Dell Multifunction Monochrome Laser Printer 1125

The Dell 1125 is a Jack-of-all-trades black-and-white laser printer that also scans, faxes, and copies. Like most multifunction monolasers, it's geared mostly toward small-business users that need a versatile and efficient all-in-one that still prints quality documents with relative speed. The 1125 offers 600x600 dpi printing, a 30-page automatic document feeder, an internal standalone fax machine, and a 24-bit color scanner. We were less than thrilled at the low-quality graphics printouts and the pathetically low page-output toner included with the printer, but for $199, we can't complain all that much. It fares well in speed and features with our current favorite multifunction printer, the Canon ImageClass MF4270, but lacks network compatibility and autoduplexing that comes into play in midsize business environments. That said, if you're shopping for a basic multifunction laser printer to predominantly print text (with little to no graphics included) for a smaller business, you'll be satisfied with the Dell 1125 both in price and in functionality.

Design
The Dell 1125 stands pretty tall at 14.8 inches tall by 16.3 inches wide by 17.5 inches deep. The paper tray is at fault for the longer depth measurement; it awkwardly sticks out of the bottom, and you can't adjust or conceal it. In addition, the cover doesn't latch onto the base--instead, it just lies flat and becomes a nuisance when it's time to refill the paper tray. We would have preferred a recessed paper tray that slides into the machine and out of the way.

In fact, we have several design-related bones to pick with the 1125. Aside from the paper tray, you can't adjust the angle of the LCD display, meaning you're forced to position the printer below eye level or you won't be able to access the buttons or see the screen. Next, the paper corral juts out from the middle of the printer where the paper spits out, and it isn't an option--you must use it or the prints will fall out of the printer. The problem is that the corral itself is made of a flimsy plastic and haphazardly clips into the body. All it takes is an accidental brush against the tray to knock it out of its mounting. Dell could improve the overall design by repositioning both the paper input and the output tray.

Features
Even though the 1125 had a few design flaws, its internal features truly shine. First, the Dell has a built-in 30-sheet automatic document feeder to supplement the scanning function, a rare feature in budget MFPs. The main paper tray holds 250 sheets of paper, which is standard for the category, and higher than average for a personal printer. The 1125's LCD walks you through the different functions, with step-by-step instructions to make the operation very intuitive. We highly recommend installing the proprietary Dell software that comes in the box. It contains Dell's Toner Management System that displays a graphic of how much toner is left and even provides links to purchase more online before you run out. In the case that a paper jam occurs, an image will conveniently pop up and pinpoint the location of the problem with instructions on how to resolve it.

Dell also includes ScanSoft's PaperPort software for organizing scanned documents on your PC. The program organizes scanned photos and documents and works with Microsoft Windows to produce four customizable scanner profiles. PaperPort also lets you make minor adjustments to crop, adjust, rotate, enhance, and autostraighten your files.

At its core, the Dell 1125 is a stripped-down version of a typical small-to-meduim business all-in-one, which means that it doesn't include a lot of the features found in larger, more expensive printers. It lacks an autoduplexer for printing on both sides of a sheet of paper. It also lacks an Ethernet port, so if you're hoping to use this printer across your entire network of computers, you'll need to look into a beefier MFP that can handle color prints, duplexing, and Wi-Fi connectivity, such as the HP Color LaserJet CM1017.

Performance
The Dell 1125 impressed us with its print speeds, especially compared with those of four other printers: the Samsung SCX-4200, the Lexmark E250dn, the Oki B2520, and the aforementioned Canon ImageClass MF4270.

In our speed tests, the Dell 1125 bested all but the Canon ImageClass in presentation prints, black text prints, grayscale scans, and image/text copies, as seen in the following graph:

Print speed tests (in pages per minute)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Graphics copy (PPM)

Grayscale scan (PPM)

Graphics (PPM)

Presentation (PPM)

Text (PPM)

Dell 1125

9.56 

5.96 

14.69 

13.19 

15.18 

Canon ImageClass MF4270

15.5 

12.19 

17.14 

15.13 

16.52 

Oki B2520

9.18 

3.31 

12.27 

11.21 

10.64 

Lexmark E250dn

20.95 

9.94 

11.15 

Samsung SCX-4200

5.62 

14.29 

13.78 

13.42 

The Dell stands out from its peers with very quick prints, and text print quality is excellent, as well. Black prints are consistent and dark with no noticeable step-downs or blotches--they're definitely acceptable for printing business documents. The graphics quality tests are where most MFPs flounder, and the 1125 is no different: We can see very obvious gradation and banding in a simple black-to-white fade, even with the custom preferences set to Best quality. Our light graphics turned out very blurry and almost unrecognizable because of all the horizontal lines that ran through the image. The presentation we test-printed incorporates a mix of graphics and text, and the larger, solid graphics turned out OK, but small details and portraits looked grainy and ill-distributed.

The Dell 1125 ships with a 1,000-page toner cartridge that warned us of low toner capacity toward the end of our testing. Granted, we do print out a lot of images, text, and mixed documents to get a confident sample to analyze, but at $50 per cartridge, the result is expensive at 5 cents per page. The good news is that you can also buy a higher-yield toner cartridge that promises a yield of 2,000 pages for $63--this turns out to be a much better deal at 3.2 cents per page.

Service and support
Dell offers a complete one-year warranty along with the 1125, including 24-7 toll-free technical phone support. Users are also protected by the Advanced Exchange Service that replaces your machine. A five-year warranty extension program is also available for purchase.

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