Dell has all sorts of color laser printers, but two that stand out as reliable high quality machines are the Dell 1320c and the Dell 5110cn. While both printers come standard with some of the same features and provide similar print quality, they have unique characteristics that may make one more suitable for your business than the other. The Dell 1320c has a monthly duty cycle of 35,000 pages, and is suited for small- to mid-size businesses. The Dell 5110cn is equipped to handle much larger operations, and has a monthly duty cycle of 95,000. The Dell 5110cn also has networking capabilities, so it is ideal for workgroups as well. The Dell 5110cn is slightly larger than the 1320c, so if saving space is an issue, you may want to opt for the more compact Dell 1320c.

The Dell 1320c features Hi-Speed USB connectivity. The Dell 5110n features three connectivity options—Hi-Speed USB, Network – IEEE 1284 and Parallel. The Dell 1320c comes equipped with four starter printer cartridges. The Dell 5110n comes equipped with one black toner cartridge and one of each color toner cartridge. The black toner cartridge yields up to 10,000 pages, and the color toner cartridges yield up to 8,000 pages.

The Dell 1320c and Dell 5110cn both produce quality color and monochrome documents at a resolution of 600 dpi x 600 dpi. Both printers come equipped with 2400 IQ image enhancement technology, which ensures that text prints crisp and images appear clear and vibrant. The Dell 1320c produces color documents at 12 pages per minute, and monochrome documents at 16 pages per minute, and has a first page out time of 18 seconds. The Dell 5110cn produces monochrome documents at the fast speed of 40 pages per minute, and is 35 pages per minute for color documents. The Dell 1320c has a media capacity of 250 sheets, which cannot be expanded. The 5110cn is a powerhouse that can support large printing demands, with a media capacity of 650 sheets. If your needs ever change, the 5110cn can grow with your business, as the media capacity is expandable to a maximum of 2,150 sheets.

The Dell 1320c has a 333 MHZ processor, which supports its 64 MB of installed memory. The memory of the Dell 1320c cannot be expanded, so if your business requires a printer with more memory, you may want to opt for the Dell 5110cn, which comes equipped with 128 MB of installed memory, which can be expanded to 1.125 GB. The Dell 5110cn has a 400 MHz processor, which helps the printer work faster and support more memory. If you are looking for added security, the Dell 1320c offers a security lock slot, which gives you ultimate control over who uses the printer, and how much they print, which could also help your business save money in the long run. As an added bonus, the Dell 5110cn comes equipped with a duplexer for quick and easy double-sided printing. The Dell 5110cn is also Energy Star qualified and Blue Angel compliant, which will help you save energy and reduce overall costs.

Overall Specs – Dell 1320c:

• Print Speed: Monochrome – 16 ppm; Color – 12 ppm
• Memory: 64 MB
• Resolution:  600 dpi x 600 dpi
• Duty Cycle:  35,000 pages
• Paper Capacity:  Input – 250 sheets; Output – 150 sheets
• Connectivity:  Hi-Speed USB
• Dimensions (w x d x h): 15.7 in x 16.6 in x 14.9 in

Overall Specs – Dell 5110cn:

• Print Speed: Monochrome – 40 ppm; Color – 35 ppm
• Memory: 128 MB; expandable to 1.125 GB
• Resolution:  600 dpi x 600 dpi
• Duty Cycle:  95,000 pages
• Paper Capacity:  Input – 650 sheets (expandable to 2,150 sheets); Output – 250 sheets
• Connectivity:  Hi-Speed USB, Network – IEEE 1284, Parallel
• Dimensions (w x d x h): 16.9 in x 22.8 in x 19.6 in

The Brother HL 4040cn is a color laser printer with networking capabilities. The printer is a great investment for small offices or workgroups within larger operations that require quality printing, but do not have a lot of space to spare. The Brother HL 4040cn measures 16.5 inches wide, by 18.7 inches deep, by 12.5 inches high. The printer has a maximum monthly duty cycle of 35,000 pages, and is recommended for businesses that print between 500 and 3,000 pages per month.

The Brother HL 4040cn has a three-color, LCD back-lit display, which walks users through the set-up process, as well as any maintenance issues the printer may have. The printer features 10/100 Base-TX Ethernet and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connectivity options.

The Brother HL 4040cn comes with one black toner cartridge (TN110BK) and three color toner cartridges—yellow (TN110Y), magenta (TN110M) and cyan (TN110C). The black toner cartridge yields approximately 2,500 pages at 5%, and the color toner cartridges yield approximately 1,500 pages at 5% each. Users also have the option of purchasing high yield toner cartridges—black (TN115BK), cyan (TN115C), magenta (TN115M) and yellow (TN115Y). The high yield black toner cartridge yields approximately 5,000 pages at 5%, and the color toner cartridges yield approximately 4,000 each at 5% coverage. The printer also has a toner save mode, which means you won’t have to replace the toner cartridges as often, which can significantly help reduce costs.

The Brother HL 4040cn has excellent print quality and has a maximum print resolution of 2400 x 600 dpi, which helps the printer produce documents with rich color and clear text. The printer produces color and monochrome documents at 21 pages per minute, with a first page out time of less than 16 seconds for monochrome documents and approximately 17 seconds for color documents. The Brother HL 4040cn prints monochrome documents at a much slower rate than comparable printers. The printer has a standard paper capacity of 250 sheets, which cannot be expanded.

The Brother HL 4040cn comes equipped with a 300 MHz processor and 64 MB of installed memory. Users can increase memory up to 512 MB in increments—128 MB, 256 MB and finally, 512 MB. The printer also features secure printing, which is ideal for businesses that require extra confidentially for clients, patients and customers.

Overall Specs:

• Print Speed: Monochrome – 21 ppm; Color – 21 ppm
• Memory: 64 MB; Expandable to 512 MB
• Resolution:  2400 x 600 dpi
• Duty Cycle:  35,000 pages per month
• Paper Capacity:  Input – 250 sheets, Output – 150 sheets
• Connectivity: 10/100 Base-TX Ethernet, Hi-Speed USB 2.0

Are you currently looking for a new printer for your small office or business? In this blog post we are listing four of the top business printers we reviewed during the course of 2010. Hopefully this review will give you a good start when it comes to navigating through the business printer waters.

Oki B431dn

what makes this a top business printer? The Oki B431dn produces high quality prints in lightning fast speed. Its flexible as there are three ways to connect with this printer. It is small in size when compared to other business printers in its class. The Okidata B431dn is ideal for the small office environment given its high duty cycle, paper capacity and relatively low maintenance costs. Plus auto duplexing comes standard with the Oki B431dn.

Oki B431dn Specs:

Printer Type: Monochrome Laser

Print Speed: up to 40 ppm

Duty Cycle: 80000 sheets per month

Print Quality: up to 1200 x 1200 dpi

Paper Capacity: standard – 350 sheets / maximum – 880 sheets

Connectivity: USB, Parallel, Ethernet

Memory: 64 MB/320 MB

Toner Cartridge (page yield): standard capacity – 4K pages per cartridge / high capacity – 10K pages per cartridge

Other supplies needed: image drum

Lexmark E462dtn

what makes this a top business printer? The Lexmark E462dtn yields similar specs to the Oki B431dn. The high volume performance capabilities (duty cycle, page speed and print quality) coupled with a low cost per page are the two primary reasons as to why the Lexmark E462dtn is ideal for a small business owner or workgroup within a larger organization. It does have a slightly slower first page out speed at 6.5 seconds but duplexing is standard in this Lexmark printer. Plus it is network ready.

Lexmark E462dtn Specs:

Printer Type: Monochrome Laser

Print Speed: up to 40 ppm

Duty Cycle: 80000 sheets per month

Paper Capacity: standard / maximum – 550 sheets

Print Quality: up to 1200 x 1200 dpi

Connectivity: USB, Parallel, Ethernet

Memory: 64 MB/576 MB

Toner Cartridge (page yield): standard capacity – 3.5K pages per cartridge / high capacity – 9K pages per cartridge / extra high capacity – 18K pages per cartridge

Other supplies needed: photo conductor kit

HP LaserJet Enterprise P3015dn

what makes this a top business printer? This workhorse of a monochrome laser printer is perfect for a high volume office environment that requires a great deal of black & white pages.  It has the flexibility to print to a wide variety of media types and can ensure confidential documents stay private with an optional PIN number. Perhaps a bank, title company or real estate office could use the LaserJet P3015dn. The print quality is among the best in its class given its speed capabilities. This printer is network ready and durable.

HP LaserJet P3015dn Specs:

Printer Type: Monochrome Laser

Print Speed: up to 42 ppm

Duty Cycle: 100000 sheets per month

Paper Capacity: standard – 600 / maximum – 1600 sheets

Print Quality: up to 1200 x 1200 dpi

Connectivity: USB, Ethernet

Memory: 128 MB/640 MB

Toner Cartridge (page yield): standard capacity - 6K pages per cartridge / high capacity - 12.5K pages per cartridge

Other supplies needed: N/A

Dell 1355cnw

what makes this a top business printer? If you are in an environment that requires high quality graphics to be printed then this printer is for you. What it lacks for in speed and paper capacity, it certainly makes up for in quality. Factor in that the Dell 1355cnw can copy, scan and fax in addition to printing and you’ve got the recipe for a solid business printer. It is an affordable option given the low cost of replacement supplies (the image drum and fuser unit are designed to last for the life of the printer, so you’ll never need to replace those parts). The one drawback is that you won’t be able to use this printer for any print jobs that require auto duplexing.

Dell 1355cnw Specs:

Printer Type: Multifunction Color Laser

Print Speed: color – up to 15 ppm / b&w – 12 ppm

Duty Cycle: 30000 sheets per month

Paper Capacity: standard / maximum – 160 sheets

Print Quality: up to 4800 x 4800 dpi

Connectivity: USB, Wireless, Ethernet

Memory: 128 MB

Toner Cartridge (page yield): standard capacity - 700 pages per cartridge / high capacity - 1400 pages per cartridge (color), 2000 pages per cartridge (black)

Other supplies needed: N/A

The holiday season has arrived. With the cheer of the holiday season comes smells of baked cookies, sparkling decorative lights, and packed stores with seemingly interminable lines. Yes, many of us haven’t even started our holiday shopping; or have a good amount of it left to do. Chances are, if you haven’t completed your holiday shopping, one of the people you still have to buy something for is your boss, because, let’s face it, it can be a little difficult to find something appropriate to give your boss. If you are one of many procrastinators who is still searching for a gift for your boss, check out the following list of gift ideas (all under $50). If you don’t know your boss particularly well, you might want to stay on the “traditional” side of the list. If you’re feeling a little adventurous, try something from the “unique” side of the list.

Traditional Gifts For Your Boss

Wireless Induction Charging Base - Who wouldn’t want a cordless charging base for their cell phone. The process is simple. Slide the charging pad on the back of the phone and then simply lay the phone onto the charging base. If your boss has an iPhone or certain Blackberry models then you’ll need to buy an extra piece, so make sure you know what type of cellular device your boss has. You can buy the charging base at Brookstone for just $29.95 (plus they have same day shipping).

 

 

Single Cup Coffeemaker – Is your boss a coffee buff? If the answer is yes, then what would be a better gift (especially for the cold winter months) than this single cup coffeemaker? It brews a 15 oz. batch of coffee into this stainless steel travel mug. Do I need to say anything more? You can pick yours up at Sharper Image for $29.99.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personalized Pen Stand – If your boss is the type who is always on time and well organized then this could be the gift for you. For under $20, you can buy your boss a personalized pen stand that includes a digital clock (LCD screen) which not only tells the time but also displays the date, temperature and doubles as an alarm clock / timer. Then there is the ergonomically-friendly pen. Its a stylish, functional gift perfect for a variety of personality types. You can purchase this pen stand at Things Remembered for just $19.99.

 

 

Unique Gifts For Your Boss

Wine Tasting Game – If you know that your boss (or their spouse) has a taste for wine then here is a great, fun gift idea for your boss this holiday season. This game allows wine enthusiasts to test their own knowledge while indulging in new wines. Two to Eight people can play this game. You can pick up a copy of the wine tasting board game at UncommonGoods.com for $35.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Workday Recovery Kit – Work in a stressful or high pressure environment? A great wayto cut some of that tension (and share a few laughs) is by purchasing a Workday Recovery Kit for your boss. This kit contains a 16-page remedy booklet, silicone bracelet, 5 affirmation cards, 5 healing bandages, recovery certificate, and metal charm. You can buy the Workday Recovery Kit on Amazon for just $13.50.

 

 

 

 

Decision Maker – Lets face it every boss has difficult decisions to make. From budgeting to hiring (and firing) to management, it can be astressful job. Help make their life easier (by providing a smile or two) by purchasing them modern day version of the “8 Ball.” The electronic star-shaped decision maker will help your boss make their big decisions a little bit easier. You can purchase the assisted decision maker at CorporateSnobs.com for $22.50.