X-bit labs

Personal Laser Printers Roundup: Monochrome Printing (page 7)

Category: Other

by Vasily Melnik

[ 01/19/2006 | 06:23 PM ]

The connector of the USB interface is sunken in the case and is covered with a special door. You can make the excess length of the cable into a coil and hide it under the door for the cable not to clatter your workplace.

On the back panel you will only find a power connector and a switch for the built-in power adapter. There is no removable panel that would give you access to the transport mechanism, so you may have some troubles if the paper is stuck inside.

One more design peculiarity of this model is that it lacks a cooling fan. The heater is located near the back panel and is cooled passively. Well, the manufacturer should know better, yet I have no doubts there is a bigger risk of heater-related troubles with this cooling solution.

The cartridge compartment can be accessed through the top cover which is located right under the output tray. The cartridge is held in place with a latch. It takes no big effort to take it out or put it back again.

The cartridge combines a toner container and a photo-conductor in a single casing. This is not the most economical solution, but it is justifiable for a personal printer intended for small printing volumes. You don’t have to check out if it is the toner or the drum that needs replacement – you just have to install a new cartridge when the printer stops to print.