Dell 1250c Color Printer: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Dell 1250c Color Printer right for you?

The Dell 1250c was a tiny, very cheap colour LED printer made by Fuji Xerox, and its 1350cnw sibling added networking and Wi-Fi. It is a host-based printer with no PCL or PostScript, so it only works with Dell's own driver; Windows 11 users can usually install the Windows 8 package, but macOS support is effectively gone. Toner is small and pricey, which is why many owners ask about refilling and chip resets.

Best for: Owners of a budget colour LED printer who only print from a Windows PC

Setting up the Dell 1250c Color Printer

Install the Dell 1250c driver from dell.com/support before connecting the USB cable; on Windows 11 run the installer in compatibility mode if it complains. There is no generic driver fallback. Keep the printer on a PC running Windows and share it from there if other devices need access.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the ink cartridges, and load paper in the tray.
2. Join your Wi-Fi. Keep the printer close to the router for setup. Most printers only connect to the 2.4GHz band, so if your router broadcasts one merged network name you may need to split the bands temporarily. See our Wi-Fi guide if it will not join.
3. Install the setup app. Use Dell's official app rather than a driver you found on a search result — third-party driver sites are the most common source of printer malware.
4. Add the printer. On Windows 11: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Add device. On macOS: System Settings › Printers & Scanners › Add Printer.
5. Print a test page and run a scan if this is an all-in-one, so you find any problem now rather than when you are in a hurry.

Ink, toner and supplies

The Dell 1250c Color Printer uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• Dell 331-0778 (3K9XM) black toner (2,000 pages)
• Dell 331-0777 cyan / 331-0780 magenta / 331-0779 yellow toners (1,400 pages each)

High-yield (XL) versions almost always cost less per page if you print regularly. On third-party ink and toner, read our honest assessment first, and note that some manufacturers push firmware that rejects non-original chips.

Full specifications