The Z25 is one of those printers whose price is lower than those of its replacement ink cartridges, so it's a real bargain only for those who print infrequently. This is very much an entry-level printer, where Lexmark has battened down all the hatches to produce an inkjet device at very little initial cost. Its simple design, which sees the rear paper-feed tray fold down on top of the printer when it's not in use, has a simple pullout tray at the front to catch the printed pages. There are just two physical controls, a power button and a paper-feed button. Everything else is done under software control.
To set up the printer, we inserted the single, tricolor cartridge (a second, black cartridge is an optional extra), loaded the printer driver--which supports any version of Windows from 98 on or Mac OS from 8.2--and the Z25 was ready to go. The driver is well-designed and offers useful information, such as ink level and automatic detection of cartridge replacement. It also speaks to you with progress and error messages.
In our tests, without a black cartridge, black text came out looking dark brown, rather than truly black, and because the printer must lay down all three colours, the print speed was low. A standard five-page text document took nearly 5 minutes to print, giving the Z25L a real-world print speed of just over 1 page per minute (ppm), far less than the rated 9 ppm black and 6 ppm color. It's best to invest in the second cartridge.
A 3-by-5-inch photo came out surprisingly well. Although we saw some dithering in areas of steady tone, the colors were bright, if not completely accurate. The 1,200 x 1,200 dpi resolution is high enough for most needs but is realized only on premium photo papers. The print time, at just over 3 minutes, is pretty good, particularly for a printer in this price range.
The Z25L comes with a one-year exchange warranty, during which time Lexmark will swap out any faulty device. It has a heavy duty cycle of up to 2,000 pages per month and is comparatively quiet in operation. Overall, the Lexmark Z25 represents very good value for money. --Simon Williams
Product Description:
The Lexmark Z25 is a versatile, high-performance printer perfectly suited for small business, home office and individuals who demand the highest quality possible from a color inkjet printer. With 1200 x 1200 dpi, the Lexmark Z25 easily outclasses its competition. The Lexmark Z25 delivers higher definition than ever achieved before delivering output so sharp and vivid, that photo quality prints and laser sharp text are possible, right out of the box. Accu-Feed paper handling virtually eliminates paper jams while handling a wide range of paper from envelopes and transparencies to paper stocks.
Lexmark Z25 Color Inkjet Printer