Lexmark E460dw review

The Lexmark E460dw ships with a high-yield 9,000 page toner cartridge, and replacement high-yield cartridges cost $229. That comes out to about 2 cents per page, which is the industry average for a single-function monochrome laser printer. Also, according to Lexmark, the printer can print up to 80,000 pages per month, which should be more than enough to handle the output volume of most small to midsize businesses.

Performance
According to Lexmark, the E460dw can print a sheet of black text at 38 pages per minute, but we put the printer to the test and it came up much shorter than advertised. Our test printer could only spit out an average of 17.61 pages of text per minute. The Samsung ML-2851ND as well the older Lexmark E350d printed the same document at 20.67 and 24.33 pages per minute, respectively. The Lexmark E460dw couldn't keep up with the others in our presentation test either, but demonstrated inconsistency in sweeping the competition during the mixed graphics document benchmark.

Printer speed test (in pages per minute)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Presentation

Black Graphics

Black Text

Dell 1720dn

11.79 

21.59 

13.46 

Lexmark E460dw

9.96 

25.99 

17.61 

Samsung ML-2851ND

20.28 

21.8 

20.69 

Lexmark E350d

21.22 

25.47 

24.13 

We were hoping that the print quality would, at least, redeem the poor output speeds, but we're left disappointed again. In all three test areas (graphics, presentation, and simple text), our prints came out extremely fuzzy with half-formed graphics and blurred lines. Horizontal lines are irritatingly visible throughout all of the graphics and photos, and none of the shading percentages are even close to acceptable for a business atmosphere. The only halfway decent printout is the page of black text. Lexmark manages to maintain a semblance of letter formation at first glance, but the overall print quality is nowhere near the level of other $700 printers. We're much more satisfied with the superbly darkened lines and enhanced graphic quality of the Samsung ML-2851ND.

Service and support
All of Lexmark's E Series printers are protected by Lexmark's one-year exchange warranty with telephone support assistance through the Lexmark Technical Support Center. It also offers free on-site technical support if an issue cannot be resolved over the phone. Lexmark will dispatch a representative to replace or fix the malfunctioning printer. Finally, the Lexmark Web site contains a comprehensive support center that provides drivers and downloads, warranty upgrades, as well as a generous helping of how-tos and frequently asked questions.

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