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"Be aware - Cnet review is wrong" on
Pros: Got a good rating from Cnet and most other users.
Cons: I could not find this printer on the shelf at any local stores and purchased it solely based on the review(s) from Cnet. However, once I opened the box I realized that the printer did not have a manual/straight pass feed option. But, if you look at the
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"Does not print well on glossy paper" on
Pros: Faster.
Cons: The drum is wide sheet that is exposed in such a way as to be easily scratched. It does not print well on glossy paper; leaving white patches in text and images. Does not have separate tray to feed envelopes or one-off papers for printing. You have to
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"It's what I needed" on
Pros: Trying to escape the inkjet ink "bait and switch" nightmare, I bought this printer based on the CNET review and am simply blown away by the print quality. Operating costs are very low (about $.12/page for photos, $.03/page for text with cheap 20# bond).
Cons: Starter toner cartridges are weak (but replacements are very reasonably priced, especially compared to inkjet costs). All of the Lexmark accessories are unbelievably expensive. 500 sheet paper trays or legal paper trays make me thankful that this is j
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"Effective but noisy and slow." on
Pros: I bought this as a home printer and am very happy with the decision. Output is gorgeous, both mono and color (including both spot color and photo printing). Banding is not noticeable under any circumstances. Replacement toner is *very* economical if yo
Cons: Printer is noisy and there is a fairly long wait to see the first page (certainly longer than the mono HP at the office). Full page photos take an especially long time, even with max RAM. Starter toner cartridges are pretty chintzy, but I've only had to
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"A workhorse" on by markgrime
Pros: Network Connectivity, Reliable, No Maintenance Required, Accepts a wide range of media, Great Print Quality.
Cons: Thumping noise (not louder than many ink-jets), Doesn't have bypass tray feature to insert odd stock, wont reset media type when job finishes.
Summary: We have owned and used this model for nearly a year and have not had a single paper jam. We have run plain paper, envelopes, labels, card stock (110lb index), and laser transparencies with no problems. The C510n is the network version of the machine and while it may require some careful reading of the documentation, help from a network admin, or contacting Lexmark support to get it installed on the network, it is well worth the effort. It is best to use the Lexmark network peer to peer printer port for two way communication with the printer over the network. It has a great network utility that is accessed by simply typing the machine network address into the address bar of any web browser. This utility allows the user to view the status of all areas of the machine as well as change any of the machine settings remotely. This machine installs smoothly on just about any type of network imaginable. It also will work through a USB connection. The C510 without the "N" suffix is USB only (and about a hundred dollars cheaper). While the color is not calibrated as is done in expensive color copiers, and exact Pantone matches are unavailable, this machine in most cases is close enough in color precision to satisfy even some picky graphic artists. I bought this model because I have an intimate knowledge of the design and its history. When working as a technical writer for a company that used this product and its predecessor in an OEM situation, I wrote the service documentation of the OEM for both models. The predecessor was a well received, time tested design that had some considerable drawbacks. This machine design has been improved drastically in all of the trouble areas of the predecessor with tremendous success. I did not buy the OEM model because the Lexmark version is far less expensive. I am so impressed with the machine that I bought one for my home office. This machine is almost completely user serviceable and has no maintenance cycle that isn’t as simple as the end user replacing a module. By the time we used up the starter toner cartridges we almost broke even with the cost of buying an ink-jet printer and ink. By the time we use up the first full set of toner cartridges we will most likely have increased the cost savings by tenfold or more compared to ink-jet! The only drawbacks are the thumping sound of the transfer belt engaging the photoconductor once for each color pass (not louder than most ink-jets cleaning process). Another drawback is when a print job is sent using labels, card stock, or transparencies the machine beeps three times and waits for the user to load the appropriate media into the paper tray and automatically sets itself to the stock selected and then completes the print job after the tray is reinserted, but it wont reset the paper type back to plain paper or default when the job is completed. I would prefer it if the machine would beep again on job completion and ask if it should be restored to normal. Instead the machine leaves the paper setting at the last used stock and the user must remember to return the paper settings through the operation panel or printer utility. With such little to complain about, this printer is the clear choice for anyone that is printing more than 5000 prints on an ink-jet in a year.
Lexmark C510 series user reviews
