Kyocera FS-C5250DN review

The Kyocera FS-C5250DN is a fairly big printer and quite heavy too. Because of this it's better suited to a shared location than an individual classroom, where if the size didn't put you off, the noise certainly would. The initial purchase cost is also quite expensive, but that isn't necessarily a deal-breaker. Why? Because running costs are impressively low. With a high-capacity 7,000-page black toner cartridge, mono pages work out at approximately 1.1p per page, while colour costs come in at around 5.7p per page. Only the

more expensive Oki C711n and Samsung CLP-775ND can beat it here.

Print speeds are good, too, averaging 26ppm. lt has a 500-page paper tray, which can be expanded by adding up to four other trays as separate purchases, and it also features a duplexing unit. This worked well in our tests, although using it will slow down the throughput.

Mono print quality was excellent with crisp, clear fonts and sharp diagrams. Colour graphics and charts also looked impressive, with sharp lines and bright colours. it's only when you get to photo printing that the Kyocera falls down. We found faint lines across photos, while colours were dull and lifeless. The photos produced would still be good enough for children's work and wall displays,

but if you want a more versatile printer then you'd do better to look at the Oki C711n.

The Kyocera is simple to set up, with a CD that walks you through the process, whether you're using the printer by a local USB connection or across your school network via Ethernet. lt had no problems dealing with multiple printing requests from different computers in our school.

The FS-C5250DN isn't the cheapest printer and it can't match the best print quality of other models, but its combination of low running costs and high print speeds make it an excellent choice for any school that wants a good colour laser to share.

Author: Ian Marks