Lab Results: Ink-Jet Printer Ratings

The following tables give the weightings and ratings for t he ink-jet printers tested.

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BEST OVERALL: Hewlett-Packard DeskJet 1600CM

A network-ready printer primed for small workgroups, the HP DeskJet
is blazingly fast in our performance benchmarks. It offers 6 MB of
memory (with support for up to 70 MB of RAM), has a vendor-specified
9-ppm print engine, and support for DOS, Windows, and Mac
environments. To justify its $2479 price tag, it's best wired to an
Ethernet or LocalTalk network with HP's JetDirect Print Server card.

                    PRICE   TECHNOLOGY   IMPLEMENTATION  PERFORMANCE
HP DeskJet 1600CM   $2479   *****        ****            *****
Epson S
tylus Pro    $799    ****         ****            ***
HP DeskJet 850C     $618    ***          ****            ***
Canon BJC-610       $599    ***          ****            ***

                    QUALITY USABILITY  FEATURES   OVERALL VALUE
HP DeskJet 1600CM   ***     ****       ****       ****
Epson Stylus Pro    *****   ****       ****       ****
HP DeskJet 850C     ****    ****       ****       ***
Canon BJC-610       ****    ****       ****       ***



KEY


***** Outstanding
**** Very Good
*** Good
** Fair
* Poor


Weighting:

Implementation         50%
   Quality   40%
   Features  25%
   Usability 25%
   Value     10%
Performance            40%
Technology             10%

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HIGH QUALITY: Epson Stylus Pro

At 720- by 720-dpi, the Epson Stylus Pro ($799) scores highest in our
subjective color-quality tests with its near-photographic images.
With quality this good, it's easy t
o ignore its sloth-like
high-resolution printing performance. In 180-dpi black-text draft
mode, however, its performance is decent. It also has the best
usability rating due to its easy-to-install ink cartridges and
user-friendly manual and control panel.

                                       TECH-   IMPLEMEN-
                               PRICE   NOLOGY  TATION      PERFORMANCE
Epson Stylus Pro               $799    ****    ****        ***
HP DeskJet 1600CM              $2479   *****   ****        *****
HP DeskJet 850C                $618    ***     ****        ***
Canon BJC-610                  $599    ***     ****        ***
Lexmark Color JetPrinter 2070  $399    ***     ****        ****

                                                            OVERALL
                               QUALITY USABILITY  FEATURES  VALUE
Epson Stylus Pro               *****   ****       ****      ****
HP DeskJet 1600CM              ***     ****       ****      ****
HP DeskJet 850C                ****
    ****       ****      ***
Canon BJC-610                  ****    ****       ****      ***
Lexmark Color JetPrinter 2070  ****    ****       ****      ***



KEY


***** Outstanding
**** Very Good
*** Good
** Fair
* Poor



Weighting:


Quality         80%
Performance     20%

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LOW COST: Lexmark Color JetPrinter 2070 and Canon BJC-4100

At $399 each, the Lexmark Color JetPrinter 2070 and the Canon
BJC-4100 take two different routes to affordable excellence. In draft
mode, the JetPrinter scored an impressive 3-ppm performance in our
tests. The 720- by 360-dpi Canon BJC-4100 is a four-cartridge printer
that excels in usability and features.

                                       TECH-   IMPLEMEN-
                               PRICE   NOLOGY  TATION      PERFORMANCE
Lexmark Color JetPrinter 2070  $399    ***     ****        ****
Canon BJC-4100                 $399    ***     ****
        ***
Canon BJC-70                   $399    ***     ****        ***
Lexmark Color JetPrinter 1020  $282    ***     ****        **
Lexmark WinWriter 150C         $349    ***     ***         ***

                                                            OVERALL
                               QUALITY USABILITY  FEATURES  VALUE
Lexmark Color JetPrinter 2070  ****    ***        ****      ***
Canon BJC-4100                 ***     ****       ****      ***
Canon BJC-70                   ***     ****       ****      ***
Lexmark Color JetPrinter 1020  ***     ***        ****      ***
Lexmark WinWriter 150C         ***     ***        ****      ***



KEY


***** Outstanding
**** Very Good
*** Good
** Fair
* Poor



Weighting:

Implementation         50%
   Quality   40%
   Features  25%
   Usability 25%
   Value     10%
Performance            40%
Technology             10%

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HP DeskJet 1600CM

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Epson Stylus Pro

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Lexmark Color JetPrinter 2070 and Canon BJC-4100

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