Lexmark C3426dw Review, Pros and Cons

Business documents are not always rigid, formal, and black-white. Especially for marketing departments or public relations, there are times when you need to produce creative, attractive, and colorful printings. The Lexmark C3426dw is a color laser printer that makes your task easier, thanks to ease-of-use features and versatility to deliver high-quality printing.

The mid-range printer is specifically built for small to medium workgroups and offices, thus it offers flexible print volume ranging from low to medium. The manufacturer combines stylish construction and powerful performance to make your printing experience more engaging. Keep scrolling through the page to figure out more about the C3426dw.

Adorable Look with Round Edges

Lexmark has been consistent in designing its printer products. Mostly characterized by solid, compact, and space-saving design, it is not difficult to distinguish Lexmark’s printers among others. The C3426dw is no exception, as it combines robust build and stylish look with round edges that accentuate friendly yet professional look.

At 9.6 inches by 16.2 inches by 15.5 inches and weighs 35.5 pounds, this model is slightly heftier than other products such as the Lexmark B3340dw. Having that said, the C3426dw is still as great a space-saver as other Lexmark’s printers. It can snuggle fitly on your workstations, room corner, or anywhere else in your office.

I don’t have much to say about its bodily features. The printer looks clean and sleek, thanks to an integrated duplexer that won’t make the machine appear bigger than its actual size. To help configure and control all printing aspects, this product features a built-in 2.8-inch LCD touch panel. Overall, the C3426dw has an attractive design with a premium look.

Non-AIO Color Laser Printer

This model is another print-only machine launched by Lexmark. That means it does not support copy, scan, or fax functionality. To deliver high-quality output, the product is supported by laser printing technology with 600 x 600 dpi print resolution for both black and color. Thanks to 4800 Color Quality image enhancement that makes it more reliable for formal documents and creative projects.

The C3426dw features an integrated duplexer so you can print double-sided documents effortlessly. You don’t need to flip the pages manually, thanks to built-in ADF that helps do the job. For better print output, this product offers a wider printable area from 0.17 inches of the left, right, top, and bottom. Whether you need to print simplex or duplex documents, the C3426dw can easily tackle the job.

Lexmark C3426dw Print Speed

Ideally, a business printer should come with fast print speed to ensure improved work productivity. However, the definition of fast may vary depending on the working environment and other factors. The C3426dw is rated at 26 pages per minute for simplex and 13 sides per minute for duplex.

This speed rating is not incredibly fast but it’s not the slowest as well. I choose to say this model has middling print speed though I personally expect much faster performance up to 40 ppm. Additionally, the printer takes 10.9 seconds for first print out time while the color page takes around 11 seconds. Again and again, this is not an impressive rating, especially for mid-range laser printers.

Generous Input Tray to Meet Your Need

Small to medium enterprises commonly have low to medium print volume. To meet this demand, Lexmark’s C3426dw offers relatively high input capacity to prevent you from reloading paper frequently. This model comes with a standard input tray that can hold up to 250 pages. In addition to the input tray, it is also equipped with a 1-sheet multipurpose feeder.

I know some Lexmark printers that offer higher capacity but it does not make the C3426dw less than satisfying. For small workgroups with relatively low print volume, this capacity is more than sufficient for everyday printing tasks. But for medium businesses, this capacity may be insufficient. In this case, you can purchase optional paper handling to add more pages.

This machine supports a wide array of media types such as paper labels, plain paper, glossy paper, and envelope. It also supports various paper sizes including A6, Oficio, envelope, legal, letter, and many others.

Additionally, this product is rated at 600 up to 2,500 pages of monthly volume with up to 50,000 pages or monthly duty cycle. This volume rating is acceptable for low to medium workgroups. If your printing volume ranges between 600 and 2,500 pages, choosing this printer can be a good decision.

Well-shaped Output, So Reliable

An ideal business printer should be able to deliver high-quality output. Well-printed documents will be appreciated by your clients, so it’s necessary to find a reliable printer with outstanding print results. Luckily, the C3426dw is among a few printers that you can trust to handle formal documents.

The machine produces well-shaped characters without wrong spacing. Without misshaped characters, this printer allows you to handle formal documents such as contracts, invoices, and other business letters. Overall, it worked well for small characters commonly used for formal documents.

When it came to color printing, the C3426dw showed excellent results. I really enjoyed the vibrant and accurate colors produced by this model. Whether you need to print illustrations, photos, or other creative projects, this is a printer that you can trust.

Not only did it work amazingly for photos and illustrations, but it also did a great job for gradients and fills. Streaking and bandings were less noticeable, just like my expectation from a laser printer. Though its quality is incomparable to consumer-grade photo printers, the C3426dw offers outstanding results for handouts, documents, and creative projects.

Lexmark C3426dw Toner Cartridges and Print Cost

Lexmark offers a Return Program print cartridge that comes along with every package. The standard cartridge includes a Black toner cartridge that produces up to 1,500 pages and CMY toner cartridge that offers the same yield. But if your print volume is higher, simply upgrade to the High Yield cartridge provided by the manufacturer. This cartridge prints up to 4,500 pages.

Based on my calculation, I come to the conclusion that the C3426dw is not a budget-friendly printer. It has a pricey running cost, even pricier than other laser printers. If you are using a standard cartridge, you should spend around 6.4 cents per black page. The cost is sky-rocketing for the color page as you have to spend around 22.4 cents per page.

For an occasional printing task, this running cost does not sound troublesome. But if your print volume is rather high and you print thousand pages per month, simply calculate how many dollars you should spend for the cartridges.

Limited Interface and Mobile Connectivity

The interface is not the best aspect offered by this printer. The standard interface includes USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and no more. I tried to find more connectivity options but I finally found it’s useless. For a printer at this price range, I expected more interfaces such as Wi-Fi Direct or NFC for easier connectivity with mobile devices.

When it comes to mobile printing capability, this model supports Google Cloud Print, Apple AirPrint, and Mopria. It makes the C3426dw much better than Lexmark’s other model such as the B3440dw that only supports Apple AirPrint and AirScan.

To ensure the security of your document, this product features IPSec and SNMPv3 network security. It also supports various network printing methods such as Microsoft Web Services, Enhanced IP, and Internet Printing Protocol.

Lexmark C3426dw Pros and Cons

I have a love-hate relationship with this Lexmark’s printer. I can mention a lot of things to love, but it also comes along with a few drawbacks that make it less attractive. If you plan to purchase this printer, you would need to check the following likes and dislikes.

Lexmark C3426dw Pros

• Adorable design

The C3426dw has a stylish and attractive design that gives a new statement to your workspace. Not only is it good looking, but it is also well-constructed and robust. You won’t find flimsy plastic material or rattling cover when printing.

• Output quality you are looking for

Any printing tasks you give to the printer will be tackled easily. Whether you need to print handouts, business contracts or creative projects, let this machine do its job and enjoy the good-looking outputs.

• Relatively high print volume

This product is specifically designed for small to medium workgroups, and yet it offers relatively high print volume. It provides you with flexibility in case your print volume increases over time. Besides, it is also supported by generous, expandable input capacity for your convenience.

Lexmark C3426dw Cons

• Pricey running cost

This laser printer runs at a relatively pricey cost. It becomes troublesome if your print volume is high. The higher your volume, the higher it costs. For this reason, the C3426dw is not a budget-friendly device.

• Limited interface options

The limited interface is another aspect to dislike. It does not offer Wi-Fi Direct or NFC to build a connection with handheld devices easily. For printers at this price range, limited interfaces can’t be tolerated.

Bottom Line

I come to the conclusion that the Lexmark C3426dw is a business-oriented laser printer that will help improve your productivity. Offering color and mono printability, this machine is ideal for various projects and tasks of small to medium workgroups.

Are you looking for a printer with high-quality output and ease-of-use features? Lexmark C3426dw is a good product to mention. But if you find the expensive running cost is troublesome, you might need to find another alternative.