For home use, the 948 can print directly from PictBridge cameras, memory cards, and USB keys. You can even add Dell's internal Wi-Fi option ($70 direct) and connect to it wirelessly.Īlas, there's a downside to Dell's packing so much into an AIO while still keeping the price low. The place where Dell cut corners is printing, with subpar text and slow speed for text and graphics. If text quality isn't critical (as when you have a monochrome laser as a primary printer, for example), the 948 can still be a good choice. The 948 is reasonably compact at 11.3 by 18.0 by 16.1 inches (HWD), so you can easily find room for it. Physical setup is typical for an ink jet AIO: Remove the packing materials, load paper, connect the phone and power cords, turn it on, and then snap in the black and tricolor ink cartridges. While you're waiting for the automatic alignment page to print, you can start installing the software and then connect a USB cable when the program tells you to.

The AIO comes with both Windows XP and Vista drivers. I tested it using Windows XP.Īs I've already suggested, the 948 did not fare well on text and graphics speed. I timed it on our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software, at an underwhelming total of 26 minutes 37 seconds. As a point of reference, one similarly priced AIO, the HP Photosmart C5280 All-In-One, took just 17:50, while another, the HP OfficeJet J5780 All-in-One, took 21:10.

The story is very different for photo speed. As with many ink jet printers and AIOs, the 948 lets you swap out the black cartridge for a photo cartridge to print photos using six colors instead of four. This tends to increase the printing time, but with most printers, including the 948, it improves the colors in photos. I timed the 948, using the photo cartridge, at an average 2:06 for each 4-by-6 and 4:31 for each 8-by-10. That's significantly faster than either the C5280, at 2:42 and 6:20, or the J5870, at 3:11 and 8:17.Īs with speed, quality varies with the type of output.

Dell aio 948 printer