Lexmark Prospect Pro205
In some respects, the Lexmark is a throwback to a different age. The main paper feed is situated at the rear, and resulting prints
drop into the front tray, in a manner reminiscent of older inkjets. And while the LCD panel is attractive, its lack of touchscreen facilities now seems slightly passé.
But the Prospect’s feature set is far from dated, offering to scan, copy, tax and print. It can connect to an 802.11g/n Wi-Fi network, and setup here is straightforward.
The memory card slot is useful, letting you plug in an SD Card and bypass the PC to print pictures. Inkjet printers aren’t well known for their fantastic text output, but the Lexmark produced more admirable results than we expected. The light output in its fastest mode (12.8ppm) was less sketchily defined than with many other inkjet printers.
Output produced in middle mode (8ppm) was very palatable for an inkjet: dark, yet with characters that were very adequately drawn.
Top mode offered only a modicum of improvement for its reduced speed of 2.4ppm. Any decent laser will still prove a better choice for text than the Lexmark, but you could certainly use it for text jobs.
It’s better overall than the Epson BX320FW (page 140), even if the latter is speedier in middle mode. Duplexing facilities are included, and the speed dropped by just over 50 percent in fast and middle modes (6.5 and 3.9pprn respectively).
The Pro’s real forte is graphics. The fastest mode was promising, producing light but attractive images at a very decent speed of 6.1ppm. But it’ll be the higher-quality modes that really count for most users, and the Lexmark’s middle output was dark and vivid even on standard paper, with smooth detail and virtually no banding. It was also available at 3.5ppm. comfortably beating the Epson BX320FVV.
Tne highest mode produced sparkling results, and its 0.8ppm speed here was adequate. Results were very good on photo paper, with strong shading and plenty of the finest details brought out.
Ink costs are also adequate, with the Lexmark’s four cartridges giving good mileage.
Verdict
The Lexmark is a well-executed multifunctional printer with an extensive feature list. However, it’s more expensive than the similar Epson BX320FY./. While this is the better printer, the difference in quality may not be enough to justify the extra £50.
In some respects, the Lexmark is a throwback to a different age. The main paper feed is situated at the rear, and resulting prints
drop into the front tray, in a manner reminiscent of older inkjets. And while the LCD panel is attractive, its lack of touchscreen facilities now seems slightly passé.
But the Prospect’s feature set is far from dated, offering to scan, copy, tax and print. It can connect to an 802.11g/n Wi-Fi network, and setup here is straightforward.
The memory card slot is useful, letting you plug in an SD Card and bypass the PC to print pictures. Inkjet printers aren’t well known for their fantastic text output, but the Lexmark produced more admirable results than we expected. The light output in its fastest mode (12.8ppm) was less sketchily defined than with many other inkjet printers.
Output produced in middle mode (8ppm) was very palatable for an inkjet: dark, yet with characters that were very adequately drawn.
Top mode offered only a modicum of improvement for its reduced speed of 2.4ppm. Any decent laser will still prove a better choice for text than the Lexmark, but you could certainly use it for text jobs.
It’s better overall than the Epson BX320FW (page 140), even if the latter is speedier in middle mode. Duplexing facilities are included, and the speed dropped by just over 50 percent in fast and middle modes (6.5 and 3.9pprn respectively).
The Pro’s real forte is graphics. The fastest mode was promising, producing light but attractive images at a very decent speed of 6.1ppm. But it’ll be the higher-quality modes that really count for most users, and the Lexmark’s middle output was dark and vivid even on standard paper, with smooth detail and virtually no banding. It was also available at 3.5ppm. comfortably beating the Epson BX320FVV.
Tne highest mode produced sparkling results, and its 0.8ppm speed here was adequate. Results were very good on photo paper, with strong shading and plenty of the finest details brought out.
Ink costs are also adequate, with the Lexmark’s four cartridges giving good mileage.
Verdict
The Lexmark is a well-executed multifunctional printer with an extensive feature list. However, it’s more expensive than the similar Epson BX320FY./. While this is the better printer, the difference in quality may not be enough to justify the extra £50.
