Lexmark Color Jetprinter 7200

In the continually evolving world of inkjet printing technology, development continues apace. Just seven months after the release of the Color JetPrinter 7000 (reviewed issue 33, p156), Lexmark has come up with a sequel in the shape of the Colour JetPrinter 7200.

You might think, therefore, that Lexmark had introduced something radically new or at least significantly different, but the 7200 is nothing of the sort. As well as looking identical to its predecessor, the 7200 is really nothing more than a 7000 in disguise. Driver software has been updated to provide support for Windows NT 4 and the new photo cartridge, and the printer now has a longer lifetime, but that's about it. In fact, if you already own a 7000 you can download the latest drivers, buy one of the new photo cartridges and, hey presto, you've got a 7200.

So Lexmark's much-vaunted 7200 is nothing more than a marketing scam, but do the 'changes' improve on the already A-Listed 7000? Following in the footsteps of Canon and Epson, Lexmark's boosted the number of colours the printer uses in the printing process. The 7200 features a three-colour photographic cartridge to complement the standard CMY (cyan, magenta and yellow) that sits in place of the black cartridge. The idea is that you get a greater range of colours and smoother colour progression. Coupled with the revamped driver software - this is version three of Lexmark's Colorfine driver - and true resolution of 1,200 x 1,200dpi, the results should be even more impressive than before.

The 7200 features a black cartridge containing a waterproof, particle-based ink. What this means is that text and monochrome images, even on copier paper, are just about as good as you get from an inkjet printer. In fact, to the naked eye, there's no discernible difference between the output from the 7200 and any competent laser printer. This is still without doubt the best inkjet printer for printing text and monochrome images.

Quality output on cheapskate paper is the new nirvana for inkjet manufacturers, and while Lexmark has conquered the problem in monochrome, printing colour on plain paper still poses a problem. Printing on 80g/m2 photocopier paper yielded slightly washed-out colours and some ink seepage, especially when printing adjacent areas of black and dark colours with the waterproof black cartridge installed.

If you want to spice up your reports with colour charts, graphs and tables, you need to use better quality paper. Not surprisingly, Lexmark's own Premium Quality Inkjet Paper produces the best results. The best printer we've seen for these applications is still the Canon 7000-BJC (reviewed issue 39, p179), which sprays the paper with a special solution before laying ink down on the paper to hold it in place.

Photographic output is very impressive, as it should be. But, just like almost every other inkjet printer on the market, you need special paper to get the best results. Unfortunately, the photo paper costs a hefty 67p per sheet, and at 14p per colour page at five per cent coverage it's more expensive than both the HP 890 and the Canon 7000. Colours are reproduced with remarkable fidelity, look very realistic and the 1,200 « 1,200dpi picks up the finest of details.

Resolution isn't the whole story, however. On close inspection, the size of the dots produced by the 7200 appears to be slightly larger than the dots produced by either the Epson Stylus Photo (reviewed issue 35, p153), the Canon BJC-7000 or the HP 890C (reviewed issue 38, p168). This can lead to a slightly grainy appearance in some areas. For the most part it's not obvious unless you have a magnifying glass.