10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
The little printer that could ...
Date of Review: May 3, 2006
The Bottom Line: Would highly recommend this printer to anyone wanting good quality color laser prints.
The little printer that could simplify my life. We have a small peer-to-peer network at home and I had one computer dedicated to share an Epson Inkjet and an old HP monochrome laser printer (5mp). As I saw the price of Color Laser printers come down, I started thinking about simplifying the home network. There were several requirements: 1) a network ready printer, 2) a color capable printer, 3) reasonable cost per page and 4) good color output.
I think that in the Magicolor 2430DL, I have met those requirements. I was able to sell my printer server PC and old laser printer. I still have the inkjet printer, but it is about to go to a good home. The 2430DL could not be easier to setup on a network, plug it in, power it on and install the drivers.
Yes, toner cartridges can be expensive, but when you consider that the high-capacity cartridge are rated at 10 to 20 times the page output as injet cartridges, toner cartridges are a bargain. If you refill your toner cartridges, this drops your consumable cost substantially. Half of my inkjet cartridge was wasted on cleaning cycles, which was very frustrating with the inkjet printer.
At first, the output from this printer was a little off color, but after playing with the settings, I was able to get accurate colors from this printer. I have taken some of my prints from this printer to work and most people are very surprised and impressed that they were done on a laser printer. The output at 2400 X 600 is close to what I could get with my photo quality inkjet printer. Close enough that I can live without the hassle of the inkjet printer.
Warm up and power on times are quick with this printer and the output speed is better than either the inkjet or the laser printer that I replaced.
One thing that I can ding this printer on is that there is no manual paper feed and that when you change paper, such as from plain to cardstock or photo paper, you must pull the paper out of the tray and re-inset it. This is a small price to pay for such an otherwise fantastic color laser printer.
I have been very impressed with this printer, especially since I was able to get it at Sam's for $249.99. This was $100 to $150 better than any other (at time of sale) price I could find and no mail-in rebates to hassle with.
