Xerox Phaser 6140N

Xerox Phaser 6140/N

This low-cost color laser printer offers good features and expandability for the price, but the tradeoffs are slow print speeds and limited graphics capability. Xerox's Phaser 6140/N color laser printer aims for the budget-minded SMB market with its $399 price (as of 10/6/2009). It delivers what you could reasonably expect for that cost, namely, adequate performance and a good feature set. Compared with like-priced models, it's a lot more expandable than HP's Color Laserjet CP1518ni but ranks slightly behind Lexmark's C543dn in both performance and features. As noted, the Phaser 6140/N offers a good set of standard features, plus a little room to grow. The 250-sheet main input tray includes a manual-feed slot. An additional 250-sheet input tray costs $199. The 150-sheet output tray has a fairly sturdy, pull-out rear extension. A duplexing accessory costs $149 extra. By comparison, HP's Color Laserjet CP1518ni has a smaller input tray and lacks duplexing or paper options, while Lexmark's C543dn has a bigger second-tray option and standard duplexing. The straightforward control panel on the Phaser 6140/N includes a 2-line monochrome LCD and labeled buttons that are largely self-explanatory.