There are now more affordable color laser printers than ever, ranging from discounted old printers to newer and smaller models. Every small office or working group can now use a high-volume laser printer instead of an ink jet printer. Many different vendors now offer color laser printers that are so inexpensive that even individual users can afford them.

The Phaser 8400 printer uses not laser but solid-ink technology to deliver gorgeous, smooth color at superior speed, plus PostScript compatibility and color-tweaking you can't get from an entry-level color laser. It's something of a compromise. No match for a laser for cranking out lots of black and white pages, and not quite up to an inkjet for photo-quality images, but it's a very cool one.

The Phaser 8400 is a solid ink printer (also known as wax-jet or phase-change printer). Instead of using liquid or powdered inks, the Phaser 8400 utilizes small solid blocks of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black ink that are specially shaped to be held and used by the printer. Because the blocks are solid, the Phaser 8400 is easy to reload with no mess or fuss.

The Xerox Phaser 8400 is revolutionary. You no longer need complicated software or an over-used front panel LCD to tell you when the ink is low. By simply opening the front of the printer, you can see how much ink has been used directly. More importantly, you can add ink at any time without having to unload or reprogram. Simply drop a new block in the slot.

As opposed to the standard procedure of discarding or recycling cartridges and ink storage units, our machine results in considerably less waste. All that is needed for continued operation are three small pieces. These consist of a "maintenance kit", a "lubricating kit", and a tray to capture any waste material. Monitor these and replace as necessary, and you will have no problems.

The short crayons melt within the printer, and the ink flows into a reservoir. The Xerox Phaser has a signifcant environmental impact because it draws up to 1500 watts, but Xerox says it averages less than 300 watts. A 600 by 600 dpi print head with 1236 nozzles sprays the ink onto a turning, warmed drum that transfer the ink to the paper in a sinle pass, compared to the four separate passes more cheap color lasers require.

The ink almost instantly solidifies again on the page, with no inkjet-style seeping or blotting on plain paper, and won't smear if swiped by a damp finger though it can scratch off if rubbed with a fingernail. The result is output that almost looks damp when it's dry. Solid-color areas appear practically painted on, with rich, glossy hues and absolutely none of the banding that plagues inkjets and, to a lesser extent, laser printers.