Lexmark X342n Review
Today CNET posted a review of the Lexmark X342n all-in-one laser printer. This machine hit the market a few months ago and is a pretty rare model for Lexmark, since these days most of their laser all-in-ones have come out under the Dell brand. They gave this model a 6.7 out of 10, which sounds pretty bad, but since it’s CNET that translates to a “good” rating.
The Lexmark X342n is a monochrome printer, scanner, copier and fax machine that is rated at 27 pages per minute. The official speed that CNET got in their tests was 17 pages per minute, which was better than some of the other machines in this class that they tested but ironically, slower than the Dell 1815n. The X342n was slower than the Dell in every test except for color and graphic scans. This is part of the reason why they note that you will “get more bang for your buck from the Dell 1815n”.
Overall, they liked the scanning capabilities and the price of the machine, while they didn’t like the lack of duplexing or the ergonomics of the X342n’s menu. One huge downside to this printer is the cost of the toner cartridges. A standard toner cartridge for this model currently retails for $102, and that’s for only a 2,500 page yield. A 6,000 page yield cartridge retails for $155, making it a much better deal than the standard yield but still outrageously priced. Luckily, the X342n comes with a high yield laser cartridge, which makes it a better buy than the X340n, which comes with the standard cartridge.
Lexmark X342n laser all-in-one printer [CNET]
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July 28th, 2006 at 11:09 am
As far as this tech beauty goes, full marks to the Lexmark X342n all-in-one printer for its drop-dead looks. The major factor due to which Lexmark printers are on a high these days is due to its low-pricing factor. However if money is not what burns a hole in your pocket, then personally, I feel, one should go for the Dell 1815dn in terms of better features and speed. The manufacturers should have paid a little more attention to the feature menu, and performance wise, it causes minor stumbles while printing tiny text. Also this printer is not capable of duplexing which makes it take a backseat. Lexmark should have paid more attention to these details in order to compete with the better brands available in the market.
August 4th, 2006 at 10:52 am
Lexmark Printers never rate good on reviews. Lexmark struggles to maintain its brand name. Lexmark and Dell are compared and Dell usually outscores the former. This has hit Lexmark’s brand image. I believe that if Lexmark does not think about this problem, we can find Lexmark only in archives and not in stores.
July 25th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
that toner cart at 6000 page yield comes out to 2.6 cents per page. Can anyone beat that for a solid desktop laser with good looks and excellent warranty network? The HP LaserJet 3055 comes in at 3.5 cents per page and you are changing it every 2000 pages, what it your IT dept’s time worth?? Advantage Lexmark….Again