NEC SuperScript 1400

WHAT'S HOT: This is substantially the same printer that IBM markets as the Infoprint 12. It costs less ($349), produces the same crisp black text, and thanks to different drivers, even does a slightly better job on detailed fine lines, with evenly balanced weights. NEC resisted the temptation to make the SuperScript 1400's case a distinctive color, opting instead for basic beige and giving it a somewhat more streamlined shape as well. NEC doesn't include a printed manual, but the on-screen documentation is comprehensive and even includes some useful videos of setting up, removing paper jams, and so on. NEC sells toner cartridges in two sizes: A 3000-page cartridge costs $80, which comes out to 2.7 cents per page, and a 6000-page cartridge that costs only $120, or 2 cents per page.

WHAT'S NOT: NEC gave the printer a faster-sounding name than IBM did, but the SuperScript 1400 doesn't print nearly as fast as the IBM Infoprint 12 does: It slides out text at 6.9 pages per minute, compared with the IBM's stellar 9.5 ppm. (Graphics speed is similar at 3 ppm.) NEC's control-panel lights baffled us to no end, with combinations of flashes that make as much sense to the uninitiated as those international signal flags on a ship. If you buy this printer, keep the documentation handy. Graphics quality is similar to the IBM's: light, but grainy and dotted.

WHAT ELSE: For heavy-duty use, you can add a 550-sheet paper feeder for $199. The printer supplies parallel and USB ports, but to share it among a small workgroup on a network you'll need an ethernet card. We didn't encounter any problems running the SuperScript 1400 in single-user mode, but those in a network environment may need to bump up its 4MB of memory.

BEST USE: The SuperScript 1400's performance is good enough for a small office, but larger workgroups will probably want something faster.

SUMMARY

NEC SuperScript 1400 Rated 12 ppm, 1200-by-1200-dpi maximum resolution, 350 sheets input, 350 output. $349 800/632-4636 www.nectech.com