The Lexmark E240 pairs a small footprint with a big print speed. This simple looking all black laser printer succeeds at being an affordable option for the small office that is looking for something compact, yet fast, not to mention reliable. Lexmark’s E series combines all these qualities into devices that come with reasonable price tags.

With dimensions of only 9.8 in. x 15.6 in. x 13.9 in. (W x D x H), the Lexmark E240 shares a casing design with some of its peers, such as the Lexmark E238, but has a unique hardware set. This particular printer is capable of printing at speeds of up to 27 pages per minute for letter sized paper with a very small margin of slowdown for A4 paper. First page out times are universally no faster than 8 seconds.

The unit’s image resolutions can be selected to 1200 image quality and 2400 image quality with a maximum true resolution of 600 x 600 dots per inch. Its 366 MHz processor accounts for its competitive print speed, while optional interfaces make various connectivity types possible. Standard USB and Parallel ports are dedicated on the device, but Ethernet, Token Ring, serial, and even wireless connection options are available separately. PCL 6 emulation is the Lexmark E240’s main source, while Postscript 3 is compatible with Macintosh only.

The standard memory for this unit is only 16 MBs, which is acceptable for printing small, text only documents, but 32 MB, 64 MB, and 128 MB expansion cards are available for the units in the E series. Unfortunately, the Lexmark E240 itself is only expandable up to 80 MBs total. A 250 sheet paper drawer makes up the primary source of storage for the printer, and a single sheet bypass slot is also incorporated into the hardware. An additional 550 sheet paper drawer can be purchased to expand the unit’s maximum paper capacity to 900 (901) sheets, while output capacity rests at 150 sheets.

For maximum versatility, users can take advantage of the single sheet bypass slot to use various media types such as card stock, envelopes, transparencies, and paper labels. Custom media sizes are compatible in a size range of 3” x 5” up to 8.5” x 14”. Supported media weights are 16 – 24lbs.

A maximum monthly duty cycle of up to 10,000 sheets ensures the long life of the product, though recommended monthly duty is always much lower. Operating noise levels are perfect for the close space that the Lexmark E240 was designed to work in, with operating noise at 51 dBA and standby at 26 dBA. The unit’s weight is also quite manageable at only 22 pounds (26.6 pounds shipped).

Lexmark included a 1 year advanced exchange warranty with the unit and also includes a starter return program black toner cartridge in the box that holds a 1,500 page yield at 5% coverage. Standard toner cartridges will yield much more pages, further increasing the value of this convenient and affordable small office laser printer.

While the Lexmark E238 is a very compact machine, it is also entirely sturdy and could even be considered powerful by the current standards of desktop laser printers. With an eye catching print speed and fairly high monthly duty cycle, this modern looking, black personal printer would be suitable for almost anyone’s desktop, regardless of printing demands.

With a print speed of up to 25 pages per minute for letter sized paper and up to 24 pages per minute for the very similar A4 size, the Lexmark E238 is very speedy for such a small device. Though the unit can only print in black and white, as it is a strictly monochrome printer, it is a great option for users who print primarily in text. The device’s 366 MHz internal processor helps to keep all operations moving quickly and smoothly, while 16 MBs of internal memory assist the unit in reducing slowdown during more complex print projects.

User friendly features such as an integrated, front loading paper drawer makes loading and reloading paper easy, while a simplified toner change process also helps to keep user downtime at a minimum. The unit’s maximum monthly duty cycle of 10,000 pages also ensures that the unit is not only capable of a fairly decent print volume, but that it is built to last as well. The photoconductor kit is even rated at up to 30,000 pages, which could potentially be the lifetime of the product.

2400 image quality and adjustable print resolution make selecting between maximum speed or the best physical look simple and easy with the help of comprehensive operation software. A first page out time of only 8 seconds is perfect for those who often print single pages at a time and have no desire to painstakingly wait for a long start up process all the time.

The device comes with both a Parallel and USB port but is not readily networkable, though it is compatible with both PC and Mac. Paper expansion options are available, as well as optional memory boosts up to a total of 80 MBs. Also optional is an external serial adapter and 6,000 page toner cartridges. Emulation is made possible exclusively by PCL 6 while paper storage comes in the form of a 250 sheet standard tray and a single sheet bypass slot. There is also a more than ample 150 sheet output bin and even a single sheet exit slot for a straight through paper path.

With dimensions of only 9.8 in. x 15.6 in. x 13.9 in. (W x D x H) the Lexmark E238 is very manageable in size and its weight of only 22 pounds makes it entirely mobile. The unit is compact, but it is also designed to be very quiet so it will not disturb those working in close quarters with it. It even comes with a small degree of dedicated controls and LED indicator lights, making it, like many of its rivals, a good choice for a confined workspace.

Though the office applications of a small device such as the Lexmark E120 / E120n are limited, its small footprint and affordable price tag make it ideal for the home office or desktop user. Limited speed and performance power make this unit one of the lower level laser printers available, but could still prove to be a good investment for long term, light volume black and white printing.

The Lexmark E120 / E120n is capable of 1200 image quality and offers adjustable print resolution up to 600 x 600 dots per inch. Lower settings will offer faster print speeds and a toner save mode can help reduce the cost of toner usage. Two different versions of the model, a network ready unit and a base unit, also come with different standard memory included.

While the Lexmark E120 comes with 8 MBs of RAM, the Lexmark E120n comes complete with 16 MBs to help counteract the potential higher demands placed by a shared network. Unfortunately, neither unit has a memory expansion slot, but this is to be expected with smaller laser printers.

The unit comes with a fairly fast first page out time of 8 seconds, while its maximum print speeds are 20 pages per minute for letter sized paper and 19 pages per minute for A4, meaning that even larger projects or network projects won’t suffer from significant downtime. Managing the printer is also easy; thanks to included software and an intuitive operator panel that makes the device very user friendly and fast to control. Paper loading and unloading is also made very easy via a simplified paper handling setup that includes only one paper tray. Though this means much less overall paper storage than higher end units (only 150 total pages at a time) light duty users will not have a problem with the slim design.

With the Lexmark E120 / E120n’s photoconducter lasting up to five years and 2,000 page toner cartridges available, the printer is sure to provide a lot of mileage from the investment. Its maximum monthly duty cycle of 10,000 pages also means that, though a desktop laser printer, the unit can, conceivably, deal with a decent amount of volume. A smaller size also helps to result in a shorter paper path, which improves reliability.

The Lexmark E120 / E120n comes complete with a 183 MHz internal processor which should help keep things moving along smoothly and without incident, while a 15 sheet priority feed slot is perfect for bypassing the standard paper supply without having to unload all the paper. The unit’s output capacity is a fairly conservative 50 sheets, while a variety of special media types, such as transparencies, envelopes, and paper labels are compatible with the device.

Desktop laser printers such as the Lexmark E120 / E120n and its counterparts are sturdy, solid little machines that are great for offices that suffer from space and price limitations, yet still require, for some reason, black and white laser print technology that meets their demand.

With stapling / hole punching finishing options on a small workgroup color printer, the Lexmark C935 fits a very unique demand set for those seeking a small printer that can perform like a professional level, color unit. There are also a total of three base units in the Lexmark C935 series that give buyers the option of an included hard drive for document serving abilities, and additional hardware add ons to further increase the printers’ storage capacity and overall memory.

Operating at high level print speeds of 45 pages per minute in black and white and up to 40 pages per minute in color, the Lexmark C935 is a competitor among its peers for color print speed. This is due largely in part to the unit’s incredibly fast 1.25 GHz processor, as well as 256 MBs of included memory. Memory can further be expanded all the way up to 1,024 MBs, while the Lexmark C935dtm and C935hdn come with 512 MBs in box. There is also a Lexmark C935dn model that does include a standard duplexor, but no additional memory, paper storage, or hard disk.

All three versions of the Lexmark C935 are network ready, and are more than capable of being shared through a small work group thanks to a decent maximum monthly duty cycle. While the maximum duty of the unit is rated at 200,000 pages, Lexmark includes a disclaimer stating that this is for a one time monthly use. Recommended usage is much, much lower.

First page out times vary greatly between black and white and color, with monochrome topping out at only 5 seconds and color coming in much slower at 9 seconds. 2400 image quality printing is slightly lower than we’ve seen in the other unit’s in Lexmark’s “C” color printer line, but is still detailed enough for a respectable amount of imagery and color graphics, as well as very clean text.

Direct print formats include jpeg, tiff, gif, bmp, png, dcx, and pdf v1.6, while the device can emulate PostScript 3 and PCL 6 for fast, accurate performance every time. Finishing options include an advanced booklet finisher with folding abilities and a three hole punch, and a standard finisher with hole punching and stapling abilities. A high capacity paper feeder can be added to the hardware package, as well as a variety of additional paper trays and paper handling options.

The base model Lexmark C935dn comes complete with 620 pages of paper storage composed of a 520 sheet paper tray and a 100 sheet multifunctional bypass tray. The upgraded models in the series also include either an additional 520 sheet tray or a 3 x 520 tray stand. A cabinet and legs can be added to the model to take it from desktop device to floor standing unit. It’s important to remember with units such as the Lexmark C935 that, though it comes at a greater cost when compared to black and white devices, it prints in full color, producing a very unique, professional product.

There are a total of three variations on the Lexmark C780 color laser printer hardware and include models with networking and duplexing, making the machine not only fast for its price range but versatile as well, and suitable for sharing over a small network. With 6,000 page print cartridges and a beefy internal processor, the Lexmark C780n, Lexmark C780dn, and Lexmark C780dtn offer buyers a compact but powerful office solution.

Printing at speeds of up to 35 pages per minute in black and white and 31 pages per minute in color, the Lexmark C780 series shares basic hardware among its three models, however, the base model, though network ready, does not have a duplexor included with the package. An external duplexor is available for separate purchase, as is an additional 500 sheet paper tray that comes standard with the Lexmark C780dtn unit. With an additional tray, the printer’s total paper capacity reaches 1,100 sheets via 600 sheets of standard paper storage. A 100 sheet multipurpose tray and 500 sheet regular tray compose the Lexmark C780’s in box paper handling abilities, while output capacity rests at a comfortable 250 sheets.

The units in the series boast a maximum monthly duty cycle of 120,000 sheets, making them great printers for adding to a pre existing hardware set when color printing is required, but not in heavy volume. Recommended print volume is even lower, at only 2,000 to 9,200 pages per month. The Lexmark C780 printers have a high degree of compatibility with various operating systems, including not only Windows and Macintosh, but UNIX, Linux, NetWare and OS/400 as well. This, along with various PCL and PostScript fonts included, make the printers easy to set up on any network.

First page out times are fairly fast for both black and white and color, black being at a minimum speed of 11 seconds and color falling very slightly behind at 13 seconds. Interestingly, the other printers in this Lexmark series have considerably faster first page out times, yet slower overall speed. Choosing which priority is most important to one’s office should be based on the demand for many single page prints vs large volume print jobs where first page out times are not as important as overall performance.

A built in 800 MHz processor helps to keep all speeds at their max with the help of 256 MBs of standard memory which can be upgraded to a total of no more than 768 MBs via additional SDRAM and up to 64 MBs of flash memory. Image quality for the printers is a true 1200 x 1200 dots per inch with 4800 color quality. When glossy paper is used, this should be enough resolution to produce fairly good looking color photographs.

A convenient, front control panel and front loading paper tray makes operation of the Lexmark C780 easy and fast, while an optional printer stand from Lexmark can make the unit into a floor standing one. While the Lexmark C780 has questionable first page out times, all in all, it is a respectable printer.

 

Offering users full wired network support in a desktop color laser printer, the Lexmark C534 is a great unit for small workgroups that wish to share a small color device for light to medium usage. With a small footprint and low maximum monthly duty cycle, the C534 is also great for personal use or as a supplement to an existing hardware set.

With features such as PANTONE solid color simulation and a high print resolution, the Lexmark C534 is an excellent machine for graphic imagery, and its decent print speeds make it at least competitive when printing text documents. Printing at 24 pages per minute in black and white and 22 pages per minute in full color, the unit is acceptable for low volume usage, while included processing power and memory is surprisingly high.

The Lexmark C534 comes included with an internal 625 MHz processor which ensures that even complex print jobs will suffer minimal slowdown, while first page out times remain fast. The device’s included memory of 256 MBs is high for the printers type and release year, and an expansion option allows for even more RAM or flash memory to be added. First page out times run at 10.5 seconds for black and white while color first page out is as fast as 11 seconds.

On top of Ethernet connectability, the Lexmark C534 comes complete with a standard USB port and an ISP port, along with a direct interface USB port for connecting external devices. A wide variety of operating systems are supported by the printer, including Windows, Mac, UNIX, Linux, and NetWare. With a maximum monthly duty cycle of 100,000 pages, the Lexmark C534 is a great device for sharing or printing heavy volume workloads, though the printer’s recommended monthly duty is only 1,500 to 4,700 sheets for optimal performance and product lifespan.

If problems do arise with the Lexmark C534, a one year warranty and replacement plan is included, while extended service plans can also be purchased for a total of up to three years of coverage. Memory options include 128 MB, 256 MB, and 512 MB SDRAM chips and 32 and 64 MB flash chips. Also expandable is the unit’s paper supply via an additional 500 sheet tray, which complements the standard paper storage of 350 sheets total, bringing it up to 850. A 100 sheet multi purpose tray and 250 sheet standard paper tray replace the older models in the series’ single sheet bypass slot.

A wide range of external print servers are available for the Lexmark C534 including a 4 port Gigabit Ethernet server, a 1 port fast Ethernet server, and various wireless print servers, along with a Parallel interface card and a serial interface card. Multiple high yield toner cartridge options range from 3,000 to 8,000 page yields, while the Lexmark C534’s photoconducter unit is good for up to 20,000 prints. Though the printer is growing old, its decent product specifications and full color printing abilities make it a relevant small workgroup machine.

The Lexmark C532n is a fairly straightforward lightweight color networking printer. It comes with a certain, almost essential, degree of expandability options, but really, it is at heart a small footprint, full color unit designed for very small workgroups or a single user who requires a color laser printer at a reasonable price.

Black and white print speeds run at a fairly respectable 24 pages per minute. This would be a little slow for a unit of this size if the device wasn’t also capable of pulling off up to 22 pages per minute in color. The Lexmark C532n utilizes color tandem laser print technology and even comes in a variant format with a duplexing model available called the Lexmark C532dn. The other major difference between the two models is a major variation in stock paper handling.

While both the Lexmark C532n and Lexmark C532dn can take up to 550 sheets of additional storage via an extra large paper tray, they both come standard with different paper bypass options. The Lexmark C532n includes only a single sheet, front loading bypass slot (pictured), while the Lexmark C532n replaces this with a full on, 100 sheet additional paper tray that can hold special media types. Both units also have a standard 250 sheet tray in box.

Specific special media types that Lexmark has approved for the Lexmark C532n units are glossy paper, bond, banner, transparencies, labels, and cardstock, along with the media sizes of A5, JIS B5, JIS B5, Statement, Folio, Letter, Legal, Executive, A4, and various envelope types. With a bypass function, standard letter and legal size paper stores do not have to be unloaded to use special media.

Interestingly, color first page out time matches that of black and white, both resting at a maximum of 11 seconds for letter sized paper. A built in 375 MHz processor also helps to keep things moving along at optimal speed, while 4800 color quality and true 1200 x 1200 dot per inch resolution ensures that both black and white text and color imagery will come out looking crystal clear.

Standard memory is 128 MBs for both versions of the unit, and either can be upgraded to a total of 640 MBs for maximum speed when dealing with complex printing tasks such as mixed text and imagery. SDRAM chips can be incorporated in 128 MB, 256 MB, and 512 MB sizes, while flash cards are also compatible in 32 MB or 64 MB sizes. Other than paper storage and memory, there are no more expandability options for the Lexmark C532n and its duplexing counterpart.

With a maximum monthly duty cycle of up to 75,000 pages, the Lexmark C532n is great for light to medium volume users and workgroups, while the unit is backed by a 1 year standard warranty and replacement policy. Both Windows and Macintosh setups can be connected by way of the included USB port or Ethernet networking abilities, or even an external print server, making the Lexmark C532n an interesting choice for color print needs.

Utilizing a technology to help better produce solid colors, called, PANTONE, the Lexmark C530dn offers a better way to produce solid color imagery, such as pie charts or graphs, directly from one’s desktop. It also offers moderate print speeds and performance, as well as a footprint small enough for personal use.

The Lexmark C530dn, with its fairly average specification list, could also be considered for sharing among a small workgroup if the demand for color printing was low, but still necessary. With black and white print speeds topping out at up to 24 pages per minute and color coming close behind at 22 pages per minute, the Lexmark C530dn’s speeds are typical for what one would expect in a color laser printer of its stature. Its times to first page out run similarly at 10.5 seconds for black and white and as fast as 11 seconds for color.

These speeds are made possible by a 375 MHz processor that is paired with 128 MBs of included RAM. Random Access Memory can be upgraded to no more than a total of 640 MBs and flash memory is also accepted. Print quality runs at a true resolution of 1200 x 1200 dots per inch, but color prints are optimized by PANTONE solid color simulations, as well as 4800 color quality.

Connectivity is made possible by a USB port, as the Lexmark C530dn abandons the Parallel ports seen on earlier Lexmark models in the series. This, being an “n” model, includes an Ethernet port as well, along with twice the standard memory of the core unit. Optional connectivity includes external and internal wireless print servers and a gigabit Ethernet option. Printer languages included are PostScript 3 and PCL 6, which should cover almost all current systems.

The Lexmark C530dn offers a direct print format for PDF 1.5, which makes printing from a PDF file faster than ever, and both Windows and Mac operating systems are compatible with the unit, along with Linux. One of the major selling points of the printer is its small footprint. Its dimensions of 17 in. x 16 in. x 19 in. (W x D x H) make it fairly reasonable in size and its weight of 57 pounds is also very manageable, considering its color capabilities.

With a maximum monthly duty cycle of up to 65,000 printed pages, the unit is even capable of a considerable amount of print volume, especially for a small workgroup printer. Its recommended monthly duty is much lower, however, at only 500 – 2,800 pages. Its paper storage comes in the form of a 250 sheet standard drawer and a 100 sheet multipurpose feeder, a great improvement on the previous, single feed bypass slot. Unfortunately, with the addition of the 100 sheet bypass tray, Lexmark removed the 500 sheet paper expansion option, making the unit’s maximum paper storage total only 350 sheets. Though the Lexmark C530dn is limited in many ways, it is small enough to be considered for personal, color printing office demands.

The Lexmark C524 is the base model in a series of five color laser printers that are part of the Lexmark C52x personal printer series. With a variety of standardized features, each printer has a slightly different hardware set to offer, while each model also shares a small list of expandability options that are the same for each unit, much like the base processing power and print speeds which are both about average for units of this caliber.

Printing at only 20 pages per minute for black and white is nothing to write home about, but the Lexmark C524 does offer no loss in speed when switching to color printing, which is a big plus. A variety of standardized features that are commonly found on personal laser printers are apparent in the Lexmark C524 and its counterparts, and include a single sheet bypass slot that allows the printer to utilize paper of standard types, but also glossy, bond, and banner types, along with labels, cardstock, and transparencies. It is important to note that regular paper supplies do not have to be unloaded when using a bypass, which is essential for greatly reducing operation time.

Print resolution runs at 4800 color quality with 1200 x 1200 dots per inch for both black and white and color, while the Lexmark C524’s first page out time can be as fast as 13 seconds. The unit’s processor is a powerful 438 MHz in speed, while memory can be either 64 MBs standard or 128 MBs standard, depending on the exact model. With five various models to choose from, other performance features can vary as well.

The Lexmark C524 base model does not include network capabilities, while the four other models in the series, the Lexmark C524n, Lexmark C524dn, Lexmark C524tn, and Lexmark C524dtn, all come Ethernet ready. These networked models also come with the bump in internal memory, and can be upgraded up to a total of 640 MBs, while the base unit can only go as high as 576 MBs. While the base model does not include networking, it does allow for external print servers and all models include standard USB and Parallel ports. In addition to these ports, the “n” models also have a single internal expansion slot that can be used to keep an optional print server internal.

The internal print servers include a fiber optic Ethernet card and a wireless card, while external options include various Ethernet options and an external wireless server. The other variations in the models are the addition of a duplexor and extra paper tray, while standard paper handling comes in the form of a 250 sheet tray along with the bypass tray and the option to expand paper storage up to 750 sheets total via a 500 sheet additional tray. The “t” models come with the tray in box. Other features of the Lexmark C524, such as its 64K maximum monthly duty cycle, are fairly typical for a color laser printer of this size and price range.

Outputting at only mediocre print speeds for black and white and color printing, the Lexmark C522 / C522n color laser printer would be well suited for an individual user requiring a large amount of color output, or a very small workgroup. Using spherical processed toner for vivid graphics and color tandem laser technology, the Lexmark C522 / C522n produces clean and clear color quality at a fairly high image resolution.

With maximum print speeds locked at 20 pages per minute for both black and white and color, the Lexmark C522 / C522n is not at the top of its game for speed, but it does offer a great 4800 color quality and 1200 x 1200 dot per inch print resolution. Combined with the use of glossy paper, this laser printer could potentially produce photo quality results. Both units come with a built in 313 MHz processor that should help to keep even large pictures printing at acceptable speeds, while 128 MBs of standard memory can be upgraded to 640 MBs for even less risk of slowdown.

The time to first page out is about 13 seconds for color and black and white, which is a little slower than one would find in a more current color device, but it does come with a  variety of connectivity options and compatible platforms, which adds to the unit’s overall versatility. While only the Lexmark C522n comes complete with Ethernet connectability, the base unit includes a USB port and a parallel port that can both be used to connect various external print servers.

Standard paper handling abilities come in the form of a 250 sheet regular paper tray and a single sheet bypass slot that can be used for media types such as glossy paper, bond, banner, transparencies, labels, and cardstock, while compatible media sizes are A5, JIS B5, statement, folio, letter, legal, executive, A4, and various envelope types.  An additional 500 sheet drawer can be added separately to create a 750 sheet maximum paper capacity, while “t” versions of the models in the series include the additional tray in box.

A 1,500 page starter print cartridge that uses black, cyan, magenta, and yellow is included with the unit, while optional cartridges include 4,000 page black, 3,000 page color, 4,000 page return program black and 3,000 page return program color, along with a 20,000 page photoconductor. The unit’s duty cycle tops out at 45,000 pages per month, and a one year warranty is included with on site repair service to ensure a long lifespan of your purchase.

Expansion options include additional RAM cards as well as 32 MB and 64 MB flash cards. Various external print servers include a wireless print adapter, a wireless print server, a 3 port token ring, and an external Ethernet server. With this small set of expansion and customization options, the Lexmark C522 / C522n printers could potentially match a small business’ needs quite well when print speed is not a priority and color technology is an absolute must.