If you save the scan as a file, you can choose from a variety of file types, including JPEG, PDF, and TIFF. When scanning a photo or document, you can save the scan as a file on your PC, scan to e-mail or fax, or scan the document into a number of programs such as Word, Excel, or any of the bundled software, including Corel Paint Shop Pro. When copying, your options are fairly simple: you can make up to 99 copies at once and scale between 25 and 400 percent. The Dell Photo 926 prints, scans, and copies, and while fax isn't a listed task, you can make e-faxes using the bundled Dell Fax Solutions Software.

The color cost is high, even for an inexpensive inkjet printer. Using the high-capacity cartridges for best value, we estimate that a black print costs about 9 cents, while a full-color print costs about 21.6 cents. The regular color cartridge costs $18 and the high-capacity version costs $24, and they print approximately 125 and 190 pages, respectively.

The high-capacity version costs $19 and is good for about 210 pages. The standard-capacity black cartridge costs $14 and prints about 125 pages. Dell also offers an optional photo cartridge (to replace the black) for six-color prints, but our advice is to stick with the black and tricolor-even for photo prints (see the Performance section for more details). For regular printing, use the black cartridge and tricolor cartridge. The printer also offers a USB port on the front. The printer includes two built-in memory card readers that accept most major types of memory cards, though some will require an adapter. The Canon Pixma MP180 also offers just a text LCD, but the slightly more expensive Pixma MP460 has a 1.9-inch color graphics LCD. The Photo 926's basic control panel features a two-line text LCD, menu navigation buttons, and Start and Stop buttons-providing enough control to manage its various tasks. The input tray can hold up to 100 sheets of plain paper. A low, plastic guard sits in front of the input area, deflecting wayward objects such as paper clips and pens from falling into the input slot (we recently noted this feature on the Lexmark Z1420, too). The output tray pulls out from the front of the printer, and the input tray and paper support reside along the printer's back edge-the standard setup for inkjets. The scanner lid conceals an A4 size flatbed scanner and, since the Photo 926 lacks an automatic document feeder, A4 is the largest scannable size. The Dell Photo 926's sleek white-and-light-gray body is reasonably compact for a multifunction printer: it measures 17.4 inches wide, 11.5 inches deep (without the output tray closer to 21 inches with the output tray fully extended), and 7.2 inches tall.

Dell photo 926 ink cartirdges