HP Color LaserJet CP1215:
The HP Color LaserJet CP1215 is a simple, single-function laser printer designed to fit comfortably in a small business work group. In terms of size, the printer measures a manageable 15.7 inches wide by 10 inches tall by approximately 20 inches deep.
The printer is fixed at a 600X600dpi resolution for both black and color. The CP1215 has four cheap toner cartridges: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black and contain roughly half of the standard volume of toner. Luckily, the cost of the CB540 toner series compatible with the printer is about average: $72 for the color cartridges that should yield 1,400 pages, according to the Web site, and $78 for 2,200 pages of black toner. Using those figures, since no high-volume toner cartridges are available, our calculations come out to 5.1 cents for a page of color and 3.5 cents per page of black. Finally, the CP1215′s cheap toner cartridge monthly duty cycle maxes out at 1,000 pages. This is definitely suited to a much smaller office with proportionally lighter printing responsibilities.
As usual, we have to congratulate HP on the quality of both color text and documents. While the output speed leaves a great deal to be desired, HP still manages to present well-formed black and color text with sharp edges and even shading across dense graphics. Overall, the HP LaserJet CP1215′s cheap toner cartridge print quality is definitely good enough for small offices that mainly print outtext with an occasional presentation.
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1. An ink cartridge for storing ink, comprising a thermal ink-jet head provided with a heat generating portion that generates thermal energy for ejecting the ink from an ejection opening, (more ink cartridges…)
HP Photosmart Premium Fax All-in-One
HP is fully aware of the transition, and recently rolled out the HP Photosmart Premium Fax All-in-One, a device that combines an inkjet printer, fax machine, scanner, and copier. The printer uses five standard HP model No. 564 cheap ink cartridges for black, photo black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. The standard cartridges cost $10, but we’ll use the XL high-capacity option for our cost-per-page calculation to measure the best deal you can get from HP. The XL colored inks cost $18 apiece and, according to HP, they’ll yield 750 color pages, while the XL black replacement cheap cartridge costs $35 for 800 yields. By our calculations, a color page from HP cheap ink cartridge will cost you 2.4 cents, and a page of black strangely costs double at 4.3 cents. So, no need to invest in printer ink at every cartridge refill, when HP ink cartridge is available with a good discount.
We tested the printer using our standard text, graphics, and photos and the HP model No. 564 cheap ink cartridges delivered crisp lines and smooth transitions between varying colors. The overall gradients of color in photos appear evenly shaded with appropriate level accuracy. Since this is a photo-specific printer, we also focused on its capability to produce a dynamic range of contrast between colors. While most photo printers seem to suffer from chronic line banding and a lack of sharpness, the HP cheap ink cartridge consistently produces very pleasing images with hardly any trace of jagged or muddy graphics.
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An ink-jet recording method is a recording method involving causing a small ink droplet to fly to plain paper or a dedicated glossy medium to form an image. (more ink cartridges…)
Lexmark X502n color laser multifunction
Lexmark X502n color laser multifunction aimed squarely at small offices and work groups, the $700 Lexmark X502n prints, scans, copies, and faxes, and does it all quickly and well. The X502n isn’t perfect–it’s missing some fax features that are often important to offices–but if you can live without group dialing, secure-receive mode, and a junk-fax blocker, the X502n is an excellent choice. It’s one of the fastest lasers and its excellent speed doesn’t come at the expense of print quality. It’s also one of the more affordable lasers to maintain, thanks to reasonable print-refill costs. (more ink cartridges…)
Epson AcuLaser CX11NF – multifunction
Color laser multifunctions aren’t just for corporate offices anymore. New budget color laser multifunctions, such as the Epson AcuLaser CX11, are designed to fit the needs and the budgets of small offices. The Epson AcuLaser CX11 series is the third color laser multifunction to cost less than $1,000. While this multitasking printer faces stiff competition, at $799 ($699 for the CX11N model, which lacks an automatic document feeder (ADF) and faxing), it’s the most affordable yet. We tested the CX11NF, which can copy, print, and scan in color. It can also fax and comes Ethernet ready. Rivals, such as the Canon ImageClass MF8170c, the HP Color LaserJet 2840, and the Oki C5510n, all cost more and offer similar features, but their manufacturers have more experience in color laser and high-end multifunctions. Epson, on the other hand, is known largely for its polished photographic inkjets, and its effort with the CX11–its first laser printer sold in the United States–makes some missteps. For example, the CX11NF lacks common fax capabilities, the control-panel menus could be simpler, and the print and copy quality doesn’t live up to what we expect from Epson. On the other hand, this office all-in-one performs quickly, especially when printing and copying black text.
(more ink cartridges…)
With prices dropping into the sub-$500 arena, laser printers–even multifunction lasers–are moving into the home, but the HP Color LaserJet CM1017 MFP is too expensive for the average home user. It is, however, a good choice for the small or home office user who needs high-quality laser prints–particularly graphics–but not necessarily fast prints. For $700, you get a network-ready color laser multifunction printer that prints, scans, and copies, and includes built-in media card readers, a rarity for laser printers. We think the HP CM1017 is a good choice for small offices that need great image quality from a laser, such as realtors and insurance agents. (more ink cartridges…)