Good but not great

After a reload of the OS my old HP laser was no longer compatible with my Mac computer so I went looking for a color laser that did duplex printing (trying to be a bit green). My use is at home for personal as well as some business printing.



The set up was easy and the instructions clear. Printing in B&W single sided is fast and of high quality. I find the color printing to be a bit muted and not photo-like but still acceptable. The biggest negative is the duplex printing. It works but... When I select two-sided printing it takes forever to print. It is so slow that I have given up using it completely. As I was hurrying out of the house on a road trip I tried to print a Google map in duplex and it took so long I simply left the house without the map. I don't know what is going on inside but this is so bad I'm shocked it ever was released.



Once I ignore duplex printing and treat it like a nice feature I will rarely if ever use then I am generally satisfied with the printer and recommend it for the price.More detail ...

Excellent color laser for home or small business

A paper sensor issue with my ancient HP LJ4L gave me an excuse to look for a new printer. It is used intermittanly so I wanted a laser it is normally in my basement so I wanted networking and duplex and color would be a plus if not too expensive. After looking at all the possiblities my head was spinning and I was ready to settle for a mono-laser with network and duplex.



But then I stumbled on the new Lexmark C543dn color laser on sale that had everything I wanted a high resolution color laser with networking and duplex. The only review I could find of the C543dn was from [..] which thought the colors were too vivid. PC Magazine gave the similar faster C544dn an Editors Choice and only criticised text smaller than 4 or 5 points. It may not be small but it is not as tall as some color lasers and I was able to carry and place it myself without any help.



Open Office Writer doesn't even list fonts smaller than 6 points and Word 2007 does not list fonts smaller than 8 points (unless you shrink fonts). French Script may start to lose detail at 4 points but Arial is fully formed at 3 points and Times New Roman is easy to read (with a magnifiying glass) at 3 points with only a slight defect in small "e". As far as I can tell text at any normal size is sharp and well formed.



When I first started printing images colors did seem too vivid. But the default if you select "Image" from print properties is "sRGB Vivid". If you select "Text" it also uses sRGB Vivid to make sure that you get solid text. The default "Text/Graphics" uses sRGB Display to approximate your computer display. Those and other color settings can be adjusted from the printer's web interface (or print properties menu while printing).



I still found red and blue a little heavy for my taste (orange too red and green too blue) or maybe just not enough yellow. So I settled on these printer color changes for now:



RGB Brightness = 1 (default 0)

Cyan = -1 (default 0)

Magenta = -2 (default 0)



That works for me using default "Text/Graphics" to print natural looking photos or pdf's. I do select Text if just printing text. The Image setting may be better for colorful brochures or if you expect colors to fade.



The only other criticism from [..] was cost of supplies. But Lexmark implemented a rewards program that gives you any 10th black or color free and free imager when you need it. So that brings the cost in line typical for this printer class at 3 cents/page for black and 15 cents for color.



The C543dn is rated for 35000 prints per month but high yield color cartridges are good for 2000 pages and black for 2500 pages and imagers are rated for 30000 pages. So high high volume corporate users would need something bigger with larger toner capacity.



But for a casual user with a few adjustments I am very pleased with the Lexmark C543dn and cannot imagine what could be better for my needs (other than wireless which is an option).



Notes: Even if you are one of the rare people who reads and follows instructions the printer will say check for packing materials when you first power it up. The similar C540 comes with 1000 page starter toner the C544 is faster and has a USB port to print pictures from memory stick or camera without a computer.More detail ...

E260dn for home use

Just a comment on the paper jam light when using manual feed. If you press the red 'X' button when the jam light appears it clears the light and you can then print the next whatever. Lexmark's commercial grade lasers function the same way in that each page/envelope has to be cleared when using manual feed. It isn't a defect..its just the way the manual feed works.



I was an unfortunate owner of the infamous HP P2015dn and went through two formatter boards before giving up on it and moving on to the E260dn.



I haven't had the printer long enough to comment on its longevity but I can say this is a superior printer to the HP (all HP problems aside). Faster to first print faster printing sheet for sheet much better duplexing and better software in general. Print quality is about the same. Both are quiet although the Lexmark is quicker to shut down its processing. The HP did have a better envelope/manual feed.



Now for an embarrassing acknowledgment but also a statement on Lexmark service. It had been so long since I performed a firmware upgrade I forgot the printer must be connected through a USB cable (not network) in order to flash. So trying to update through a network connection thoroughly messed things up. I contacted Lexmark customer service and was very impressed. Connected with tech support in about a minute. After trying different processes to see if the firmware could be salvaged they stated the printer would need to be exchanged for a new one. They willingly shipped the new printer to my place of work so I could sign for it and it arrived the following AM as promised. Lexmark's warranty on this printer is one year next-day exchange.



Thus far this is a printer I would highly recommend for home or small business use based on my experience. Understand the 'paper jam' light is a function of manual feed and not a defect per se.More detail ...