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Oki C5150n
Color Laser Printer Review
- The Oki C5150n Color Laser Printer is a high-end office printer at a low-end price -
Before making the decision to buy this printer, I needed several questions answered to be certain this would be a good choice for my needs.
The first thing I wanted to know is whether the Okidata C5150n Printer can meet my high-quality office printing requirements with speedy print output in mind. Our printing requirements vary from text & office documents to engineering diagrams, as well as graphics & output of pictures.
I found that this printer can handle all of the above very effectively as well as other tasks such as printing on different paper thicknesses and business card stock. Conclusion: The printed output appears very crisp, colorful, and professional-looking, and with the speed I needed.
Background:
This printer uses innovative technology within its central core - digital LED technology and single pass color digital technology with a straight-through paper path for handling thicker paper stock such as business cards.
While parts of the Oki C5150n Printer have similar technology to laser printers, using the term "color laser printer" is a bit of a misnomer from the respect that the actual technology inside is Oki's Digital LED Technology (light emitting diodes instead of traditional laser-based printer technology). The Oki C5150n also uses Oki's Single Pass Color process which provides faster speed and reliability.
The C5150n Model combines high performance & quality, and turns out up to 12 full-color and 20 monochrome pages per minute. It also offers sharp 1200 x 600 dots per inch (dpi) resolution.
First Page Print Time:
This was an important feature for me in the respect that printing separate individual documents requires a fast initial startup to 'grab & go' so to speak. This printer has a fast "first page print time" rating, in as little as 14 seconds color, 9 seconds black & white, and my experiences come close to this.
Compatibility:
The Oki C5150n is compatible with both PCs and Macs and can be connected directly with either a USB Cable (can even be configured with the USB 2.0 standard at up to 480Mbps speed) or through the 10/100 Base-T Ethernet Network Port provided in the C5150n Model.
Nice feature:
The printer's front opens out into a Multi-purpose Paper Feed Tray and the printer's rear opens into an output tray - this creates a "straight-through" paper path which is perfect for printing on thick paper or card stock.
Printer Toner Cartridges & Replacement Cost:
The Oki C5150n comes complete with everything needed to start printing immediately including toner cartridges. Note: If you intend to print via the USB Port instead of the printer's built-in network port, then you will need a USB Interface Cable (not included with printer) which can be found
right here (6-ft)
or
right here (10-ft)
at a very low price. The installed "starter" cartridges for color output (3 Cartridges - Cyan, Magenta, & Yellow) as well as black & white output (1 "K" Cartridge - Black Toner) are each rated with a 1,500-page estimated life per cartridge.
The cost of replacement okidata printer toner cartridges varies based on the vendor, when purchased, and page yield - there are 3K Page Yield Toner Cartridges (3,000 pages) and also high-capacity 5K Page Yield Toner Cartridges (5,000 pages). Note: Page Yield refers to the approximate amount of pages which can be printed using that particular toner cartridge. Why is this figure approximate? Because page yield can vary due to page coverage & image detail of what one is printing.
The Oki C5150n has another nice feature, a "Usage Menu", which you can easily access through the printer's web interface. This is an informational menu which provides an indication of total usage of the printer, and the expected life remaining in its consumable items. This is a great way to monitor how fast your operational usage of the printer consumes supplies, and is particularly useful if you do not have a full set of replacement consumables on hand and you need to know how soon you will need to purchase them.
Example of toner cartridge replacement cost: As of June 2005, the cheapest price I have found is $33 for a
3K page yield black toner cartridge;
color printer toner cartridges run approximately $110 per high-capacity
5K Page Yield Color Toner Cartridge.
Optional Accessories:
An optional Duplex Unit can be ordered which would allow you to print automatically on both sides of a page. Also an optional second paper tray is available if your needs increase beyond the installed 400-sheet main and multipurpose trays.
Setup & Installation:
The Oki C5150n can be configured in a variety of ways based on user preference: Through the printer's front panel, via a web-browser based interface, via telnet (an optional access method which can allow you to connect to the printer's controller and configure different capabilities), or via the Okidata C5150n AdminManager Software which comes with the printer - I found their software to be user friendly and easy to set up.
Unique Benefits to Oki Data Printers:
- Live, toll-free Customer Support is included, 24 hrs Per Day, 7 Days Per Week, clearly a big benefit if technical support is ever needed. I tried this out with a minor question I had, and I was able to get through directly to their technical phone support immediately; on another occasion, they were too busy at the time, so they took down my name & number - they returned my phone call within 15 minutes. I found their support personnel to be very knowledgeable and proficient in supporting their products.
- Oki Electric has been around a long time (nearly 125 years) and continues their track record of innovating and improving their print engine & printing process technologies. In fact, I recently learned that their printer technology also powers many printers from other manufacturers.
- Warranty: The printer carries a one-year warranty on the printer itself, and a five-year warranty on the digital led printheads.
Default Memory:
The Oki C5150n has a base installed memory of 32MB RAM which is plenty for rigorous and varied office printing requirements. Note that this printer can be upgraded with more memory (up to 288 MB) to handle greater loads of high-volume & graphics-intensive printing requirements.
Dimensions:
16.7"W x 22.1"D x 13.6"H (42.5 cm x 56.1 cm x 34.5 cm); the weight is approximately 57.3 lb. (26.0 kg).
REVIEW OF OKI C5150N PRINTER:
Pros:
- Fast Printing
- Excellent, professional print quality
- Low purchase price
- Quiet (except during warm-up mode)
- Text is clean & crisp
- Picture quality is vibrant & full color
- Easy to set up and use
Cons:
- Slightly noisy warming up, but not unreasonable (most color laser printers make noise)
Summary:
The Oki C5150n Printer is an affordable digital LED color printer that is network-ready and engineered for high productivity. It has a low purchase price and a low cost per page, and is designed to stretch your budget.
You can find
full specs and the lowest price available
for this printer right here.
Resources:
Oki C5150n Installation Tips
Oki C5150n Toner Cartridges
Other Reviews
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