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The Nation’s Leading Independent
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Better Bu ys
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Buyer’s Guides for Office Equipment
Lexmark
Lexmark E330
Lexmark E332n
Lexmark E332tn
27ppm
Sum-up: The Mercedes of personal/smallworkgroup printers.
Lexmark’s E-series printers are its entry-lev el
models, but the le vel of entry keeps going up .
A few years ago, a 25ppm printer was sold b y
Lexmark as a heavy-duty office workgroup
printer. Now comes these models that are
meant for either personal desktop use or for
sharing by a few office mates, and it runs at
27ppm. Like the E232, these are very attractive-looking machines. With sleek black styling, compact size, and low noise levels, they
are among the fe w printers on the market that
could win design awar ds. And in many ways,
they are similar to the E232. Ho wever, for the
added price you get a nice upgrade in f eatures.
The basic engine is the same as the E232’ s.
There’s a 200MHz processor and print resolution is 1,200dpi (600dpi on the E330). A 250sheet paper tray and a single-sheet bypass
(for nonstandard materials such as card stock
and transparencies) can be supplemented
with an optional 550-sheet paper draw er . That
550-sheet output drawer is standard on the
E332tn. Output is limited to 150 sheets, with a
single-sheet exit for the bypass.
USB connections are standard, and an external Ethernet server is optional on the E330,
standard on the two E332 models. Wi-Fi connectivity is an option on all the models.
All three models start with 32MB of
memory , expandable to 160MB. All offer PCL
and PostScript standard. The duty cycle is
rated at 15,000 pages per month.
These models have a lower cost per page
than the E232. Our estimate, based on the lo west Lexmark prices, is ar ound 2.2 cents, if y ou
use the larger toner cartridge. This is not
great, but typical for a personal/small
workgroup printer.
In many ways, these personal/small
workgroup printers are unique. It’s not only
their 27ppm speed, but their affordability as
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well. Comparable printers like the 25ppm
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Samsung ML-2550 family and Brother HL6050 family can claim a cost per page (1.5
cents for the Samsung models) and more total paper capacity (1,100 sheets for both), but
they are both pr iced higher than the corresponding Lexmark models. The 25ppm
Hewlett-Packar d LaserJet 2300 family is significantly more expensive and has lower paper
capacity , but at a slightly better price per pag e.
Be aware that this product family was recalled in 2004. Apparently, Lexmark discovered a shock risk that could occur if you
(foolishly) plugged the three-pronged
(grounded) plug into a two-pronged (ungrounded) sock et. Lexmar k was ob liged to fix
the problem with existing users just in case,
and so it had a recall. Those currently on the
market ar e deemed in compliance. Ther e is no
cause for concern at this point.
W e applaud these stylish, speedy, and quiet
machines. It’s astonishing how the company
has raised the bar on desktop printing. The
E330/E332 models get our Editor’s Choice
Award.
Lexmark E330 — Sharp-looking and fast, this
model makes a great personal printer.
Editor’s
Choice
Reprint
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Lexmark T430
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Lexmark T430d
Lexmark T430dn
32ppm
Sum-up: Capable mid-range printers, but with very limited output.
The T430 models are intended specifically for small
workgroups. T hey are remarkably f aster upgrades to the
22ppm T420 family, now discontinued.
The T430 models are a step up from the Lexmark E-series models in several w ays. They ar e a little faster , printing
at 32ppm. Part of this speed is due to a 366MHz processor.
Memory on the all three models starts at 32MB and can be
beefed up to 288MB. Lexmark claims a 65,000-pages-permonth maximum duty cycle for the machines.
Paper capacity starts at 350 sheets, with a 100-sheet bypass tray and a 250-sheet paper tr ay. Ther e ar e two optional
upgrades, 250-sheet and 500-sheet paper trays. You have
to add the 250-sheet draw er first if y ou buy both. The maximum paper capacity is 1,100 sheets. Automatic duplexing
is a standard featur e on the T430d and T430dn models. It is
not availab le for the T430. On the output side, there is a 20sheet tray (for the bypass) and a 150-sheet tray.
Lexmark stresses this ser ies’ first-page printing speed,
something that is important to many of their banking customers and others. We don’t compare this f eature (the actual speed depends on too many extraneous f actors).
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Howe ver , if you print many short jobs that y ou need at once,
this might be a consideration.
This printer series has the usual standard Lexmark connectivity, meaning parallel and USB ports, with an optional
serial connector. An external MarkNet Ethernet ser ver is
available for the T430 and T430d as an option; it’s standard
on the T430dn. A bar-code card is also available.
Cost per page is around 1.7 cents if you take the most
efficient option (the high-capacity all-in-one cartridge with
Lexmark’s cartridge return program). That’s higher than
average in its segment.
These printers have a serious competitor—namely: HP’s
30ppm LaserJet 2420 family. The T430dn, coming with
duplexing and networking, costs $50 less than the comparable LaserJet 2430dn. T he HP model comes with a somewhat faster processor and more memory (64MB versus
32MB). The Lexmark model has more total paper capacity
(1,100 sheets versus 850 sheets). Consumables prices are
similar. On the whole, there is little to choose fr om between
the two printers.
It’s still pretty remarkable that a small-to-mediumworkgroup printer series like this is available for between
$550 and $850. If f inishing is not a requir ement and y ou have
moderate throughput, this is a very good office machine,
and we give it our Editor’s Choice Award.
Excerpted from The Office Laser Pr inter Guide, volume
170, Jan uary 2005. © 2005 Pr ogressive Business Pub lications,
Inc.
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Better Buys for Business
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