| | |
|
| |
| | |
|
|
Home > Color Laser Printer Review - Ricoh SP-C440DN
| | |
|
     
In Short: The new C440dn from Ricoh is the replacement model for their very successful C430dn and C431dn models. This new C440dn is built on the same tried and true Ricoh engine, now in it's 5th generation, coupled with an updated and more robust controller. For the most part the new C440dn looks physically identical to its predecessors and even shares the same supplies though we did notice some metal reinforcement in areas. The printer was extremely easy to set up once it was unpacked. The four starter toners, which resemble tubes, just snap into their respective color coded slots and the four photo conductors or PC-Units are pre-installed. The Ricoh C440dn ships with both PostScript3 and PCL drivers, and though we did install both for our testing, we would recommend that most users just go with the PS3 driver. It provides full functionality and offers a wide variety of color profiles so you can match color and fonts more accurately across applications or operating systems.
|
| In our side by side testing we found the print quality at the 1200x1200 dpi setting to be very sharp on all text and line art. The Ricoh C440dn also produced smooth color gradations and vibrant color. In general the C440dn had the best print quality on all the print tests we conducted and seemed to be even better than the previous models. Some of the standard features of the new C440dn include true Adobe PostScript Level3, PCL5c, PCL6, PDF direct print, 1GB RAM, and Ethernet 1000/100/10 Base TX and USB interfaces. The Ricoh C440dn prints full color or black & white at up to 42 pages per minute and in our speed testing the C440dn outperformed printers that are rated faster, (for more test results see the printer comparison page). The standard 550-sheet lower feeder can accommodate paper as large as legal size paper, 8.5”x14”, and as heavy as 80lb cover (220gsm). The 100-sheet bypass feeder is fully adjustable and will feed paper as heavy as 94lb cover or 256gsm which is also best in class. The printer had no problem feeding various media from the bypass tray and we were also able to feed as many as 30 standard envelopes at a time from the lower feeder. Another impressive standard feature is this printer’s ability to auto-duplex paper as heavy as 60lb. cover or 163gsm. Ricoh also offers several upgrades like up to three more 550-sheet feeders, various stands, an internal HD, and a wireless interface. The most impressive feature of this new Ricoh C440dn however is the super low operating cost. This is the only color laser printer to have a cost per page of 4.3 cents per color page and also able to print black and white for less than most black and white printers. Best of all you don’t have to destroy your printer by using fake toners to achieve this. |
The Bottom Line: This new Ricoh C440dn is a very fast network color laser printer that produces best in class print quality and impressive paper handling. The combination of speed, price, and excellent print quality, coupled with the lowest operating costs of any color laser printer ever, make this model an easy editor’s choice. The new Ricoh C440dn is a color laser workhorse and outstanding value. The new Ricoh SP C440dn works well with all current Windows, Mac OS 10.7 or later, and all other current operating systems.
|
| |
| | |
| 
|
|