Lexmark C770 Toner Cartridges

Lexmark C770 Printer Review

The Lexmark C770 color laser printer is designed for the large office environment. Its many configurations and expandability options are impressive, but high toner costs make it expensive to operate. If the budget does not allow for this spending, check out a more economical HP 5550 toner printer.

Different office environments have different needs, and it can be annoying to pay for features you don't need. For this reason, the Lexmark C770 comes in multiple configurations. The C770 is the base model, the C770n has built-in ethernet networking, the C770dn includes networking and automatic duplexing (two-sided printing), and the C770dtn adds networking, duplexing, and extra paper capacity to 1,100 sheets, useful for larger offices. Standard paper capacity in all other models is 600 sheets, divided between a 500-sheet main drawer and a multipurpose tray that can hold up to 100 sheets, depending on the media type.

A robust 800 mhz processor gives it the power to handle high-volume printing needs, and the initial 256 MB of RAM can be expanded to 768 MB as more users are added to the network, or for offices that do a lot of graphics-intensive printing, or that print large documents. A monthly duty cycle of 100,000 pages means there is plenty of room for growth.

Toner costs are the biggest drawback, as Lexmark C770 toner cartridges are more expensive than competing products. The black printer toner cartridge has a capacity of 10,000 pages, and each color laser toner cartridge has a capacity of 10,000 pages also, which is a bit more than Dell 5100cn toner. Cost per page is high, despite the large toner capacity.

Print speeds are impressive, at 24 pages per minute for both color and monochrome prints, due to a fast single-pass color printing engine. Photo and graphics quality is also impressive, with accurate colors and good flesh tones. Text is sharp and detailed.

Overall, the many configurations of the Lexmark C770 give users a great amount of customization that will save money by not paying for unnecessary options. High cost of ownership may eat up any savings, however. For a more compact, smaller-volume unit that is far more affordable, look at the Brother MFC-9420 toner printer.