EXCLUSIVES

A very affordable color laser Bill Troop October 2004 Up until now, color laser printers have been a hard sell. Complex and expensive, there were few offices, small or large, that could justify the cost. That has changed drastically. Some color lasers are now so inexpensive that you can easily justify buying one instead of a monochrome laser. The argument is simple: you can now get color for just a few dollars more than monochrome, as the comparison chart below shows:

Lexmark™'s C510 ($699) is the fastest color laser printer in its class-the 'affordable' sub-$1000 category. Compared to its estimable opponents in this class, the Minolta Magicolor 2300DL ($699) and the HP Color LaserJet 3500 ($799), it is almost twice as fast for monochrome printing. Unusual at this price point is its inclusion of full (and very well-implemented) Postscript 3 and PCL emulation. This enables it, remarkably, to achieve fast print scores on both text and graphics. In color printing speed, the Lexmark is also fast-about 50% faster than the Minolta, but a hair slower than the more expensive HP. Moreover, both the Minolta and HP use host-based processing-an annoying cost control that consumes much of your computer's processing power when printing.

Basic Specs
The Lexmark C510 is actually one of a series of three printers. The base model, the C510, is priced at $699 and includes 64 MB of RAM (expandable to 320 MB), a USB 2.0 and a parallel port, a 500 MHz processor and 250-sheet trays for input and output. For $300 more, the C510n gives you Ethernet and USB 2.0 and 128 MB of RAM. The top of the line C510dtn adds an automatic duplexer and a 530-sheet additional input tray for $1999. Dimensions are 19.5 inches wide by 16.5 inches deep by 15.2 inches high, and it weighs a hefty, but not unmanageable, 67 pounds. A wireless print server is available for an additional $200. Emulations include PCL and Postscript Level 3. Print quality is specified as '2400 dpi image quality' which probably means the true resolution of the printer is 1200 dpi.

Expandability
As you would expect with Lexmark, there are many expansion options, and they are pricey but work well. The most important are additional paper trays, an automatic duplexer, and the wireless print server.

Setup
A color laser is inherently more complex than monochrome with four toner cartridges instead of one and a couple of other consumables that must be periodically replaced. However, we found the C510, with its logical internal arrangements, easy to maintain-really, scarcely more trouble than a conventional laser. The Ethernet setup is simple with Macs®, but, as expected, we found it difficult with Windows®. As is traditional with Lexmark, Mac support is competent and deep-not just an afterthought, as with so many other manufacturers.

Print quality and performance
Print quality is different with color lasers. It is excellent for business presentations; but for continuous tone photos, nothing can rival a photo-quality inkjet using the best photo papers (that paper, by the way, at more than $1 per sheet, is sinfully overpriced). By comparison with the best inkjet prints, color photos are likely to appear grainy and dull, yet oversaturated, poor in texture, and with inaccurate skin tones. However, business presentation material and all other color printing tasks come out with the super quality you would expect from a color laser. Moreover, and this can be a real plus, there isn't any fear of premature fading or moisture damage with color laser.

We were very impressed with the C510's print quality on plain paper-colors are rich and vibrant, and black text is extremely sharp with an appealing gloss. However, what surprised us most was the quality of its photo printing. Comparable to color lasers costing several times as much, it is very good indeed. Yes, it cannot match the photo-realism of the very best inkjet output on the very best paper ($1 per sheet!). But considering that the laser print costs about a tenth as much and takes a few seconds-rather than a few minutes-to print, you may find yourself doing a lot more photo printing from your color laser than you would have predicted.

Noise is a little higher than we would like, probably due to the fan, but the printer's standby mode goes into effect after 15 minutes of inactivity, at which point it is silent.

Finally, here's one of the cutest ideas to marry technology and common sense: realizing that nobody can ever find a manual, Lexmark built ten different guides right into memory. Just press a button and print it out again.

Summary
The Lexmark C510 is an ideal workhorse printer for a small business or busy home office. It does an excellent and rapid job for all monochrome and color needs, except for when you need the best possible photo quality. That said, the color photos it produces are printed rapidly, do not suffer from the excessive fragility of color photos from inkjets, and were much better than we expected. Moreover, they are vastly less expensive, don't require special, expensive paper, and won't run if you spill a drop of liquid on them. The price of the base model at under $700 makes it a steal. Moreover, the USB 2 connection ensures rapid communication with your computer. We expect the C510 to serve as a paradigm shifter, bringing color laser to offices and homes that could not hitherto justify the additional cost. Add to that Lexmark's superb technical support staff and one year of on-site service, and we think you have a breakthrough product.