Dell's Photo All-in-One Printer A922 is a budget color inkjet multifunction machine that has a flatbed scanner which is based on the Lexmark X5270.
Even though Dell rates the A922's print rate at a speedy 19 pages per minute (ppm) in monochrome as well as a quick 14ppm in color, it turned out to be one of the slowest printing, though quickest scanning, multifunction inkjets we've tested.
For low cost and excellent flatbed scanning, copying and image-manipulation applications, the Photo All-in-One Printer A922 is a nice choice.
However, if you would like rapid printing and/or state-of-the-art fax options, you would be best looking somewhere else.
Sporting Dell's hallmark colour scheme, the Photo All-in-One Printer A922 includes a wide, silver lid which includes a black underbelly and paper trays.
It's practical, rather than beautiful.
At 9 lbs, the surprisingly light Dell A922 is nevertheless a tiny bit large for a multifunction within its category, it's 43.
7cm wide by 32.
3cm deep by 16.
8cm high.
Seeing that extending the paper trays adds to the Dell A922's height and depth by around 13cm, this is not a machine produced for a small space.
A small user interface with a two-line LCD is on the top right.
Despite the fact that this is a photo-quality multifunction machine, Dell fails to incorporate media-card slots or direct camera-to-printer ports - a major omission.
A single USB 2.
port (cable not included) is situated on the back of the device together with the power-cord connector, and irrespective of its shortage of a network interface, the printer can work within a peer-to-peer network.
The multifunction printer's 8MB of RAM can be upgraded.
The Dell A922's input tray, found in the rear of the machine, holds 100 sheets, while the output tray that extends from the front will take 50 sheets - about normal for an entry-level multifunction machine but not enough for many small businesses.
The small user interface at the top right includes just one button to copy and another to scan, along with a small, amber error light, as well as a menu button to vary the print quality and other variables.
Information is displayed on a small LCD above the control keys, but the screen can be hard to read as it's at the rear and is positioned at an awkward angle.
The Dell A922 is limited to Windows 2000 or XP operating systems, and it also is not compatible with Macs.
Installation is straightforward utilizing the enclosed setup sheet and CD.
The Photo All-in-One Printer A922 is mostly made for printing, copying and scanning, giving only basic fax capabilities.
Because the printer is built around a Lexmark engine, a lot of its functions (and its software) may be familiar to Lexmark owners, for instance N-up printing, that allows several images to print on a single page; borderless photo printing; and poster, booklet and greeting card options.
The default pop-up screen that presents itself when printing may be of-putting, although its ink level reminders are handy.
However, the print speed is fairly slow.
The Dell A922 is a dependable standalone copier for times where you want a fast copy and wouldn't like to use your computer.
It can make up to 99 copies at any one time, offering a number of speed and print-quality choices for increased ease of use.
Most striking, though, is the preview option - available from the All-in-One Center software - which allows you to scan, fax, copy, revise photos as well as conduct other tasks from your PC desktop.
The preview option allows you to crop a document, if required.
As a scanner, the Dell A922 will import text or images straight to file, fax or email.
It makes use of Microsoft email programs (for example Outlook) or non-Microsoft clients (for example Eudora) by simply adding them to the list of standard destination options on the All-In-One Center software.
A wide range of other software programs are also included.
Regrettably, the Dell A922 does not offer PC-free fax abilities for those occasions when you do not want to fire up the PC.
To fax, the Dell A922 relies on Microsoft software and the modem on your PC, therefore its only fax add-on is being able to include scans.
Even though ink prices may soar with an inkjet, the high capacity ink cartridges for the Dell A922 give affordable color ink and rather pricier black ink.
High-yield black-ink cartridges produces 638 pages while the high-yield tricolour-ink cartridge produces 561 pages.
The less costly standard black-ink cartridges aren't any bargain, producing only 298 pages, and about the same with the tricolour cartridge, which produces 237 pages.
You can also get a photo cartridge that can produce around 118 4in.
by 6in.
prints.
Since Dell's printers (and Lexmark's) are renowned for their excellent print speed and disappointing print quality, the Photo All-in-One Printer A922 is full of surprises.
For starters, the Dell A922 prints monochrome text and graphics exceptionally slowly - in truth, it is among the slowest-printing multifunction inkjet printers we have evaluated.
In our assessments, it averaged 1.
7 pages per minute (ppm) for text and 2ppm for photos.
Conversely, we were pleased by the print quality.
Both text and graphics examples showed excellent detail - among the sharpest we've noticed from an inkjet printer.
The photo printout was likewise well detailed, although color tone was a bit yellowish compared to the original.
Nevertheless, it was among the best photographs made by a Dell or Lexmark inkjet which we have tested In contrast to its slow printing, the Dell A922 scanned quickly.
At 7.
1ppm for greyscale and 5.
2ppm for color, it was in fact the fastest-scanning multifunction printer we've examined.
Notwithstanding this, the printer's copy-speed ratings were exactly the opposite: a sluggish.
4ppm.
We were, nonetheless, pleased at the Dell A922's excellent scans.
The greyscale image was fantastic, matching the original target exactly, from gradient to shading.
The color scan image was also rather good, although it had some apparent banding.
We tested the Dell A922 at its factory default settings, which may be adjusted to boost the machine's speed and output.