Toner Cartridges & Supplies

Lexmark C522 | C524 | C530 | C532 | C534 Toner and Supplies

The Lexmark C522, C524, C530dn, C532n and C534n line of printers are fast, high-quality color laser printers that we recommend for any small office or home with high-volume printing needs. The C522 and C524 series have been recently replaced by C530, C532 and C534 series of printer models.

The Lexmark C530dn costs about $500, and you get a network-ready printer with a built-in duplexer for automatic double-sided printing. If you need increased paper handling options or more toner cartridge choices, check out the C532n ($500, no duplexer) or the slightly more expensive C532dn ($700). Lexmark also has taken several steps to improve the eco-friendliness of its laser printers--by reducing power consumption and material waste--which benefits both the pocketbook and the environment. The Lexmark print speeds and quality are on par with the Oki C5500n, which lacks a duplexer, making the C532n, C530dn and Lexmark C534n a potentially better buy.

The Lexmark C530dn, C532n and C534n are mammoth printers, as color lasers tend to be (individual toner cartridges take up a lot of space). The toner cartridges are stacked vertically, resulting in a tall unit: 19 inches tall by 17 inches wide by 20 inches deep. It weighs a back-breaking 57 pounds, but two hand wells on either side help you get a grip if you need to move the printer around. Size for the older C522 and Lexmark C524 is comparable.

The C530dn comes with a 250-sheet input tray that can expand to hold legal-size paper, as well as a 100-sheet multipurpose feeder that folds out from the front panel of the paper tray. You don't get any paper expansion options on this model, but it should be sufficient for home users. If you're in a small office environment and need expanded paper handling, the Lexmark C532n model offers the same 250-sheet tray plus an optional 550-sheet drawer, though you lose the multipurpose tray in favor of a single-sheet manual feed slot (for an 800-page max input). The next step up is the C532dn, which offers the 250-sheet tray, the 100-sheet multipurpose feeder, and the optional 550-sheet tray, for a total input capacity of 900 pages. The C530 series machines lack straight pass-through printing, a potential problem if you're using paper that has a tendency to jam when curled. The Oki C5500n does include this feature. The C534 basically has upgraded versions of all of these features.

Lexmark's C530, C532 and C534 series is part of what Lexmark is calling its "green machines," that is, printers that reduce their impact on the environment. The most obvious such feature is the built-in duplexer that comes standard on all but the C532n model. Duplexing, or automatic double-sided printing, reduces the amount of paper consumed, which is good for both the environment and your wallet. Lexmark also is touting its new laser scanning units (an internal component in laser printers), which are smaller and have fewer moving parts than traditional units, allowing for less power consumption. Finally, Lexmark has separated the toner cartridges into two units: one piece is simply the toner cartridge and the other is the photoconductor. Most vendors use a single-unit toner plus photoconductor cartridge.

Lexmark's toner cartridge options are a bit convoluted, but you do get a lot of choices. The C530dn ships with starter 1,500-page black and color cartridges, while the C532n and C532dn, and C534n and C534dn models ship with 4,000-page black and 3,000-page color cartridges. Replacing the cartridges is where your choices may get confusing. Lexmark has a return cartridge program: It offers a price discount to consumers who agree to use the cartridge only once and return the spent cartridges to Lexmark for recycling or manufacturing.

The newer versions of the Lexmark are fast across the board and made high-quality prints. It black test prints at a speedy 17.02 pages per minute, behind the more expensive Oki C5500n (17.92ppm) and Lexmark's own C500n (19.86ppm). They are quick with black graphics prints, too: 16.36ppm, again, behind only the Oki and the Lexmark C500n. Color prints were fast, too. Even printers that excel at mono prints usually slow way down with color, but not so with the Lexmark. It cranked out color text at 15.94ppm and color graphics at 13.56ppm. For another, comparable product in the Lexmark product line, check out our review and toner cartridges for the Lexmark C510.

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