NEC's SuperScript 870: A Fast Laser Show

In pursuit of looking new and cool, some PC products do everything but dance in a football field end zone. Not low-end laser printers: They're quiet types that get the job done fast when you need to send an important letter or distribute a report, with the best possible text quality. For small or home offices, NEC's new $349 SuperScript 870 is a solid new player. It costs slightly less than the popular Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 6Lse (which sells for $399) and runs faster.

In PC World lab tests of a shipping unit, the NEC printed about 7 pages of text per minute and 3.9 pages of graphics per minute--quicker than most lasers in the same price class. The HP 6Lse, for example, runs at 5.1 pages per minute for text and 3 pages per minute for graphics. (The NEC uses an 8-ppm printer engine, compared to the HP's 6-ppm engine.)

As for print quality, NEC's 600-by-600-dpi resolution laser produces text that looks crisp and clean, even at small sizes. Graphics seem a bit dark but show good detail.

The SuperScript 870 has a sleeker, more stylish and compact design than its predecessor, the SuperScript 860. We particularly like the handles on the side of the printer, which let you pick the machine up easily. The printer's simple control panel is a plus, as is the straight paper path that accommodates a wide range of paper, envelopes, and cards. The input tray can handle 150 sheets; an optional 500-sheet tray ($169) snaps onto the bottom of the printer. You can get a 10/100Base-T network interface card for $249.

NEC's full-featured software lets you adjust the brightness of the output; optimize for different media; and make booklets, watermarks, and "n-up" prints (reduced-size copies of several pages on one sheet). Home-office users will appreciate the Learning Company applications bundled with the SuperScript 870: Project Manager Pro 1.0, Labels Unlimited 2.0, Business Card Pro 1.0, Form Designer Pro 1.0, and Calendar Creator 5.02.

One small gripe: Though the printer manual includes a good nine-page troubleshooting section, we would have preferred more illustrations and a more complete index.

NEC provides a two-year warranty as well as toll-free and online customer support. Overall, with its combination of speedy printing, low price, and ease of use, the SuperScript 870 is a winner.

SUMMARY

NEC SuperScript 870 PRO: Compact design, speedy, great text quality. CON: Graphics a bit dark; manual could use more diagrams. VALUE: A solid value for home-office users. $349 NEC 800/632-4636 www.nec.com