Executive printers stress quality over speed with = attention to value and size

=95 Print=20 Edition =95=20 eNewsletters

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=95=20 Defense Systems =95 FOSE=95=20 Government Leader=95 Washington Technology =95 Resource Center

GCN=20 Home > 03/19/07=20 issue

Leadership=20 style
Executive=20 printers stress quality over speed, with = attention to=20 value and size=20

By John=20 Breeden II, GCN = Staff

Story=20 Tools: | | Purchase=20 a Reprint | Link=20 to this=20 = page

Andy = Rooney once=20 said that making duplicate copies and computer = printouts=20 of things no one wanted in the first place was = giving=20 America a new sense of purpose. And while that = may be a=20 bit of an exaggeration, nobody would dispute the = fact=20 that a lot of printing goes on, particularly in=20 government.
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In the = past, the=20 GCN Lab has looked at network printers designed = to=20 service large workgroups. But there is another = class of=20 printer that is heavily used in government as = well, and=20 that is the executive printer used by managers. = Perhaps=20 the executive in question is considered too = important to=20 have to share a printer with the rank and file = people=20 working in the same office. Or perhaps they deal = with=20 sensitive issues, such as human resources, that = should=20 not be shared. You would not want a bunch of = salary data=20 just sitting around in a group printer for = anyone to=20 pick up.
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For = these people,=20 an executive printer is the perfect solution. = Executive=20 printers are designed for use by one person and = are=20 generally attached to a single PC via a USB = cable. As=20 such, while speed is important, it is not as = critical as=20 it is with a shared system, since no lines are = going to=20 be forming behind it. Quality is, as always, an=20 important issue. A small footprint is also = desirable=20 since the printer generally has to squeeze onto = a desk=20 inside an office or cubicle. And value is a big = deal as=20 well.
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The = GCN Lab looked=20 at eight printers designed with a single user in = mind.=20
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Dell Color Laser Printer=20 3110cn
Graphics Quality: A-
Text = Quality: A-=20
Speed: B
Features and Form Factor: A =
Value:=20 A
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Pros: = Easy to set=20 up, large screen
Cons: Faster at text than = graphics=20
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The = 3110cn is a=20 good example of an executive printer. It has a = small=20 form factor and is extremely easy to set up. = Most of the=20 components needed to make the 3110cn work are = already=20 inside the printer when you get it. And although = our=20 unit was not tested in this way, there is a = wireless=20 adapter that would allow for wireless printing,=20 eliminating the need for a USB cable and = enabling the=20 printer to be shared by other systems in the = office.=20
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Unlike = most of the=20 other executive printers in the roundup, the = 3110cn has=20 a large and useful LCD that gives helpful = information.=20 By default, it displays toner levels in all four = colors=20 so you know if one is starting to get a little = low.=20
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The = color printer=20 does a nice job in terms of quality. Neither its = text-only or graphical printing stood head and = shoulders=20 above others in this review, but neither did it=20 experience any of the flaws of other systems. = Dark=20 colors came out clean with few details missing = and=20 lighter tones also reproduced well. Other than = very=20 discerning graphical-oriented professionals, = users of=20 the 3110cn will not be disappointed when = churning out=20 text-only memos or business graphics with spot = colors.=20 Even photographs were reproduced adequately. =

In = terms of speed,=20 the 3110cn seems really geared toward text. It = crunched=20 out our 30-page all-text document in just 1 = minute, 7=20 seconds, for the second-best time in the review. = It was=20 a little pokier with a graphical document, = finishing in=20 2 minutes, 5 seconds, the fourth-best time in = the=20 review.
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With a = $499 price=20 tag when bought directly from Dell, the 3110cn = is a=20 great value. For a small and fast printer with = good=20 quality that won=92t break the bank, you would = be=20 hard-pressed to find something better suited for = a=20 manager.
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Dell = Inc., Round=20 Rock, Texas, (800) 449-3355, www.dell.com =

HP LaserJet = P2015
Graphics=20 Quality: C
Text Quality: B+
Speed: A-=20
Features and Form Factor: B+
Value: B+ =

Pros: = Easy to set=20 up, inexpensive
Cons: Poor image quality =

The = LaserJet P2015=20 is a black-and-white laser printer. Because it = does not=20 need to find space for cyan, yellow or magenta = toner,=20 the P2015 can fit into a relatively small space = on a=20 cluttered desk.
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Setup = is extremely=20 easy. The installation software checks for any = new=20 versions or printer drivers during the install, = a great=20 feature we only found with HP printers. You know = you are=20 up to date whenever you install an HP printer. =

Most = of the status=20 monitoring is done on your computer=92s monitor, = which is=20 fine for a system designed to be used by a = single=20 person, where the system and printer are very = close=20 together. If the printer runs out of paper for = instance,=20 a popup window appears letting you know that = your=20 document can=92t finish until you add more = paper.

The = P2015 is=20 pretty good in terms of speed. It finished the = 30-page=20 text document in 1 minute, 9 seconds for the=20 third-fastest time in the review. It also blazed = through=20 our graphical document in 1 minute, 11 seconds, = the=20 second-fastest time recorded.
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But = before you go=20 racing off to capture this speedy printer, know = that the=20 fast graphical printing times are balanced by a=20 poor-quality image. Of the two black-and-white = printers=20 tested, the P2015 was better, but still had its = share of=20 problems. Dark photos and images came out = without a lot=20 of fine details and light ones were washed out. = Also,=20 color balancing is not a strong point of the = P2015. It=92s=20 a fine system if you are looking for one that = prints=20 text very quickly but not one you want if you to = print=20 any type of photos or fine images.
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The $349=20 price of the P2015 is good and puts it in the=20 budget-printer range, though unless raw speed is = what=20 you crave, you are probably better off with the = HP=20 Officejet Pro K5400. It=92s slower but cheaper, = and=20 produces far-better-quality images.
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Hewlett-Packard Co., Palo Alto, = Calif.,=20 (800) 752-0900, www.hp.com
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Lexmark C532dn
Graphics = Quality:=20 A+
Text Quality: B-
Speed: B- =
Features and=20 Form Factor: B+
Value: A
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Pros: = Small, good=20 image quality
Cons: Slow
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The = C532dn is a=20 personal printer with a small footprint that is=20 obviously geared toward graphical printing. It = is not=20 exactly fast, finishing the 30-page graphical = document=20 in 3 minutes, 4 seconds, for the fifth-best time = out of=20 eight printers. But the images the C532dn = produced were=20 fantastic. Only the Xerox Phaser 6280N ties it = in=20 quality.
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Even = with=20 extremely dark images, fine details and somewhat = hidden=20 lighter ones are reproduced accurately. Color = balance is=20 perfect, to the extent that sometimes photos = don=92t look=20 as good as you think they do on your screen. The = 6280N=20 will expose all image flaws, even ones we = purposely=20 induced into our test documents that other = printers=20 missed.
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Installation is=20 very easy. All the toner cartridges come loaded = into the=20 printer when you take it out of the box. You = simply have=20 to pull a bunch of safety tabs =97 which are = marked in=20 bright orange =97 to release everything. This = tends to=20 generate a fairly large pile of trash, but makes = setup=20 very easy. When you initially turn the printer = on, it=20 checks for any packing material you missed and = lets you=20 know if you need to go back and pull more out.=20 Otherwise, you=92re green-lighted to begin = printing.=20
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Straight text=20 printing is adequate, though nothing special. = And text=20 speed is fairly middle of the road as well. It = finished=20 our text-only 30-page document in 1 minute, 31 = seconds,=20 taking sixth place there.
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The = 6280N has a=20 fairly big LCD screen, but it does not seem to = do much=20 of anything. You can use the front buttons to = get it to=20 display troubleshooting menus and toner levels.=20 Otherwise, it just kind of sits there.
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For a=20 highly accurate color printer, the $714 = government price=20 ($849 retail) is quite a value. Although it=92s = a tad=20 slow, the images it churns out and the great = price make=20 it more than worth the wait.
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Lexmark=20 International Inc., Lexington, Ky. (800) = 539-6275,=20 www.lexmark.com
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Kyocera FS-4000DN =
Graphics=20 Quality: C-
Text Quality: C+
Speed: A+=20
Features and Form Factor: B+
Value: C+ =

Pros: = Fast=20
Cons: Poor image and text quality
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The=20 Kyocera FS-4000DN is a black-and-white laser = printer=20 that crushes the competition in some areas even = as it=20 crashes and burns in others.
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The = small-=20 footprint printer is fairly easy to install. = However,=20 you have to wait 15 minutes for a burn-in = process to=20 complete. During the install you can set up = common=20 profiles that can then be used later, such as = one to=20 save paper or toner, add letterhead or run=20 transparencies through the FS-4000DN.
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In terms=20 of speed, the FS-4000DN can=92t be beat. It = burned through=20 our 30-page text document in 50 seconds and the = 30-page=20 graphical one in just 57 seconds. That earned it = the top=20 speed in this review for both tests.
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This=20 speed, however, comes at a heavy price. The = quality of=20 images and even text produced by the FS-4000DN = is below=20 average. Darker images tend to lose all fine = details=20 while lighter ones come out grainy. Text is very = lightly=20 printed on the page. When held up to the output = produced=20 by every other system in this review, it is easy = to see=20 that the FS-4000DN can=92t compete in this area. = Long=20 bouts of reading pages produced by the printer = would=20 induce eyestrain in the extreme. It=92s almost = as if the=20 printer is working so quickly that it does not = have time=20 to put enough toner on the page, although for = images it=20 sometimes slathers it with too much.
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Given the=20 poor quality of prints, the $1,677 price tag = seems=20 rather high. If you are only interested in raw = speed and=20 draft-quality printing then the FS-4000DN might = work out=20 for you.
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Kyocera Mita=20 America, Fairfield, N.J. (973) 808-8444,=20 www.kyoceramita.com
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Kyocera FS-C5025N =
Graphics=20 Quality: D-
Text Quality: A-
Speed: C=20
Features and Form Factor: C
Value: C- =

Pros: = Good text=20 quality
Cons: Too many to mention
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There are=20 so many bad things to say about the FS-C5025N = that it is=20 difficult to decide where to begin. So let=92s = start with=20 the one positive thing that we can say.
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The = text that=20 comes out of the FS-C5025N is quite good. There = is none=20 of the standard brown hue that pollutes some of = the=20 other color laser printers=92 text reproduction. = We were=20 happy to see great text quality, but things went = downhill after that.
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The = quality of the=20 graphics produced by the FS-C5025N is the worst = in the=20 review, and among the worst we have ever seen in = our=20 many years of color printer testing.
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Blues come=20 out either blackish or as a sort of off-color = purple.=20 Photographs have a white sheen over them that = make them=20 appear blurry. Bright images of sunny shores are = printed=20 as if the skies were heavily overcast. Printing = text=20 over graphics produces some of the worst halo = effects we=20 have observed. Line art comes out blurry, as if = the=20 colors that make up the lines were separated and = not=20 mixed properly on the page.
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We = rechecked the=20 setup several times to confirm our results and = even ran=20 quite a few pages through the printer in case = there was=20 a lump of bad toner or something. But no matter = what we=20 did, the quality never improved.
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On top of=20 that, the FS-C5025N was extremely slow. It = finished the=20 30-page text document in 1 minute, 45 seconds, = the=20 sixth-slowest in the review. It finished the = graphical=20 30-page document in 3 minutes, 45 seconds, the = worst=20 time of all the laser printers and only 39 = seconds=20 faster than the ink-jet printers.
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We could=20 possibly recommend the FS-C520N for those who = only want=20 to print text and who could ignore the unit=92s = color=20 functions, but the $2,013 price tag would be way = too=20 high for a standalone black-and-white printer. =

Kyocera Mita=20 America, Fairfield, N.J. (973) 808-8444,=20 www.kyoceramita.com
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HP Officejet Pro K5400 =
Graphics=20 Quality: A-
Text Quality: A
Speed: C-=20
Features and Form Factor: B
Value: A+ =

Pros: = Low cost,=20 small footprint
Cons: Slowest of the bunch =

When = we said=20 executive printers, we did not specify laser = printers.=20 In fact, in a lot of cases a modern ink-jet = printer can=20 compete with most laser printers, especially for = personal or individual use. In general, the = ink-jet=20 printers cost less than a laser printer and have = good=20 quality at the expense of speed. That pretty = much sums=20 up the K5400.
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At = just $149, the=20 K5400 is the lowest-priced printer in the = review. And it=20 holds up to the laser printers here in a lot of = ways. It=20 certainly can brag about good quality, which = combined=20 with the price gives it our highest score in = terms of=20 value.
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The = printer has a=20 small footprint and is extremely light. Setup, = however,=20 takes a very long time.
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Just = installing=20 the proper drivers took almost 10 minutes of us = just=20 watching the little progress bar slowly fill up. = And=20 once that is complete, guess what? You are going = to be=20 waiting yet again.
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There = is a=20 mandatory 12-minute initialization process where = the=20 printer checks all its facets and primes the ink = to=20 begin flowing onto your documents.
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Putting=20 the K5400 together is a bit like putting = together a=20 puzzle, though a very easy one. Basically you = have to=20 snap the correct ink cartridges into place. = It=92s neat to=20 see long colorful tubes leading out of the ink = reservoir=20 that will soon be carrying your ink to your = pages. It=20 kind of brings to mind a type of Jules Verne = machine,=20 and certainly has a different flavor than any of = the=20 laser printers.
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When = you start=20 printing pages you will notice that, by default, = they=20 come out with the last page in a document first, = with=20 subsequent pages landing face up on top. We = really like=20 this setup because you can see at a glance how = far along=20 you are in the printing process. This is helpful = because=20 you will likely be waiting a long time.
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The = K5400 comes in=20 dead last for both text and graphical printing = speeds,=20 though not by a huge amount. It printed 30 text = pages in=20 2 minutes, 42 seconds, and 30 highly graphical = pages in=20 3 minutes, 44 seconds.
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The = K5400 did=20 produce the second-best text in the review, with = a rich=20 and readable black that most laser printers tend = to=20 stumble on a bit.
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It = also produced=20 some very nice color images, though, as a = negative, you=20 have to remember that the pages come out a bit = wet. Our=20 super-graphical-intensive test document came out = feeling=20 a bit soggy, although none of the images seemed = to run=20 or smear. After all, more images equals more = moisture.=20
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The = K5400 is a=20 great choice if you have limited space and = budget, and=20 you want to quickly add color printing to your = menu.=20
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Hewlett-Packard=20 Co., Palo Alto, Calif., (800) 752-0900, = www.hp.com=20
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Xerox Phaser 6180N color =
Graphics=20 Quality: A+
Text Quality: B-
Speed: B-=20
Features and Form Factor: A-
Value: A+ =

Pros: = Good color=20 quality
Cons: Large, difficult to install =

The = Phaser 6180N=20 was a little difficult to install, though this = is helped=20 somewhat by an installation video that shows you = how to=20 go through the process. You will need to put a = lot of=20 components into the printer as well as pull = quite a few=20 safeties back out. Expect a big mound of trash = when you=20 are finished.
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The = 6180N seems to=20 be going after the same color-hungry market as = the=20 Lexmark C532dn. Lexmark and Xerox always seem to = be=20 going head to head in these reviews in terms of = color=20 quality. Sometimes Lexmark wins and sometimes = that crown=20 goes to Xerox. This time, it=92s a tie. Putting = the output=20 of the 6180N beside all the others, it is easy = to tell=20 that it and the Lexmark are the top in terms of = quality.=20 Then things get tricky.
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If you = go through=20 our entire 30-page sample document and test for = color=20 accuracy and detail reproduction, the best of = the best=20 flip-flops a bit. One page will be better on the = Lexmark=20 and the next will be better on the Xerox. The = Xerox=20 tends to do better with computer-generated = images and=20 light-colored photographs, while darker ones = tend to=20 favor the Lexmark. What is obvious is that these = two=20 printers are in a different class than the = others in=20 terms of color and graphical quality.
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The Xerox=20 is not speedy when generating those fine images, = though.=20 It took 3 minutes, 6 seconds to print 30 pages = heavily=20 sprinkled with graphics. It finished next to = last in=20 terms of speed, only a bit quicker than the = ink-jet=20 entry.
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For = text, the=20 Phaser 6180N speeds up quite a bit, finishing = the=20 30-page test document in just 1 minute, 14 = seconds,=20 which was the fourth-best time overall and only = a few=20 seconds behind the leaders. Text quality is = good, though=20 not great.
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The = form factor of=20 the Phaser 6180N is a little large for an = executive=20 printer. Users would have to be pretty = high-ranking on=20 the GS scale to have room in their office to = comfortably=20 fit one, but the price is right at $499. If you = are=20 looking for a color printer with awesome color=20 reproduction and don=92t want to break the bank = (and if=20 you have space for it) then the 6180N is an = excellent=20 choice.
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Xerox = Corp.,=20 Stamford, Conn. (800) 275-9376, = www.xerox.com/office=20
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Oki C5500n
Graphics = Quality: B+=20
Text Quality: A-
Speed: B+
Features = and Form=20 Factor: B+
Value: A-
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Pros: = Good image=20 and text quality
Cons: Average printing = speed=20
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The = C5500n is=20 fairly small, though it runs pretty deep because = of the=20 way the toner cartridges are set up. The unit is = also a=20 little heavy, so two people are needed to safely = lift it=20 out of the box and into your work area. You will = find=20 the toner cartridges already installed, which is = a big=20 help.
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The = C5500n=20 produces good, clean and readable text. And it = is the=20 only printer in this review with an extremely = steep=20 angle on the paper return tray. This may not = seem like a=20 big deal, but when you are printing a lot of = pages, the=20 steep angle keeps the paper from flying out of = the=20 printer or falling into disarray. When you are = trying to=20 even the corners on a 400-page document produced = with=20 other printers, you will wish your paper return = area was=20 so well-designed.
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The = C5500n won=92t=20 be getting any speeding tickets when printing = text=20 documents. It finished our 30-page text document = in 1=20 minute, 25 seconds, which garnered it fifth = place=20 overall. It does a lot better with graphical = printing,=20 not stopping to pause even with our torturous = 30-page=20 graphical nightmare. The C5500n finished that = document=20 in 1 minute, 44 seconds, capturing third place = overall.=20
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And = the graphical=20 images the C5500n produces are quite good. It = tends to=20 put a shiny film or sheen over photographs that = make=20 them look more like real photos and not a = reproduction.=20 However, this can be a bit of a double-edged = sword,=20 since dark photos tend to be a little too dark. = This=20 does not harm the detail, just the color = matching. If=20 something is supposed to be dark blue, it comes = out=20 looking a bit more like navy blue. It=92s a = slight=20 distinction and only a few hex triplets off from = the=20 true color, but something people needing true = color=20 matching might want to consider.
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If you are=20 looking for a printer to give you good text and = to=20 polish up photographs you put in your documents=20 (business graphics also shine quite a bit) then = the $599=20 price tag for the C5500n makes it a good choice. =
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Oki = Data Americas=20 Inc., Mount Laurel, N.J. (800) 654-3282,=20 www.okiprintingsolutions.com/us
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