Oki C7200n

The C7200n also handled A4 photographic images well, managing to print an 18Mb full-colour PhotoCD image in a shade over one minute. The final image was also impressively clear, lacking the visible diagonal cross-hatching effect that has until now been the albatross of LED printers. Partly responsible for this performance and quality is Oki's MEGA (Multiple and Exclusive Graphic Accelerator) chip, which handles colour management, RIP (Raster Image Processor) processing and data compression algorithms.

The last test was our 12-page Excel spreadsheet, which maintained the trend of speed and quality with both PCL5C and PostScript 3 modes delivering a very impressive 10.7ppm in full colour.

Network functions are controlled by a 10/100BaseTX network card, powered by a 33MHz Falcon processor. This proved simple enough to configure thanks to Oki's AdminManager utility, which searches the network for installed network servers. This utility will then let you perform tasks such as assigning the printer to various servers and entering an NDS tree and context, as well as more mundane matters like managing the print queue.

The Oki C7200n is an impressive debut for single-pass LED technology. Colour printing is achieved at impressive speeds, if not quite up to the levels quoted by Oki, and print quality is the best yet seen at the price. At £2,029 it's also very well priced against the competition, most notably the HP LaserJet 4500N, which is a mighty £1,021 more expensive (although a duplex unit is included). The recent quiet spell from Oki has certainly been put to good use, as the C7200n is a truly superb colour laser printer thoroughly deserving of a place on our A List.

Author: Gareth Ogden