Overview
The Dell 2145cn color laser 4-In-1 printer is designed for use in mid-sized to large office workgroups. This unit offers a large paper capacity, fast print speeds in both color and monochrome, and built in Ethernet connection. The specifications for the 2145cn are slightly better than the model prior (2135cn) and owners familiar with that model will find the performance of the 2145cn in line with their expectations.
Features and Functionality
The 2145cn is rated by Dell to output monochrome and color print jobs at 21 pages per minute. Our testing was unable to replicate these speeds and we found the print speeds to be more in the 15 ppm range. Print quality was good and as to be expected. Monochrome and color text prints were very good with sharp edges and deep colors. This isn't a photo quality printer, but works just fine for printing charts and graphs and other graphical business documents. One negative we found was that print jobs containing large graphics (both color and monochrome) printed very slow at approximately 3 pages per minute. The maximum output resolution for this printer is 1200 x 600 dpi for both color and black and white.
Copy speeds and quality of the Dell 2145cn are similar to the print speeds. The ability of this machine to function as a standalone copier is a plus. Copies can be made by simply walking up, placing the document on the scanner glass or into the paper feeder and pressing the copy button. This printer model offers automatic duplexing for both printing and copying allowing for double sided prints and copies to be made with ease.
The 2145cn has a built in 10/100 Ethernet adapter and can be connected to a LAN by simply connecting the CAT5 cable. Other connectivity options are USB 2.0 and parallel port. Owners of this printer will make best use of its features and functionality by using it in a large network environment.
The Dell 2145cn color laser AIO device comes standard with a 350 sheet paper capacity. This can be upgraded to 850 sheets by adding the optional 500 sheet paper tray. Busy offices will benefit from the added capacity and are encouraged to purchase the additional paper tray. This unit is rated to handle 65,000 pages per month making it well suited for high volume printing. Offices that demand a lot in the way of printing need to purchase machines that are designed to handle heavy volumes. The 2145cn is designed to do just that.
This printer comes packaged with software and support drivers for just about everything. The included software includes Dell SmartThru Office, Dell Toner Management Application, and drivers for various operating systems. Operating systems supported are: Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, SuSE Linux 9.2 and 8.2, Red Hat Linux 8.0 and 9.0, Red Hat Fedora Core 1 through 4, Mandrake Linux 9.2 to 10.1, Apple Mac OS X 10.3 to 10.5.
Dell 2145cn toner cartridges come in both standard yield and high yield versions. The standard yield toner cartridges are rated at 2,000 pages for the colors: Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow and 2,500 pages for the Black cartridge. The high yield cartridges offer a better value and lower cost per print. The high yield 2145cn toner cartridges are rated at 5,000 pages for the Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow cartridges and 5,500 pages for the Black. The standard yield model numbers are: Cyan – 330-3788, Magenta – 330-3787, Yellow 330-3786, and Black 330-3785. The high yield model numbers are: Cyan – 330-3792, Magenta – 330-3791, Yellow 330-3790, and Black 330-3789. Using remanufactured Dell 2145cn toner cartridges will save owners of this printer a lot of money. Remanufactured 2145cn toner cartridges cost 50%-70% less than new Dell 2145cn cartridges.
Other important specifications of this printer are that it comes standard with 256 MB of memory. This can expanded to 512 MB, which adds benefit when printing large quantities of graphics and photos. This Dell printer model has an LCD menu screen used to access the various setup menus. The unit measures 18.4″ wide by 19.6″ deep by 25.6″ high and weighs 80 pounds. The size of this machine requires that it be installed in a central location and left in place.
Conclusion
The Dell 2145cn color laser multifunction printer is a good printer at a good price. Offices will benefit from the 4-in-1 functionality, high speed printing, and durable design. Anyone that is in need of an office “go to” printer with multifunction capability should consider the Dell 2145cn printer.
