Dell printers dive into UK

 

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By Matt Whipp

Posted on 30 Sep 2003 at 10:50

Dell has brought its Lexmark-technology based printers to the UK, starting at £59.99 (inc. VAT).

The seven new printers cover personal inkjets and all-in-ones, as well as mono lasers and networked machines. As such they represent the range currently on offer in the US, although we are told future products are likely to be launched on a global basis.

A Dell spokesperson told us that the US roll-out has been a success. 'It has exceeeded our internal expectations in terms of the sales performance and customer satisfaction,' she said.

The new range starts with the J740, a £59.99 (inc. VAT) inkjet that speeds along at 18ppm black and white and 14ppm colour. There's also the option for borderless prints.

The A920 is a £64.99 (inc. VAT) all-in-one, offering printing at 14ppm black and white and 8ppm colour, plus scanning and copying facilities.

The A940 (pictured) is the next step up at £94.99 (inc. VAT) and adds faxing to the party. You also get better prints - at up to 4800x1200dpi, and 600x2400dpi scans.

The inkjets don't have any frills such as card readers or colour LCD preview screens. Our Dell spokesperson explained: 'In our research we found a lot of customers don't actually use the card reader.' Although she added card readers may be added when the number of different types of memory card decreases. 'As it becomes more standardised, we'll reevaluate,' she said.

However, the inkjets do include basic image editing software and performance monitoring tools. Users are alerted when ink cartridges start to run dry, although we were told that 'you can keep using the ink even when it indicates it needs replacing.' If you heed the software prompt for a new cartridge, it will take you to the order page for the correct type for your machine, so you can be confident that it will work when it arrives.

The laser range starts with the P1500, offering mono prints at 19ppm. Workgroup lasers are the S2500 and the S2500n, the latter being a networked version. They offer 22ppm print speeds and cost 3339.58 (inc. VAT) and £515.83 (inc. VAT) respectively. Finally, the M5200n costs £727.33 (inc. VAT) and chews through 35ppm, able to cope with workloads of 175,000 pages a month. It also includes software for installation, configuration and remote management.

Dell is also bringing its recycling scheme to the UK 'pretty soon', where, we are told, 'you can hand in your old printer - when you buy a new Dell printer, there's a form where you can put in your details and a courier will come and take your old one away. So you can prevent it from going to a landfill'.

Ink and toner cartridges (from £21.99 and £68 inc. VAT, respectively) also offer an incentive for recycling. The Use & Return cartridges are cheaper than the standard ones and are supplied with a prepaid envelope with which you can return the empty cartridge for recycling.

The initiatives will help bring Dell in line with EU directives for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive and the Restriction of Hazardous Substances that will be implemented into national law by the end of 2006.

Dell's printers can be ordered the usual direct way for Dell - either online or by phone, so don't expect to see them in your local PC World.