Lexmark Z845
If all you want to do is print photos, this printer is a cheap way to get started.
This basic $50 (as of January 6, 2007) printer looks and feels as cheap as its price tag: You could mistake it for a plain, white, oversize tissue box. A neutral-color input tray sits atop the unit until you raise it for use. An output tray extends from the front. Both pieces are flimsy and ugly. You have to search hard for the USB port, which lies deep within a recess on the back of the printer, Replacing the ink cartridges (one bay holds either a standard black or an optional photo-ink cartridge; the other holds a standard tricolor cartridge) is potentially painful: The cartridge bay covers flip up forcefully and could whack your fingers if they're too close.
In other respects, though, the Z845 is an adequate printer. Its tested text speed of 9.4 pages per minute is faster than that of many competing models, which makes it a good option for printing drafts. Text printed on plain paper came out black but very feathery around the edges. Ultimately, the Z845 couldn't match the also-$50 Canon Pixma iP1700 in text and plain-paper color graphics output.
On the other hand, we judged the Z845's glossy photo prints to be better than the Pixma iP1700's. It printed them slowly--at a rate of about 0.5 ppm (versus 1.3 ppm for the Canon Pixma iP1700)--but the quality was very good overall, despite being a little washed out or grainy in places.
The Z845's documentation and software are well suited to novice users. The setup poster has good illustrations and explanations for everything except how to insert the cartridges. The rest of documentation, all in HTML format, covers operational matters. Lexmark's Solution Center software offers troubleshooting, how-to, and support information (some via the Web). The interface that pops up when you start to print has a distinctive, horizontal tabbed format that is both graphical and intuitive, because you can access features by category or by task.
The Z845 may not do much, but it doesn't cost much either. Link the low price to a few key skills--competent speeds and nice-looking photos--and you have a printer that some tightwads will appreciate.
Melissa Riofrio
