The Dell Color Cloud Multifunction Printer H825cdw ($529.99) is a laser multifunction printer (MFP) that offers a good feature set for small offices, highlighted by single-pass, two-sided scanning. It has competitive speed, and above-par output quality, with particularly good graphics. The H825cdw has a wide range of connection choices, including the ability to easily scan to or print from cloud-based services. It's a good choice, though it offers little more than the lower-priced Dell Color Cloud Multifunction Printer H625cdw , our Editors' Choice color MFP for medium- to heavy-duty printing in a small or micro office.

Design and Features
The H825cdw is a matte-black MFP with rounded front corners, measuring 19.7 by 16.9 by 19.8 inches (HWD) and weighing 70 pounds, including cartridges. You'll want two people to move it into place, and a sturdy bench or table to hold it. On top of its rectangular base are pylons holding a letter-size flatbed, in front of which extends the front panel, plus the 50-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF), which offers single-pass, two-sided scanning. On the pylon below the front panel is a port for a USB thumb drive.

The front panel features a 4.3-inch color touch screen, an alphanumeric keyboard, and labeled buttons, including Home, Log In/Out, Info, Wi-Fi. You can modify the touch screen's Home page; by default, it includes a tile that links to Dell Document Hub, which allows users to print from and scan to various cloud-based services, including Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, OneDrive, Salesforce, and SharePoint Online 2013. The free Basic Dell Document Hub service allows you to print from and scan from any of these services that you subscribe to, while a paid Premium service permits scanning to searchable PDF and editable Microsoft Office formats, as well as the vCard business-card format.

The H825cdw has a 300-sheet standard paper capacity, which includes a 250-sheet main tray and a 50-sheet multipurpose feeder. One optional 550-sheet tray ($249) can be added, for a maximum input capacity of 850 sheets. Also included is an auto-duplexer for printing on both sides of a sheet of paper. By default, the H825cdw is set for duplex printing, as are many color lasers we've recently reviewed.

Connectivity is via Ethernet, USB, and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. You can also make a direct peer-to-peer connection to a compatible mobile device via Wi-Fi Direct or NFC. The printer includes both PCL and PostScript drivers. Most businesses don't need PostScript for printing, but for those that do, a PostScript driver is a must.

The H825cdw is very similar to the Dell H625cdw. Their rated speeds are one of the few differences, as is durability, with the H825cdw having a maximum monthly duty cycle of 50,000 pages, compared with the H625cdw's 40,000. Although the Dell H825cdw does have the same rated speed and maximum duty cycle as the Dell Smart Color Multifunction Printer S2825cdn, the latter printer lacks its wireless capabilities, though it does add document-management software (Nuance PaperPort 14).

Print Speed
I tested the H825cdw over an Ethernet connection with the drivers installed on a printer running Windows Vista. I timed the MFP, rated at 19 pages per minute (ppm) in its default duplex (two-sided) printing mode, at 6.6ppm in printing out our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing). This matches our tested speed for the Dell S2825cdn, and essentially ties the Dell H625cdw, rated at 16ppm, which I timed at 6.5ppm. I timed the Canon Color imageClass MF729Cdw, rated at 10ppm for duplex printing, at 5.1ppm.

In ad-hoc testing in simplex printing, I timed the H825cdw, rated at 30ppm, at 7.5ppm. Once again, that's identical to the Dell S2825cdn and is essentially a tie with the Dell H625cdw, which I timed at 7.4ppm, a statistically insignificant difference.

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Output Quality
Overall output quality is a plus, with average text quality, above-par graphics quality, and photo quality a tad subpar. Even average text quality for a laser printer is still good enough for any business use except ones requiring very small fonts.

Graphics are just short of top tier for a color laser. Colors were rich and well saturated in our tests. I noticed very few issues, and no major ones. Very thin, colored lines were not as visible as they could have been in one illustration, and one background looked a bit blotchy. Graphics quality should be fine for formal reports, PowerPoint printouts—even going to clients you're seeking to impress with your professionalism—and marketing materials such as one-page handouts and trifold brochures.

Photo quality is inconsistent. While most of our test prints could pass for true photo quality when viewed from a few feet away, I noticed dithering (streaking) in a monochrome image. Part of another test print had relatively poor contrast. Most prints should be suitable for company newsletters or basic marketing materials, but you had best examine them closely to be sure.

Conclusion
The Dell Color Cloud Multfunction Printer H825cdw is a very capable color MFP for medium- to heavy-duty printing in a micro or small office. It offers ample speed, above-par output quality, and an abundance of connectivity choices, plus easy access to cloud-based services. It is marginally faster than the Dell H625cdw and is built for slightly heavier-duty printing, but these slight advantages are offset by its higher price. The Dell H625cdw remains our Editors' Choice because it offers a better overall value.