Excellent printer with great value
Written: Dec 12 '99 (Updated Jan 21 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast; low-cost; 3-year on-site service; network capable; use standard SIMM memory
Cons: No LCD panel for status display; does not support Mac or LINUX; rather large footprint for a personal laser printer
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| chujenlin's Full Review: Xerox DocuPrint P12 Laser Printer |
Whenever I used one of my two inkjets to generate business-related material, I was always afraid that my printout might get smeared when it is mailed out. I decided to shop around for a low-cost laser printer within a budget of $400. I am glad that I have several choices in this price range. After deatiled screening, I narrowed down my selections to HP Laserjet 1100se and Xerox Docuprint P12.
Technically, Xerox Docuprint P12 beats HP Laserjet 1100se in almost every aspect. I considered HP because of its reputation and compatibility (HP has the biggest market share anyway). Laserjet 1100se is the only HP laser printer within my budget. In fact, HP 1100se is just a 8ppm printer, which is more comparable with Xerox Docuprint P8 instead of P12. It didn't take me very long to pick Xerox Docuprint P12 after I realized that P12 comes with a 3-year on-site service.
The prefix P in Docuprint P12 means "personal", so it is meant for personal use, but it is really good enough for a small office because it is speedy (12ppm), durable (20,000 pages/month) and network capable.
P12 prints crispy text and graphics for up to 600x600 dots per inch. It provides 124 gray levels, which is adequate for most applications.
The standard paper tray can accommodate 250 sheets of letter, legal, executive, A4 and B5 paper. A 500-sheet can be purchased from Xerox. There is also a fold-out manual feed, but its construction is not very strong. The toner costs about $110 from on-line computer shopping site or Xerox. Each toner can print 6,000 sheets (assuming 5% coverage). Did I mention a 6-feet printer cable is included? Yes. I think all printer manufactures should do this.
The dimensions of Docuprint P12 is 16.6" x 16" x 9" (WxDxH). It is rather large compared to other personal laser printers such as Xerox Docuprint P8 or HP 1100se. However, this is the price you have to pay for up to 500-sheet feeder, the 12PPM speed, and the network capability.
Its engine uses a 60MHz Adobe's PrintGear processor, which is optimized for low-cost laser printers. PrintGear technology allows Docuprint P12 to provide advanced print formatting features, such as booklet printing, n-up printing, watermarks, and the ability to turn any page into a giant poster. Standard memory is 2MB. It is expanable to 18MB using standard 72PIN SIMM instead of expensive proprietary memory. An optional network interface card can be ordered from Xerox is also available.
The setup and installation is straightforward. Printer setting is very easy to follow. The printer status is shown in a tiny window docked at the corner of the screen. When errors occur, a human voice will alert you about the errors. I wish P12 provides a LCD panel instead of cryptic LED.
Only Window 3.1/95/98/NT are supported by P12. Too bad for Mac and LINUX users!
Overall, I am very satisfied with the quality of my Docuprint P12. I think it is probably the best 12ppm Laser printer under $400. Compared with most competitors's 1 year warranty, Xerox's 3-year warranty and on-site service support really gives me a peace of mind!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
chujenlin
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Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 1 member
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