel that most users would use similar purity criteria. Total Cost of Ownership: To work out the total cost of owning a mono laser printer we asked each of the vendors to supply us with all the service intervals that would need to be carried out if you were to print 60,000 pages over three years. This included the cost and frequency of replacing toners, drums, fusers, rollers, belts, waste bottles, and any other components that you would have to replace during this time. Manufacturers claim that the cost per page for a typical black page is two cents. This is based on five percent coverage, which is the industry standard that is used by many manufacturers. We also rated each of the machines in the areas of interoperability, futureproofing, return on investment, and service. Interoperability: We looked at the interfaces that were supported. Futureproofing: We looked at the expansion potential of each printer, including the maximum RAM that could be fitted, whether you could buy a second or third paper tray or any sorter bins, and if you could fit a duplexer or a hard disk to the printer. Return on Investment: We looked at the initial cost of the printer as well as the total cost of ownership. We also considered the print speed and print quality. Service: We looked at the duration of the warranty and the support hours that were offered for each of the printers. Editors' Choice
Kyocera FS-9100DN
Even though it has the highest upfront cost, the Kyocera works out the cheapest of all the printers we looked at if you print anything over 6000 pages per month. Its print quality and speed are easily sufficient, and it offers heaps of room for expansion.
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