- 1200 x 1200 dpi Print
- USB & Network
- 12 Seconds First page
- Up to 20ppm Colour Print
- Up to 20ppm Mono Print
- PostScript, PCL5, PCL6
- 250 Sheet Input Tray
- 417MHz Processor
- 128MB (640MB Max) RAM
- Windows & Mac Compatible
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PC Pro Review
Verdict
Fast, top-quality prints, good running costs and a competitive price make the Lexmark our new favourite colour laser printer.
Review Date: 27 Nov 2009
Author: Dave StevensonOverall Rating:
Features & Design:
Value for Money:
Performance:
The C540n is the best printer for small workgroups we've seen. Not only is the cost of the unit bearable at less than £200 before VAT, but it’s also network capable, quick, and offers excellent quality.
Workgroup features run throughout the printer. The paper tray, for instance, has the joint highest capacity on test at 250 pages, and the single-pass engine means sheets need to run through its cavernous interior only once, no matter whether they’re printed in full colour or black and white. It’s a major part of the reason we’re recommending it.
The Lexmark hovered at a steady 20ppm in all our tests. The only time we saw a significantly slower speed was with our 24-page DTP document, whose complexities resulted in a 5ppm drop in speed. Still, at 15ppm for this demanding document, the Lexmark remains a very fast machine for the money.
It also produced decent quality. Text looked elegant, and it was superb when printing business documents. Colours appeared as they should and text on a coloured background – always tricky for cheap laser printers – looked great.
With all that power, it doesn’t come as a shock that the Lexmark is a on the expensive side to run initially. But after a few thousand pages those costs will remain lower than cheaper printers. These costs will be higher, incidentally, if you intend to print on the C540n from an Apple computer – Lexmark’s driver currently doesn’t support monochrome-only printing.
But that problem aside, the Lexmark is incredibly fast and produces great quality prints. It’s also network-ready, well built and reasonably thrifty. The huge 250-page paper tray means you can set it up and leave it, and the initial pain of buying it is less than with more expensive printers. The Lexmark is our well-deserved Recommended award.
Printer Resolution | 1200 x 1200 dpi Print |
First Page | 12 Seconds First page |
Product Group Output | A4 |
Speed Colour | Up to 20ppm Colour Print |
Speed Monochrome | Up to 20ppm Mono Print |
Interface Type(s) | USB & Network |
Network Interface | 10 Base-T/100 Base-TX Network |
Network Printing Protocols | Network Printing Methods: LPR/LPD Direct IP (Port 9100) Enhanced IP (Port 9400) FTP, TFTP IPP 1.1 (Internet Printing Protocol) |
Network Protocol | Network Protocol Support: TCP/IP IPv4 AppleTalk TCP/IP IPv6 TCP UDP |
Network Ready | Yes |
Preview Monitor Type | 2-Line, 16 Character Front Panel Display |
RJ-45 Ports | 1 x RJ-45 |
Status Display | 2-line, 16 character backlit LCD |
USB Port | Yes |
USB Ports | 1 x USB 2.0 |
Processor | 417MHz Processor |
Memory (Maximum) | 128MB (640MB Max) RAM |
Operating Systems Supported | Windows & Mac Compatible |
Paper Handling Input 1 | 250 Sheet Input Tray |
Maximum Input Capacity | 900 Sheet |
Maximum Paper Size | A4 |
Maximum Paper Weight | 176 g/m2 |
Paper Handling Manual Feed | Single Sheet Manual Feed |
Paper Handling Standard Output | 100 Sheet |
Paper Size | A4, A5, JIS B5, Executive, Letter, Legal , (Max.) A4/Legal |
Paper Trays (Standard/Maximum) | 2 (4) |
Special Media | Card Stock, Paper Labels, Plain Paper, Transparencies, Refer to the Card Stock and Label Guide |
Monthly Duty Cycle | 35k Pages Per Month |
Mono or Colour Printer | Colour |
Technology | Laser Printer |
Dimensions | 42.4cm (W) x 40.0cm (D) x 29.2cm (H) - Weight 21kg |
Environmental | Operating Temperature 16 to 32C - Humidity 8 to 80% |
Noise Level | 47dbA |
Product Summary | Lexmark C540n A4 Colour Laser Printer |
Product Type | A4 Laser Printer |
Carton Dimensions | 402 x 595 x 495 mm - 24.5 kg |
Colour Toner Life | 1,000 Pages |
Mono Toner Life | 1,000 Pages |
Printer Languages | PostScript, PCL5, PCL6 |
Font Capabilities | 3 of 9 scalable PCL 5e fonts in Narrow, Regular and Wide, 2 PCL bitmap fonts, 39 scalable PPDS fonts, 5 PPDS bitmap fonts, 84 scalable PCL fonts, 89 scalable PostScript fonts, OCR-A, OCR-B scalable PCL 5e fonts |
In The Box | Lexmark C540n colour printer, AC Cable (UK), CD/DVD (including Software/ Utilities/ Drivers and User Manuals), Setup Guide, Starter Toners CMY = 1000 pages Black = 1000 pages |
Black | 1000 Pages |
Cyan | 1000 Pages |
Magenta | 1000 Pages |
Yellow | 1000 Pages |
Warranty | 1 Year Exchange Service, Next Business Day |
Certifications | CAN/CSA-C22.2 60950-1, CSA E60825-1, ICES-003 Class B, BSMI Class B, VCCI Class B, US FDA, FCC Class B, UL 60950-1, EN/IEC 60320-1, CE Class B, CB IEC 60950-1, EN 60950-1, EN/IEC 61000-3, EN 55022 Class B, EN 55024, EN/IEC 60825-1, GS (T V), AR S (T V), S |
**Page yields are declared by the manufacturer in accordance with ISO/IEC standards or occasionally estimated based on 5% per page coverage. Yields will vary greatly depending on image, area coverage, print mode and environmental conditions.
Lexmark C540n Consumables
**Page yields are declared by the manufacturer in accordance with ISO/IEC standards or occasionally estimated based on 5% per page coverage. Yields will vary greatly depending on image, area coverage, print mode and environmental conditions.
Lexmark C540n Accessories
Lexmark C540n Warranties
Lexmark C540n Cables
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4.2/5
- Value...4
- Features...4
- Quality...5
- Performance...4
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