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Member Since 1987 |
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| date of review: updated 10/05/06 |
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The Way We See It
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| Excellent |
| Good |
| Average |
| Poor |
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| Setup |
9.0 |
| Print Quality |
8.1 |
| Speed |
9.3 |
| Paper Handling |
9.5 |
| Supplies |
8.0 |
| Service/Reliabilty |
8.8 |
| TOTAL |
52.7 |
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In Short: The new Phaser 7400 series from Xerox is one of the fastest large-format color printers available. It is based on the newest single-pass color LED technology. The improvements upon the previous generation Phaser 7300N are significant to say the least. The main improvements are in print quality and paper handling. The overall print quality was outstanding rivaling even the big daddy Phaser 7750. In it's best mode the printer produces believable color output with very sharp text and smooth fills. The consistency of the half-tones and the quality of our color text samples were especially impressive. The paper handling capabilities of the new Phaser 7400 are also above average. This printer can handle media sizes from 4"x 6" to 12"x 18" and can auto-duplex up to 60lb cover (188gsm) from all trays. The multi-purpose tray can handle card stock as heavy as 100lb cover (270gsm). However, print quality decreases with heavy stock as the printer prints a very light gray over the whole page. This is especially the case on heavy glossy stock. As with all Xerox color printers, the Phaser 7400 comes in several configurations. All configurations feature a super-fast 800MHz PowerPC processor, Adobe PostScript 3, and print up to 36ppm in full color or 40ppm in black and white. The Phaser 7400 is heavy and requires two people to lift and setup. The printers ship with printer drivers for Windows, Mac and Unix systems. Driver installation was easy and their Enhanced PrintingScout pops up if attention is needed during your print job. PhaserSmart printer diagnostics can be done through an automated Internet-based support system. The Xerox Phaser 7400N includes an internal Ethernet print server and 256MB RAM. The 7400DN configuration adds auto-duplexing and the 7400DT/DX/DXF versions ship with 512MB and a 20GB internal hard drive which can be used for advanced print features like Secure print, Saved print and
Personal Print. The 7400DT version has an additional 2nd 550-sheet feeder while the 7400DX model comes with a 1,650-sheet High Capacity Feeder. The decked out 7400DXF version has both the 550-sheet feeder and the 1,650-sheet High Capacity Feeder for a maximum capacity of 3,000 sheets plus a 1000-sheet Finisher. Optional finishing options include V-fold booklet printing and saddle stitching for in-house publishing.
The Bottom Line: The Xerox Phaser 7400 is a high-quality , fast color printer with the ability to handle thick stock. This makes it a strong contender for almost any color application especially where versatile paper handling is needed. The Phaser 7400 series is a great value and a surprise top performer.
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