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A hands-on review of five business-ready inkjet printers
The latest inkjet printers do it all, combining photo-quality printing capabilities with sharp black text for reports and handourts. Still, each model has differences you should consider. Here is Presentations' report on five of the most recent models from Canon, Epson, Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark and Tektronix.
Color inkjet printers are a staple now in most homes and home offices, and they also have much to offer presenters. They deliver beautiful photo prints, provide solid color reports and handouts and can be used for making overhead transparencies, as well as for general printing.
The market today is full of printers priced $89 and higher - printers with many capabilities, filling many niches. The five printers we review here form an eclectic group that shows the versatility available to presenters. Two printersthe Epson and Canon are really touted as photo printers, meaning they are designed primarily for photos, but they can also handle text. The HewlettPackard does a good job at both chores and also offers duplexing (printing on both sides of the paper). The Lexmark is an affordable printer with speedy output. Finally the Tektronix is a rugged, network-ready unit that delivers highperformance output for workgroups.
Any of the five can be a good choice, depending on your office needs. And remember, all these vendors offer a full line at other price points if the model listed here isn't quite what you need.
Regardless, a color printer is almost a must-have for any presentation department.
Tektronix Phaser 850
The Phaser 850 is sort of the odd one out in this group. It isn't a true color inkjet, it's much more expensive than the other printers and it's bigger and heavier, too. We included it for a number of reasons, however.
First, the Phaser 850 is technically an inkjet, but it uses Tektronix's solid-ink technology, which is significantly different from the liquid-ink technology most other inkjets use. Instead of liquid ink in a reservoir, the Phaser 850 uses solid-ink crayons that are melted, delivered onto the page, then immediately resolidified. The result is high performance and outstanding color on plain paper.
Also, unlike the other printers, the Phaser 850 is a network-ready printer with much higher-end capabilities and performance....