Checking Paper Capacity
All of the printers we tested have at least two paper sources as standard equipment. The HP Color LaserJet 3700n and the Oki Data Oki C5100n are the only printers on our chart that don't hold at least 500 sheets in the main tray. Three of the printers on our chart include a duplexer, as does the $850 Samsung CLP-500N, by far the cheapest printer in our group with this feature. Two of the duplex models print large-format banners: The Oki Data Oki C9500dxn can handle sizes up to 12.9 by 47.2 inches, and the Xerox Phaser 7300DN sizes up to 12 by 36 inches. The HP Color LaserJet 5500n prints at up to tabloid-extra size (12 by 18 inches).
More paper-handling options abound: You can add up to three 500-sheet trays to Lexmark's C752n (at $412 each) or one 2000-sheet drawer ($1249), a 650-sheet output expander ($226), and a 3000-sheet stapler/hole-punch finisher ($2499). IBM sells the same add-ons for its version of the printer, the Infoprint Color 1354n, at similar prices. The Brother HL-4200CN accepts an extra 500-sheet paper tray ($549) or an extra 1000-sheet tray ($999).
Popping the Hood
Fortunately, color lasers continue to get easier to use. The control panels on most of our printers are designed well enough to let even a casual user quickly accomplish basic tasks. But more-advanced functions are another story: We tried the printers' utilities for tasks such as tracking usage and specifying which users can print in color. We concluded that these chores are best handled by a network-savvy manager.
Xerox's control panels deserve special mention, because they provide an assortment of help documents that you can print without needing a PC or a network connection. And while there aren't separate buttons for each level of the control panel menus, as there are on the Oki Data control panels, the LCD always provides prompts so that you don't get lost in the menu hierarchy.
Single-pass designs have made replacing internal components and clearing paper paths easier than before, since all the components are aligned and clearly visible. In the Sharp AR-C200P and Oki Data Oki C7300n, all of the toner cartridge/drum assemblies sit in a rack or basket that can be completely removed, exposing the entire paper path.
All of the printers we tested have an ethernet port, which should, in theory, enable you to manage the printer remotely. And remote management is a heavily promoted feature for most of the units: Most vendors offer an embedded Web server that makes it easy to check the printer's status from anywhere on the network when, for example, it stops because someone left a paper tray pulled out. But for the most part, we found that installing these printers and using their management software are beyond the skills of a PC-savvy but not networking-trained person. For example, as we tested the printers under Microsoft Windows Server 2003, we couldn't install Oki Data's PrintSuperVision tools because Oki printers lack an embedded Web server; instead, they require a Web server (Microsoft's Internet Information Server) running on the network server and the SNMP network status tracker. Few of the utility installers told us when or how to create a TCP port, without which the printers wouldn't show up on our network.
On the other hand, both HP's WebJet Admin and Xerox's CentreWare Internet Services installed without much fuss and readily displayed the printer's embedded Web pages. If you aren't familiar with managing printers, however, you'll likely still face hours of experimentation as you set up e-mail notifications and configure user permissions. If you lack sufficient training as a network manager, you should leave these features to the experts.
Calling on Tech Support
Standard warranties for color lasers are far shorter than those for some other peripherals (monitors, say). All of the models we tested come with a one-year warranty. Oki Data and Sharp cover their units' LED array for five years but cover the rest of the components for only one year. Xerox, on the other hand, offers only one year of coverage for all components. Most vendors sell warranty extensions and service contracts, such as the three-year warranty extension for the Lexmark C752n, which includes on-site repair service and costs $1999.
Most of the vendors provide good support policies, such as on-site repair service. All of them field toll-free tech support calls during the warranty period. Brother, HP, and Oki Data run their telephone support 24 hours daily; all of the companies also answer tech questions by live Internet chat, by e-mail, or by both means. HP and Xerox provide especially thorough information on their Web sites in searchable knowledge bases and FAQs.
In our tests, color lasers matched the print quality of monochrome lasers, and most of them printed photos well enough--and at decent speeds--to permit users to include them in business presentations. But our printing yields for color pages were lower than the vendors specified; so if the amount of color on our test page is typical of the documents you print regularly, you'll likely spend more on toner than the vendor's specs suggest. Still, despite demanding a hefty initial investment and significant ongoing expense, color laser printers are becoming less exotic and more of a vital business tool.
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