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Reviews: Inkjet Printers
Dell 948 AIO
B&W Pages per Min.: 28 • Color Pages per Min.: 25 • Max. B&W dpi: 600-by-600 • Max. Color dpi: 4800-by-1200 • Max. Scanning dpi: 1200 by 4800 • Tray Capacity, pages: 100 • Price When Reviewed: $149
Dell 948 AIO (Front)
Dell 948 AIO (Front)
77.2 Good
Last updated
January 03, 2008
Test Center Reviewed by
Melissa Riofrio
Pros
  • Low price; lots of software
  • Very easy to use; automatic duplexing
Cons
  • Feathery text quality; pricey black ink
  • Slow graphics printing
Pricing: Inexpensive: $149 (6/6/2008)
Performance: Good: 71
Features: Fair: 64
Design: Very Good: 89
Pricing
Inexpensive: $149  
Standard-Capacity Black Cartridge - $23.99
Standard-Capacity Color Cartridge - $29.99
Performance
Good: 71  
Text Printing (Plain Paper, Normal Settings)
Tested Text Speed (ppm) 7.6 
Three-Page Word Document (secs) 44.26 
Ten-Page Word Document (secs) 102.85 
Text Output Quality Good 
Color Printing (Plain Paper, Normal Settings)
Tested Color Speed (ppm) 1.7 
Two-Page Excel Document (secs) 72.16 
One-Page Webpage (secs) 36.19 
4 by 6 Color Photo (secs) 29.07 
Color Output Quality Good 
Color Photo Printing (Glossy Paper, Best Settings)
Tested Glossy Photo Speed (ppm) 0.6 
Sports Action Shot (secs) 107.6 
Color Photo Quality Superior 
Grayscale Printing (Plain Paper, Normal Settings)
Tested Grayscale Speed (ppm) 2.1 
4 by 6 Grayscale Photo (secs) 28.86 
Grayscale Output Quality Superior 
Lineart Printing (Plain Paper, Best Settings)
Tested Lineart Speed (ppm) 3.6 
300dpi Line Art Image (secs) 16.67 
Line Art Output Quality Good 
Scan Tests (in seconds)
Preview Scan, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi 14.13 
Preview Scan, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi 14.3 
Final Scan Time, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi 41.76 
Preview Scan, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi 14.22 
Final Scan Time, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi 16.75 
Preview Scan, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi 14.3 
Final Scan Time, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi 15.99 
Overall Scan Quality Good 
Copy Tests
One-Page Copy (secs) 17.21 
Copy Output Quality Good 
Features
Fair: 64  
Memory (in MB)
RAM Installed 32 
Maximum Amount of RAM 32 
Dimensions
Dimensions 18 by 16.1 by 11.3 
Weight (pounds) 17.6 
Vendor Rated Speeds
B&W Pages per Min. 28 
Color Pages per Min. 25 
Resolutions
Max. B&W dpi 600-by-600 
Max. Color dpi 4800-by-1200 
Interfaces
Parallel Port No 
Serial Port No 
USB 1.1 Yes 
USB 2.0 Yes 
Ethernet No 
Media Card Readers CompactFlash, Memory Stick, SD Card, xD-Picture Card 
PictBridge Yes 
Other Interfaces Optional 802.11 b/g, bluetooth 
Drivers
Macintosh No 
Windows 98 No 
Windows NT No 
Windows 2000 Yes 
Windows XP Yes 
Linux No 
Power
Maximum Power Draw (watts) 32 
Standby Power Draw (watts)
Multifunction Printer Specs
Scan Area (inches) 8.5 by 11.7 
Max. Scanning dpi 1200 by 4800 
Maximum Enhanced Scan Resolution (dpi) 1200 by 1200 
Scanning Image Sensor Type CIS 
Scanner Type flatbed 
Maximum Scan Color Depth 48 
Maximum Scan Grayscale Depth 16 
Fax Memory (pages) 160 
LCD Type Mono 
Paper Handling
Number of Input Trays, Standard
Number of Input Trays, Maximum
Tray Capacity, pages 100 
Maximum Sheets With Optional Paper Trays 100 
Manual Feed Slot No 
Maximum Paper Size Legal 
Output Tray Capacity 25 
Auto Duplexer Yes 
Warranty & Support
Labor Warranty (years) One 
Parts Warranty (years) One 
Weekday Support Hours 24 
Saturday Support Hours 24 
Sunday Support Hours 24 
Toll-Free Support Yes 
Vendor-Supplied Data (in Pages)
Monthly Duty Cycle 1000 
Monochrome Ink/Toner Yields 504 
Color Ink/Toner Yields 507 
Bundled Items
Included Hardware standard capacity black cartridge, standard capacity tricolor cartridge 
Included Software Printer drivers & utlities CD; Dell Ink Management System 
Reliability & Service
Summary of results for all of brand's products in this category Printers are Dell’s weakest category, according to our survey. Readers gave the vendor below-average grades for phone service, ease of use, and reliability. 
Reliability of brand's products in this category
Reports of products arriving with problems Average 
Reports of products with any significant problems Average 
Reports of problems that render a product unusable Average 
Buyers' rating of products ease-of-use Worse than Average 
Overall satisfaction with reliability of brand's products in category Worse than Average 
Service & Support Quality
Time spent holding for phone support Average 
Overall quality of vendor's phone support Worse than Average 
Reports of problems unresolved after contacting service Average 
Overall quality of service Average 
Design
Very Good: 89  

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