Dell 3100cn - Anyone have any comments?

Looking into a Dell 3100cn. Anyone have this printer? Any comments?
Thanks!

...../~~~\..../``````\...../~~~\................ wrote:
Looking into a Dell 3100cn. Anyone have this printer? Any comments?
Thanks!


Yes - are you certifiably mad?! If Dell lasers are anything like their
inkjets they a -

1) Rebodged (and, no, that is *not* a typo!)
2) Expensive to run (as they will only accept Dell toner cartridges which,
TTBOMK, cannot be refilled)
3) Crap

Here in the UK, that particular unit is £394, available only from Dell. The
cost of toner is as follows: -

Black: - £30
Magenta: - £60
Yellow: - £60
Cyan: - £60
Total: - £210 (black yield: - 4,000 pages colour: - 2,000 usually measured
at 5% coverage)

High yield

Black: - £30
Magenta: - £80
Yellow: - £80
Cyan: - £80
Total: - £270 (all yield: - 4,000 usually measured at 5% coverage).

How good can a colour laser be when it costs less than some inkjets?! My
point is that, if you are a heavy user, by the time you've bought a couple
of sets of cartridges you could have bought a new unit!

--
My great-grandfather was born and raised in Elgin - did he eventually
lose his marbles?

Think carefully about your need for a colour laser over
a colour inkjet due to the cost of a set of consumables.

If you plan on using it heavily:
o Price in the cost of consumables for a given annual usage
o Price in also any failure outside warranty re sunk-cost
---- sunk-cost of the printer, and the consumables you put in it
---- repairs out of warranty may not necessarily be economic
o Consider leasing it vs outright purchase if a business
---- leasing is fully expensable whereas purchase is depreciated

Repeat for a typical inkjet.

Now for both inkjet & laser, price out consumable *compatibles".
Verify particularly that compatibles exist - altho cost saving for a
laser is somewhat muted compared to the inkjet savings possible.

Now consider if a mix of Colour inkjet & B&W laser will do, for
many people it will - and colour lasers are very expensive to run.

If you plan on using it intermittently:
o Do the same analysis, but particularly repair/consumables
o £300 on consumables for a £350 printer isn't very attractive

Finally, remember Dell outsource repairs re turnaround time.

If the laser output is favoured for archiving, remember that you
can get proper archive papers & inks for inkjets. If the laser output
is favoured for quality, consider a high-end inkjet & special papers,
or perhaps lamination where physical protection is of importance.

Important to google on colour lasers, and on competitors offerings.

Companies like HP are basically loss-making enterprises until you
add in the profit from consumables - rest is as much a loss-leader.
IT industry in that respect is becoming like the airline industry, as
a whole it doesn't make a profit - just varies which part is in profit :-)

Leasing can allow you to upgrade the printer within the lease period,
so has other benefits beyond free cash flow or overall cost etc. It is
the running cost that adds up on a colour laser, not purchase price.
--
Dorothy Bradbury
www.dorothybradbury.co.uk for quiet Panaflo & NMB fans

On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 11:57:42 -0600,
"..../~~~\\..../``````\\...../~~~\\................" wrote:


Looking into a Dell 3100cn. Anyone have this printer? Any comments?
Thanks!

It's from Dell - that makes it expansive as far as consumables are
concerned, built down to match a price and, if you're really unlucky,
built by Lexmark.

--

Hecate - The Real One

veni, vidi, reliqui