Lexmark B3340dw Review, Pros and Cons

The large American laser printer manufacturer, Lexmark, never stops making innovation to ensure your printing convenience. One of the innovative products that compete in entry-level is Lexmark B3340dw, a business-oriented monochrome laser printer with outstanding performance and above-average print quality. For some reason, this printer is among favorite choices for offices and workgroups.

While choosing the right printing machine to handle business documents is rather tricky, the B3340dw makes everything easier. It allows you to enjoy different printing experiences with ultra-fast print speed. The machine also features expandable input capacity so you don’t necessarily need to reload the paper every few hours.

Small, Lightweight, yet Attractive

A powerful printer has nothing to do with size. Even powerful performance can be shown by tiny machines, just like this B3340dw. At 8.7 inches by 14.5 inches by 14.3 inches and weighs 20.6 pounds, this model won’t consume a lot of space and make your workstation look crowded. This measurement is exactly the same as its successor, the Lexmark B3442dw. The rectangular shape makes it fit almost anywhere in your office, including desktop and room corners.

Design-wise, this model looks modern and stylish with the combination of white sides and grey top and base. From a bird’s eye view, the B3340dw looks clean and sleek as it features an integrated automatic document feeder. To help configure and control all printing aspects, this machine is equipped with a 2-line APA monochrome LCD display. The display is non-touchscreen so you shouldn’t expect too much.

Basically I adore the simple yet stylish appearance brought by the B3340dw. If you need a printer that makes a new statement to the interior, Lexmark’s printer could be it.

Laser Technology, Print Only

As a monochrome printer, this model uses laser print technology to ensure the quality of output. Much like its successor, the B3340dw supports up to 600 x 600 dpi print resolution. Featuring 2400 Image Quality enhancement technology, the product promises reliable output for business documents.

Equipped with an integrated duplexer, the printer allows you to print 2-sided documents without intervention. It helps you save a lot of time and energy. In addition to print specs, the supported printable area is 0.2 inches from the right, left, top, and bottom.

From the specifications, I should say this printer can be a good partner in your workgroups. Capable print functionality with laser technology is more than enough to deliver above-average office documents.

Ultra-Fast Print Speed

Since print speed determines your productivity, choosing a business printer with fast speed is a must. Lexmark’s B3340dw is rated at 40 pages per minute for simplex and 17 sides per minute for duplex. In addition, this model takes 6.2 seconds for the first print out time.

With such print speed, even a bulk of documents can be easily tackled within minutes. I am not going to say this printer is the fastest, and yet I can’t help to adore its impressive speed and performance. Having a speedy printing machine in your office is a great asset to better time management and improved productivity.

Lexmark B3340dw Input Capacity

Small offices and workgroups have different print volumes. Ideally, a good printer should accommodate this difference and offer flexible input capacity for users’ convenience. This is what I found from Lexmark’s B3340dw, an expandable input capacity to meet your needs.

This model offers two standard inputs including standard tray and multipurpose feeder with a total capacity of 350 pages. This is sufficient for small offices with low print volume, but it may be not for growing businesses. Worry not, you can easily expand the tray and upgrade the input capacity.

Lexmark provides optional paper handling that allows you to upgrade the capacity up to 900 pages. With such input capacity, you don’t need to reload paper each and every day.

Not only does it offer flexible paper input, but it also comes with high print volume that meets the demand for small to medium business. Lexmark rates this printer’s monthly page volume between 500 and 5,000 pages per month with a monthly duty cycle up to 50,000 pages per month. If your print volume is within this range, the B3340dw can be your great partner.

Lexmark B3340dw Print Result

Ultra-fast print speed means nothing when the printer can’t deliver high-quality output. Thankfully, this is a great model that you can trust to print formal documents. Boasting laser technology and other capable specs, this printer is a new definition of the best cheap office printer.

Bringing the big name of Lexmark, the B3340dw offers above-average print quality. I couldn’t find misshaped characters or weird spacing on the texts. Otherwise, the characters are well-shaped even the smallest ones are well-printed. I also noticed highly legible text with sharp and crisp black color. Thanks to the combination of advanced laser technology and genuine consumables.

Whenever you need to print handouts with Excel charts or PowerPoint slides, this printer can easily tackle the task. I found the machine could produce excellent gradients and fills, though slight banding and minor streaking were noticed. Well, it’s not bad enough to make me give a thumb down to this product, though. With more than acceptable print results, Lexmark’s B3340dwlaser printer is worth the thought.

Consumables and Cost

More or less, consumables determine the output quality of a printer. To ensure the quality of documents it produces, the B3340dw uses Lexmark B341H00 High Yield that prints up to 3,000 pages. But if your monthly volume is not that much, the manufacturer also provides standard cartridge replacement that produces up to 1,500 pages.

As with other laser printers, this model also uses an imaging unit that can handle up to 40,000 pages. This estimation is based on 3 average A4 or letter pages per print job.

Now, it’s time to reveal the running cost. If you use the high yield toner cartridge, the running cost is rather surprising. The printer makes you spend around 4.3 cents per page, which is quite expensive for laser printers. The cost is higher when you use the standard cartridge as it costs around 5.6 cents per page.

Small offices or workgroups with low to medium print volume should think twice before using this printer. Spending 4 to 5 cents may not sound like much but when it comes to printing a thousand pages, you will be able to buy another machine.

Limited Connectivity Options

As a modern printer, the B3340dw does not have much to offer for connectivity aspects. The standard interfaces include USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi. Mobile connectivity options are also limited to Apple AirPrint and AirScan.

Like its successor, this printer also boasts full-spectrum security that ensures the safety of your documents over the network. It features SNMPv3 and 802.1x Authentication for dependable security.

Lexmark B3340dw Pros and Cons

The B3340dw has many good things that make you fall in love with this machine. But it also has minor drawbacks that make it less attractive for some users. If you are planning to purchase a new printer, don’t miss this best part of the review—pros and cons. Check out the good and the bad about this model and make your own decision.

Lexmark B3340dw Pros

• Outstanding print quality

The high-quality output is the first thing to expect from a printer. This Lexmark’s printer produces outstanding print results that give you peace of mind to handle formal documents. Ranging from presentation handouts to invoices, this printer can easily tackle the job.

• Generous input capacity

Only a few printers offer high input capacity and the B3340dw is one of them. Whether your print volume is low or medium, the flexible capacity allows the printer to meet your needs. No more reloading paper every hour, thanks to optional paper handling that holds more pages.

• Stylish and compact design

Another good thing to love about the printer is the stylish and compact design. This space-saver only consumes a few inches of your desktop, so you don’t need to redecorate your workstation. Not to mention it has a monochromatic body cover that matches any office concept.

Lexmark B3340dw Cons

• Expensive print cost

If your office is planning for budget skimpiness, the B3340dw is definitely not a good choice. This machine comes with an expensive running cost, especially for businesses with high print volume. Remember that a few cent difference will end up pretty pennies.

• Lack of connectivity options

Limited connectivity makes this model less attractive. It lacks Wi-Fi Direct, NFC, as well as mobile connectivity. In the assumption that you need a printer that offers some fun, Lexmark’s is surely not one you are looking for.

• No touchscreen display

While most modern printers feature touchscreen displays, the B3340dw is an exception. It comes with a 2-line monochrome LCD display that does not support touchscreen. When using the control panel, it feels like you are flying back to a few decades ago.

Final Verdict

It’s a verdict time! The Lexmark B3340dw is a monochrome laser printer that boasts full-spectrum security and high-quality output. Specifically designed for small offices and workgroups, this model can meet the demands for excellent printers with an affordable initial cost.

This product is recommended for you who need a trustworthy printer with dependable output quality. But if you are concerned about running costs, please consider other alternatives with lower print cost.