Workgroup Printers

Network administrators have many choices when picking a workgroup laser printer. Just in our roundup alone there are inexpensive 17-ppm lasers like Apple's LaserWriter 16/600, IBM's Network Printer 17, and Xerox's DocuPrint 4517 for smaller workgroups. The IBM and Xerox models share similar Fuji-Xerox print engines. For larger offices, we looked at three similar 24-ppm printers from HP, Lexmark, and QMS. As they all use the same Canon engine, they share many features. Their print controller electronics differentiate them in terms of speed and output quality.

Best Overall

We chose the Lexmark Optra N 245 as the Best Overall network laser printer because it easily provided the best performance in our Windows-based benchmarks and prints nearly flawless 600-dpi documents. Like the HP LaserJet 5SiMX and the QMS 2425 Ex, the Optra N 245 uses the 24-ppm Canon P550 engine to pump out its above-average performance numbers. The Optra has a large paper-input capacity, and its excellent MarkVision print management software lets networked users intuitively control printer functions from their desktops.

The sales leader in network printing, HP tries to remain king of the hill with its LaserJet 5SiMX. Second only to the Lexmark in performance, the 24-ppm HP machine prints crisp photographic images at its maximum resolution of 600 dpi, and its finely honed JetAdmin management software makes network printing easy for end users and LAN managers. It does well in the graphics and font performance tests, quickly interpreting PostScript commands and pushing out the documents faster than most other printers. HP's laser has extensive paper-handling capabilities; it has three input trays as standar, and a fourth optional tray provides a total capacity of 3100 sheets. Other options include a duplex unit and a high-speed envelope feeder.

The QMS 2425Ex Print System was just behind the HP LaserJet in Windows performance. It tied the Lexmark for usability and had the best features score (as it should with a $6999 price tag). Among the 17-ppm lasers, the Xerox Docuprint 4517 provided the best performance.

Best High Quality

The Xerox DocuPrint 5417 gets the nod as the Best High Quality printer. In addition to best print quality, it has excellent paper-handling capabilities. In its enhanced 1200- by 600-dpi mode, the 5417 offers 144 shades of gray at 141 lines per inch. Its Quad Dot technology alters the size of dots in an image so that you can discern them only with a magnifying glass.

The low-cost Apple LaserWriter 16/600 deserves mention because it produces documents second in quality only to those produced by the DocuPrint 17. The 600-dpi LaserWriter 16/600 is adept at printing precise lines and text thanks to Apple's FinePrint antialiasing technology. Whi le the Apple laser produces fine documents, you should be prepared to take a performance hit relative to the faster 24-ppm printers we tested. The printer also has a small 850-sheet input capacity, but the LaserWriter 16/600 really delivers when you consider its quality/price ratio.

Best for Macintosh

The QMS 2425Ex Print System is the quickest printer in our Macintosh performance tests. Our Best for Macintosh pick, the QMS 2425Ex is a 24-ppm device with built-in decompression, a feature that allows compressed print streams without a dedicated print server. The benefit is faster printing and reduced network traffic. The printer has a 3100-sheet input tray capacity and a 100,000-pages-per-month duty cycle. The QMS CrownCopy option ($1999) lets you use the QMS 2425Ex as a copy machine.