Lexmark Z42

Lexmark's pigment-based printing's major selling point is its laser-sharp black text, which is odd as this is precisely what the pigment-based Epson Stylus Photo 2000P (reviewed issue 72, p184) had problems with. The Z42 is Lexmark's mid-range inkjet, and coming in at just £100 it will have to beat the impressive £84 HP DeskJet 840C (reviewed issue 69, p163) to be a serious contender.

The Z42 comes out of the box in one unit. Around the back you'll find parallel and USB ports, and with its pull-out paper tray and fold-in feed, it's quite compact when not in use. Installation is just a matter of auto-running the CD, which sets up the drivers and then takes you through the alignment procedures, ironing out initial teething problems before you start.

Lexmark's Z52 (reviewed issue 70, p170) amazed us with its high-speed and high-quality black text printing, and the Z42 is similarly impressive. The results are stunning in every respect, being a deep black as well as clear and sharp with no scratchy or shaky characters. In addition, it managed to churn out an impressive 4.4ppm in Standard mode, which considering the quality is great for a budget printer. In comparison, the Xerox M750 (reviewed p168) only managed 2.8ppm on the same task even in its eXpress mode.

Where the Z42 starts to show its weakness, however, is in colour printing, where it uses dye-based inks as opposed to the pigmented mono cartridge. With its seven-picolitre drop size, Lexmark claims that the Z42 will give you fine detail and up to a 2,400dpi resolution. However, the colour fades were grainy in comparison to those from the Epson Stylus Colour 670 (reviewed issue 69, p164), although it was quite adept at printing greys without a hint of green and brown.

A closer look at the 150dpi pattern in the resolution tests showed broken up and shaky lines. The results from the Epson Stylus Color 670 and HP DeskJet 840C were comparably straight and solid.

Overall the colour balance when viewed on the Lexmark-recommended Kodak media was muddy in comparison to the bright and varied colours from the HP DeskJet 840C. The finish was also sticky, attracting bits of dirt which could damage photos.

Paper handling during photo printing was a big concern. With a tight 10mm bottom margin, when it got to the bottom of the page the Z42 started gyrating and then spat out the page diagonally with blue streaks across the bottom - which it repeated on a further three tests. This may be a tight margin for a budget printer, but the HP managed to print more with no problem. Taking 15 minutes, 53 seconds to complete an A4 photo, it was also slower than the HP DeskJet 840C, which took 11 minutes, 58 seconds to produce a better quality print. The Xerox was also quicker taking just four minutes, 38 seconds, also with better quality.

It's worth noting that the Z42 also makes a lot of noise in action. That said, the Epson Stylus Color 670 made similarly annoying noises.

All in all, if you're looking for a budget solution for printing text documents, the Z42 offers value for money at £100. However, while the initial cost of the unit may seem low, its cost of 3.6p per mono page at five per cent coverage is poor compared to the 2.7p offered by the cheaper HP DeskJet 840C. Also, while the HP wasn't quite as quick on the text tests, it boasts superior colour and photo prints. The HP DeskJet 840C, Xerox M750 and the Epson Stylus Color 670 come in at £84, a good £16 less than the Lexmark with comparable performance depending on your priorities. If you're on a tight budget, I'd recommend the HP over the Z42 as the better all-rounder. Nevertheless, the Lexmark Z42 wins out for superior black text performance.

Author: Ben Hardwidge