Subscores
The Dell B1260dn is a compact, affordable mono laser printer designed for small and medium-sized businesses with monthly printing needs of up to 20,000 pages. The "dn" at the end of the name means double-sided printing and Ethernet ("d" for duplex and "n" for Ethernet). According to Dell, it's where "stellar performance meets great value". We'll be the judge of that.
Design and Build
At 34 x 33 x 19 cm and weighing 7 kg, the B1260dn is a relatively compact printer. The 64 MB of standard memory allow for convenient sharing within a workgroup of twenty. It offers duplex printing, supports the SPL and PCL6 printer languages and is compatible with all operating systems (Mac, Linux and Windows). It has no Wi-Fi, no colour printing, no scanner, no copier, no card reader and no touchscreen, which is why it only gets two out of five stars for hardware. Of course, if these features aren't important to you, then you should be fully satisfied with the hardware that's there.
Closed on the left, open on the right
Instead of a touchscreen the B1260dn has four buttons: On/Off, the red "X" for cancel, an Eco button for saving toner and paper, and an Info button.
Control panel
Paper coming out
The toner slots are located in the front of the machine, making for easy access.
Toner going in
The easy-to-use paper tray can hold up to 250 sheets of varying size (A4, A5, A6, US Letter and envelopes).
Toner and paper tray slots
In addition to the Eco button, there's also an Eco tab in the settings window where you can fine-tune the printer to your needs and save on toner and paper by printing in duplex. The simulator is there in case you have any doubts about your ecological impact.
Also practical, the B1260dn can receive print commands from mobile devices using Dell Mobile Print (Android) or AirPrint (iOS), as well as any computer running Google Cloud Print.
Speed
At 33 pages per minute (ppm), this is one of the fastest monochrome single-functions on the market. It's quicker than the Brother HL-2240 (25 ppm), the Dell B1160w (20 ppm) and even the Epson AcuLaser M2300DN (32 ppm).
Average Delta E 94 (colour difference): 12.1
As is often the case, with duplex the print speeds drop by half to 11 ppm.
Print quality
Average Delta E 94 (colour difference): 12.1
That said, the precision isn't close to what you would get with a high-end colour printer. On images with extremely thin vertical lines superimposed on top of equally thin horizontal lines, the B1260dn has trouble reproducing the detail. Certain lines simply get lost along the way and more complex shapes get only partially reproduced.
Power Use
Not only does the B1260dn save on toner and paper in Eco mode, but it also consumes very little power: 1 W in sleep mode and 400 W when running. This is low for a laser printer.
It's also quiet, producing 48 dB of noise at most.
Cost Per Page
The cost per page is lower when you use XL cartridges (2.4 pence, compared to 3.4 pence with standard size cartridges). Once again, this is just about average for mono laser printers. For instance, it's less than the Epson AcuLaser M2300DN, which has a cost per page of 3.3 pence on its cartridge return programme, but higher than the Brother HL-2240, which is fiercely competitive at 2.1 pence.
When you buy the B1260dn it comes with cartridges with a capacity of 1,000 pages (which is fewer than the 1,500 pages you get when you buy the standard size cartridges and the 2,500 pages you get with XL.
ISO lifespan - XL cartridges
ISO lifespan - Standard cartridges
Design and Build
At 34 x 33 x 19 cm and weighing 7 kg, the B1260dn is a relatively compact printer. The 64 MB of standard memory allow for convenient sharing within a workgroup of twenty. It offers duplex printing, supports the SPL and PCL6 printer languages and is compatible with all operating systems (Mac, Linux and Windows). It has no Wi-Fi, no colour printing, no scanner, no copier, no card reader and no touchscreen, which is why it only gets two out of five stars for hardware. Of course, if these features aren't important to you, then you should be fully satisfied with the hardware that's there.
Closed on the left, open on the right
Instead of a touchscreen the B1260dn has four buttons: On/Off, the red "X" for cancel, an Eco button for saving toner and paper, and an Info button.
Control panel
Paper coming out
The toner slots are located in the front of the machine, making for easy access.
Toner going in
The easy-to-use paper tray can hold up to 250 sheets of varying size (A4, A5, A6, US Letter and envelopes).
Toner and paper tray slots
In addition to the Eco button, there's also an Eco tab in the settings window where you can fine-tune the printer to your needs and save on toner and paper by printing in duplex. The simulator is there in case you have any doubts about your ecological impact.
Speed
At 33 pages per minute (ppm), this is one of the fastest monochrome single-functions on the market. It's quicker than the Brother HL-2240 (25 ppm), the Dell B1160w (20 ppm) and even the Epson AcuLaser M2300DN (32 ppm).
Average Delta E 94 (colour difference): 12.1
Print quality
When it comes to print quality, the B1260dn will be just right for straight text. Letters come out clear, with thin, precise lines. The black and white shadings on our test graph are precise, starting out completely dark on top and finishing entirely light on bottom. The legend is perfectly clear and legible.
Compare with other printers in the Face-Off
The overall print quality on the B1260dn is much better, for example, than the similarly priced Epson AcuLaser M2300DN. And yet, both printers have similar colour accuracy, with a Delta E of 12.1 on the Dell and 12.6 on the Epson.
Average Delta E 94 (colour difference): 12.1
That said, the precision isn't close to what you would get with a high-end colour printer. On images with extremely thin vertical lines superimposed on top of equally thin horizontal lines, the B1260dn has trouble reproducing the detail. Certain lines simply get lost along the way and more complex shapes get only partially reproduced.
Power Use
Not only does the B1260dn save on toner and paper in Eco mode, but it also consumes very little power: 1 W in sleep mode and 400 W when running. This is low for a laser printer.
It's also quiet, producing 48 dB of noise at most.
Cost Per Page
The cost per page is lower when you use XL cartridges (2.4 pence, compared to 3.4 pence with standard size cartridges). Once again, this is just about average for mono laser printers. For instance, it's less than the Epson AcuLaser M2300DN, which has a cost per page of 3.3 pence on its cartridge return programme, but higher than the Brother HL-2240, which is fiercely competitive at 2.1 pence.
When you buy the B1260dn it comes with cartridges with a capacity of 1,000 pages (which is fewer than the 1,500 pages you get when you buy the standard size cartridges and the 2,500 pages you get with XL.
ISO lifespan - XL cartridges
| Cartridge | Price (starting at) | ISO lifespan | Cost per page |
| Toner (black) | £61 | 2,500 | 2.4 p |
ISO lifespan - Standard cartridges
| Cartridge | Price (starting at) | ISO lifespan | Cost per page |
| Toner (black) | £51 | 1,500 | 3.4 p |
Pros
- Fast print speeds
- Responsive
- Reasonable cost per page
- Compatible with Windows, Mac & Linux
- Duplex
- Ethernet
- Compact size
- Moderate power consumption
- AirPrint, Dell Mobile Print and Google Cloud Print for printing from a mobile device
- Handy Eco mode
- Quiet
Cons
- No Wi-Fi
- No copier
- No scanner
- No touchscreen
- No card reader
Conclusion
The B1260dn is an affordable, unpretentious printer that keeps its promises of fast printing and eco-friendliness. It's a perfect buy for anyone looking for a fast, compact, easy-to-use and energy-efficient mono printer without all the bells and whistles of a higher-end product.
OUR SCORE
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