The Dell 3100cn color laser printer is the follow up model to the 3000Cn. Similarities between the two include the technology used (color laser, 600 by 600 dpi resolution). Speed is the same, 25 pages per minute for black print and 5ppm when you're printing color. Both models also feature a 10/100BaseT Ethernet interface, USB and parallel ports. Cables aren't included with either model, but Dell will provide them for you in exchange for around $20.

What Dell decided to add to the newer model is a second 250 sheet paper drawer and a 150 sheet input tray. If you really need more capacity, you can get an optional 500 sheet third drawer. This will get you up to 900 sheets. Size-wise, you still get a bulky printer, weighting 33kg.



The reason why most businesses chose a laser printer is that they offer much better speeds in the case of high quantities of paper. They are also cheaper in the long run (less money/print). You should chose a laser color printer if you know for sure that you value fast printing of texts and graphics, you work with a lot of paperwork and need a lot of pages printed out on a daily basis, and want to save money even if this compromises quality a bit. While they aren't as good at creating attractive color images on glossy paper, like inkjets, they print satisfactory photos as well.

The Dell 3100cn color laser printer doesn't really abide to that rule. It compromises a bit on the speed side, and it's not exactly as fast as your designated big office printers, but it also offers the photographic quality that you'll most likely encounter in the case of an inkjet printer. The print per page cost is very low and the price tag of the printer itself is somewhat lower than in the case of similar products.



The printer's four toner cartridges (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) will last for just about 4000 pages at 5 percent coverage. There is one drawback though, the speed of color prints. Its 4.5 to 5 color pages per minute possition it on the 'i'm slow' corner in the laser color printer store. The Dell 3100cn uses a toner management system that will keep track of consumable levels and post the results on the front LCD screen. It handles all types of paper and media, including 4 by 6 inch postcards, custom size banners, card stock, labels or envelopes of basically all sizes.

The 3100cn ships with 64MB of RAM, support for Windows, Mac and Linux and an easy to install software. Installing it is also easy, and there are step-by-step instructions in the box for installing the toners, connecting it to a computer and setting up a workgroup. While speed doesn't recommend it for a big office full of people, for a small workgroup of around 10 people it should be an ideal candidate.