Dell 1320c

Outwardly, the Dell 1320c is a distinctive, and not unattractive, black cube, and at under $400 it’s the cheapest colour printer on test – cheaper, in fact, than some of its mono-only rivals.

There are some obvious compromises for the price: the Dell offers neither an LCD panel nor a network connection. Single users – at whom the 1320c is aimed – are unlikely to miss either. More important are running costs, and it’s here that the Dell stumbles a little. Its colour running costs are among the highest in this group, and its mono TCO is merely average.

In our speed tests, the 1320c’s results were again merely average, but it did have one unusual quirk: it repeatedly paused for several seconds during our 50-page monochrome test, which meant it was one of the slowest of the bunch for that test.

But, just when we were ready to write off the 1320c as an also-ran, it put in a fantastic showing in our quality tests.

Its blacks were among the cleanest and most solid on show, and gradients were pleasingly smooth and even. Text was well defined, even at tiny point sizes. Photo reproduction was remarkably good for such a cheap printer, too, with great colour and clarity.

Most of the colour printers in this group test are designed as workgroup machines, but the 1320c is evidently aimed at the individual. And if you just want to run off a few mono pages a day, plus the occasional colour image, the low initial price makes it an affordable option with great print quality. Replace the toner cartridges a few times, though, and the price looks rather less attractive, especially for a printer that’s neither as fast nor as fully featured as its rivals. Ultimately, the 1320c is only a good choice for relatively light personal use.

• - Recommended -
  Brother HL-5240
• - Recommended -
  Brother HL-4040CN
• 
  HP Color LaserJet 2605dn
• 
  HP LaserJet P2014
• 
  Canon Laser Shot LBP 3360
• 
  Kyocera FS-C5015N
• 
  Oki C3400n
• 
  Lexmark E250dn
• 
  Epson AcuLaser C1100
• 
  Oki B2400n
• 
  Epson EPL-6200

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