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November 03, 2005
[ EPSON ACULASER C2600N colour laser printer ]
Price: $1,659
Rating: 4 stars
The low-down: The Epson Aculaser C2600N is a colour laser printer that uses four toner cartridges – black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Epson rate the resolution of the printer at 2400 dpi using the company’s “resolution improvement technology.” The subjective impression is of continuous tone printing.
The C2600N is fast – 30ppm in monochrome and 7.5ppm in colour. Periodically the printer pauses to do something or other which can be disconcerting. But overall performance is excellent. However, the complex paper path and the extreme heat in the printer cause some distortion of the paper.
The first impression of the printer is that it is very heavy. At 37 kilograms it can’t be handled by one person.
The instruction manual comes on disc in html form which is cheapskatery for such an expensive printer. It is necessary to consult the manual before trying to install the four cartridges.
Cartridges are expensive: $106 for black and $250 for each of the colour units. Epson claims 5,000 pages from a set of cartridges which they reckon works out at 17 cents an A4 print with 5 per cent colour coverage. This compares well with colour photocopying from a printing service. The quote we were given for 250 copies was 70 cents per copy.
Like this: The image quality from the Epson, on premium laser paper with high opacity and whiteness, is outstanding. It is comparable with good quality magazine reproduction. Photographs come up exceptionally well with accurate colour and no suggestion of banding or grain.
Dislike that: The Epson is noisy in operation. And the periodic pausing to clear its throat is accompanied with some truly alarming noises.
It is difficult to get the computer and the printer to agree on paper size and type and the tray from which it is to be loaded. When the settings are not to its liking in any one respect the printer insists that it has a paper jam even when it doesn’t.
Parting shot: The Epson Aculaser C2600N is a fine high volume printer. Its application is clearly as a substitute for commercial colour photocopying or printing. For print runs of up to 1000 copies it has economy in its favour. It is certainly not an alternative to a high quality inkjet photo printer, but its colour image output is excellent for brochures, newsletters etc. Think of it as a colour printing press for the home, office or shop.
Posted by terry at November 3, 2005 07:35 AM
