Subscores
HardwareThe Dell 1350cnw is a laser printer designed to give quality services without hitting the wallet too hard. Colour, wi-fi and Ethernet, Dell also describes this mono-function as rapid (spec sheet claims 12 ppm colour). Targeting the enterprise market, it promises compact power, ease of use and low energy consumption. However, there's no fax, copier or double-sided mode on this entry-level model.
Controls
This printer is a bit of block, a solid cube (40 x 30 x 22 cm). You'll find the controls and 2-line screen on top. The four cartridges are easily accessible on the side. Compact and sober to look at, will it hold to the promises made on the spec sheet?
SpeedsSpeeds are very satisfying for a colour laser model. Dell has announced rapid print speeds: 12 ppm colour and 15 ppm black & white. And they've managed it! Confirmed in our tests.
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Quality: excellentWe were entirely convinced by the quality. Both colour and black & white prints are really excellent. The prints are clear, precise and truly legible and colour reproduction is faithful. The standard print, already excellent, can be improved by selecting the pro setting, which is even more precise. The quality here is top notch, no arguments!
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We printed some colour photos on A4 on ordinary paper and, here again the results astonished us for a laser.
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The print quality (above) looks poor but you have to remember that this is at 300 dpi, which represents a 3x enlargement on the original. The A4 image is much nicer on the eye.
Energy consumption & Noise levelsThe 1350cnw consumes 5 watts on standby, 417 watts when printing. This is pretty much what you'd expect for a laser. Some models such as the Dell 2334 dn, draw twice as much power.
Average noise levels are around 53 dB(A), 49.3 dB(A) for a continuous print (photo) and 55 dB (A) for an office document, which puts this model at the quieter end of the spectrum.
Cost per page: high, 18.3 penceThe printer comes with standard black and colour (cyan, magenta, yellow) toner cartridges with a yield of around 700 pages per cartridge.
Two formats are available (standard and XL) and as it's usually better value to buy the XL cartridges, those are what we've shown in our price table. The cost per page does however still remain relatively high for a laser printer.
Total cost per page is higher than for Samsung, Lexmark (with high capacity consumables) and even the HP Color LaserJet CP1215, which scored at 16.9 pence per page.
According to our calculations, inkjets are 20% cheaper than lasers. If you think about it in these terms, 18.3 pence would equate to 14.6 pence on an inkjet, which is still high.
| Cartridge XL |
Price (09/12/10) | ISO lifespan |
Cost per page |
| black | £71 | 2000 | 3.6 pence |
| colour(cyan) | £69 | 1400 | 4.9 pence |
| colour (yellow) | £69 | 1400 | 4.9 pence |
| colour (magenta) | £69 | 1400 | 4.9 pence |
Pros
- Excellent black & white and colour print quality
- Good speeds for a colour laser
- Compact and simple to use
- Moderate energy consumption for a laser
Cons
- Fairly quiet
- Slow when already out of standby mode
- High cost per page for lasers
- No double-sided mode
- No fax, nor scanner
Conclusion
An entry-level model that does what it says on the tin: fast, moderate cost per page and with much better than average print quality. A very good solution for those who don't need a fax and scanner.
OUR SCORE
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