Dell is rolling out several new printers, including two multifunction machines, that target small businesses and home office workers. These new printers also allow Dell to expand its small business portfolio beyond the company’s line of Vostro PCs and mobile devices like the Streak.
The new Dell printers, which the company officially announced Sept. 29, are also part of Dell’s plan to expand its printing and copying portfolio to better compete against more established players in the market, such as Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Samsung and Brother.
In March, Dell expanded its printer lineup by eight, adding new machines for large enterprises. Dell is also planning to target specific vertical markets such as education and health care.
As the company did with previous models, each of the Dell printers comes with different letters to designate different functions. A Dell printer designated with an “n” means the machine offers a built-in network card. A “d” means the printer can handle double-sided printing, and a “c” stands for color.
The two high-end offerings include the Dell 2150cn/cdn, a networked laser printer that can print color on both sides of a page. This machine prints at 24 pages per minutes (ppm) in both color and black and white. The 2155cn/cdn multifunction printer offers the same features, but the machine also allows for faxing and scanning, as well as printing and copying.
Both of these Dell printers are available starting Sept. 29. The 2150 starts at $349, while the 2155 starts at $549.
Dell also rolled out the 1350cnw and the 1355 cn/cnw printers, which are a little different, since both offer LED (light emitting diode) printing technology compared with standard laser printing. In LED printing, the print head consists of a number of solid-state LEDs that are built across the drum. The print head flashes light across the whole width of the drum, which creates each line of ink dots at the same time.
The benefits of LED printing, according to Dell, are small printers that produce less noise and print pages faster.
Both the Dell 1350cnw and 1355cn/cnw printers offer a WiFi option and speeds of 15 ppm for black and white and 12 ppm for color. The 1350 is available now for a starting price of $329, while the 1355, which offers scanning and faxing capabilities, is available on Nov. 16 for a starting price of $399.
Finally, Dell is offering the small 1250c, which offers speeds of 12 ppm for black and white and 10 ppm for color. This printer is available now for a starting price of $229.