Lexmark Impact S305 review – Excellent printing speed and great quality

Thumbs Up:

Comprehensive driver features; easy wireless setup; inexpensive; fast print speeds.

Thumbs Down:

Small LCD screen; does not have automatic document feeder.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Lexmark Impact S305 is digital color inkjet printers that features 5000 impressions monthly duty cycle. It has one memory card slot that accepts Memory Stick Pro, xD-Picture Card, SD Memory Card, MultiMedia Card and Memory Stick.

The maximum copying speed is 25 pages per minute (PPM) for mono and 21PPM for color. Maximum document enlargement is 400% and minimum is 25%. Maximum copying speed is 33PPM for mono and 30PPM for color. Maximum printing resolution is 2400×1200 dpi for mono and 4800×1200 dpi for color. Lexmark Impact S305 uses Lexmark Thermal Inkjet technology for its 4-ink cartridges of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

Lexmark Impact S305 uses CIS scanning element and 48-bit internal color depth. The optical scanner resolution is 1200×2400 dpi. The standard media capacity is 100 sheets and output tray can hold 25 sheets. Supported media types are Iron-on transfers, Transparencies, Plain paper, Photo paper, Envelopes, Banner and Cards. Supported borderless photo size is 3.95×5.9 inches and maximum original size is 8.5×11.7 inches.

For computer connectivity, the printer has USB port that supports USB host and Hi-Speed USB. It also has inbuilt Wi-Fi printer server that supports IEEE 802.11/b/g. Supported operating systems are Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4/XP/XP Professional 64bit/Vista/Windows 7 and Apple Mac OS X 10.3.9/10.4.4-10.5.x or later.

Lexmark is providing three years limited warranty on the Impact S305 printer.

Razzle Dazzle:

Lexmark Impact S305 is 7 inches tall, 18.3 inches wide and 13.3 inches deep and it weighs 14.4 lbs. It has small height, but lacks projecting accessories that provide good appeal. The scanner top cover has small perforations, black matte overlay and gray glossy border.

Inside Dope:

Lexmark continues to manufacture budget-friendly multifunction printer. The best example is latest Lexmark Impact S305. We could not say that it is an All-In-One printer, because it does not include fax function. However, it can copy, scan and print at impressive speeds. The Impact S305 costs $99 and provides fast printing speed and solid quality as compared to others in its price range. It does not have an extra-ordinary design, but it will provide satisfactory performance.

The control panel is located on the front of Lexmark Impact S305. You can rotate the panel or keep it fix on the body. You will find setup key and power button on the top left, whereas black/color toggle, start and stop buttons sits on the top right.

2 inches LCD display of Lexmark Impact S305 sits in the center of control panel. You will find navigational pad with three buttons for Photo, Scan and Copy located nearby display in the middle. On the contrary, Canon Pixma MX330 offers big LCD display as well as automatic document feeder in same price range. We appreciate that the Impact S305 has PictBridge USB port (for direct printing from compatible devices like digital cameras) and media card reader located at its lower half.

For computer connectivity, Lexmark Impact S305 offers another USB port and inbuilt IEEE 802.11 b/g wireless print server. The wireless connection setup is very simple. You just have to insert the CD in the computer’s drive. The automatic user-friendly setup wizard guides about complete wireless connection and printer installation.

Lexmark Impact S305 is capable to handle 100 plain paper sheets in rear paper tray. The printouts will be collected in extendable plastic arm. However, the printer lacks office useable features including double-sided printing, alternate page layouts, extra-large paper trays and auto-document feeders. We will recommend selecting Lexmark Platinum Pro 905 for these office needs.

You have to install four cartridges of cyan, magenta, yellow and black for initial setup. Unlike Canon, Lexmark provides three individual cartridges and separate black one for rich and nice photo print outs. Lexmark Impact S305 also features latest Vizix individual ink cartridges. As per cost on Lexmark website, the printing cost will be 5 pages per black ink page and 3 cents per color ink page.

Lexmark also provides Lexmark Toolbar for Web browser to easy printouts. Lexmark Imaging Studio and Productivity Studio provide easy way to crop and edit your pictures. You can use Lexmark Service Center for troubleshooting printer software problem.

Lexmark Impact S305 provides good performance. It presentation printing speed is 4 pages per minute (PPM) that is better than 2.36PPM of HP OfficeJet J6480, 2.17PPM of Canon PIXMA MX330, 2.21 of Kodak ESP5 and 1.3PPM of Brother MFC-685CW.

The Photo printing speed is 1.3PPM, colors graphics speed is 4.49PPM and text printing speed is 7.31PPM. These printing speeds of Lexmark Impact S305 are much better than that of above printers. Moreover, the Lexmark Impact S305 offers the best printing quality overall that is comparable to any laser printer.

Lexmark is providing three-year parts-and-labor warranty with the Impact S305 multifunction printer with lifetime phone support. Online chat and email technical support is available from 5AM to 9PM PT on weekdays and 9AM to 3PM on Saturday. Online manual, drivers and FAQs are also available at Lexmark Web site.

Nitty Gritty:

If you need affordable multifunction printer with great quality and fast printing speeds and do not need auto document feeder and fax, then you can buy Lexmark Impact S305. However, if you need a printer for complete office work then you can think about Lexmark Platinum Pro 905.

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