OKI Microline 3320 vs OKI Microline 5520

Detailed Technical Comparison & Buying Guide

OKI Microline 3320 OKI Microline 3320
VS
OKI Microline 5520 OKI Microline 5520

OKI Microline 3320

✅ High-speed and built like a tank for industrial use.
❌ Outdated interface requiring adapters for modern PCs.

OKI Microline 5520

✅ Excellent build quality.
❌ Slightly higher running costs.
Feature OKI Microline 3320 OKI Microline 5520
Number of Pins 9 Pins 9 Pins
Printing Columns 80 Columns 80 Columns
High Speed Draft 435 cps 570 cps
Draft Speed 387 cps N/A
Letter Quality Speed N/A N/A
Copy Capability 1 original + 4 copies 1 original + 5 copies
Mean Time Between Failure 10,000 Hours 20,000 Hours
Ribbon Life 3 Million Characters N/A
Print Head Life 200 Million Characters N/A
Paper Feed Path Top, Bottom, Rear N/A
Control Emulations Epson FX, IBM ProPrinter, OKI Microline N/A
Noise Level 57 dB(A) N/A
Interfaces USB, Parallel USB, Parallel

⚖️ Expert Verdict

Choosing between the OKI ML3320 and the ML5520 is a choice between a legendary entry-level tank and its more powerful big brother. Both are 9-pin dot matrix printers famous for surviving decades in harsh environments, but the ML5520 offers significantly faster print speeds and a higher monthly duty cycle. While the ML3320 is perfect for a small garage or a retail desk with moderate invoice volume, the ML5520 is built to handle the higher demands of a busy warehouse or an industrial back office. The ML5520 also features a more robust tractor feed system and can handle slightly thicker multipart forms with its higher impact force. OKI’s parts are interchangeable and easy to find for both, but the ML5520 provides a much better characters-per-second rate for clearing large print queues. If you only print a few pages a day, the cheaper ML3320 is a sturdy, familiar friend. But for any operation that needs speed and industrial-strength throughput, the OKI ML5520 is the superior investment. The ML5520 wins for its higher speed and capacity.

What Owners Are Saying?

OKI Microline 3320

OldSchool_Len
"Absolute unit of a warehouse printer. We've had one running for a decade and it’s still going. A bit of a faff to set up on a modern PC, but for continuous forms, it’s a legend."

OKI Microline 5520

Arthur P.
"High-speed performance for multi-part documents. It’s an absolute beast in the back office. Security and reliability are sorted. If you need speed in impact printing, this is the one."

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