Oki B2400n

Oki's diminutive B2400n may be the smallest mono printer in its class, but don't let that fool you - it has the features to keep up with bigger, more expensive machines. At £120, it's also one of the cheapest printers in this Labs.

The entry-level price and tiny dimensions hide a decent range of features: there's network connectivity here, for example, on top of the more usual USB connection. Oki's alternative LED printing technology also reduces power consumption, which is helpful if you have an eye on the environment.

Conversely, the low price and emphasis on downsizing the printer mean a couple of features found on other models are missing here. There's no LCD panel, so changing settings and setting up the printer on the network can be tricky.

The Oki's print speed can't really compete with heftier rivals, either. It takes slightly longer than other mono machines to begin printing - three or four seconds, usually - and, when it does, other tasks lag behind as well, with more demanding pages suffering the most.

Print quality is fairly average in this company. It doesn't quite reach the heights of the likes of the HP or Lexmark offerings, but it's perfectly acceptable and will handle anything you throw at it - as long as it's black and white, of course.

The Oki B2400n has a decent feature set and is cheap to buy. Unfortunately, though, given the meagre 2,000-page cartridges it will cost you more than most to run, and it just doesn't have the quality or speed to match the better models this month.

Author: Darien Graham-Smith