Dell color laser printer 3100cn - # of users???

[Rosee]

We have purchased Dell color laser printer 3100cn recently. It can be networked. According to the information from Internet, this printer is good for 3-5 users as a user group.

The thing is after the printer installed, many people asking me if they could use the printer. I got a large number of people wanted to have the printer drive, a lot more than 5 users.

What could I do? Can I have more users using the printer? what would happen if I have 20 users using it? any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[TCouch]

The printer doesn't care how many users are printing to it, nor does Dell. The 3-5 is a recommendation by the mfg, which is not Dell, but most likely Lexmark. Lexmark has partnered with Dell to mfg printers to be resold with Dell logos.

The reason for this 3-5 users is that the printer you have has a duty cycle of x number of pages per month. This duty cycle again is set by the mfg, and isn't hard coded into anything, and is a recommendation at how many pages the mfg feels comfortable that this printer prints each month. For example. The HP LAserJet 1015 has a duty cycle of 5,000 pages. HP doesn't recommend you print more than that each month as the printer was not designed to be high volume. Other HP printers have 100,000 or even 200,000 page duty cycles.

So, connect as many users as you feel comfortable with, but understand, that the more pages that get printed on this printer will cause its pickup roller and sep pad/roller to wear sooner, and you may exceed your monthly duty cycle. Meaning that the printer may require servicing more often than if it was under the duty cycle of the printer.

Timothy N. Couch
A1 Printech
Anchorage, AK