CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 03/23/2003
- Updated on: 03/24/2003
- Released on: 03/25/2003
 Color-coordinated with Dell PCs. |
 High-capacity but flimsy paper trays. |
But while the design and layout of the trays are solid and standard issue, the quality of the plastics leans toward cheap and flimsy. The paper rest at the edge of the output tray keeps prints from cascading out onto the floor, but it looks and feels rickety, and the extension segments that slide and fold out of the multipurpose tray to accommodate legal and A4-sized paper seem like they might snap off quite easily. For small offices with careful employees, these parts shouldn't pose a problem. But if you're buying this printer for a corporate workgroup that tends to use a lot of specialty paper, you might want to go with a sturdier but more expensive printer such as the Xerox Phaser 4400N.
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 Many connectivity options. |
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Between its 250-sheet input cassette and 100-sheet multipurpose feeder, the S2500n holds 350 sheets of paper, total. The output tray holds 100 sheets of paper. Growing offices will appreciate being able to add on a 250- or 500-sheet input cassette (these snap on under the existing input tray and cost $139 and $189, respectively) for a total input capacity of 1,100 pages. You can also opt to increase the printer's existing 32MB of RAM to a total of 288MB, which will give you more memory for large or multiple print jobs. Overall, these features add up to more than you'd get with a similarly priced business laser such as the Xerox Phaser 3400's network-ready version.
The Dell S2500n's installation software is quite user-friendly, even for non-IT types. To install the printer on a network, just follow the clear, step-by-step instructions. There's no need to suffer through Flash animation or the coddling baby talk you sometimes get from personal printer installation help, which we find inappropriate for this type of printer. Once the printer is set up, the drivers offer an excellent range of choices in a simple, well-organized format. For example, a series of horizontal tabs give access to basic adjustments, such as Setup (document orientation, n-up printing), and more advanced options such as Graphic, where you can choose between XL, Raster, and GL/2 modes and fine-tune the dithering and contrast.
The Dell S2500n did quite well in CNET Labs' speed-performance tests. It averaged 13.3 pages per minute (ppm) on text and 8.8ppm on graphics, which put it just in line with or slightly faster than its comparably priced competition, the Xerox Phaser 3400.
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Laser printer speed (personal and workgroup) Pages per minute (Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Our print-quality tests, however, told a slightly different story. While our jury rated the text good overall, close scrutiny revealed that small text (2 to 3 points) looked blotchy and hard to read. Even larger text (9 to 12 points) suffered from extraneous dots, feathering, and visible blotchiness. These flaws are mostly imperceptible to the casual observer, but we were surprised to see them in a laser printer--they're the kinds of imperfections one generally sees in an inkjet that lacks precise, laser-fused printing.
Inkjet printer quality
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Graphics were even more disappointing. Right away, our jury noticed that the pure black portions of our test document looked shiny and almost scaly, even when laid flat on a table. The photo elements of our test document were blocky and looked like newsprint, and the gradient elements contained a lot of noise. On a positive note, the S2500n did well with shading; there was a subtle visible difference between 100 and 90 percent on the black end of the spectrum and 0 and 5 percent on the white end.
According to our calculations, the Dell S2500n doesn't use much toner. A high-yield cartridge will run you $169 and print 10,000 pages for an average cost of less than 2 cents per page. Dell also sells a 5,000-page cartridge for $129 and--best of all--use-and-return versions of each cartridge for $94 and $129, respectively.
Dell offers comprehensive service and support for the S2500n. Business users will appreciate the one-year warranty, which includes onsite service. You can also upgrade to a two-, three-, or four-year plan for $99, $129, and $209. With the standard warranty, you get access to Dell's toll free, 24/7 phone tech support for the life of the printer. Dell's Web site also has a wealth of support options such as e-mail, a searchable knowledge base, downloadable drivers, and community forums for discussion with other users. Lexmark offers virtually the same resources, minus the user forum.
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