Shamefull product
While adament users of the Phaser 850 we attempted the move forward to the Phaser 8550. The printer consumes ink at 2 times the rate of the Phaser 850, literally. It is the result of having to print at the 'Enhanced' quality level to reach the same color quality of the previous 850. Were we to accept the dull images of the standard print mode the cost would only be 2 cents more. Enhanced mode printing is costing us 22 cents per page compared to 11 on a phaser 850 for the exact same printing. Be aware 1,000 pages a stick is a dream.
Wax technology not recommended
when we print photographs the printer performance is abysmal. It slows to speeds of 2 PPM (due to the need to melt additional wax). It also uses so much wax that we are having to insert at least one color ink cartridge every ~75 pages.
I agree -- it uses way too much ink
Comment by audrasjunk (cnet member) - July 26, 2006
We've been using this printer for less than 6 months and have had to replenish the ink blocks twice. After the last replacement, the yellow blocks are used up, followed by the magenta and cyan.
Our output has been a couple of hundred pages of mixed images and text, which is nowhere near the 3,400 page rating.
The print jobs are small in the number of pages being printed. This suggests a large overhead of melting the wax for printing. Perhaps this printer's ink block rating would be met for those jobs containing a large number of pages.
The ink blocks are not cheap, ranging in price from $60 - $95, depending whether you purchase Xerox OEM or a suitable substitute and the vendor. We're a community college and the frequent replacement puts a strain on our supply budget.
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