Magicolor 2400W

With its tiny size and tiny price--the lowest we've seen yet for a colour laser printer--the Konica Minolta Magicolor 2400W would fit easily into any home office that often needs to produce full-colour documents. Simplicity is the key to this attractive colour laser, from its two-button control panel to its uncomplicated software.

To achieve this simplicity, the 2400W depends on the computer's CPU to render the pages, allowing the printer to use less memory and a cheaper processor. This USB 2.0 printer works only with Windows PCs, not Macs. Plus, it lacks integrated Ethernet, limiting its appeal for small businesses.

Its single 200-sheet paper tray further restricts its appeal; although that quantity will suffice for most home users, it may not be enough for a business. And with the 2400W, unlike with many other colour lasers, larger paper trays and duplexers are not available.

Nevertheless, the shipping 2400W that we tested proved a tremendous performer. It churned out text at 13.6 pages per minute and graphics at 3.2ppm--slightly above the average mark of the colour lasers we have tested recently. Print quality was outstanding, beating that of printers several times its price. We saw nice, sharp text, and even diminutive fonts were legible. It deftly handled our challenging line-art test, showing no evidence of banding. Photographic images were a little grainier than we usually see from laser printers, and the dark areas of our colour image did lose some detail. However, colour accuracy was excellent.

If you have modest paper demands, you may find the new Magicolor 2400W is a good, economical choice for adding a splash of colour to your printouts.