Cut-priced colour copiers that won't leave you in the red

As computer prices fall it stands to reason that accessories also will become cheaper, which indeed is the case with laser and inkjet colour printers.

The new Xerox colour laser printer DocuPrint C55 is priced at $31,888, while the C55mp, with PostScript, a font description programme, and built-in Ethernet local area network interface card, costs $36,500.

These aggressively priced newcomers have helped push down the average price of colour laser printers to an unprecedented low level - from about $47,400 to $33,800, according to the United States version of PCWorld magazine.

Designed for a networked office, the DocuPrint printers feature Xerox' CentreWare Web server software that can be accessed from a computer with a browser installed.

The software allows you to monitor and configure all Xerox printers on the same network via the Internet.

Both machines print up to 12 black and white or three colour pages per minute at a resolution of up to 600 x 600 dots per inch.