Lexmark E 330 User manual

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Editor’s
Choice
Reprint
Lexmark
2005
EDITOR’S
C
HOIC
E
EDITOR’S
BetterBuys
for Business
CHOICE
2005
Lexmark E330
Lexmark E332n
Lexmark E332tn
27ppm
Sum-up:The Mercedes of personal/small-
workgroup printers.
Lexmark’sE-seriesprintersareitsentry-level
models,butthelevelofentrykeepsgoingup.
Afewyearsago,a25ppmprinterwassoldby
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 attrac-
tive-lookingmachines.With sleekblackstyl-
ing, compact size,and low noise levels,they
areamongthefewprintersonthemarketthat
could win design awards.And in many ways,
they are similar to the E232.However,for the
added price you get a nice upgrade in fea-
tures.
ThebasicengineisthesameastheE232’s.
There’s a 200MHz processor and print reso-
lutionis1,200dpi(600dpiontheE330).A250-
sheet paper tray and a single-sheet bypass
(fornonstandardmaterialssuchascardstock
and transparencies) can be supplemented
withanoptional550-sheetpaperdrawer.That
550-sheet output drawer is standard on the
E332tn.Outputislimitedto150sheets,witha
single-sheet exit for the bypass.
USB connections are standard,and an ex-
ternalEthernetserverisoptionalontheE330,
standard on the two E332 models.Wi-Fi con-
nectivity is an option on all the models.
All three models start with 32MB of
memory,expandable to160MB.Alloffer PCL
and PostScript standard. The duty cycle is
rated at 15,000 pages per month.
These models have a lower cost per page
thantheE232.Ourestimate,basedonthelow-
estLexmarkprices,isaround 2.2cents,ifyou
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
well. Comparable printers like the 25ppm
Samsung ML-2550 family and Brother HL-
6050 family can claim a cost per page (1.5
cents for the Samsung models) and more to-
tal paper capacity (1,100 sheets for both),but
they are both priced higher than the corre-
sponding Lexmark models. The 25ppm
Hewlett-PackardLaserJet2300familyissignifi-
cantly more expensive and has lower paper
capacity,butataslightlybetterpriceperpage.
Be aware that this product family was re-
called in 2004. Apparently, Lexmark discov-
ered a shock risk that could occur if you
(foolishly) plugged the three-pronged
(grounded) plug into a two-pronged (un-
grounded) socket.Lexmarkwasobligedtofix
the problem with existing users just in case,
and so it had a recall.Those currently on the
marketaredeemedincompliance.Thereisno
cause for concern at this point.
Weapplaudthesestylish,speedy,andquiet
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.

© 2005 Better Buys for Business allows both print and electronic reproduction of this document.
No Advertising. No Bias. No Compromise.
Excerpted from The Office Laser Printer Guide, volume
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Inc.
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Lexmark T430
Lexmark T430d
Lexmark T430dn
32ppm
Sum-up:Capable mid-range printers, but with very lim-
ited output.
The T430 models are intended specifically for small
workgroups. They are remarkably faster upgrades to the
22ppmT420 family,now discontinued.
The T430 models are a step up from the Lexmark E-se-
riesmodelsin severalways.Theyarealittlefaster,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-per-
month maximum duty cycle for the machines.
Paper capacity starts at 350 sheets,with a 100-sheet by-
passtrayanda250-sheetpapertray.Therearetwooptional
upgrades, 250-sheet and 500-sheet paper trays.You have
toadd the 250-sheet drawerfirstifyoubuyboth.Themaxi-
mum paper capacity is 1,100 sheets.Automatic duplexing
is a standard feature on theT430d andT430dn models.It is
not available for theT430.On the output side,there is a 20-
sheet tray (for the bypass) and a 150-sheet tray.
Lexmark stresses this series’first-page printing speed,
something that is important to many of their banking cus-
tomers and others.We don’t compare this feature (the ac-
tual speed depends on too many extraneous factors).
However,ifyouprintmanyshortjobsthatyouneedatonce,
this might be a consideration.
This printer series has the usual standard Lexmark con-
nectivity,meaning parallel and USB ports,with an optional
serial connector. An external MarkNet Ethernet server is
available for the T430 andT430d 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
efficientoption(thehigh-capacityall-in-onecartridgewith
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 compa-
rable LaserJet 2430dn.The HP model comes with a some-
what 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 thewhole,thereis little tochoose frombetween
the two printers.
It’s still pretty remarkable that a small-to-medium-
workgroup printer series like this is available for between
$550and$850.Iffinishingisnotarequirementandyouhave
moderate throughput, this is a very good office machine,
and we give it our Editor’s Choice Award.
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