"Champions are afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning": Billy Jean King
"Champions are afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning": Billy Jean King
Member since:02.02.2004
Reviews:14
Members who trust:31
I bought this printer from Argos (December 2003) for £29.99 and it came with a colour cartridge (Number 27). The printer has 4 printing modes: - Quick Normal Better Best More often than not, I find myself using the Quick Printing option as I don’t like waiting unnecessarily for my documents. Printing on Normal mode takes a long time especially if your document has a lot of detail (colour, graphics etc.). I only use Better and Best quality print modes when I am printing photos on recommended photo paper.
If you print on normal paper using these modes, you will get creases on the printed page and you have to wait a few seconds for it to dry.
Apart from this, I like the printer as it serves my purpose. I do a lot of engineering related research on the Internet and print out a lot of theory and equations. I thus use the Quick print option and am very satisfied as the quality
is very acceptable.
The printer specifications display the following: 2400 x 1200 dpi 10 pages per minute in black 8 pages per minute in colour
It should be noted that these speeds are only achieved if you print using the Normal print mode.
It also depends on the detail level of your document. If your document has a lot of detail (like graphics, graphs, tables etc), it will require more of your computer’s memory (RAM) and if your computer doesn’t have the extra resources, printing will be a long process.
The following is a guide to your minimum system requirements for using the Lexmark Z601 printer: - Windows 98/Me, P II 233 MHz, 64MB(RAM), 250MB (disk space) Windows 2000, P II 233 MHz,128MB(RAM), 286MB (disk space) Windows XP, Pentium 300MHz, 128MB(RAM), 300MB (disk space) Mac OS9.04-9.2.2, G3 300 MHz, 128MB(RAM), 40MB (disk space) Mac OSX, G3 300 MHz, 128 MB(RAM), 300MB(disk space)
As you can see, the minimum memory requirements specify that your PC should have a lot of memory (RAM), so please be very careful when selecting any printer when purchasing. My advice is to check your computer specifications by referring to your manual or there are many programs from the Internet that you can download for free and this will tell you what your specifications are.
Just type ‘checking PC specifications’ on a good search engine such as Yahoo/Google etc. I have a PII 600 MHz computer with 128 MB RAM and I am using Windows ME. I have had no problems whatsoever with regards to using the Lexmark Z601.
I am quite happy with the printer. It is easy to use, fast enough for my requirements and the print quality is very good.
The printer comes with the drivers and software that helps you to manage your printer and print settings. What I like about this is that, no matter which software application you use to print, you always have control over your printer and its settings.
The software also allows you to view how much ink you have left in your cartridge, helps you to clean and maintain your printer, helps you to install new or used ink cartridges and there’s a useful link to the Lexmark website where you can get technical support, advice and other information. You can even download drivers from the website, if required.
I am also quite pleased with the quality of printing with regards to photographs. The images are clear, continuous and there are no tell-tale signs that it’s not a real photo.
I must point out though, that the printer only comes with one ink cartridge (colour) and if you want a black one, you have to purchase it and the price is almost two thirds of the original printer price. I thus stick with the colour cartridge and have so far printed around 75 pages and my ink levels remain just over the halfway mark.
Please note that if you are using a colour cartridge to print in black, a lot of ink is used as compared to using a black cartridge for black printing.
I was also disappointed with the fact that the printer did not come with a USB cable. The printer is made for USB use only, and yet, the manufacturers/suppliers do not provide a free cable.
The cable can be purchased for around £10. Other than that, I am quite happy and satisfied with the printer. It has given me no problems at all.
My advice when shopping for a printer is: - Always look for the prices of recommended cartridges before you buy a printer as you do not want to be stuck with a printer that cost you an arm and a leg to use.
Always look out for the “deals” that sellers offer – check if they offer the USB cable for free. Usually, the best deal you can get is when you are buying a new computer. However, if you just want a printer for ordinary, quick applications, I recommend the Lexmark Z601. It’s a reliable companion and will not interfere with your computer’s resources.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
brilliant review! looks alright, but I'm happy with my printer :-)
scumfrogs 08.03.2004 23:28
Wow, beauty! Adam
jaimejay 26.02.2004 13:09
I have dyslexia, I would appreciate how the format of the instruction manual is layed out - that make me rate this review to helpful, could you please comment, Thanks, B.
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