The Pros And Cons Of The Dell P1500 Printer

by garrett on February 17, 2010

The Dell P1500 printer is designed specifically for printing speed. It is the top performer in its class for both text and graphic printing speed. It can print 14 pages per minute, which is 25% faster compared to any other printer under the same category. The $289 price makes it cheaper than most of its counterparts.

The print quality is good, but at times you may find a little of speckle if you take a closer look. However, for the average user, it is decent enough. It also produces clean and distinct lines, which makes this machine good for graphics.

The device does not have any LCD, which means you have to check with the manual if you want to interpret any of the blinking six blinking indicator lights. These lights can indicate anything from the status of the ink, readiness, or paper jams. It also has two buttons, which you can use to cancel the current printing job or to resume it.

The Dell P1500 printer also boasts a monthly duty cycle 15,000 pages, which is pretty good for its price. It has a maximum resolution of 600×600 dpi or 1200 image quality. However, if you are planning to use this printer for specifically for graphics or photos, it might disappoint you. If you have a keen eye for detail, you will notice that some its lines are jagged or spattered.

The printer has a built-in 16MB memory, which you can expand up to 144 MB. It is powered by a 200 MHz processor, which is fast enough for heavy printing. Upgrading the memory is somewhat difficult since it involves opening the main door, removing the Dell Laser P1500 toner, and taking out the system board shield. It also requires you to loosen a couple of screws to remove it.

The input tray can hold a maximum of 400 sheets, while the output tray holds 100 sheets. However, the manual or auxiliary feed only one envelope at a time, which can be a little frustrating. If you want to print labels or other delicate media, the input tray might damage them. Here is what you can do, open up the exit door on the front and insert it there instead. Inserting paper through the exit door does not turn the paper a 180-degrees, unlike the input door or tray.

The bundled software is something that Dell needs to fix. It seems a status windows keeping popping up every time you start printing. Getting a notice regarding the how much toner is left every time is very irritating. Unfortunately, there is no way to turn off this feature.

The software also lets you print watermarks. Overlay management is also a feature found in its supplementary application. The depth of the ink can be controlled by choosing from 10 levels of darkness. Features like smoothing and negative page for graphing purposes are also included. You can also choose from a variety styles, like poster and booklet.

As for the operating system, the Dell P1500 printer only supports Microsoft Windows 98 or better. There is no compatible software for Mac and Linux operating systems. The machine can be connected through either USB or parallel ports. It also comes with a one-year warranty, which you can extend for four years by paying for additional coverage. When looking for Dell P1500 toner, look online to find the most reasonably priced Dell toner. Just make sure you get the right compatible toner.

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post:

Next post: