Color printers may get all the hype, but in the dark corners of the office, monochrome printers continue to slave away at plain-text jobs, with an occasional interruption for a cheap, quick graphic. Our roundup examines the five fastest models on the market, ranging in engine speed from 36 ppm (pages per minute) to 51 ppm. Three lower-end models from IBM, Lexmark, and Xerox offer affordable entry prices and room to grow, whereas two hulking machines from Hewlett-Packard and Kyocera handle high-volume and wide-format printing with aplomb.
We ran each printer through a battery of quantitative and hands-on tests, looking at everything from print speed and print quality to setup, management, and ease of use. Our highest ratings went to HP’s LaserJet 9000dn, Kyocera’s Ecosys FS-9520DN, and Xerox’s Phaser 4500N.
We expected to see the printers churn out good-looking text and struggle more with graphics. But we were also keen to verify the incredible engine-speed specs advertised by the vendors. Because maximum print speeds are achieved through caching, we added a load test (developed by Contributing Editor Victor R. Garza) to our regular text and graphics tests, sending dozens of jobs at once (totaling about 800 pages) to each printer. Once each printer cached all the data, it spit out the pages swiftly, attaining anywhere from 87 percent to 94 percent of its rated speed. By comparison, printing one plain-text document at a time dropped their rate to 62 percent to 66 percent of their spec speeds.
In short, these printers will shine brightest in busy workplaces where lots of users are cranking out big print jobs. Which plain-text powerhouse is the best fit for your busy office? Read on to find out how these printers compared.
Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 9000dn
HP’s LaserJet 9000dn is caught in a dead heat with the other mega-printer in this roundup, Kyocera’s Ecosys FS-9520DN. Both printers cost a lot but can shoulder heavy traffic at high speed. The HP’s edge lies in ease of use and excellent design — but surprisingly, not in print quality.
Setting up the LaserJet 9000dn was nearly effortless, but we were a little confused when we were asked to choose the correct driver from a scrolling list. The installer marked the likely contenders, but they included drivers in other languages, and the descriptions were not helpful. Although copious paper and electronic documentation comes with the printer, we were surprised that the main user guide was available only online.
The LaserJet 9000dn offers high-end features with speed and print quality to match (most of the time). It has a high monthly duty cycle and maximum paper capacity of 3,600 sheets, and its two main input trays can take paper sizes up to tabloid. Duplexing comes standard, and a stapler/finisher is available as an option.
The LaserJet 9000dn charged through our load test and plain-text tests at high speed, faltering only when it came to graphics. Print quality followed suit: Text looked nearly flawless, but some graphics exhibited slight banding, noticeable moiré (unintentional background patterns), and other problems.
Managing the printer remotely is a breeze with HP’s full-featured, well-designed Web JetAdmin software. Locally, the control panel boasts easily understandable messages displayed on the LCD and intuitive button navigation of the menus and settings. Strategically placed diagrams help you handle paper jams and load consumables properly. The doors and trays work well.
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