By Ben Pate

The Dell M5200 was designed especially for large networks. If your business needs a workhorse printer, this may be the one. It comes with the latest interface ports and has features that normally are found in printers costing much more. Additionally, the Dell M5200 laser toner cartridge is good for about 18,000 pages before needing replacement. Also, Dell's 24/7 active support programs and warranty packages can help guarantee little or no printer downtime in the event of any problems or issues. The included Dell M5200 toner print cartridge has a lot print capacity, too.

Printing Capacity. With a print speed of about 35 pages per minute, the M5200 should be more than capable of handling most high-speed print jobs. It also has a duty cycle of about 175,000 pages per month, which can make it very attractive to many company network IT professionals.

Hooking it Up. The M5200 comes with several varieties of network ports (USB, Ethernet), so it won't be a problem running it into networks of any size. It can work with most versions of Windows, along with Linux and Novell.

Is There Enough Memory? With 64MB of standard memory, it would only need to be upgraded if the network it was serving dealt with large, graphics-rich print jobs. Just in case, though, you can add up to 320MB, in total, which makes it capable of performing well in any straightforward network.

Storing Paper. The Dell M5200 has a standard 500 sheet tray, and 2500 pages of storage can be gained by adding a couple of optional trays.

Print Quality. Dell M5200 print quality is good. Graphics are all more than acceptable, with crisp and clear-looking characters. For business networks that need reams of printouts and maybe not so many graphics, the Dell is a safe bet.

Vital Statistics. The M5200 packs a trim 45 pounds into a case about 1.5 feet square. This makes it a nicely-proportioned unit that won't get in the way in most office settings. In fact, for a high-speed network printer, the size is notable.

Toners. The Dell M5200 toner cartridge that comes with the unit actually isn't all that expensive, given the nature of the jobs its printer will be performing. It'll also last for over 18,000 pages and is pretty easy to swap out, giving a good feeling to the person in the office who has to switch an old Dell Toner for a new one.

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