Review: Lexmark E360dn mono laser printer

Compact and easy to use, the Lexmark E360dn is aimed at small work groups that simply require fast mono printing.

Measuring 406mm wide, 260mm tall and 370mm deep, and with a grey and cream coloured chassis, it should fit in well in most corporate environments. A two-line backlit LCD is joined by just six buttons but, with a clear and intuitive menu system, we had no problem navigating through the various settings.

A 250-page input tray sits at the bottom, along with a 50-sheet multi-purpose tray for media such as envelopes. Prints arrive at the tray situated at top of the printer, which can cope with 150 pages at a time.

The E360dn will hook up to a corporate network via 10/100Mbit/s Ethernet, but USB connectivity is also offered should you want to attach it to a single workstation. Operating system support is good, with drivers available for Windows, Mac and a variety of Linux distributions.

Businesses looking to keep their energy bills down will be pleased to hear that the E360dn is Energy Star certified; we measured a power draw of just 11W when idle. And with a quoted 53dBA during printing, it's in line with other lasers in terms of noise levels.

As far as speeds go, the E360dn is no slouch. In our tests using the default settings we recorded a speed of 33ppm, which is pretty impressive. The time it takes to produce the first page is also commendable, at around seven seconds, while print quality is admirable with text readable down to 2pt when printing at the highest settings.

Running costs are cheapest when opting for the high-yield 9,000-page cartridge, which costs £152.39 when using Lexmark's cartridge return programme, and results in reasonable running costs of 1.7p per print. A lower-yield cartridge is also available, but at £79.97 for 3,500 pages it pushes the price per print up to 2.3p. The only other consumable is the photoconductor unit, which lasts 30,000 pages and costs £30.84. All prices exclude VAT.

Workgroup paper costs can be reduced thanks to the built-in duplex unit. Naturally, speeds drop when using this feature, and in our tests we achieved around 18ppm. Further cost reductions can be made by selecting a lower toner darkness setting and, even at the lowest setting, print quality remains high.

With its fast print speeds, ease of use and relatively low running costs, the Lexmark E360dn has a lot going for it and would suit small work groups. The initial outlay is fairly high, though. Lexmark's online store has it for £381+VAT, but if you shop around it can be purchased for under £300. Lexmark backs up the printer with a decent three-year on-site warranty as standard.