We dive into the Dell 1250c review, in an attempt to fathom just how this device would paint our picturesque lives with a splash of vivid hues. The company claims to bring forth fast printing speeds as well as high quality printouts with its latest offering. Expecting nothing less, and so much more, we unboxed the beast and laid it across our desk. There sat the printer, quietly waiting for us to simply plug in the necessary wires and bring it to life. Read on as we unfurl the tale of this black beauty and whether it rides high on our expectations or not.
Design:
What was perceived to be a mini ice-box cooler with dimensions of 400mm x 406mm x 412.8mm, could easily be accommodated on any table or counter without having too many wires or extra clutter springing out at odd ends. Your show of muscle power will come in handy here while transporting the 11kg device to its required place. The printer is fashioned in such a way so as to perfectly blend into any sort of environment, be it a professional one or even your private room. It is drenched in a matte black finish, complete with the company logo and Dell 1250c name etched across the front. On the reverse are the plug-in points for the power cable and USB, while an on/off switch is portrayed on the side, at the far right.
The front shows off a foldable panel that neatly conceals a single paper tray. Furthermore, the company has also bundled this offering with a paper cover that goes atop the bunch of whites. This certainly seemed to come in handy for avoiding spillage and other such threats onto the paper while it rested in its bay. Not littered with too many knobs, the top of the device featured two buttons, one for inserting the paper into the machine and the other for canceling the process. Strewn above these options were four LED indicators that lit up accordingly, displaying the level of toner in the color cartridges. A foldable hidden paper support flap located on the roof opens up to securely hold the bundled document outcome.
Coming back to the printer tray, we saw two blue sliders on either side along with a long one which could be extended beyond the bay. These add-ons helped in adjusting standard A4 size papers as well as other irregular sized ones such as labels, envelopes and photo paper among others. The back and right side doors were cleverly concealed like trap doors on a magician’s box. While the former aids with handling papers stuck in the machine, the latter unbolts to reveal the toner bay which holds four segments for yellow, magenta, cyan and black cartridges. After choosing the allotted niche to place the printer, we found the set up to be a complete breeze. This could be done thanks to a couple of thick-skinned cables for the electric juice up, the pictorial manual and of course, the installation software CD which offered step-by-step instructions.
Performance:
The company infuses a 192MHz processor and 64MB of memory into the machine. It also supports Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP and Windows 2003 Server as well as OS X from 10.3.9 or later. The 600dpi speed offered seemed to be quite a good pace for satisfying daily office printing chores and even home needs. While still on the subject of speed, the Dell specs page claims that the printer can provide up to 12ppm and up to 10ppm mono and color prints, respectively. From our little rendezvous with the Dell 1250c, we noticed that monochrome and color pictures were churned out in 18 seconds and 25 seconds, respectively, right from the print option to our hands, all on A4 size papers as well. We even wanted to transfer some of our holiday memories snapped through the digital camera out on high gloss photo paper. This process was undertaken very smoothly, with each 4- x 6-inch color photo taking 18 seconds to print.
Functionality:
Depending on the type of paper inserted into the tray, you can manually opt for the desired size, black or color options, number of copies and more through the PC or notebook. If the paper size and the dimensions that you’ve chosen don’t match or are not properly aligned to deliver the desired results, an exclamation mark and paper bundle outline indicator light up post the printing process to notify you that there was an error. Furthermore, a window pops up on your computer screen, showing you details of the blunder.
Usability:
The pictures that were relayed onto the paper or any other surface emerged vibrant in color, complete with sharp images. This makes the Dell 1250c a great option for various occasions such as school and college projects, office assignments or even posters to slap across the wall. The pictures that were reproduced on special glossy photo paper also sparkled with brilliance and seemed to add a splash of brightness to our albums. Furthermore, all these activities were carried out without us having to break a sweat.
Other features:
Although the 1250c printer has a lot of plus points to its credit, including the abilities to dish out not only black and white beauties, but also wonderful HD color prints, there are a couple of shortcomings that just couldn’t be passed by. Firstly, we could only connect to one PC or laptop via a single USB cord as there was no Ethernet or Wi-Fi support present in the machine’s specs. This made it quite inconvenient, especially for printing content from other computers. Moreover, a handy display was surely missed while making our selections.
On a brighter note, less can sometimes be a good thing as the gadget does its own bit by reducing energy costs as it claims to consume less power when pitted again others in its league. Projected to also be a low-maintenance printer, it aids in lowering downtime and hence significantly cutting out any last minute worry and tension. Besides this, all its compartments and buttons are strategically located, keeping in mind the placement alternatives around a room.
Pros:
Offering an easy setup, the printer blends perfectly in any background.
It produces bright pictures as well as clear text printouts.
No need to keep that extinguisher handy as the printer keeps its cool.
Cons:
The 1250c can be connected to only one PC or laptop via the single USB port, unlike others of its kind.
There is no sort of handy display located anywhere on the gadget.
Verdict:
As we found out during our little review stint, the Energy-star qualified printer is set to cough out beautiful images as well as crisp black and white prints, all the while sitting cozily on your desk. It is easy for anyone from a student to a professional to a layperson to fulfill their printing needs. The company tags the Dell 1250c color LED printer at a budget-friendly price of $229.99 and the device gets a 9 out of 10 rating from us.