GCC Elite 21SE

High-priced workgroup laser printer is fast enough for most offices.

WHAT'S HOT: GCC equips the Elite 21SE with a copious 64MB of memory, an internal duplexer, a 4GB hard drive, and an ethernet interface--overall, a powerful configuration. It prints black, accurate text even at small sizes, and it does a good job keeping narrow parallel lines clean and distinct. The Elite 21SE's mechanical design makes everyday use and maintenance even easier than other well-designed high-end corporate lasers do. For example, the front and rear faces flop out to expose the printer's innards for clearing paper jams, and the toner cartridge and drum slip in and out effortlessly. The control panel's menu structure and buttons make perfect sense too.

WHAT'S NOT: For $2099 we expected something exceptional: blazing speed, irresistible print quality, or enough special-purpose hardware to stock an amusement park. The Elite 21SE does reasonably well in all those categories, but it doesn't deliver anything exceptional. It doesn't have top-of-the-line paper-handling, for example (though the duplexer is a nice touch), while its text speed of 11.9 pages per minute and graphics speed of 2.3 ppm hit the middle of the pack. And its gray-scale images are not as clean is its text, showing dotty textures.

WHAT ELSE: You can add one or two 550-sheet paper feeders for $249 each; for $399 you can get a 550-sheet output bin that can offset print jobs as it stacks them.

BEST USE: Though the Elite 21SE is too expensive for many, its price may not seem so unapproachable for those already planning to buy a printer with an internal hard drive and duplexer.

SUMMARY