With fast printing speed and a compact size, the E321 is a good choice for a personal laser printer. Average print quality and low paper and toner capacities might create a headache for high-volume users.
The Lexmark E321 is a monochrome laser printer designed for a single user in a home or office environment. Its size is fairly compact, and its black plastic design might be appealing to buyers tired of the usual beige box.
Construction of the unit is somewhat flimsy, however, as buttons feel loose and plastic rattles while printing. Speaking of noise, the printer is quite loud, which may be an issue considering its design as a personal laser printer. Many users will place the printer in close proximity, which might be distracting.
With its 1200 dpi maximum printing resolution, it should be able to put out high quality prints, but quality suffers on smaller fonts, and graphics show banding and lightness in some areas.
Print speed is fast, up to 20 pages per minute, which will come in handy for users who need to print multiple page documents.
Paper and toner capacities might present a problem, however. Paper capacity is only 150 sheets, and toner cartridges are rated for 1500 pages. This may result in the high-volume users needing to reload paper and toner cartridges often. High-yield toner cartridges are available for 6000 page capacity, which would alleviate part of this problem, and save money in per-page costs.
Without an ethernet port included, network sharing is possible, but will have to utilize a print server, router, or a PC that remains on when printing. This is fairly easy to setup with included software, but not as convenient as models which include a built-in ethernet port.
Overall, the Lexmark E321 is a very compact and affordable choice for personal use. Build quality is an issue, as some parts seem cheaply made. Network users might prefer a printer with built-in ethernet.
