Entered CNET Catalog: 05/24/2006
SKU: 18154AE
Manufacturer: Dell, Inc.
Manufacturer description
The Dell Multifunction Laser Printer 1815dn allows you to consolidate various office functionalities such as print, copy, scan, and fax into an easy-to-manage compact solution. It lets you print sharp, professional-quality documents at 1200 Image Quality print resolution and at speeds of up to 27 pages per minute (Actual print speed will vary with use). Featuring a scan resolution of up to 4800x4800 dpi (Interpolated), you can scan images with great accuracy and color. This multifunction device even offers standalone functionality as a copier and fax machine. The 1815dn includes the Dell Toner Management System - an intelligent software program that monitors the printer's toner level and notifies you when the toner levels are low. Dell Printer Web Tool makes it easy to install, configure, and manage your network printer and consumables.User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3
User Rating: 
8/10
More than enough for my home office
Pros: Fast, easy to set up & use, cheap to operate
Cons: None so far
Review:
Network set-up was painless; DHCP worked automagically; no tweaks required.
The web-based config pages make setting up every feature a breeze. (Using the buttons on the printer is straight-forward, but time consuming.) Even upgrading the firmware via the web interface was painless. Installing the drivers for Windows 2000 (desktop) & XP (laptop) was likewise pain-free.
Copying is a pleasure--the ADF is convenient & works flawlessly (so far). Text print quality is excellent. Picture print quality is not quite top of the line, but adequate for my needs.
Scan quality for B&W is great; color not quite top of the line but good enough.
Scan to email is handy, and adding email addresses via the web interface is quick.
The only features I haven't tried are the fax (no phone line in the room yet) & the print from USB key.
I only got the 1 yr warranty b/c I'm going to use the printer for light-duty home use. (Crosses fingers.)
The web-based config pages make setting up every feature a breeze. (Using the buttons on the printer is straight-forward, but time consuming.) Even upgrading the firmware via the web interface was painless. Installing the drivers for Windows 2000 (desktop) & XP (laptop) was likewise pain-free.
Copying is a pleasure--the ADF is convenient & works flawlessly (so far). Text print quality is excellent. Picture print quality is not quite top of the line, but adequate for my needs.
Scan quality for B&W is great; color not quite top of the line but good enough.
Scan to email is handy, and adding email addresses via the web interface is quick.
The only features I haven't tried are the fax (no phone line in the room yet) & the print from USB key.
I only got the 1 yr warranty b/c I'm going to use the printer for light-duty home use. (Crosses fingers.)
User Rating: 
4/10
Not ready for prime-time
Pros: Nice features, nice price
Cons: Documentaiton is horrendous. Support awful.
Review:
Bought it for the feature set- mostly scan-to-network. Took forever to get set up- didn't like the default IP address. Spent 2 hours on support with Dell- the first guy was useless, 2nd one was pretty good.
Docs are incomplete, misleading, and plain old useless. If you don't know a little bit about networks, good luck setting it up.
I have 3 more PC's to get the drivers loaded on, and not looking forward to it at all. Also not looking forward to figuring out all the scan to PC, network, email functions. Manual seems useless to date.
Overall: Decent hardware, manuals written poorly, typos in software screens all scream "rush to market". Should've waited.
Docs are incomplete, misleading, and plain old useless. If you don't know a little bit about networks, good luck setting it up.
I have 3 more PC's to get the drivers loaded on, and not looking forward to it at all. Also not looking forward to figuring out all the scan to PC, network, email functions. Manual seems useless to date.
Overall: Decent hardware, manuals written poorly, typos in software screens all scream "rush to market". Should've waited.
User Rating: 
9/10
We bought one of the first and it works great
Pros: Cost, size, features, performance, cost
Cons: none to date
Review:
We must have bought one of the first of these from Dell for our 25 person office -- our ancient Xerox fax center gave up the ghost and we needed a fax machine/copier.
We haven't even hooked it up to the network yet, but just took it out of the box, plugged it in and started faxing and copying -- simple to configure without the manual... just plug and play. It's fast, quiet and high quality.
Eventually we'll network it and take advantage of it as a back-up network printer, and perhaps use some of the other features (although none of us really need them).
We did spend the $100 for a second paper tray (which is a screaming deal) so we have both letter and legal loaded all the time. We also bought the higher capacity toner cartridge ($80, another deal). So for about $600 delivered we have an excellent machine that does exactly what we need -- and has the potential to do much more. Be aware that the review is for the printer with the 4-year warranty... the machine is $426 from Dell with a standard warranty.
We haven't even hooked it up to the network yet, but just took it out of the box, plugged it in and started faxing and copying -- simple to configure without the manual... just plug and play. It's fast, quiet and high quality.
Eventually we'll network it and take advantage of it as a back-up network printer, and perhaps use some of the other features (although none of us really need them).
We did spend the $100 for a second paper tray (which is a screaming deal) so we have both letter and legal loaded all the time. We also bought the higher capacity toner cartridge ($80, another deal). So for about $600 delivered we have an excellent machine that does exactly what we need -- and has the potential to do much more. Be aware that the review is for the printer with the 4-year warranty... the machine is $426 from Dell with a standard warranty.
