Dell C1760nw Pro Reviews

Color laser devotees, we know you’re out there. If you must buy a low-cost color laser, the Dell C1760nw is one we’re willing to recommend--albeit with many reservations--because of its unusually good graphics quality.

Entry-level, personal-laser printers have devolved over the years into something of a niche market. What some potential buyers may not realize when considering small color laser/LED devices like this one is that, despite these printers' strong print speeds and relatively high rated duty cycles, they’d get much better value from a higher-volume, pricier model—or perhaps even a high-end inkjet. Take Dell’s own single-function $649-list C3760dn Color Laser Printer$589.99 at Dell, for example. While it costs a few hundred dollars more than the C1760nw, its cost per page, when you use the highest-yield cartridges, runs about 1.2 cents for color pages and 10 cents for color. This is a difference of 2.3 cents each for black-and-white pages. If you print thousands of pages each month, these pennies add up quickly, exceeding the difference in purchase price between the two devices in a few short months. After that point, you’d be saving those 2.3 cents with every page you print. And that can add up to real money. For example, if you print 15,000 pages over the course of a year (1,250 per month, a relatively small amount for a laser in a busy office, and only half of the C1760nw’s maximum monthly duty cycle), you’ll save about $345, or close to the difference in price between this Dell and its higher-end sibling. Granted, using the C3760dn to print so few pages each month is probably overkill. But the point remains, the more you print, the more the costly model makes sense.

Outwardly little has changed on the new Dell C1760nw. The squat rectangular printer has identical dimensions of 394 x 300 x 225mm as its predecessor, and is styled in the same matt black finish. It weighs fractionally more at 10.6 kg with all consumables loaded,and the printer feels sturdy. At the front is the same drop-down 150-sheet input tray but a removable 10-sheet bypass tray has been included above and you can print off 100 sheets at a time into the output tray on top.

The Dell C1760nw Color Printer$244.99 at Dell is a step up from the Dell C1660w Color Printer$179.99 at Dell, adding Ethernet connectivity and a bypass tray, using a slightly faster print engine, and offering slightly lower running costs. It has solid (if unspectacular) speed and output quality, and is a respectable choice as a color printer for a micro or home office.

The Dell C1760nw Color Printer is a step up from the Dell C1660w Color Printer, adding Ethernet connectivity and a bypass tray, using a slightly faster print engine, and offering slightly lower running costs. It has solid (if unspectacular) speed and output quality, and is a respectable choice as a color printer for a micro or home office.