Product Watch: Printers for every job
After deciding which type of printer suits your company's needs best, it is time to pick the right product. Check out these offerings designed for small offices and various workgroup requirements.
Monochrome laser printers from Dell
Dell's latest laser printers offer SMBs performance in a small form factor. Priced at S$899 (US$529), the Dell Laser Printer 1710n features integrated networking, making it ideal for small workgroups. For S$599 (US$352), the Dell Laser Printer 1710 is designed for personal printing for small- or home-office use.
Both models have print speeds of up to 27 ppm (pages per minute) and 1,200 x 1,200 dpi (dots per inch) resolution to produce professional documents. Dell claims the 1710 series offers a low total cost of printing. The cost per page is said to be as low as S$0.03 (US$0.017) using the Dell High-Capacity Toner Cartridge. The new series is backed by one-year service and support.
Secure printing with Lexmark
The Lexmark C522/C524 family delivers print speeds of up to 19 ppm in both color and monochrome mode. The printers are bundled with Lexmark's Color Care Technology, which has tools for saving toner, authorizing the use of color printing, and estimating the cost of color per page.
The printers feature 1,200 x 1,200 dpi resolution and chemically processed toners, and security features such as enhanced personal ID number management, which allows administrators to set options for lockout, job expiration, and invalid PIN protection. Prices start from S$1398.60 (US$822).
Networking with Brother
At one point or another, small offices and workgroups will require their workplace to be network-ready. The new Brother multifunction printer--MFC-5440CN--has a built-in Ethernet interface, making printing, scanning and PC faxing in a network environment a breeze.
The printer allows users to print, fax, copy and scan in color, as well as PC fax. It provides printouts at resolutions of up to 1,200 x 6,000dpi, and delivers print speeds of up to 20ppm (mono) and up to 15ppm (color). For easy archiving and storing, the printer features Scansoft Paperport, which converts piles of paper and photos into organized digital files. The MFC-5440CN is priced at S$348 (US$205).