That's significantly faster than either the C5280, at 2:42 and 6:20, or the J5870, at 3:11 and 8:17.Īs with speed, quality varies with the type of output. I timed the 948, using the photo cartridge, at an average 2:06 for each 4-by-6 and 4:31 for each 8-by-10. This tends to increase the printing time, but with most printers, including the 948, it improves the colors in photos. As with many ink jet printers and AIOs, the 948 lets you swap out the black cartridge for a photo cartridge to print photos using six colors instead of four. The story is very different for photo speed. As a point of reference, one similarly priced AIO, the HP Photosmart C5280 All-In-One, took just 17:50, while another, the HP OfficeJet J5780 All-in-One, took 21:10. I timed it on our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software, at an underwhelming total of 26 minutes 37 seconds.
DELL AIO 948 PRINTER INK WINDOWS
I tested it using Windows XP.Īs I've already suggested, the 948 did not fare well on text and graphics speed. The AIO comes with both Windows XP and Vista drivers.
DELL AIO 948 PRINTER INK SOFTWARE
While you're waiting for the automatic alignment page to print, you can start installing the software and then connect a USB cable when the program tells you to. Physical setup is typical for an ink jet AIO: Remove the packing materials, load paper, connect the phone and power cords, turn it on, and then snap in the black and tricolor ink cartridges. The 948 is reasonably compact at 11.3 by 18.0 by 16.1 inches (HWD), so you can easily find room for it. If text quality isn't critical (as when you have a monochrome laser as a primary printer, for example), the 948 can still be a good choice. The place where Dell cut corners is printing, with subpar text and slow speed for text and graphics. You can even add Dell's internal Wi-Fi option ($70 direct) and connect to it wirelessly.Īlas, there's a downside to Dell's packing so much into an AIO while still keeping the price low. For home use, the 948 can print directly from PictBridge cameras, memory cards, and USB keys. It works as a standalone copier and fax machine it can fax from and scan to your computer (it scans to e-mail by launching your e-mail program and attaching the scan to a message) and it comes with an automatic document feeder (ADF) to handle multipage documents for faxing, scanning, and copying. This personal all-in-one (AIO) for home, home office, or both will give you just about any AIO feature you're likely to need.