Xerox Phaser 6000

For those who remember the Dell 1250c colour LED printer, reviewed in October 2011, this printer will bring back memories. The moment we unpacked the Phaser 6000, we recognized the look and size from Dell. The two printers are identical from within, but Xerox has definitely done a better job in designing the Phaser 6000.

Design and Features
The colour printer has a curvy shell with a white matte finished exterior. Adding to the white exterior is the light blue translucent paper-out and input sheet protector tray that gives it a trendier look. The compact design and stylish look makes it suitable for chic interiors at offices or homes. The printer has a print resolution of 1200 x 2400 dpi with a duty cycle of 30,000 pages per month. The internal processor featured has a speed of 192 MHz and memory capacity of 64 MB.

Will look good at home or at work

The Phaser 6000’s control panel is at the top and has been given a circular design with all the status LEDs and ink volume indicators neatly covered or encased in a dark translucent panel. The control panel has just two buttons - resume printing and cancel a current print job. The rear features the main power connector and a USB 2.0 interface for PC connectivity. On the right hand side are the power switch and a large door to access the four toner cartridges. These cartridges are drum-less and only contain the powder ink, and come pretty expensive. Each color cartridge costs Rs.2,867 and yields around 1,000 pages each, while the black cartridge costs Rs.4,300 and can yield 2,000 pages. In comparison, the cartridges and the printer are cheaper, than the Dell 1250c. The effective price of a colour print is around Rs.3, while a black print can cost you around Rs.2.50. The Xerox Phaser 6000 ships with starter cartridges, which produce around 500 pages each.

The cartridge

The printer uses the HiQ LED engine printing technology, which is more energy efficient, when compared to a laser printer. This is because LED printers have no moving parts, like lasers and mirrors that are used in conventional laser technology-based printers. Colour printers using the LED printing technology are laser-class, but use LEDs as the light source in the print head, instead of the conventional laser to create the image on the print drum or belt. The Phaser 6000 also does not feature any networking option, such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which could make a significant difference, if it were to be used in an office environment. The input tray can be filled with 150 sheets, while the output paper capacity is 100 sheets.

Performance
Xerox has printed the top speeds of the Phaser 6000 at a maximum of 12 pages per minute for black and 10 pages per minute for color. We tested the printer for print speeds, print quality, first page out, and printer uptime. For print speed, we tested an everyday text document prepared in MS-Word, and not the usual 5 percent document stated by printer manufacturers, because no one ever prints a document with 5 percent text.

Circular dial for options

Similar to the Dell 1250c, the print speeds obtained here were 10 pages per minute with colour and 11 pages per minute in black. The printer takes around 17 seconds to warm up after a cold boot, while a first print can be fired within 15 seconds. While testing for performance, we noticed that the prints were excellent and crisp. Colours printed were bright, while the registration of black text meeting with colour areas was excellent. Even the black text was razor sharp, which is great for presentations and office documentations.

Verdict
Overall, this printer is highly recommended, if you want a printer that is quieter, energy efficient, provides good quality printing and is more compact than conventional laser options. But, as far as the prices of the cartridges are concerned, you should consider the printing volume of your daily work, before considering this one. But, if laser-like quality printing is your preference, we would give you a go ahead. Priced at Rs.14,990 and shipped with a starter cartridge pack, this printer could pinch your pocket initially, but if your concern is printing quality then the Xerox Phaser 6000 printer is what you need.