Dell's V305 Printer Works Well

During a back-to-school special, Dell offered and I accepted their V305 printer for $60 with free shipping.  Since the price was so low, I was expecting a mound of misery, but to my surprise the printer works exceedingly well.

The printer itself looks sleek and modern in white and black.  It has a paper support, paper guide, foreign object guard, top cover, paper exit tray, scanner base, ink cartridge carrier, memory card slots, network adapter, power connector and USB connector.  Since I am not a techno expert by any means, I found the self-explanatory tutorial CD program that came with the printer easy to understand and get started.  NOTE:  If you purchase your new Dell computer at the same time as the printer, Dell can install the program right into the computer for you.

There is an operator panel with a display to view scanning, copying and printing options.  This model does not fax.  It also will convey any error and status messages from this display.  The arrow buttons allow you to scroll through menus, increase the number or decrease the value as well as scroll photos on a memory card or digital camera.  There is a funny looking U-Turn back button as well.  A check indicates the select button.  A circle with a top-knot button is the power, an X is the cancel and a green triangle start initiates the scan or copying.  There are also LEDs for error and Wi-Fi, if that is activated as well.

There is an automatic paper sensor which is handy and the ink cartridges which came with the printer were easy to load - both black/white and color.  The printer asks your preferences, properties, options and setup which can be a little tiresome, but the printer cannot detect paper size without your input.  It reminded me a little of the Windows Vista, constant inquiry and an obsessive compulsive need to get it right.

I found that for a simple copy job the copies came out clear and quickly.  To scan, it was best to make the request coming from the computer rather than the printer.  In order to accommodate this, the connection must be made between the printer and computer to "talk" to each other which must be set up first in programs and the USB port must be installed properly.

The above was done (in Windows) by selecting Dell Imaging Toolbox and from the Home screen selecting Copy.  When it asks what you are scanning? Select document or photo.  There are also custom settings for you to adjust how the documents will be copied or scanned.  Hit start, the document appears in the dialog box on screen and then hit copy now.

This system does offer wireless networking, although I have not tried that yet.  The printer includes software which detects the level of ink in the printer cartridges and to warn you when the levels are too low.  Aligning the ink cartridges into place was probably the most difficult task and I kept my plastic covers with the exact print cartridge numbers for future reference since this was my first time installing them.  It was a good thing the printer came with its own, but unfortunately the CD tutorial did not tell you how to install them, I had to figure that out on my own.

The price was the best part of this bargain.  I understand that a Staples gift card for $25 is on its way as well for making this purchase.  It was supposed to have been delivered by DHL (now out of business in most places), so be sure to track your packages if you order one.  The best part of owning one is now I can do a lot of business with others over the internet without leaving my home, not to mention making my own high-quality copies of important documents.