For most needs, one of the nine 16- to 20-ppm laser printers that we tested should be fast enough for midsize offices with 25 to 75 users wired to a network. These printers generally can handle enough volume so that you won't have to call crowd control whenever multiple print jobs are sent to the queue. Although the 30- to 32-ppm lasers offer more speed and paper-handling capabilities, the 16- to 20-ppm units have the ability to print higher-quality documents with integrated graphics.
Most of these printers are desktop units that support 600-dpi output and let you print general graphics relatively quickly. Some support resolutions of up to 1200 dpi, which is great for detailed reports; however, you may have to wait a bit if your text report is in the queue behind a coworker's complex newsletter. The average cost
of the printers in this category is $4236, and only two exceed $5000 for their as-tested configurations.
Our overall winner in this category is the
Xerox 4520mp Desktop Laser Printer
, by virtue of its 20-ppm print speed and high quality. Also ranking high is the
Kyocera Ecosys FS-3400A
; it ripped through our PCL tests with the best score in the group. However, it didn't come with a PostScript option, which eliminated it from our PostScript and EtherTalk tests. The FS-3400A printed at 11.7 ppm in the PCL tests, and if you just need to print in PCL mode, it's a bargain at $3578.
At $3699, the 16-ppm Dataproducts Typhoon 16 is another outstanding lower-priced network printer. The unit's performance scores were below average, but only
Lexmark's Optra Lx
had a better quality-index rating. In addition, the Typhoon 16 had the best features score in this category, as well as one of the best ease-of-use ratings.
Finally, HP's 600-dpi
LaserJet 4MV ($3549) and LaserJet 4Si MX ($5299) put up strong performance numbers in our three subcategories and had above-average quality scores. HP is rumored to be introducing a replacement model for the 4Si, a new 24-ppm laser that will be available sometime in November.
Weighting for Best Overall
Performance 40%
Quality 30%
Features 15%
Usability 15%
Weighting for High Quality
Quality 70%
Performance 10%
Features 10%
Usability 10%
With its excellent performance (due to its 20-ppm print engine) and
good usability and quality scores, the Xerox 4520mp was our overall
winner. It comes with three paper-input trays and supports up to
five. Its maximum resolution of 800 dpi helps when printing
graphics-intensive documents. It has standard pa
rallel, serial, and
unshielded-twisted-pair (UTP) Ethernet ports; LocalTalk and Token
Ring ports are optional.
PRICE AS OVERALL CPU SPEED
TESTED SCORE (MHZ)
=====================================================================
BEST Xerox 4520mp $4335 8.71 25
RUNNER-UP Kyocera Ecosys FS-3400A $3578 8.65 16
RUNNER-UP HP LaserJet 4Si MX $5299 8.44 25
RUNNER-UP HP LaserJet 4MV $3549 8.41 33
PPM
PCL POSTSCRIPT ETHERTALK
=====================================================================
BEST Xerox 4520mp 11.4 8.9 7.4
RUNNER-UP Kyocera Ecosys FS-3400A 11.7 N/A N/A
RUNNER-UP HP LaserJet 4Si MX 10.7 9.4 7.1
RUNNER-UP HP Laser
Jet 4MV 10.6 8.3 7.6
SCORES
QUALITY FEATURES USABILITY
=======================================================================
BEST Xerox 4520mp **** ** ****
RUNNER-UP Kyocera Ecosys FS-3400A *** ** ****
RUNNER-UP HP LaserJet 4Si MX *** *** ****
RUNNER-UP HP LaserJet 4MV **** *** ****
KEY
Ratings from 1 to 4: * is the lowest; **** is the highest.
If detailed documents are your main concern, then the 1200-dpi
Lexmark Optra Lx deserves a close look. It may not have
lightning-fast performance, but it achieved the highest quality
scores in this report. With its accompanying MarkVision management
and monitoring software, the Optra Lx is one
of the easiest-to-use
printers we tested. The unit in this group that outscored it in
usability was the 1200-dpi QMS 1660E Print System.
PRICE AS OVERALL CPU SPEED
TESTED SCORE (MHZ)
====================================================================
BEST Lexmark Optra Lx $3997 8.34 25
RUNNER-UP QMS 1660E Print System $3999 8.12 33
RUNNER-UP Dataproducts Typhoon 16 $3699 8.08 25
RUNNER-UP HP LaserJet 4MV $3549 8.05 33
PPM
PCL POSTSCRIPT ETHERTALK
====================================================================
BEST Lexmark Optra Lx 7.1 5.3 4.9
RUNNER-UP QMS 1660E Print System 9.5 7.5 6.9
RUNNER-UP Dataproducts Typhoon 16 6.7 7.0 6.6
RUNNER-UP
HP LaserJet 4MV 10.6 8.3 7.6
SCORES
QUALITY FEATURES USABILITY
=====================================================================
BEST Lexmark Optra Lx **** ** ****
RUNNER-UP QMS 1660E Print System **** *** ****
RUNNER-UP Dataproducts Typhoon 16 **** **** ****
RUNNER-UP HP LaserJet 4MV **** *** ****
KEY
Ratings from 1 to 4: * is the lowest; **** is the highest.
Our choice for best overall printer for the Mac is the Kyocera Ecosys
FS-3600A. With its as-tested price of $4278, this printer supports
resolutions of up to 600 dpi. The FS-3600A blew away the other
printers in the EtherTalk ppm ratings with a score of 9.5. The
nearest competitor in th
e group was the HP LaserJet 4MV, which
sported a 7.6-ppm rating. The Dataproducts Typhoon 16, boosted by
quality, features, and usability all superior to that of the
top-rated Mac printers, was a close third.
PRICE AS OVERALL CPU SPEED
TESTED SCORE (MHZ)
=======================================================================
BEST Kyocera Ecosys FS-3600A $4278 7.4 50
RUNNER-UP HP LaserJet 4MV $3549 6.9 33
RUNNER-UP Dataproducts Typhoon 16 $3699 6.8 25
RUNNER-UP Xerox 4520mp $4335 6.75 25
PPM
PCL POSTSCRIPT ETHERTALK
====================================================================
BEST Kyocera Ecosys FS-3600A 9.4 10.0 9.5
RUNNER-UP HP LaserJet 4MV 10.6 8.3
7.6
RUNNER-UP Dataproducts Typhoon 16 6.7 7.0 6.6
RUNNER-UP Xerox 4520mp 11.4 8.9 7.4
SCORES
QUALITY FEATURES USABILITY
=======================================================================
BEST Kyocera Ecosys FS-3600A *** ** ****
RUNNER-UP HP LaserJet 4MV **** *** ****
RUNNER-UP Dataproducts Typhon 16 **** **** ****
RUNNER-UP Xerox 4520mp **** ** ****
KEY
Ratings from 1 to 4: * is the lowest; **** is the highest.
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16- To 20-PPM Printers
