The Tests
We've changed our test methodology slightly since our first comparison of all-purpose printers. Color and black and white printing speeds are now established on the basis of a single color document, instead of two separate documents as in the past. The document is in MS Word and is downloadable here .The document is 11 pages long. The first page consists of a graphic and a few lines of text, the second a small photograph and some text, and the third is continuous text. The pages following that are duplicates of the first three.
The cartridges are equally used, so as to find out the cost of printing a color page and a black and white page.
Methodology: 1 - Speed
Tests were performed using a Dell Dimension 8100 computer, with the following basic specifications:
- MS Windows XP Professional Version 2002
- Intel Pentium 4 at 1600 MHz
- 256 MB RAM
Three major criteria were used to evaluate the printer.