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Xerox Phaser 6280N

*Est. $350

Reviewed

December 2011

by ConsumerSearch

Pros

Text quality
Good for moderate office use
Fast
Upgradeable RAM

Cons

No duplex printing
High toner costs

Our Analysis
Specs

If you need a laser printer mostly for text, but still require color capability, reviewers say the Xerox Phaser 6280N is your best bet for PCs and Macs. Among its features are PostScript compatibility and upgradeable RAM (it comes with 256 MB), which is helpful for networked printers and large jobs. For about $100 more, you can get the Phaser 6280DN with automatic two-sided (duplex) printing. Reviewers agree that color quality can be variable (two notice a slight imbalance in magenta tones). While this is a concern for some, others find it makes printouts look more vibrant. Photo quality is described as sharp and good for a color laser printer. The Xerox Phaser 6280N is touted as one of the faster printers at this price, and the text quality is as good as you could want. Printers in this class are not designed for heavy office use -- exceeding 60,000 pages in a month could void the one-year warranty -- but for a small office of three or four people, it's a good choice.

PCMag.com and Macworld both review the Xerox Phaser 6280DN, making helpful comparisons to competing printers. British publications Expert Reviews, PC Pro, and TrustedReviews.com also look at this Xerox, although consumers should note that both cite British prices for the printer and its consumables, which do not necessarily reflect costs in the U.S.

Our Sources

1. PCMag.com

PCMag.com has among the best and most numerous reviews for color laser printers. The Xerox Phaser 6280DN, (the duplexer-equipped version of the 6280N) gets an Editors' Choice award because it "stands out from the crowd for its great-looking output, particularly for text and graphics." Reviewer M. David Stone says that despite its high initial price and running costs, the Xerox Phaser 6280DN edges out similar models from Oki and Lexmark thanks to its performance.

Review: Xerox Phaser 6280DN, M. David Stone, April 14, 2009

2. TrustedReviews.com

TrustedReviews.com is a prolific reviewer of laser printers, and many models reviewed here are available in the United States. Simon Williams gives the Xerox Phaser 6280 a Recommended award, citing speed and "very good" print quality across the board. Cost of consumables is noted as a downside, however.

Review: Xerox Phaser 6280V/DN Colour Laser Review, Simon Williams, March 17, 2009

3. Macworld

James Galbraith's review of the Xerox Phaser 6280DN praises the printer's text quality and speed, but finds it more in the middle of the pack when dealing with photos. Macworld also publishes a handy table of performance statistics and jury-evaluated print quality evaluations with this report.

Review: Xerox Phaser 6280/DN, James Galbraith, April 30, 2009

4. Expert Reviews (U.K.)

British website Expert Reviews looks at some color laser printers, but the reviews, while covering all the main features, tend not to be comparative. On the whole, the Phaser 6280N is found to be an "excellent business printer" by reviewer Kat Orphanides.

Review: Xerox Phaser 6280N, Kat Orphanides, Feb. 25, 2009

5. PC Pro

PC Pro publishes color laser printers reviews that are comparative, but less comprehensive than others and minimally documented. In this review, Dave Mitchell praises the speed and quality of the 6280N, but balks at operating costs. He finds that the Dell 3130cn would be a better value, but his calculations are based on British prices and availability. For instance, in the U.S., the Xerox model's upgrades cost significantly less, not more, than those of the Dell printer.

Review: Xerox Phaser 6280 Review, Dave Mitchell, Feb. 3, 2009

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