This week we are taking a look at the Lexmark Z735 inkjet printer. It has been a while since we have reviewed a Lexmark printer, mostly because they have not been flooding the market with an overwhelming number or printers, as the other manufacturers do.At the end of 2006 they decided they were going to cut back on their printer releases. It is definitely showing in terms of the number of new Lexmark printers we can find, as well as the number of customers calling in looking for Lexmark ink cartridges.

The whole cut back points to some financial Lexmark is having, but that is a whole different post. We’re here to talk about the Lexmark Z735 printer.

First and foremost, this is a CHEAP printer. You should expect to pay between $25 and $40 for this printer. Amazon.com currently (as of this post date) the Lexmark Z735 for $28.99, and is offering free shipping. Other sites with lesser prices require you to pay shipping, so this is a great deal.

The Z735 offers 4800 x 1200 max dpi print resolution in high quality print mode, and can produce photo-quality pictures. It prints 4″ x 6″ borderless photos in as fast as 38 seconds (in the econo-mode). Why anyone would print a photo in econo-mode is beyond me. It seems a little strange that Lexmark would their claim to speed in this way. Thirty-eight seconds is slow as it is! Black text prints come at a rate of 15 pages per minute, color at 5 pages per minute.

This printer is small in size, to go along with its small price tag. So, if in addition to a small price tag you are looking for a space saving printer, this one only takes up 1 square foot of space.

The Z735 uses the Lexmark #1 cartridge. Lexmark advertises this as the ultimate cartridge. One single cartridge that contains all the ink you need. It is basically contains color ink, and when you need black all the colors mix to make the black. Sounds like a good deal, but Epson and Canon would tell you that it is not. When you run out of one of the colors you have to replace the entire cartridge, despite the fact that you may still have plenty of the other colors. Oh, the hazards of the multi color cartridge!

You can expect to pay $23 - $24 for the Lexmark manufactured #1 (also know as 18C0781) cartridge. Pacific Ink.com offers a remanufactured version of this cartridge for only $19.49. You can also purchase an ink cartridge refill kit ($17.49), or take advantage of our cartridge recycling service ($17.49). Fortunately, less expensive and more environmentally friendly alternatives exist.

Bottom line on this printer is you get what you pay for. Folks really like the price, but expected a lot more from the printer. It was made for those who don’t print all that much, and when they do print do a limited amount of printing in color. Take our advice, if you are in to photo printing, or are considering getting in to photo printing, don’t buy this printer. Spend a little more right away. You will be far happier.

If you own this printer, let Pacific Ink know what you think. If you don’t, but still want to voice your opinion, you can do that here too.