Xerox Phaser 4600 / 4620 — Features, Specs, Performance & Business Use
The Xerox Phaser 4600 / 4620 family are high-throughput monochrome A4 printers built to move large volumes of black-and-white work quickly and reliably. First aimed at busy offices, print hubs and branch sites, this platform blends fast page rates with robust paper handling, optional finishing and a serviceable feature set for secure, networked deployment. Below is a practical, business-focused look at what these machines do, how they perform in day-to-day use, and where they best fit inside an organisation.
At a glance — the headline specs
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Printer class: Monochrome laser (A4 / Letter).
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Rated speed: up to 55–65 pages per minute depending on model/sku and configuration (many listings cite 55–65 ppm; some market models list 62–65 ppm).
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Resolution: 600 × 600 dpi engine; up to 1200 × 1200 dpi enhanced image quality.
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First page out: as fast as ~7.8 seconds from ready.
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Monthly duty cycle: rated up to ~275,000 pages/month (design maximum).
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Memory: Standard 256 MB, expandable (typical maximum 768 MB depending on configuration); optional internal hard disk available on some SKUs.
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Connectivity & languages: Gigabit Ethernet, optional internal wireless module, PCL 5/6, PostScript 3 emulation and PDF support.
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Paper handling: Multi-tray support (550-sheet cassettes), 100-sheet multipurpose tray, optional high-capacity feeders and finishers (stapler, mailbox, booklet finisher).
(Those are the most important, load-bearing specs for procurement and deployment decisions; the official Xerox datasheets and user guides provide full option lists and exact model variants.)
Hardware design & user experience
The Phaser 4600/4620 platform is built as a quiet, floor-standing device that prioritises throughput and uptime. The control panel and driver suite are tuned for quick walk-up jobs and network administration: quick access to common copies, secure print release (where the optional HDD or authentication is used), and simple one-touch reproduction workflows. Front access to toner and paper paths makes routine maintenance straightforward for site staff and reduces technician time for common tasks.
The printer’s chassis and modularity let customers start with a basic printing system and add paper trays, a stapling finisher or mailbox as needs evolve — a practical approach for growing offices or branch rollout programs.
Print quality & engine behaviour
Although designed for volume and speed, the Phaser 4600/4620 delivers respectable document fidelity. The underlying engine runs at a native 600 × 600 dpi with internal processing that produces enhanced 1200 × 1200 dpi output for smoother halftones and crisper small type on many drivers. That combination results in sharp text, solid greyscale and reliable reproduction of line art — exactly what accounts, legal and operations teams require for contracts, spreadsheets and reports.
For high-dpi jobs or complex PDFs, administrators commonly add memory and (if needed) a hard disk to allow better spooling and reduce RIP time on large files, which helps maintain throughput under heavy mixed workloads.
Speed, throughput & real-world performance
Speed ratings (55–65 ppm) are the headline; the difference between model SKUs generally reflects vendor packaging and firmware modes. What matters in practice:
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Short jobs and first-page responsiveness: The Phaser family is snappy — first pages return in under ten seconds which keeps short, interactive jobs (receipts, quick forms) moving.
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Sustained throughput: With adequate paper trays and high-yield toners fitted, the devices sustain heavy runs and are rated for very high monthly peaks. However, always treat the published maximum duty as a mechanical ceiling — realistic continuous operation requires scheduled maintenance and service coverage.
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Complex documents: Large PDFs with embedded images and fonts benefit from more memory and the optional HDD/RIP; otherwise these jobs can be the limiting factor for apparent speed even on fast engines.
In short — these machines are built to remove bottlenecks in busy print environments, but to realize that you must match the configuration (memory/trays/finishers) to your workload.
Paper handling & finishing
One of the Phaser 4600/4620’s strengths is scalable paper handling. Standard and optional trays let you load common sizes in separate cassettes so mixed jobs run without intervention. Typical configurations include twin 550-sheet cassettes, a 100-sheet multipurpose feed and optional high-capacity feeders that scale capacity into the thousands. Finishing options include stapling, hole punching, offset stacking, mailbox sorting and booklet making — enabling the device to act as a short-run production hub for proposals, manuals and bound deliverables.
Because finishers are modular, many organisations add them when they centralise printing for a department — it’s a cost-effective way to avoid outsourcing finishing tasks.
Connectivity, management & security
The Phaser 4600/4620 supports standard enterprise features: Gigabit Ethernet, PCL and PostScript drivers, and options for Wi-Fi. For fleet management, Xerox CentreWare and common MPS tools monitor counters, toner and health metrics centrally. Security capabilities include authentication integration, optional HDD secure overwrite/encryption and support for secure print release workflows — all important where regulatory or confidentiality concerns exist.
If your environment handles sensitive documents (finance, HR, legal, healthcare), plan to enable authentication and HDD security policies and include them in procurement requirements.
Consumables, reliability & total cost of ownership
The Phaser 4600/4620 uses high-yield toner cartridges and standard maintenance kits. Key TCO considerations are:
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Toner yields & pricing: Large-capacity toners lower per-page costs. Some cartridges yield tens of thousands of pages (example high capacity parts are available).
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Service & maintenance: For heavy use, factor service contracts to cover wear parts (fuser, rollers) and guarantee response SLAs.
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Power & consumables: High-volume devices use more electricity and require scheduled replacement parts; include those into a lifecycle model.
When centralised appropriately, the 4600/4620 per-page black cost typically undercuts many distributed desktop printers because of volume discounts on media and toner, and because high yield cartridges mean fewer service interruptions.
Ideal business use cases
The Phaser 4600/4620 family is a solid fit for:
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High-volume departments: Finance, legal, admissions or HR where heavy mono print runs are routine.
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Branch offices / shared hubs: One central Xerox device replaces many personal printers and simplifies supply logistics and support.
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Light in-house production: Marketing or operations groups that need finished booklets, stapled reports or sorted multi-part deliverables without outsourcing.
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Managed print service (MPS) fleets: The machines are robust and instrumentable for remote monitoring and meter collection, making them MPS-friendly.
They are less well suited to organisations that require colour printing on the same device — a colour MFP or separate colour fleet will be needed there.
Deployment tips & best practices
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Right-size memory and storage: Add RAM and an internal HDD/RIP if you routinely print complex PDFs or want secure print/release.
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Plan trays & finishers from the start: It’s cheaper and less disruptive to order paper feeders and finishers at purchase than to retrofit on a live site.
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Get a service agreement for mission-critical desks: Heavy users should budget an SLA to avoid unexpected downtime.
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Enable security features: Turn on authentication and secure overwrite to meet data protection rules.
Final assessment
The Xerox Phaser 4600 / 4620 series is a workhorse class of monochrome printers that balances exceptional raw speed with scalable paper handling, finishers and enterprise management features. When configured to match a team’s monthly volume and document complexity, these printers reduce outsourcing, improve turnaround, and lower per-page costs for heavy black-and-white workloads. They require sensible provisioning — memory, trays, finishers and service contracts — but for many departments they represent a pragmatic, long-running investment in productivity and control.
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Sources & further reading
Xerox official datasheets and user guide for the Phaser 4600/4620; reseller product pages and technical brochures (used to confirm speeds, duty cycles, memory and option lists).
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