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Dell exited the printer business in 2013 and no new Dell-branded printers have been made since. The Dell printers that exist were rebranded Lexmark or Samsung models with Dell firmware and Dell-coloured cases. If you have a working Dell printer, you are dealing with old hardware that increasingly struggles with current operating system drivers. Dell still hosts the original drivers on their support site, but no new development has happened since 2013.
Dell product lines
Dell-branded Lexmark
Most mid-range and high-end Dell printers were rebranded Lexmark. Dell 5350dn, 5230dn, 5530dn mono lasers map to Lexmark T650, T652, T654. Dell B-series printers (B1265dnf, B5460dn) were also Lexmark hardware. Toner is interchangeable with the equivalent Lexmark cartridge.
Dell-branded Samsung
Dell 1130, 1135n, 1355cnw and similar lower-end models were rebranded Samsung. After Samsung sold its printer division to HP in 2017, the support path for these Dell-branded Samsung printers now goes through HP support for drivers.
Dell-branded Xerox
A small number of Dell colour laser printers (Dell 5130cdn for example) were rebranded Xerox Phaser units. Drivers and toner from Xerox.
Common Dell printer problems
Identifying the original manufacturer
Look at the toner cartridge part number on the rating label sticker (inside the cartridge door or on the back). Cartridges starting with 593 are usually Lexmark-sourced. Cartridges starting with 330 are usually Samsung-sourced. The original manufacturer's part number is also often printed on the cartridge itself, which tells you which brand to search when looking for parts and drivers.
Driver does not install on Windows 11
Dell stopped writing drivers in 2013. The Windows 7 era drivers Dell still hosts often fail on Windows 11 because of driver signing changes. The fix is to find the equivalent Lexmark or Samsung model number and download the current driver from that manufacturer's support site (lexmark.com or support.hp.com for the Samsung-sourced models). Install that driver pointing at the Dell printer IP.
Toner cartridge availability
OEM Dell-branded cartridges are increasingly rare, but third-party compatibles are widely available for the popular models. The compatibles are usually sold as 'Dell compatible' alongside the equivalent Lexmark or Samsung listing. Quality varies. Stick with vendors that have a return guarantee.
Network discovery not working
Dell printers from the 2010 to 2013 era used Bonjour (Apple's mDNS) for network discovery, which still works fine on Mac. On Windows, manual TCP/IP port creation pointing at the printer's static IP usually works better than waiting for Windows to find it. Set the printer to a reserved IP via your router's DHCP settings to keep it findable across reboots.
Dell drivers and downloads
Dell still hosts the original printer drivers at dell.com/support, search by exact model. For Windows 10 and 11, the original Dell driver often fails. Use the equivalent Lexmark, Samsung (via HP support), or Xerox driver depending on the original manufacturer of your Dell-branded printer.
What to buy and what to skip
Do not buy a Dell printer in 2026. There are no new ones, and the drivers for the old ones are increasingly broken on current operating systems. If your existing Dell printer still works, keep using it until OS compatibility forces the move. Replace with the equivalent current Lexmark mono laser (for the Lexmark-sourced Dell models) or an HP LaserJet (for Samsung-sourced Dell models).
Dell printer FAQs
Why did Dell stop making printers?
Dell announced exit from the printer business in mid-2013 to focus on enterprise software and services. The Dell printer brand was always a rebadge of other manufacturers' hardware, and the margins did not justify continued investment as the consumer printer market shrank.
Does Dell still honour the warranty on old printers?
Original warranties on Dell printers have all expired by now (the longest was 3 years from purchase, and the last Dell printer shipped in 2013). Dell does not sell extended warranties or service contracts on legacy printers.
Can I scan to email from an old Dell MFP?
Depends on the model. The Lexmark-sourced Dell MFPs generally support SMTP with basic authentication and TLS, which still works for most providers. Office 365 may require an app password or a basic-auth-enabled shared mailbox. The Samsung-sourced Dell MFPs (Dell 1135n, 2135cn) have very limited SMTP options and may not work with modern email security at all.