Dell V515W inkjet multifunction printer
Dell V515W review: A cheap multifunction device with fax and an automatic document feeder
04/02/11
The Dell V515W is an inkjet multifunction printer incorporating a fax and a 35-page automatic document feeder. It's only $20 more than the Dell V313W, so the addition of these features makes it better value. It can print colour and monochrome documents and graphics quickly in Draft mode, but the quality of printed pages is generally poor. Slower printing in Normal quality mode produces acceptable results. Its ink is less expensive than the V313W's, but other printers are cheaper still.
Need an inbuilt scanner, fax or copier? Read the multifunction printer buying guide.
Buying for your home or small business? Have a look over the inkjet printer buying guide.
Not sure what automatic duplex, Wi-Fi sharing or a waste cartridge is? Check out our guide to understanding printer specifications.
Dell V515W: Design and features
The Dell V515W looks more business-oriented than its cheaper counterpart, with a satin black finish. The control panel has a two-line LCD and buttons for most operations, including a numeric keypad for sending faxes. The flatbed scanning tray has an automatic document feeder that can process up to 35 A4 sheets. Inbuilt 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and USB 2.0 makes connecting to individual computers or network sharing possible, and photos can be directly printed from a PictBridge-compatible device via the USB host port or memory card slots.
Dell V515W: Print quality, print speed and ink price
The Dell V515W has print quality very similar to the Dell V313W. Using the same print engine it's able to produce 30 colour and 33 black pages per minute — this is fast, but this comes at the cost of fuzzy edges on graphics and small text. We found the printer to be quick, with a 50-page print run returning results of 28 colour and 32 black pages per minute in draft settings.
Normal quality printing dramatically improves results but print output falls to around 13 colour and 15 black pages per minute. We'd place the Dell V515W's output in Normal quality mode roughly on par with cheap consumer inkjet printers like the HP Officejet 4500.
Photo quality is acceptable at 4x6in postcard size, but A4 prints generally lack fine detail. Colours are vibrant but pictures can seem overly smooth and watercolour-like.
Ink is slightly cheaper for the Dell V515W than for the V313W, making it a little more economical for long-term use. Standard black and tri-colour cartridges are priced at $30 and $39 for on-going running costs of 16 cents and 23 cents — higher than competitors like the Epson WorkForce 320. Buying the $45 and $55 black and tri-colour high-yield ink tanks lowers running costs to 9 cents and 16 cents respectively, which is far more reasonable.
Dell V515W: Conclusion
The Dell V515W prints quickly and comes equipped with a fax and automatic document feeder, which is impressive for its price point. Print quality isn't fantastic though and ink pricing is only on par with competitors when buying high-yield cartridges.
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Pros
- Fax and good automatic document feeder included for a low price, fast Draft printing speeds
Cons
- Draft printing quality is poor
Bottom Line
The Dell V515W is a cheap inkjet multifunction printer that includes a fax and an automatic document feeder. It's a cheap way to get a printer for your home office, but its ink is expensive and its fast Draft printing means documents can be fuzzy with unclear small text.