Xerox Phaser 6022V review

The Xerox Phaser 6022V proudly keeps it simple: those seeking scanning and fax capabilities should look elsewhere. Xerox does offer a range of multifunction alternatives, but there's something to be said for the compact footprint of a classic desktop laser.

The price may seem steep considering the stripped-down feature set, but the Phaser 6022V's excellent print quality could justify it: we found it turned out both sharp, precise black text and beautifully balanced business graphics.

As is common with laser printers, a slight banding effect was visible on colour gradients, but illustrations and our photomontage looked strikingly vibrant, with bags of fine detail visible even in darker areas.

Print speeds are unexceptional: our 20-page text document emerged at an average of 11.9ppm, with the addition of colour graphics slowing things down to 9.1ppm. That's a little slow by the standards of business-focused printers, but then the Phaser 6022V is clearly pitched towards the personal end of the market, rather than at larger workgroups.

Xerox claims it's suitable for printing up to 1,500 pages a month, but it's revealing that it offers a comparatively small 150-sheet paper cassette. The output tray is on the modest side for a laser, too, holding up to 100 printed sheets.

The interface is somewhat perfunctory - the 5cm mono LCD is the smallest display of any printer we've recently tested. But this isn't a problem, as without scan or fax functions there's very little to communicate, beyond printer status and toner levels.

On that note, it's worth talking about running costs: we calculate a price of 2.1p per mono page. That's squarely average among its competition, and whether you print ten pages of text or 10,000, the Xerox Phaser 6022V's total cost of ownership falls right in the middle of the pack. Colour printing is costly, though: at 15p per page, the Xerox is very nearly one the most expensive options around, at roughly three times the per-page price of rivals from Brother or Canon.

The Xerox Phaser 6022V isn't a do-it-all printer. It isn't the cheapest to run, and it could be faster. Despite this, if your priority is business printing at home, or in an office of limited size, then its excellent quality and compact design make it a tempting proposition.

This review originally appeared in PC Pro issue 262

Verdict

The Xerox Phaser 6022V isn’t a do-it-all printer. It isn’t the cheapest to run, and it could be faster. Despite this, if your priority is business printing at home, or in an office of limited size, then its excellent quality and compact design make it a tempting proposition.