Cheap printer, expensive looking results (Xerox Phaser 6130)

Member Name: davomrmac

Product:	Xerox Phaser 6130
Date:	20/08/08 (278 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quiet, compact, cheap, Postscript 3

Disadvantages: Photo quality is not quite as good as a photo inkjet

When I purchased this printer it was a £179 bargain. My current HP laser printer had run out of toner (black and yellow) with the others running low, so I was looking at £160 to replace the toners. This was a little extra expense, but for what seemed like a better specced unit.

It is a nice compact unit at 400mm wide, 394mm deep and 389mm high. This is one of the most compact colour laser printers I have come across. For the cheap price I was surprised to see Postscript 3 printing language as standard, plus 128MB RAM installed. I added a 512MB sodimm that I had taken out of my MacBook Pro, so got a nice upgrade to 640MB free of charge. Just to let you know, the additional RAM made a noticeable difference in print speed on multiple page documents, so even if this costs you £20 or £30 to do I think it is worth it.

The print quality is superb, although only quoted at 600dpi when other laser printers fo higher, I commend Xerox for the clarity and crispness of black text. When printing photographs I have been surprised too, they are very colourful and accurate. Not as good as a photo quality inkjet printer, but very good when not directly compared. For documents of a business nature, text mixed with graphics, this printer rocks. It processes the pages very quickly and gives a professional looking finish.

Paper handling is pretty impressive too. I managed to put 160gsm and 215gsm card through the 6130 with no problems. This allows you to print short runs of business cards or maybe greeting cards. The quoted specification is up to 220gsm. You can also turn the pages over and print on the other side. Some printers do not offer this, so it is nice if you are putting together a mini-magazine or brochure.

I bought this for use with a Mac and it works perfectly, it also works fine with a PC running Windows. So for a good all-rounder, that exceeds the expectations for a budget printer, I can recommend the Xerox Phaser 6130.

Summary: Want a good all-round colour laser printer... look no further

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