STOP PRESS: Average printer (Lexmark Z845)

Member Name: ~*pink-pilgrim*~

Product:	Lexmark Z845
Date:	03/11/07 (181 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fast, basic, good software provided

Disadvantages: expensive ink, very basic, print quality average .

LEXMARK
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Lexmark was created in 1991 to create printers for businesses and home use. They have continued to expand and are a very popular brand in the printing market. They were the first company to introduce a cheap printer below the £60 mark. They were also leaders in producing 4800 x 1200 dots per inch (dpi) and 3600 x 1200 dpi resolutions printer.

I was attracted to the company because of the great reviews and positive comments. I was keen to buy a printer that was affordable but of a good quality. There reputation was a real selling point above the other models on the market.

LEXMARK Z845
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The Lexmark Z845 printer is basic with the necessary features of a printer. I needed to replace my old printer for the main purpose of printing CV's and letters of application. Obviously I want my work to look good but I didn't want to spend vast amounts on a printer. I have no real need to print photos as I like to get them done professionally in a photo shop, I also find that ink is expensive. A printer for me is a convenience and this printer is very convenient.

SET UP AND INSTALLATION
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The printer was very easy to set up. It came complete with an installation CD and picture editing software. The printer is easy to configure via the wizard. I did need a bit of help connecting the cables to the back of the computer.
After installation the printer page enables you to check ink levels and will give you little tips on getting the most out of your printer. It has a 'troubleshoot' page which will help you spot any problems and gives contact details for customer support. The Lexmark printer page marked updates easy as well by linking direct to the technical website.

APPEARANCE
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The printer looks very basic. The white and grey colour is standard for a printer although a silver/black one would look better. The printer is quite bulky and although it fits on my shelf it looks quite unsightly. It measures about 45cm long, 13cm high and 20cm wide, this does not include the wires coming out of the back and the paper trays. If you plan to sit this on a shelf be aware that it will stick out a lot more than the advertised (216mm). I don't really like the boxy feel to the printer and would prefer rounded sides to make it more attractive.

FEATURES
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This is a basic printer so features are sparse. The main thing is that it prints and this is the reason I bought it. I liked the software included with the printer. The Fast Pics software CD helps you print photos in an easy stress free way. The software enables you to view the pictures, edit any problems such as red eye and then print on what size paper you want. There is an automatic cartridge alignment which will enable you to get the best quality photos.

I was very impressed with the fact that I could print onto iron-on transfers, envelopes, glossy paper and card as my old printer would not allow me to do this. I have produced some very professional envelopes for job applications and really enjoy using this feature. There is something quite satisfying about printing an address onto an envelope rather than having to write it by hand.

PRINT SPEED
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Compared to my last printer this one is very fast. The box said that it will print 24 black pages per minute and 19 coloured pages per minute. I thought this was good however whilst bragging to my mate she said that hers was a lot faster and that is quite slow for a printer these days. Still I was happy with this feature. The printer took just over 2 minutes to print a standard photo (5x8 inch) which I though was great although some may disagree. It is quite noisy and does jerk a little when printing meaning that breakables are best placed away from the printer.

PRINT QUALITY
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I only bough the printer to print word documents and the occasional picture. I didn't need it for photos as I [prefer to get these done professionally. The printing quality was good although lettering sized 12 or below appears fuzzy and not as clear as I would expect. To get the most out of my printer I need to print at a size 14 or above. Although using black I don't actually get a dark black print. Its more of a charcoal grey which is pretty poor when printing on pastel coloured paper.
I have printed out a few pie charts and graphs and the colour quality is good, although this tends to use up a lot of ink and the ink is quite expensive. The colours appeared very bright on the page and were clear, although the ink took a while to dry. I was disappointed by this as the ink in my old printer dried very quickly.

Overall for what I use my printer fo I am happy, I understand thatto get a perfect quality I would have to spend about £50-£100 more and I cannot afford prices like this.

RUNNING COST
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The ink for this printer is rather extortionate. I was very disappointed to see the cost of a replacement cartridge. The printer came with a basic black and tricolour ink cartridge. It takes a 28A (black) and 29A (tri-colour) ink cartridges.

I used my printer to print a copy of my dissertation (183 pages) and the cartridge needed replacing after this. The black ink cartridge costs between £12 and £25 and obviously lasts for about 180 pages of text. The colour cartridge is still going strong but I hardly use it. The colour cartridge costs about £15-£28. If you plan to use your printer for lots of photos and colour printing it could work out expensive.
I have had problems getting recycled ink cartridges because of a chip installed in the Lexmark cartridges. Ink for my old printer was between £2 and £5 and lasted a lot longer. It is for this reason that I am thinking of selling my printer and getting a new one. The initial cost may be high but in the long run it will save me money.

PRICE
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This printer cost me £49.99 from my local stationary/office supplier. I have had a lot of use out of it but feel that this is still a high price for such an average printer. The quality is good and the speed is good but I find £50 a lot of money. This printer is available online between the prices of £40 and £90. You can buy this printer from PC World for £43.66 and printerland.co.uk for £41.

OVERALL
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I am not as satisfied with this printer as I was when I bought it. I did a lot of research into the company and was very impressed with the products on offer and the overall quality. Consumer reviews seemed to put them on a pedestal and were all very positive. I would rather stick to Epson and Brother as the ink cartridges are cheap and last a long time. I have always been pleased with HP and have been quite disappointed by Lexmark. I just can't see what all the hype is. If you are keen on getting an easy to use, Lexmark printer then I would recommend the Z845.

Summary: A good simple to use printer, don't expect any miracles though!

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