Having reviewed virtually Lexmarks entire Z line of printers, weve arrived at the current flagship
consumer inkjet offered by Lexmark - the Z53. This printer $129US printer features the same general capabilities and 2400x1200dpi of the
$99 Z43 with a faster 16ppm (black)/8ppm (colour) print speed. The Z82, the only other model in the Z-line that we haven't reviewed. It seems to be geared towards the SOHO or higher end markets than towards the consumer.
Specifications
Thermal Inkjet Print Technology
2400 x 1200 dpi (black and color) on all paper types
Print Speed: 16 pages per minute black and 8 pages per minute color
Accu-Feed paper handling for fewer paper jams when using all paper types
7 Picoliter Color Droplet Size
4 Color Inkjet - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black (with black cartridge installed)
Operating Systems Supported:
- Microsoft Windows 9X/Me, 2000, NT, Apple Mac OS X/8.6/9.X
Input Tray capacity: 100 pages
Output Tray capacity: 50 pages
Noise Level: 45dB(A)
Duty Cycle: 5000 pages/month
Yield: Black: 600 pages @ 5% coverage
Color: 275 pages @ 15% coverage
Initial Thoughts And Comparisons
A glance at the specs listed above will quickly show that the Z53 has almost identical specs to the Z43 which we reviewed previously except for its higher print speed and increased duty cycle.
Physically, the Z53 is more robust and has much more rugged input and output trays. The output tray in particular has upraised flaps that prevent pages from curling while they dry. The power supply is also an order of magnitude larger in dimensions, which suggests that the added print speed is thanks to a more powerful print engine. Another sign of this is the sheer noise level of the Z53 when printing: though both the Z43 and Z53 are rated at 45dB(A), the Z53 is noticeably louder, and also rocks a lot more during operation.
Installation and setup of the Z53 is no different then the other Z printers. The Z53 supports both USB and parallel connections and comes with separate black and 3-colour ink cartridges.
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