Dell 1133

Hardware

The Dell 1133 is a black & white multifunction, without fax, networking capability, Wi-Fi or double sided. Compatible with Mac OS, Linux and Windows, it prioritises rapidity above all: 22 ppm.

In reality, Dell doesn't manufacture printers. This one is basically a Samsung. Though the Dell is on sale at  from around £60, while the Samsung equivalent, the SCX-4600, is a good deal more:

Samsung SCX-4600

MARCHANDS €     Amazon mark...  47.30  Amazon mark...  47.30  Amazon mark...  47.30  Amazon mark...  47.30  Amazon mark...  47.30  Amazon mark...  183.93  Compare prices

Speeds

There's no double-sided option here and the first page is slow to print when the printer has been on standby (see inset) but at least, once underway, it's pretty fast: 22 pages per minute.

Image quality

Over to you to choose between draft and standard modes by default, though we would tend to go for the first. It is perhaps a little too light, but the standard mode is too dark. This is further accentuated in copy mode.

Draft mode	Standard mode
Copy of draft mode	Copy of standard mode

Scanner and copies

12 seconds for preview, 17 seconds to scan at 300 dpm: a slow scanner.

Sharpness is also average with dominant red. No need to use the sensor here. You can see it with the naked eye. The tendency towards red tones is particularly marked on tones that are red based.

No surprise to see that copy mode gives reproductions of reduced sharpness and images that are darker than they should be, as we saw further up. A monochrome A4 takes about 12 seconds.
Energy consumption and noise

The printer draws 7 watts on standby and 260 watts when running. Noise levels get up to 51.4 dB.

It's a shame that standby mode consumption is so high. Had this been better managed (when printing 260 watts is rather good!), this printer would have been one of the quietest and most economical among lasers. You can set this against 20 watts max for inkjets.


Cost per page

The printer comes with what manufacturers modestly call a starter cartridge. In fact this is a half-empty cartridge with toner enough for 700 pages, while replacement cartridges (two available) will give 1500 or 2500 pages.

Toner	Price (from)	ISO Lifespan	Cost per page
(black standard)	£59	1500	3.9 pence
(black high capacity)	£78	2500	3.1 pence

Whether you're at 3.9 p or 3.1 p per page, the final cost is on the higher side of average.