Xerox Phaser 7100N: wired color printing through Tabloid and A3 review

Large color pages without a multifunction scanner

The Xerox Phaser 7100N is a wired color laser printer for ordinary documents and larger layouts through Tabloid and A3. Its standard 250-sheet main tray and 150-sheet bypass give a useful mix of routine paper and occasional alternate stock. USB and Ethernet are included, while a scanner, copying and fax are absent.

The N suffix matters: automatic two-sided printing is an optional upgrade. Someone producing regular folded handouts or two-sided reports should compare the 7100DN, which includes that function, rather than assume all 7100 printers have the same equipment. Built-in Wi-Fi is also outside the base configuration.

Use the two included paper sources deliberately

The combined 400-sheet input declaration uses 20-pound, 75 gsm stock. Both the main tray and bypass support ordinary Letter, Legal, A4, A3 and Tabloid. The main tray extends for larger paper, so the printer's listed body depth does not describe the space it occupies during every job.

Three optional 550-sheet feeders can increase total input to 2,050 sheets, but that is an expanded configuration. A secondhand machine or listing needs its actual installed trays checked. A product photograph showing a tall paper tower is not evidence that those feeders come with a base N.

The US specifications give a general 60–216 gsm range with media-type and path restrictions. Match the stock, size and type at the machine and in the driver. Heavy card stock, labels and glossy media need their documented settings; the ordinary-sheet capacity is not an envelope or heavy-stock stack allowance.

Envelopes use the bypass only, with a maximum of ten and one-sided output. The original guide distinguishes closed-flap No. 10, Monarch and DL loading from large-envelope handling. Follow the exact format directions, rather than applying ordinary-paper orientation to every envelope.

Choose USB for one computer or Ethernet for the network

The rear USB connection uses a standard A/B USB 2.0 cable and a compatible print driver. Ethernet uses Category 5 or better cable to a correctly configured network. The wired network also provides access to CentreWare Internet Services for printer settings and status; direct USB does not provide that web interface.

Wireless operation requires the optional adapter and suitable power converter. The older brochure's PrintBack service and Mobile Express Driver descriptions do not establish native AirPrint or Mopria support. Check the actual computer, operating system and driver availability before committing to an older printer.

Verify confidential-print storage before relying on it

Secure Print is a documented capability with a real release procedure. A user assigns a one-to-twelve-digit numeric passcode, selects Secure Print and the user ID at the panel, enters the passcode, then chooses the job and either Print & Delete or Print & Save.

That workflow has a configuration condition. The guide requires an enabled RAM Disk or the optional Productivity Kit with its 40 GB hard drive, and elsewhere describes RAM Disk as optional. The read material does not fully establish the base machine's activation or extra-memory conditions. Check the actual configuration and working driver before treating confidential release as included.

This uncertainty does not mean the function is absent or that a hard drive is always mandatory. It means a generic security-feature list is insufficient to guarantee a ready-to-use base configuration.

Keep monthly volume separate from peak duty

The US detailed sheet declares up to 30 one-sided Letter pages per minute in either color or monochrome. Legal is separately rated at 20, and larger Tabloid/A3 output at 17. These are manufacturer declarations, not measured results or a promise that complex graphics and special media run at the headline rate.

Monthly guidance differs by source date. The 2012 detailed specification recommends up to 8,000 pages, while Xerox's current US reference page shows up to 4,000. This assessment uses the lower 4,000-page ceiling conservatively. The separate 52,000-page duty figure is explicitly a one-month maximum that is not expected to be sustained.

Check US consumables and the actual working space

Supplied toner is declared at 5,000 black and 3,000 pages for each color. Standard replacement colors are 4,500 each. The listed high-capacity Dual Packs declare 10,000 black or 9,000 color pages; those package figures should not become assumed yields for each individual cartridge. Toner declarations use ISO/IEC 19798 and vary with content and print mode.

The original US listing establishes the 110 V edition. Its detailed sheet gives an unpackaged base body of 19.7 by 21.2 by 16 inches and 97 pounds. Verify the actual label, installed options and condition, and allow additional space for trays, output, covers, maintenance and ventilation.