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Entire Contents © 2006 Prog
ressiv
e Business Pub
lications
.
Copying of Pages Prohibited.To Order: 800 247 2185 or www.betterbuys.com
standard. These features are sometimes costly add-ons to
otherwise inexpensive color printers — in a few cases,
t
hey are simply not available. Like many network-
enabled printers these days, the HL-2700CN has an
embedded Web server that allows for remote
administration.
On the other hand, an automatic duplex unit is avail-
able as an option, but at $999 list, it is no bargain. Instead
of a hard drive, you can use CompactFlash cards in a
built-in slot, which gives you a little extra memory for
handling some of the software extras outlined below. The
HL-2700CN starts with 64MB of memory but can be
extended to a quite good 576MB. The standard paper
supply is based on a 250-sheet paper tray, and you can
add another 530-sheet paper tray for $549, list.
Brother includes some nice software features, especially
for an economy model. The machine has secure print
capability, so that you can send jobs and have them held
at the printer until you enter a password. This helps keep
sensitive material away from prying eyes. It also allows
you to r
eprint the last job without reprocessing the print
data, a handy time-saver when there is a paper jam or the
toner has run out in the middle of your job. You can store
frequently run jobs (like forms) and print them directly
fr
om the printer
. Ther
e’s also a stop job button on the
unit. Toner-saver mode is available as well.
The engine images at 600dpi resolution and supports up
to 2,400dpi thr
ough image enhancement,
a respectable
number in the “highest-dpi” resolution game in which
many vendors engage.
Costs per pa
ge ar
e ar
ound 3.5¢ per black-and-white
pa
ge (well above average) and 14.3¢ for color (also above
average), but these are list prices. You can get a better
deal on supplies if
you look.
The 8ppm color speed looks rather slow compared with
the latest generation of single-pass printers that print at
16–28ppm. However, the black printing speed of 31ppm
is excellent.
One big competitor of this printer is the Lexmark
C532n,
w
hich also is Ethernet-ready and has PostScript
standard.
Y
ou might also w
ant to tak
e a look a
t the OKI Printing
Solutions C5500n, which sells for $599, and is faster in
color at 20ppm (24ppm in black-and-white). That printer
lac
ks P
ostScript, which may or may not be important for
y
our office.
If you were going to crank out color pages all day long,
you probably wouldn’t consider this model. But for the
small office or workgroup that has a mix of color pages
and a steady stream of black-and-white work, this is a
solid c
hoice.
Chart entry — page 70
Brother HL-4200CN
26ppm full color
26ppm black & white
Sum-up: Good features and speed, but the price is too high.
This color printer offers both 1,200dpi resolution and
26ppm speed in color and black-and-white. The model’s
street price is $1,300.
Among the HL-4200CN’
s fea
tures ar
e 64MB of
stan
-
dard memory (expandable to 320MB) and an optional
20GB hard drive — an important option for a color print-
er that may be called upon to handle complex files and
make collated sets. Note that when you print in color at
1,200dpi, you take a speed hit down to 13ppm. However,
600dpi is suf
ficient f
or most color jobs
.
W
hat’s also noteworthy about this printer are the stan-
dard features that sometimes are extras on other models.
Ethernet comes standard, a big plus, as does PostScript 3.
Finally, automatic duplex is included in the basic package
as well.
T
he standar
d pa
per capacity starts at 600 sheets, and
the maximum capacity is 2,100 sheets. A 400MHz con-
troller and up to 320MB memory capacity ensure consis-
tent machine performance. Brother also touts its highly
interactive control panel, with excellent animated help
f
ea
tur
es. The printer is rated for a solid monthly duty
c
ycle of 60,000 pages.
Per-page operating costs are a mixed bag. A black-and-
w
hite pa
g
e costs ar
ound 2.5¢ to print,
w
hic
h is no bar
-
gain. The color page cost is around 10.4¢, near average.
Better Buys for Business
Brother HL-2700CN
Consumables costs at-a-glance
Price
Yield
Full-color cost per page
Black-and-white cost per page
Black toner $173.99 10,000 $0.017 $0.017
Cyan toner $178.99 6,600 $0.027 N/A
Magenta toner $178.99 6,600 $0.027 N/A
Yellow toner $178.99 6,600 $0.027 N/A
OPC belt/black $503.99 60,000 N/A $0.008
OPC belt/4-color $503.99 15,000 $0.034 N/A
Waste toner bottle $12.99 12,000 $0.001 $0.001
Fuser unit $577.99 60,000 $0.010 $0.010
TOTAL PER-PAGE COSTS
$0.1431 $0.0365
14.31 3.65