Although Dell hasn't changed the name of the Dell MFP Laser Printer 1600n, which we originally reviewed July 7, 2004, it has made significant enough changes in firmware, drivers, and features to earn another look. The new version is enough of an improvement for us to change our rating from the high end of poor to a solid good.

Physical setup is typical, and network setup is fully automated. The default setup option installs both a GDI and PCL driver, with the GDI driver set as the default. Since the hardware hasn't changed, anyone who owns the earlier version can download and install software updates (at www.support.dell.com ) to bring the older 1600n up to speed—literally. The new incarnation is nearly twice as fast.

On our business applications suite, the total time was 11 minutes 54 seconds, compared with 21:22 for the original version. The new speed compares favorably with the $500 Ricoh AC104, which has a total time of 14:13. The 1600n tied with or convincingly beat the AC104 on every individual test.

What's more, the increased speed has little effect on output quality. Text just misses a rating of excellent, with most fonts readable at 4 points but one highly stylized font needing 10 points. Graphics are good, but photos dropped from good to the high end of fair, primarily because of posterization.

Dell has added the ability to scan over the network. You can't scan from a computer, but you can give a scan command at the 1600n's front panel and direct it to your system. Our biggest complaint is that you still can't fax over the network. But the newfound performance and ability to scan over the network are enough to make the new version of the Dell MFP Laser Printer 1600n well worth considering.

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