When I unpacked the Xerox Phaser 6130/N ($450 street), my first reaction was that it looked like a shrunken-down version of other Phaser models. It seemed a lightweight, compact solution for anyone needing a color laser for a small office, home office, or personal use. As I set up the printer, however, opening various panels and examining the inside, I had a nagging feeling that I'd seen a similar print engine from a different vendor.

As it turned out, I had. Although it looks very different on the outside, the 6130/N is built around the same Fuji-Xerox engine as the Dell Color Laser Printer 1320c. The Xerox version costs significantly more, however. This is partly because it adds a built-in network connector and partly because it includes PostScript, which takes the work of processing the image off the computer and into the printer instead.

At just 38 pounds and 15.3 by 15.8 by 15.5 inches (HWD), the 6130/N is unusually small and lightweight for a color laser. But although that makes finding room for it somewhat easier, this printer is still a little too imposing for me to want it sitting on my desk.

Physical setup is generally typical for a low-end color laser. You remove the packing materials, load paper, plug in the cable and power cord, and install the software. Removing the packing materials, however, takes a bit more work than with most lasers. Unlike with most, you have to open the front cover, so that it lies flat, remove a relatively heavy imaging unit, pull eight restraining ribbons, and reinsert the unit.

The process involves moving the imaging unit over the printer's transfer belt both on the way out and on the way in. I was a little uneasy about moving a heavy object over the exposed belt, but Xerox says it's hard to damage the belt, which is under warranty in any case.

Xerox's network installation is worth special mention for being automated to the maximum extent possible. Finding the printer on the network and installing the Windows XP driver for my tests took just three mouse clicks. (The printer also ships with a Vista driver.)

The key similarity between the Dell and Xerox printers is the engine speed. In both cases, the engine rating is 16 pages per minute (ppm) for monochrome and 12 ppm for color. For all practical purposes, however, the real-world rating (for both printers) is 12 ppm for both monochrome and color.

If the printer driver is set for color, the 6130/N will print in the 12-ppm color mode even if all you're printing is black-and-white text. If it's set for black and white, it will print at 16 ppm, but it will print everything, including color documents, in black and white. I'd expect most people will simply leave the printer in the default color mode instead of checking the setting each time. I ran all my tests based on that assumption.

On our business applications suite, the 6130/N took its time, with a sluggish 15-minute, 51-second total (timed with QualityLogic's hardware and software, www.qualitylogic.com). As a point of reference, the somewhat more expensive Editors' Choice Xerox Phaser 6180N was significantly faster, at 10:22. Even the less expensive Dell 1320c was faster, at 12:57. Photo speed was also slow for a color laser, averaging 1:21 for each 4-by-6 and 3:02 for each 8-by-10.

The 6130/N's output quality is its saving grace, with particularly high-quality text and somewhat better overall quality than most color lasers.

The 6130/N can handle any text you're likely to throw at it. Text quality was just a half step below the very best laser output, with more than half the fonts on our text tests easily readable and well formed at 5 points, some qualifying at 4 points, and no standard fonts needing more than 6 points. Even a heavily stylized font with thick strokes that most printers have trouble printing at sizes below 20 points qualified as both easily readable and well formed at 12 points.

Graphics quality was a match for most color lasers, and better than many. I saw some dithering in the form of relatively obvious graininess and some misregistration (with small white gaps around blocks of color), but the printer also handled lines better than most, printing thin lines that tend to disappear on many printers. The output is good enough for any internal business need, including items like PowerPoint handouts. Depending on how much of a perfectionist you are, you may consider the output good enough for important clients or customers.

Photos were near photo quality—able to pass for true photo quality at a quick glance or from arm's length. They're easily good enough for output like company or client newsletters, or even photos headed for a company bulletin board or a refrigerator door at home.

The 6130/N is short on options—there's no duplexer, for example, and no additional paper trays to add to the standard 250-sheet tray. The best reason to get it is if you have a particular need for PostScript, which ensures that documents will always print with exactly the same layout from any PostScript printer. (Other printer languages can change the layout by altering settings like printer resolution.) But whether you specifically need PostScript or not, the 6130/N is a capable printer, and a more than reasonable choice for any small office.

Check out the Xerox Phaser 6130/N's test scores.

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