Fast Color Laser Printers

Three Fast Color Laser Printers

Think you have the fastest laser printer on the block? Blink, then think again. There are constantly new strides in technology, and to catch you up to speed, here are three color lasers that will make you the envy of your co-workers, friends, and family.

The HP Color LaserJet CM1015 is about as advanced as it gets for small businesses and consumers. It can handle even the most complex of documents that contain text, images, and/or graphics with 96MB of built-in memory (expandable to 224MB).

Watch it zip through up to 8 pages a minute for up to 99 pages at a time in both color and black and white, with the first page started in less than 21 seconds. Total ability per month is a whopping 35,000 pages. With a 2-line, tilt-screen display, you can keep track of your printing status. Feed it letter, legal, and executive paper or envelopes.

The multi-function Laserjet CM1015 also scans with a resolution of up to 1200 dpi for a maximum size of 8.5 x 11.7 inches. Once you've scanned, you can save to disk, print, or e-mail the document. One of the best features is the HP toner alert, aka SureSupply. You will receive one when an ink cartridge is low. You can also keep track of its remaining life, have the ability to order replacements, and check for stock at HP stores.

No one is left out from using this printer, as it is compatible with Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Citrix MetaFrame; Mac OS X v 10.3 or higher, UNIX, and Linux, and connects by USB. The printer is equipped with 2500-page black and color cartridges, CD software, and a guide to get you started. It is available online for $499.99 with (temporary) free shipping.

If you want faster, think Brother. At a size of 16.5 x 18.7 x 12.5 inches, and a weight of about 64 pounds, the HL-4040CN Color Laser Printer may not be the most lightweight printer out there, but it compensates for its size with speed. Network-ready, it can print in color and monochrome at 21 ppm, with a startup time of 16 seconds.

Capable of printing entire presentations, reports, or brochures, it has a print resolution of up to 2400 x 600dpi. Not only will it handle letter or legal size paper, it can print on envelopes as well with a 300 sheet at a time input capacity. The Brother is equipped with a lower tray for 250 sheets and a multi-purpose tray that will hold up to 50 sheets.

The HL-4040CN, with its USB interface, can print PDF and JPEG files from a USB flash drive without the use of a PC, and can connect to any PictBridge digital camera for direct printing. With its built-in Ethernet network interface, you can share your documents with your family or business network. It is compatible with Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux.

With a standard memory of 64MB, the Brother can expand up to 128MB, 256MB, or 512MB with an SD slot. It comes with beginning toner cartridges and carries a base price of $399.99.

Let’s get faster still. Konica Minolta’s Magicolor 5440 DL runs at 27ppm in both black & white and color at a 2400 dpi resolution. Startup time is about 14 seconds.

Connectable by Ethernet or USB 2.0 interface, the printer will work on plain paper up to the legal size of 8.5 x 14", as well as labels, envelopes, transparencies, glossy, and thick paper. Input up to a 500 sheet cassette or substitute the multipurpose tray for 100 sheets. It uses Enhanced Automatic Image Density Control (eAIDC), auto-ICC-based color matching, and ICC device profiles for color support. Translation: your documents are gonna come out looking great!

With a size of 17.9 x 20.5 x 17.3 inches and a weight of almost 69 pounds, the Magicolor 5440 features a maximum paper capacity of 1,600 pages, a duty cycle of up to 60,000 prints per month, and an estimated 12,000 prints per toner cartridge.

It, too has the option of using a camera-direct photo printing card with no need for PC. The Magicolor comes with 64MB SDRAM and is expandable to 576MB of storage. It is compatible with Mac OSX, Windows, and Linux. The $999 price tag is hefty but the blazing speed, high capacity and rich feature set make this one of the most advanced color laser printers around.

Whatever your choice in laser printers, I suggest you use this logic. What is the brand of your current printer? If it has never needed repair and you dig what it does, make your next purchase from the same company. If not, consider one of my choices. Do you have a color laser printer? Tell us about your experience by posting a comment below.