Dell 1720dn – Mono Laser Printer For Small Work Groups And Offices

Pros

The Dell 1720dn is a reasonably priced printer offering decent print qualities, at low print cost and at decent pace. The printer also comes with a built-in networking and duplex and has kind support terms.

Cons

The Dell 1720dn suffers from minor cross emergence in graphics print.

Introduction

The Dell 1720dn is an affordably priced mono laser printer with the capability of delivering high-quality prints at decent speed. The mono laser printer is intended for small offices and workgroups and will meet their requirements perfectly. At $300, the 1720dn gets you Ethernet networking, built-in duplexer and most importantly low print costs. We got the same print quality from the Samsung ML-3051ND priced at $350 and offering quicker text prints and a little slower graphics prints, a straight pass-through and a 50-sheet multipurpose tray.

If you think that all these extras are worth spending $50 more, then go for it. Else, the Dell 1720dn is just the perfect option for its targeted audiences. Especially if the networking and duplex printing are not among your high priorities, then the baseline Dell 1720dn priced at $200 definitely is worth considering.

Design

The Dell 1720dn’s looks are all business, and this charcoal gray colored printer with a blocky structure has got no-nonsense. The mono laser printer measures 13.6 inches deep by 15.6 inches wide by 10 inches tall, and weighs a tad more than 25 pounds. Dell ships 1720dn with a 250-sheet paper tray, though, the input capacity can further be expanded with the help of an elective 550-sheet drawer. Just above the tray, there is a slot which serves as the manual feed tray for the printer, in which you can actually feed single sheets of media. The manual feed tray of the printer has an adjustable paper guides for facilitating different sizes of papers for printing. The 1720dn doesn’t have a straight pass-through, which according to us a pretty good for the thicker media which could be problematic for the printer’s rollers.

Like the design, the control panel of the printer is also pretty simple and only has a cancel button and a continue button, along with several LEDs for alerting you regarding the problems like paper jams etc.

Dell supplies both, standard and high-capacity toners cartridges for the printer and also offers a use-and-return program, under which you could get discounts on returning the used cartridges. The print costs and monthly duty cycle of the printer is sufficient for small office and home printing needs.

The Dell offers two models for its 1720 mono laser printer family: the base model priced at $200, while the 1720dn (that we reviewed) is priced at $300. The standard feature set for the 1720dn includes a built-in duplexer facilitating automatic double-sided prints and built-in networking through Ethernet. Both the models feature a 366MHz processor. Though, they both have different memory sets, and where the 1720 comes with a 16MB RAM, the 1720dn gets a 32MB. Both the memories could be upgraded to 144MB and 160MB, correspondingly. Both, 1720 and 1720dn includes USB and parallel connectors. You also get an elective wireless printer adapter facilitating printing wirelessly over your network.

System Configuration:

Starting price: $45.95 – $259.99
Manufacturer: Dell, Inc.
Part Number: 222-7676
Printer Type: Laser – Monochrome – Workgroup printer
Operating System: Linux,  UNIX,  Novell NetWare 6,  Apple MacOS 9.2 ,  Apple MacOS X 10.3 , Apple MacOS X 10.2,  Novell NetWare 5.1 ,  Apple MacOS X 10.4, Microsoft Windows Vista,  Novell NetWare 6.5,  Microsoft Windows XP SP2,  Microsoft Windows XP SP1 ,  Microsoft Windows 2000 SP3 ,  Microsoft Windows 2000 SP2 ,  Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP6a,  Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4,  Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP1,  Microsoft Windows Server 2003 ,  Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition,  Microsoft Windows XP 64-bit Edition and Microsoft Windows Vista (64-bit versions)

Dimensions (W x D x H): 15.6 x 13.6 x 10 inches
System weight: 25.1 lbs
Connectivity Technology: Wired
Interface: USB and Parallel
Media Type: Labels,   Cards,   Plain paper,   Envelopes and Transparencies
Software Included: Drivers & Utilities
Processor: ARM ARM9 366 MHz
Features: Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
Peripheral / Interface Devices: USB port (compatible with 2.0 specifications)
Service & Support: 1 year – Shipment, Limited warranty – Replacement

Performance

The performance of Dell 1720dn was rather decent and the Dell 1720dn somehow kept pace with the competition. The printer delivered black text prints at the rate of 13.46 ppm (pages per minute). A tad less expensive Lexmark E250dn was a tad slower, while slightly more expensive Samsung ML-3051ND was a tad faster. Though, dell beat them both (the Lexmark and the Samsung) in our graphics printing test by churning prints at the rate of 21.59ppm. In PowerPoint print test the Dell 1720dn delivered the speed of 11.79ppm.

Like the speed test, the quality test also delivered satisfactory results The Dell 1720dn didn’t disappoint with its print quality, either. The text prints were flawless, just as we expect from a mono laser printers. Even the mono graphics prints appeared sharp and detailed, with some cross-hatching blemished the photo elements a tad. This flaw although, is not unusual for laser printers, though. On a whole, the print and speed test delivered decent print results, which makes it suitable for small office or work group environments.

Support

The Dell 1720dn gets standard warranty of one year from Dell. Though, it can be upgraded. Dell offers toll-free phone support 24×7 as well, but at the same time it recommends trying the live online chat option first. If you don’t have any urgent inquiries, you can also e-mail Dell’s support team or can even access its consumer forums.

Dell’s website also offers product-specific support for the consumers as online user guides, software downloads, drivers, and a troubleshooting tool. You can also get easy tips on general how-tos, as well, like how to change the toner cartridge.

Word from the Experts

The Dell 1720dn offers decent print quality at respectable pace, and this is what makes it an outstanding mono laser printer for small work groups and offices.