Xerox WorkCentre 6605V/DN printer review

There's a lot to like about the Xerox WorkCentre 6605V/DN printer, but as our reviewer discovered, the benefits don't come without some downsides too.

IT Pro Verdict

There's much to like about the WorkCentre 6605. It's got the perfect feature set for the job, is easy to use, makes excellent scans and copies and is quick to print regular text documents. Unfortunately it's less sprightly when it comes to printing graphics, and we weren't able to get its scanner to work over the network. Moreover its running costs, while not unreasonable, aren't especially attractive. It's a decent MFP for smaller firms, but it's hard to recommend unreservedly.

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Design

The WorkCentre 6605 is heavy, so installing it is a two-person job. It's not hard to find room for it on a desktop or cabinet, and day-to-day access to the paper trays and toner slot is all done from the front, helping somewhat if space is tight. As with other multifunctions, however, it's best sited at a reasonable height so that walk-up users can access the ADF and touchscreen, which here can't be tilted forward to change the viewing angle.

Xerox WorkCentre 6605V/DN - 2

Xerox WorkCentre 6605V/DN - 2

The screen is one of the best we've seen from Xerox. It's clear and sharp, responding snappily to finger presses. Just as importantly, it's easy and intuitive to navigate its various menus and functions, which could help reduce the number of support calls. In general the 6605 feels built to take a suitable amount of punishment. As we'd expect, the various trays, lids and stops all feel robust, even if the main paper tray doesn't slide in and out with quite the smoothness we'd hope for. Although both the ADF and printer output trays have flip up stops to arrest paper, we found we didn't need these when working with A4.

The printer's toners are accessed through a fold down front panel. High-capacity replacements last for 6,000 pages each (colour) and 8,000 pages (black) - reasonable figures given the expected usage level. Other maintenance items include a 60,000-page imaging unit, and 100,000-page fuser and transfer units. Xerox was keen to stress that replacements wouldn't be required at typical usage levels, but we always include all maintenance items in our figures, giving the 6605 costs per page of 1.7p in mono and 6.4p in colour (ex VAT). The toner-only costs are 0.6p lower in each case. Although this is on the steep side, we'd expect it to fall somewhat once the new supplies become more widely available.

Simon Handby
Simon Handby

After a brief career in corporate IT, Simon Handby combined his love of technology and writing when he made the move to Computer Shopper magazine. As a technology reviewer he's since tested everything from routers and switches, to smart air fryers and doorbells, and covered technology such as EVs, TVs, solar power and the singularity.

During more than 15 years as Shopper's long-time printer reviewer, Simon tried, tested and wrote up literally hundreds of home, small office and workgroup printers. He continues reviewing smart products and printers for a variety of publications, and has been an IT Pro contributor since 2010. Simon is almost never happier than when surrounded by printers and paper, applying his stopwatch and a seasoned eye to find the best performing, best value products for business users.

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