Head-To-Head: HP PageWide 586dn Vs. Dell S3845cdn

MFP Face-Off

While laser printers are standard in most offices, inkjet printers have started to make inroads thanks to major improvements in the technology. HP has been among the vendors leading the way with its PageWide line of inkjets, such as the HP PageWide 586dn. But vendors such as Dell have also been innovating in the laser printer realm, and the company recently debuted new laser printers for business including the S3845cdn. Which of the two A4 color multifunction printers is a better fit?

As part of CRN Printer Week 2017, the CRN Test Center takes a look at how the HP PageWide 586dn and Dell S3845cdn compare on key specs and price.

Print Speed And Resolution

On print speed, HP comes out ahead with the PageWide 586dn, which promises printing up to 50 pages per minute for both black-and-white and color prints. That is one indication of just how much progress HP has been able to make on improving inkjet technology, which in the past had lagged behind laser printers on speed.

Dell's S3845cdn is still pretty speedy, however. The printer promises up to 36 pages per minute, both for color and black-and-white prints.

Meanwhile, Dell says its MFP offers print resolution of up to 1,200 x 1,200 dpi. That's also the maximum resolution for black-and-white copies on HP's MFP, though for color copies the resolution goes up to 2,400 x 1,200 dpi.

Copy Speed And Resolution

Both MFPs feature the same copy speeds as print speeds -- up to 50 pages per minute for the HP PageWide 586dn and up to 36 pages per minute for the Dell S3845cdn. Dell doesn't disclose resolution for copies, but HP says its MFP features up to 600 x 600 dpi for flatbed copies or up to 600 x 450 dpi for auto-feeder copies.

Scan Speed And Resolution

For color scans, the Dell S3845cdn promises up to 37 pages per minute, along with up to 20 pages per minute for black-and-white scans. The HP PageWide 586dn offers up to 42 pages per minute for color scans and up to 46 pages per minute for black and white. Both MFPs offers scan resolution of up to 600 x 600 dpi, although Dell notes that software enhancements are possible that can boost the resolution up to 9,600 x 9,600 dpi.

Paper Capacity

The HP PageWide 586dn features a 500-sheet standard tray, along with a 50-sheet multipurpose tray and a 100-sheet automatic document feeder. The Dell S3845cdn features a slightly larger standard tray (550 sheets) and a 3X larger multipurpose tray (150 sheets), but its automatic document feeder has a smaller capacity at 50 sheets.

Duty Cycle

The monthly duty cycle is one area where both printers are promising the same thing. Both the HP PageWide 586dn and Dell S3845cdn advertise a duty cycle of up to 80,000 pages per month, meaning that's the maximum number of prints one should attempt in order to avoid overtaxing the printer.

Size And Weight

Dell's S3845cdn is a bit smaller in terms of width and depth, with a measurement of 17.4 x 21.2 inches versus 20.8 x 22.2 inches for the HP PageWide 586dn. The Dell MFP is a bit taller at 23.6 inches, though, compared with 20.8 inches for the HP MFP.

There's not a huge difference in weight between the two printers, with the HP MFP weighing 71.2 pounds and the Dell printer coming in just a bit heavier at 72.8 pounds.

Price And Cost Per Page

On the face of it, HP's PageWide 586dn is the pricier machine, with a price tag of $1,999.99, double that of the $999.99 Dell S3845cdn. However, the bigger cost that businesses have to worry about is the cost of toner supplies over time. While Dell has made some big strides toward more efficient toner usage in its latest printers, HP and its inkjet technology still manages to have a significant advantage around printing costs. We calculated the cost per page for printing on each printer, using high-yield toner in each case, and found that the PageWide 586dn offers a cost of 5.6 cents per page for color prints. By comparison, the S3845cdn has a cost of 9.1 cents per page. The HP MFP also has a leg up on mono (black-and-white) prints, as it offers a cost per page of 1 cent versus 1.5 cents for the Dell MFP.