subject: Lexmark X543dn laser printer of choice [print this page] }At more than 35kg, the Lexmark X543dn isn't any lightweight and it's bulky enough that a flat bed scanner, with Automatic Document Feeder (ADF), does not appear as massive as on comparable models from some other manufactures.
The ADF can take as much as 50 sheets, and this is a very good total capacity. There is a single-sheet feed with regard to special media along with a smart discretionary 2nd tray can be obtained, that features both a 550-sheet paper tray plus a 100-sheet multipurpose feed.
The principle control panel, which goes the entire width of the unit, is sparsely filled, partially simply because this unit doesn't incorporate fax facilities. The two-line by 16-character, backlit LCD screen is enough to display status information and menus, though from time to time text needs to auto-scroll to fit. There exists a numeric pad, to help you print safely, with PIN entry, although there is no front-panel USB socket. With regard to you need to spend somewhat more to obtain the X544dn.
Actual setup is likewise unconventional, because you clip the four toner cartridges in to position at the side, when you've lifted up the right-hand end of the scanner unit and secured it into position. Although the yield of the toner cartridges is fairly low, at the most 2,500 pages, you can use a dozen of them prior to needing to change the imaging drums. If you have sufficient area at the side of the unit, maintenance is very easy.
Lexmark has usually supported lots of diverse operating systems and, along with Windows and OS X support, this specific machine will operate with a wide range of Linux implementations, Novell NetWare, UNIX and Citrix MetaFrame. Software is made up of driver and a status monitoring applet. USB along with network connections are offered as standard.
Lexmark quotes 20ppm for both black and colour print using this machine. We ended up pretty near to this with our 20-page print, clocking up 16.4ppm, although shorter, 5-page document merely recorded 10.0ppm. A 15 x 10 cm colour photograph on an A4 sheet printed in 31s. Subjectively, the printer appears fast and this is helped by the remarkably hushed mechanism, whenever printing or copying.
Copying rates of speed are reasonable plus the device won't call for a lengthy time frame to heat up before commencing to print. We witnessed a single-page colour copy completing in 22s and even our five-page black text document copied within an outstanding 31s.
An interesting aspect of the X543dn is that it's got a duplexer built-in as standard, out of the ordinary for a colour, laser multifunction. Two-sided print is dealt with virtually completely internally, therefore pages reach the rear tray wholly printed. Our 20-side, 10-page text print required 2:08, which provides a duplex rate of 9.4spm, quite a fair throughput in this class of workgroup device.
The printed output level of quality indicates the device appears to have been developed quite definitely for standard business use. Black text is thick, razor-sharp and very very easy to read at its 1,200dpi resolution. Colour graphics are some of the richest we have seen coming from a laser, although by default tones come through somewhat dark. These colours are fantastic for graphs, charts and other business graphics.
Where they fall down is in printing photo material, which often comes through appearing intensely filtered or touched-up, with primary colours. Without doubt, you might adjust these by simply tweaking the images just before print, but by default they seem somewhat garish.
Consumables encompass two yields of Lexmark toner cartridge, two different imaging packs, which contain either simply a black drum or drums for all four colours, and also a separate waste toner container. Each will call for changing at different frequencies, therefore upkeep costs will probably be a little greater than those printers with combined drum and toner cartridges.
Lexmark's X543dn is a novel machine, that prints pretty quickly and provides duplex print as standard. Useful expansion by way of an optional paper tray mitigates against a rather small 250-sheet standard provision. Printed output is perfect for attention-grabbing business documents, but too bright for any that contain photos. Operating costs, particularly with regard to colour, tend to be high.
