Dell 2130cn

The 2130cn's standard configuration is pretty basic, but it has some room to grow. Its 250-sheet input tray feels sturdy and has helpful markings. You can purchase a second 250-sheet input tray or an optional duplexer for $150 each. A manual feed slot above the main tray lets you feed one envelope or other thick media at a time. I'd have liked to see a beefier multipurpose tray, but what I really missed was Mac drivers--the 2130cn doesn't support that platform.

The 2130cn ships with a high-yield, 2500-page black (K) cartridge, and standard-size, 1000-page cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) cartridges. Unfortunately, replacing any of these supplies may induce sticker shock. At the time of our review, the high-yield black cost $70, or 2.8 cents per plain-text page, and high-yield color supplies cost $95 apiece--making a page with all four colors cost 14 cents total. These prices are marginally acceptable compared with the high-yield supplies offered by other color lasers we've tested, but the standard-size supplies are significantly worse: 5 cents per plain-text page, and 23 cents total for a four-color page.

I liked a lot of things about the 2130cn, but the pricey consumables should make any budget-conscious office pause. HP's Color LaserJet CP2025n may have a higher price tag up front, but its toner costs are far more reasonable (and it has Mac drivers).

--Susan Silvius