Reviews and product comparisons of Lexmark, Hewlett Packard, QMS, and GCC tabloid-sized laser printers. Suggestions on how to obtain the best results.

More samples of the quality of the Lexmark Optra N at tabloid size. Since this is cheap paper the image on the back of the page shows through. With paper of a heavy enough coated stock then the image will be better, with no show-through either.

Curious about the images? The one at the left is a mammiform tetrapod vase, dating to the Proto Classic period of Maya civilization, which is about A.D. 100-150.

The image at the right is a 4th-5th century cache vessel.

More information on paper for the Optra N. Suggestions for better paper.

These are two chapter title pages from an 18-chapter coffee table book which covers 2000 years of Maya ceramic art.

Today, as we enter the new millennium, 600 dpi (such as the Lexmark printer and most Hewlett Packard printers) is not adequate for printing photographs. Lexmark and HP both make excellent laser printers (our office has several of each) but a newer generation of laser printers from QMS and GCC are far superior for printing photographs in black-and-white. We review the QMS 1200 dpi laser printer and the GCC 800 dpi monochrome laser printer on www.laser-printer-reviews.org. GCC also makes a 1200 dpi black-and-white laser printer.

An additional advantage of the GCC is its reasonable price. This remarkable printer handles paper up to 35 inches long! The 800 dpi model that I tested is under $2000 and printed better than other printers that offered 1200 dpi. So if you go for the 1200 dpi GCC it should be even better, yet is only $2199. Thus these laser printers from GCC Technologies win our Best Buy recommendation.

Pictured at the left is a new 1200 dpi monochrome laser printer that just arrived at the FLAAR office for testing and evaluation (March 2000). Results will be posted on www.laser-printer-reviews.org.

If you would like to know how a GCC printer actually holds up in daily use, just let us know by e-mail, ReaderService@FLAAR.org. If you wish to experience the 1200 dpi photo-quality of a GCC printer in your own office, and learn about the various options and solutions provided by GCC 1200 dpi printers, contact Bob Kinsella, e-mail bkinsella@gcctech.com

If you would like help in deciding which black-and-white laser printer to buy, just send an e-mail to ReaderService@FLAAR.org, and our main reviewer, Nicholas Hellmuth, will do his best to help out. Keep in mind he is opening up a new digital imaging center in Guatemala and expanding his scanning and printer test center in Germany, so it may take a day to respond. Be sure to indicate what kinds of images you need to print, what size, and be realistic in your budget projections. It might help to include what printers you already have and what you were considering before reading the reviews of laser printers here.

Please note that we cover only monochrome Black-and-White laser printers. We do not cover desktop inkjet; we are no longer able to send person answers to questions on color laser printers (only on B+W).