My old printer was in storage, and I needed something cheap that I could print with intermittently. While visiting Wal-Mart, I saw this printer on sale for twenty-five dollars. For that price, I figured I couldn't pass this printer up. I normally stick with Hewlitt Packard printers, because the replacement cartridges generally run cheaper. However, this printer was on sale for less than I spent on my last Lexmark cartridges.
The
size of this printer places it at the smaller end of the line for printers. It does not have a scanner, but is about half the height (4 3/4 inches tall) of most of the scanner printers I have seen recently. The footprint of this printer is about the same os those scanners, taking up 17 inches across and 8 inches deep. The paper tray sits straight up behind the printer. adding another six inches (in case this printer needs to fit into a compact space). The bottom tray where printed documents are ejected is retractable when this printer is not in use. The total weight of this unit is 5.1 pounds, which is relatively light.
The
Lexmark Z1300 is
compatible with Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64, Microsoft Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS X (10.4.4-10.4.x Intel, Apple Mac OS X (10.3.x-10.4.x Power PC)and Microsoft Windows 2000 5.00.2195 or later.
I do not do any heavy printing with this machine, so it is more than adequate for my light personal needs. The
print speeds run at a maximum of 22 pages per minute for draft mode printing. Color copies in draft mode print at a maximum of 16 pages per minute. I normally do not print in draft, experiencing print speeds of 12 pages per minute for black and white and 5 pages per minute for color. The
Lexmark Z1300 prints black and white copies at a maximum resolution of 1200 X 1200 dots per inch, while the color resolution prints at 4800 X 1200 dots per inch.
This printer is very easy to
install. The printer connects to your computer with a standard USB (2.0 Specification) cable. My computer runs Windows XP, which did not find a pre-loaded program for this printer. Therefore, I had to use the enclosed installation disk to install the software for this printer. The installation was quick and painless, taking just a few minutes to install from the disk.
Installation of the Printer Cartridges was fairly easy. It took the machine a couple of minutes to warm up when I initially installed the printer. The empty cartridge trays zipped back and forth inside the machine for a minute, pausing here and there, before finally settling in the middle for installation. The cartridges are simply pushed up and back into position. The cost of replacing these cartridges will probably exceed the cost of replacing the entire printer. Cartridges at the Lexmark Website indicate that they are currently $18.99 plus shipping for the color cartridges.
The Lexmark Z1300 comes with a single
tri-color cartridge. The cartridge included with this printer is non-refillable. There are two printer cartridge slots...one for the color cartridge, and an optional black cartridge, which must be purchased separately. The high yield black cartridge runs $24.99. There is also a photo color cartridge for photo printing in six color detail, which can be purchased from the Lexmark website for $29.99.
The
printer cable for this printer is a standard USB style printer cable, and is not included with the printer. The power cord is included with the printer. When you open the box, you will only find half of the power cord in the packaging. The other half of the power cord is stored inside the printer during shipping.
I checked with Epinions' partners, and see that the
best price on this printer is currently $24.99 from Tiger Direct. The current pricing should appear in the lower right hand corner of this review. These prices are compatible with the Wal-Mart price (which was on sale at the time I purchased it).
During the past few months, I have not had any problems with paper misfeeds, color issues, or printing failures. I consider this printer to be a reliable product that has performed to expectations during the limited time that I have owned it.
My
Overall Impression with the Lexmark Z1300 is that it is an inexpensive compact printer that produces adequate documents for personal use. The quality of this printer is exceptional at this price point, although the print speeds are not blazing. I would highly recommend this printer giving it four stars out of a possible five.
This review is part of Dianapinions
Best Little Write Off
