The OKI C711dn ($1,139 direct), a color laser-class printer geared toward large workgroups, is the same as the OKI C711n ($999 direct, 4 stars), but with an automatic duplexer added. In our tests, their speed was identical, matching each other score for score on nearly every test—and their output quality was similar. But although the C711dn is a respectable choice, there are lower-priced alternatives that offer better output quality.

As an LED-based printer, the C711dn uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in place of lasers as a light source; LED printers are considered laser class. The C711dn, off-white with a brown top and a dark brown front panel, measures 15.3 by 21.5 by 17.1 inches (HWD) and weighs 60 pounds. It has a monochrome display for showing the menus, which also displays the levels for each color of toner.

The C711dn has a duty cycle of up to 100,000 pages per month. Its 630-sheet standard paper capacity consists of a 530-sheet main tray and a 100-sheet manual multipurpose tray. You can add an additional 530-sheet paper tray for $183.99, for a maximum 1,690-sheet capacity. The C711n, without the automatic duplexer, sells for $999, while the C711dtn, which adds a 530-sheet paper tray to the C711dn, sells for $1,449.

The C711dn offers USB, parallel, and Ethernet connectivity; I tested it on an Ethernet network with its drivers loaded on a PC running Windows Vista.

Print Speed and Output Quality
I timed the OKI C711n on the latest version of our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing), at an effective 7.1 pages per minute (ppm). That's in line with its rated print speed of up to 36 ppm for monochrome and 34 ppm for color printing, about what we'd see if it were printing solely text pages. (Our test suite consists of text pages, graphics pages, and pages of mixed content.) As expected, it matched the speed of the OKI C711dn, with identical scores on nearly every test. The Editors' Choice Xerox Phaser 6280DN ($649 direct, 4 stars), rated at 31 ppm for monochrome and 26 ppm for color output, was clocked at 4.5 ppm, and the Samsung CLP-670ND ($600 street, 4 stars), rated at 25 ppm for both color and monochrome, tested at 5.7 ppm.

The C711dn took about 40% more time to print out 10 pages as a 5-page, double-sided document than it did to print the same 10 pages in simplex (single-sided) mode, one page to a sheet. That's an acceptable speed for automatic duplexer. If you plan to print on both sides of a sheet of paper, you might as well choose the C711dn over the C711n, though your cost savings are minimal (just $4 over buying the C711n and adding the duplexer as an option).

Output quality was nearly identical to that of the C711n: Its graphics and photos were typical of color lasers, while text quality was below average for a laser printer. Text was still suitable for most business uses, though it didn't do as well in outputting tiny fonts as a typical laser.

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OKI promotes the output from its recent LED printers as "HD Color Printing." Graphics were average for a color laser, suitable for any normal business use up to and including PowerPoint handouts. Colors were indeed rich (sometimes to the point of punchiness), though very dark areas tended to look faded and blotchy. Issues included dithering (graininess); uneven ink distribution; trouble printing very thin lines, and mis-registration (misalignment between areas of different colors). With photos, also of typical quality for a color laser, issues included dithering, posterization, and mild banding. Photo quality may or may not be good enough for printing out a typical client newsletter containing color photos, depending on how picky you are.

One strong point is running costs. The C711dn's claimed cost per page is 1.1 cents per monochrome page and 7.9 cents per color page, both very good.

Although neither the Xerox Phaser 6280DN or the Samsung CLP-670ND are as fast as the C711dn, they have better overall output quality, and either can be had for just over half the price of the OKI. That said, the C711dn is well worth consideration, with low claimed cost per page, decent output (better for graphics and photos than for text), suitable paper capacity, and a slightly higher duty cycle than either the Xerox or Samsung. If you don't think you'll need the automatic duplexer, you can save money by buying the C711n, and add the duplexer as an option if you change your mind.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS
Check out the test scores for the OKI C711dn.

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the OKI C711dn with several other laser printers side by side.

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