 | | Could Epson’s C2600N be the compact colour laser that persuades teachers and education buyers that the future of printing in schools is fast, clean, efficient heat fusion rather than the pricey, leaky capriciousness of inkjets – glorious though the results can sometimes be.
Open the large side flap and you’ll find four toner slots. Here’s the intriguing part; the AcuLaser C2600N can accept either four black cartridges or one black and three colour (cyan, magenta, yellow) giving users the option of black-and-white or colour printing.
Epson is particularly proud of this innovation, pointing out that cash-strapped schools have the option of buying, in the first instance, a monochrome printer that can, later and with the minimum of fuss, be upgraded to a colour printer.
The C2600N is a marked improvement on its predecessor, the AcuLaser C900 which has been so successful in schools. Print speeds are 30 ppm (pages per minute) for monochrome and 7 ppm for colour, with the first sheet taking a creditable 9 seconds in monochrome and 15 in colour. The capacious paper tray holds 650 sheets and the large, backlit display makes for easy operation.
Impressive colour
Most impressive though is the fidelity of colour printing. While not matching the depth and lustre of the best ink-jets, the C2600N is capable of producing colour images that are more than adequate for all but the most demanding of projects. With one crucial difference -- high-quality results can be achieved on regular 80-gram laser paper (a slightly waxy texture is best) that cost a tenth of the photo-quality glossy paper needed for top-end inkjet printing. Also on the subject of cost, Epson reckons that a set of monochrome toner cartridges are good for 20,000 pages and a set of colour for 5,000 (see cartridge prices below). That’s a lot of wall displays!
If you’re looking for a reasonably priced laser printer with excellent colour reproduction, the Epson AcuLaser 2600N is well worth considering, especially as Epson currently offers a three-year, on-site replace-or-repair warranty for schools.
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Ratings and links
Suitability for purpose: 4/5
Ease of use: 5/5
Features: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Value for money: 4/5
Epson
www.epson.co.uk
Hardware
Epson 2600N AcuLaser, (monochrome) £526, Epson C2600N Aculaser(colour) £601, colour toner cartridges £52, high-capacity colour toner cartridges £98, high-capacity black toner cartridge £42 |
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