We tested eight printers that led the laser field in print speed and high-quality output. To be ranked for this category, a laser printer had to be rated at 12 ppm or faster, and, as a minimum, it had to provide an Ethernet connector.
Three printers, the Compaq PageMarq 20, the Genicom Model 7170, and the HP LaserJet 4 Si, save Novell network users the cost of a dedicated PC print server. All three use coaxial Ethernet connections and their own software to act as print servers in themselves. The remaining printers that we looked at connected to a dedicated print server via an EtherTalk connection, which is the setup we used for testing.
These full-featured printers range in price from $1999 for Lexmark's IBM LaserPrinter 4039 12R to $9775 for the Genicom Model 7170. Apple's LaserWriter Pro 810 offered the highest res
olution, at 800 by 800 dpi, but its quality score fell below that of the ranked printers.
The Genicom and HP products provide a base paper-tray capacity of 2000 sheets. Except for the two Lexmark printers we tested, all the printers offer at least three paper trays (the Lexmarks have two trays standard). Multiple paper trays are useful if you print on standard U.S. letter and legal sizes as well as European A4 paper. The Genicom was the most generous, with four trays.
The unranked 16-ppm Alps LSX 1600e laser printer (see the Roll Call on page 180) is a new product targeted for networks. It offers a maximum input-tray capacity of 750 sheets and 35 envelopes. However, it didn't support Ethernet, and its PostScript option wasn't available during our test cycle.
For speed and networking ease...
BEST OVERALL
Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4 Si
This fast, high-quality printer continues to reign as the leading choice for workgroups. Although it's rated behind the Genicom 7170
for PCL speed, the LaserJet provides significantly better quality than all the other workgroup printers. It has 10 MB of base memory, 600- by 600-dpi resolution, 2000-sheet capacity (in three trays), and an Ethernet connection. And it's among the least expensive printers in this group.
SPEED (PPM) QUALITY CLASS
PCL POSTSCRIPT* MAC INDEX (PPM)
BEST HP LaserJet 4 Si 7.91 5.63 N/A 9.10 17
RUNNER-UP Genicom Model 7170 8.96 3.54 3.20 8.52 17
RUNNER-UP Lexmark LaserPrinter
4039 12R 5.66 3.47 4.56 8.63 12
MAXIMUM
RESOLUTION INPUT
PROCESSOR PRICE (DPI) (SHEETS)
BEST HP LaserJet 4 Si 25-MHz i960CF $3749 600 x 600 2000
RUNNER-UP Genicom Model 7170 20-MHz 68030 $9775 300 x 300 2000
RUNNER-UP Lexmark LaserPrinter
4039 12R 16-MHz AMD29000 $1999 600 x 600 700
* PC
N/A = not applicable
When price matters...
LOW COST
Lexmark IBM LaserPrinter 4039 12R
This is the only workgroup-class printer we tested that offers a significant price difference from the rest of the pack: At $1999, it costs nearly half as much as the HP LaserJet 4 Si (which doesn't support Macs). But the LaserPrinter 4039 12R's speed and quality scores are good enough to rank it third among workgroup printers, even with a 12-ppm engine.
SPEED (PPM) QUALITY CLASS
PCL POSTSCRIPT* MAC INDEX (PPM)
BEST Lexmark LaserPrinter
4039 12R 5.66 3.47 4.56 8.63 12
M
AXIMUM
RESOLUTION INPUT
PROCESSOR PRICE (DPI) (SHEETS)
BEST Lexmark LaserPrinter
4039 12R 16-MHz AMD29000 $1999 600 x 600 700
* PC
N/A = not applicable
Need top Mac speed?
MACINTOSH
Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4 SiMX
In the MX configuration (which boosts the base price of the LaserJet 4 Si by $1750), this 17-ppm printer significantly outperforms all other workgroup printers in Mac speed and output quality. With both EtherTalk and AppleTalk connectors standard, this printer is easy to install on any Mac network.
SPEED (PPM) QUALITY CLASS
PCL POSTSCRIPT* MAC INDEX (PPM)
BEST HP LaserJet 4 SiMX 7.91 5.63 7.87 9.10 17
RUNNER-UP Compaq PageMarq 20 6.76 6.10 6.45 8.59 20
RUNNER
-UP Lexmark LaserPrinter
4039 16L 6.90 3.60 5.10 8.24 16
RUNNER-UP Lexmark LaserPrinter
4039 12R 5.66 3.47 4.56 8.63 12
MAXIMUM
RESOLUTION INPUT
PROCESSOR PRICE (DPI) (SHEETS)
BEST HP LaserJet 4 SiMX 25-MHz i960CF $5499 600 x 600 2000
RUNNER-UP Compaq PageMarq 20 20-MHz AMD29000 $4636 400 x 800 1500
RUNNER-UP Lexmark LaserPrinter
4039 16L 16-MHz AMD29000 $4137 600 x 600 1000
RUNNER-UP Lexmark LaserPrinter
4039 12R 16-MHz AMD29000 $1999 600 x 600 700
* PC
N/A = not applicable
Want the highest quality for networks?
HIGH QUALITY
Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4 Si
This printer uses 600- by 600-dpi resolution to
produce the best quality scores in this category. It did especially well in our line tests, scoring roughly 25 percent better than the other products. However, when reproducing photographic images, it lagged the Compaq PageMarq, the Dataproducts LZR 2080, and the two Lexmark IBM 4039 printers by about 10 percent.
SPEED (PPM) QUALITY CLASS
PCL POSTSCRIPT* MAC INDEX (PPM)
BEST HP LaserJet 4 Si 7.91 5.63 N/A 9.10 17
RUNNER-UP Compaq PageMarq 20 6.76 6.10 6.45 8.59 20
RUNNER-UP Lexmark LaserPrinter
4039 12R 5.66 3.47 4.56 8.63 12
RUNNER-UP Genicom Model 7170 8.96 3.54 3.20 8.52 17
RUNNER-UP Lexmark LaserPrinter
4039 16L 6.90 3.60 5.10 8.24 16
MAXIMUM
RESOLUTION INPUT
PROCESSOR PRICE (DPI) (SHEETS)
BEST HP LaserJet 4 Si 25-MHz i960CF $3749 600 x 600 2000
RUNNER-UP Compaq PageMarq 20 20-MHz AMD29000 $4636 400 x 800 1500
RUNNER-UP Lexmark LaserPrinter
4039 12R 16-MHz AMD29000 $1999 600 x 600 700
RUNNER-UP Genicom Model 7170 20-MHz 68030 $9775 300 x 300 2000
RUNNER-UP Lexmark LaserPrinter
4039 16L 16-MHz AMD29000 $4137 600 x 600 1000
* PC
N/A = not applicable
BYTE BEST: Workgroups
