The Lexmark Z 31 inkjet is not a printer to get excited about for its looks. As with many of the earlier Lexmark printers however, the curved and short design is at least practical, and allows for easy maintenance and replacement of the Lexmark Z31 ink. With just two buttons and LED lights making up the control panel, (to denote power and paper feed), and a simple folding paper tray the featureless casing does also allow for the product to be cleaned with no trouble.
As with most printers in the Lexmark range, the Lexmark Z 31 inkjet is simple to install. Once hooked up to the computer and the mains outlet, it is but a matter of minutes until you can start to print. The drivers may need to be downloaded but once installed, the auto set-up regime and test printing, will allow you to get under way in about 20 minutes.
In keeping with the very basic design and look, the printer has a neatly folding top paper tray, with a bin capacity of 100 sheets. In addition to this, there is also provision for single feeding of paper sheets and envelopes, etc. When printing, resolution can be up to an impressive maximum of 1200x1200dpi. At this level, speed is pedestrian, but the quality is close to laser good.
The Lexmark Z 31 does have a “Quick Print” mode that allows for up to eight pages per minute to be printed. This changes the resolution back to 600dpi, but does improve the speed significantly. However, colors can fade where pinks can appear to be more of a lavender color, blacks a darker shade of gray, and reds to appear orange. Whilst print quality is better in “Normal” mode, the colors can fade considerably here too.
The printer is compatible with any Windows operating system, though drivers will have to be downloaded prior to installation. The Lexmark Z 31 is further let down by its connectivity options – or lack of them. With no USB connection, or even serial connection, this is clearly an old printer relying only on a parallel interface.
There are some saving graces for the Lexmark Z 31 however, as it retains some nice features. It was one of the first printers to be given Lexmark’s “Accu-Feed” paper handling system, to minimize blockages for example.
For an entry level printer, some nice photo options exist too, whilst printing on the maximum setting does deliver good quality, if slow copies. It is possibly a victim not of its own deficiencies, but how fast paced printer technology has become over recent times.
The printer is provided as standard with one black and one three-color Lexmark ink cartridge. Replacing these is as easy as you would expect; simply by lifting the hood. The Lexmark Z 31 isn’t a bad option for use as a second printer. It could also be quite useful as something for the young kids to play with. For heavy users and those with a demanding need for quality it won’t cut the cloth however.
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