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New printers that replace older models should top their predecessors, right? Well, sometimes that's not so. This month we tested four new printers, two of which supersede earlier versions of the same basic design. One of the replacements, the $349 NEC SuperScript 870 laser, improves markedly on its precursor, the SuperScript 860, and takes first place on the monochrome chart. But the other, the Canon BJC-4400 ink jet, costs more and doesn't improve on an earlier incarnation, the BJC-4300. In its day, the $179 BJC- 4300 topped our color chart, though by the time it was discontinued it ranked third against fierce competition; the new $199 BJC-4400 starts in third place, against printers that have been around a while. Canon's other new ink jet, the $279 BJC-5000, doesn't replace anything, but it offers useful features and good print quality; it debuts at number five. Xerox's slow new $199 DocuPrint XJ6C doesn't succeed a similar model--nor does it succeed on our chart. (Our former number two, Epson's Stylus Color 800, is being replaced; we'll test its successor in December.)
NEC's New Screamer
With the SuperScript 870, NEC wins a Best Buy. (Our former Best Buy, the Minolta PageWorks 6L, is being replaced; we'll test the new model in January.) The SuperScript screams past the other monochromes in our benchmarks; its 7-pages-per-minute text speed is almost 30 percent faster than the next-fastest Lexmark Optra E+ (at 5.4 ppm). With a graphics speed of almost 4 ppm in our tests, it's 18 percent faster on this measure than the runner-up NEC SuperScript 660plus.
Besides being faster than the old SuperScript 860, the SuperScript 870 also offers better features (more RAM, higher paper capacity) and superior design (stronger paper trays). It costs the same as its forebear ($349), and it does a great job printing text, though its gray scales are too dark. Like its predecessor, the 870 is easy to set up: The separate imaging drum and toner cartridge install smoothly. Finally, the 870's CD-ROM includes five useful small business apps, including a project manager and a form designer; unfortunately, you can choose only one of these apps to load from the CD-ROM.
Canon Bats Twice
Why did Canon replace the BJC-4300 with the BJC-4400? For $20...