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:
Manufacturer's Part # Z25
This product is Brand New.
The Lexmark Z25 Color Jetprinter provides a photo-quality print resolution of up to 1200 x 1200 dpi in both black and color.This will produce excellent results in the home when printing documents. This printer ships with one print cartridge but can be operated with one or two print cartridges.
The Z25's Accu-Feed paper handling virtually eliminates paper jams while handling a wide range of media from envelopes and transparencies to paper stock up to 150 pounds. It features one-click printer driver software installation simple cartridge loading and ink-level indicators. Compatible with both PCs and Macs it works with a wide variety of operating systems and comes with one year of LexExpress service.
Key Features:
- Up to 1200 x 1200 dpi
- FAST! Print speeds up to 9 ppm black and 6 ppm color
- Accu-Feed Paper Handling - virtually eliminates paper jams
- Quick Pick Paper Feed System prints multiple page jobs faster
- On-screen ink level indicators
Specifications:
- Print Technology: Thermal Inkjet
- Print Resolution Black: Up to 1200 x 1200 dpi
- Print Resolution Color: Up to 1200 x 1200 dpi
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This product is Brand New and comes with a 1 year warranty.