TallyGenicom 9022N review

TallyGenicom's 9022N isn't particularly small or attravailable, but it has a high maximum monthly duty cycle and sturdy build quality.

It comes with two installation CDs: one for direct USB or parallel connections, and one for network installation. Network installation was complicated and the documentation didn't go into enough detail. To add the printer, we first had to install the driver from the USB/parallel disc. We used the SyncThru network utility to add a port and completed installation using Windows' Add Printer Wizard.

This is one of only two printers in the group with a native resolution of 1,200x1,200dpi, but this wasn't noticeably reflected by its print quality. Prints were pale and washed out. Black text printed as grey, and light tones in our greyscale palette test were almost indistinguishable from each other. Very small fonts looked fairly solid, but were almost too pale to read. Photo-quality images weren't too grainy but had conspicuous horizontal stripes, while light areas looked overexposed.

Print speeds were unremarkable. It printed text at 18.8ppm, which is slower than all but the most inexpensive printers here, while mixed text and image documents printed at a sluggish 13.3ppm. Photo-quality prints were painfully slow, with the 9022N taking one minute and 21 seconds to print six 6x4in pictures. It took longer to print a single page than any other printer here, and 41 seconds to warm up and print from standby mode.

The 9022N has a few good features. It comes with a 300-page paper tray, and an additional tray can be added to expand its capacity to 550 pages. Print costs are low at 1.78p per page, and a high-yield toner cartridge should last 5,000 pages. It also has more toner than any of the other printers, with a generous 3,500-page starter cartridge. The two-year onsite warranty will also appeal to businesses.

With a 30,000-page maximum monthly duty cycle, this printer is built for volume rather than quality. Epson's AcuLaser M2000D is better for business printing, thanks to its higher speeds and better print quality.