PRINTING. The Dell H625cdw prints using laser technology, which picks up powdered 'toner' on a roller and fuses it to the paper with heat. It prints color photos with only fair quality, which is not unusual for a laser printer. Its text quality is excellent, as we've come to expect from a laser printer. Text printing was very quick, 14.3 pages per minute, costing 8.4 cents per page. It prints color graphics such as charts and web pages beautifully, in presentation-quality, with no noticeable defects, at 4.6 pages per minute, costing 23.1 cents per page. It has an auto duplex feature that lets you print both on sides of the page, with no loss of quality. If any color ink runs out, it stops printing -- it can't be set to just use the remaining black ink. If the black ink runs out, it stops printing -- it can't be set to just use the remaining color ink. The capacity of the main paper tray is 250 sheets, a generous size. There's a second tray for full-size paper, allowing you to load letterhead paper, for instance.
SCANNING and COPYING. Scanning performance was very good, fine for general-purpose scanning. It can scan or copy an area up to 11.5 x 8.3 inches (letter size). Copying performance was excellent, producing copies very close to the original. There's an automatic document feeder to let you copy or scan a stack of pages in one operation. The automatic document feeder can even copy or scan both sides of the pages.
CONTROLS and DISPLAY. The printer has a medium-size 2.7-inch display screen with a touchscreen that can preview each photo.
CONNECTIVITY and NETWORKING. It lacks USB PictBridge for direct printing from cameras. You can connect directly to a PC with a USB cable, or to your network router either wirelessly with WiFi or with an Ethernet cable. Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print are built-in, to print wirelessly from smartphones, tablets and PCs. You can also install Dell's app on your smart phone or tablet, as another option for printing over your WiFi network. This model has built-in faxing, can store incoming faxes if the paper runs out, and can send faxes from an attached PC.
COST OF OWNERSHIP. When this section was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $300, cheap for an all-in-one color laser printer. But printing uses up toner. Over time, as you print, the costs add up. The toner cartridges used in testing were: N7DWF, P3HJK, 5PG7P, and 3P7C4. At the time, their prices were $71, $106, $106, and $106 respectively. We estimate the cartridges to last for at least 20.1 months (on a typical printing schedule). After 2 years of typical use, we estimate the total cost to be $630, typical for a color laser. The estimated yearly cost is $167, high for this printer type. So the 3-, 4- and 5-year estimates are about $800, $970 and $1,130 respectively.
NOTE. The printer takes up a lot of space and might be more suitable for an office than a home.
PRINTER FIRMWARE. Firmware is software that exists inside the printer. All models are evaluated using the latest firmware version available at the time of testing. The firmware version of the Dell H625cdw was 201509290650.
SOFTWARE. The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual, (and for all-in-ones:) scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a Windows 10 PC using the latest version of printer driver and printer support apps available at the time of testing. The software version was 1.0.9.0.
ABOUT SOFTWARE AND FIRMWARE VERSIONS. Our test results are valid for the versions indicated. If your printer's software and firmware differ from the ones shown you either have an older or a newer version of these. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the printer's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware upgrades are downloadable directly to your printer via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable). You can check your printer's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware by either (1) running the Dell printer-update app installed on the PC, or (2) accessing the "Settings" section of the printer menu and navigating to the firmware update option. Consult the user manual or Dell's website if further guidance is needed. Try searching online.
