Lexmark MB3442adw Monochrome Laser Printer Review

Looking for an ideal workgroup printer to handle medium to high-volume print is not an easy task. Many considerations should be taken into accounts, such as print capacity and print quality. Thankfully, Lexmark as one of the leading brands offers the Lexmark MB3442adw that is expected to meet the demands for midsize office and workgroup printing.

Designed as a multifunction monochrome printer, the MB3442adw comes with a professional look. Tons of features are wrapped in a compact and stylish design with a monochromatic concept. Boasting fast performance, the machine is reliable to increase work productivity. It makes no surprise that Lexmark MB3442adw becomes one of the favorite printers for medium office workgroups.

Lexmark MB3442adw Design

For a full-featured laser printer with AIO functionality, the MB3442adw is small. The machine measures 13.3 inches by 16.2 inches by 14.4 inches and weighs only 28.2 pounds. With such dimension and weight, the MB3442adw is about 2 inches smaller and almost 11 pounds more lightweight than the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5880.

Not only does it offer a compact design, but it also comes with a professional yet stylish look to upgrade your office interior. The mixture of the black upper part and white side creates a monochromatic effect that will boost your mood when using the device.

On the top, the printer has an auto document feeder that supports duplex printing, copying, and scanning. Under the ADF, it features a flatbed scanner that is fairly easy to access. Another conspicuous bodily feature that comes with this machine is a 2.8-inch LCD touch panel that allows you to control the machine’s operation. Interestingly, you can find a USB port attached under the display.

Dependable with AIO Functionality

Lexmark’s MB3442adw is designed to be a dependable machine to handle your documents. Being a multifunction printer, the device supports print, copy, scan, and fax functionalities. Unlike many multipurpose printers out there that have only one prominent function and neglect the others, this printer is consistent to offer the best for all functionalities.

The mid-range printer supports monochrome printing with 600 x 600 dpi for more than acceptable results. Your business documents such as invoices, business letters, or contracts can be well-handled by this versatile device. Highly legible documents make it dependable to represent your office. Thanks to ADF that supports duplex printing without your intervention.

Meanwhile, the MB3442adw’s copier boasts a fast performance. It takes only 5.9 seconds for the first copy, which is pretty impressive to me. The copier supports a common reduce and enlarge function that ranges from 25 up to 400%.

For the scanner, the flatbed scanner is combined with CIS scan technology that supports up to 600 x 600 ppi. Despite the MB3442adw being a monochrome printer, I was pretty amazed to know it comes with color scanning ability.

Print Speed You Can Trust

One of the best things about laser printers is fast performance to improve your work productivity. Luckily, you can expect a quick print speed from this small printing machine. Lexmark rates this printer at 42 pages per minute for simplex and 18 images per minute for duplex printing. This rate makes the MB3442adw a dependable printer to handle a bulk of documents.

Impressive speed is also shown by the copier. When I tested the printer, it gave up to 42 copies per minute for simplex and 18 images per minute for duplex. Meanwhile, the scanner performs almost similar speed at 48 sides per minute for black simplex and 21 sides per minute for color simplex. When it comes to duplex scanning, it manages to deliver 96 sides per minute for black and 42 sides per minute for color.

Capable in Handling Documents

To help you with an efficient office printing task, the MB3442adw is equipped with a capable paper handling. It features an input drawer that holds up to 250 sheets. Additionally, the machine also comes with a 100-sheet multipurpose tray. That means the printer offers up to 350-sheet input capacity. In case your print volume is much higher, the capacity can be expanded up to 900 by purchasing a separated 550-sheet tray.

Without optional paper handling, the capacity of the MB3442adw is much lower than Epson’s ET-5880 that boasts up to 550 sheets. And yet, Epson’s printer does not offer optional handling so you can’t upgrade the capacity. When it comes to ADF, both of them have the same paper capacity up to 50 sheets.

To support medium to high print volume, this printer is rated at a high monthly volume and duty cycle. Lexmark rates this device at 800 up to 8,000 pages of recommended monthly volume with up to 80,000 pages for the monthly duty cycle. This rating is much higher than its counterpart, the ET-5880 that is rated at 66,000 pages per month.

The MB3442adw supports a variety of media types such as plain paper, envelopes, and paper labels. The supported paperweight ranges from 16 up to 32 pounds for the standard tray, while the multipurpose feeder can handle up to 58 pounds.

Lexmark MB3442adw Print Result

A monochrome laser printer is suitable for an office environment that requires more business printing than creative purposes. Lexmark MB3442adw promises above-average print results that you need to represent your business. I found the machine managed to deliver highly legible texts with undoubted quality. The characters are well-shaped and it could handle smaller fonts without problems.

What about banding and streaking? As I printed fills and gradients, I noticed minor streaking and slight bandings but it didn’t cause a significant effect on the whole output. Overall, I was satisfied with MB3442adw’s print result. It works really great for business texts and graphics and will be a good printing partner in your workgroup.

Lexmark MB3442adw Cartridge and Print Cost

Lexmark MB3442adw uses Black Starter Return Program toner cartridge that yields up to 3,000 pages. For replacement, the manufacturer offers Black extra high yield cartridges that print up to 6,000 pages. What if your printing volume is not that much? Worry not, you can also purchase a 1,500-page cartridge for medium volume.

Coming with an extra high yield toner cartridge doesn’t automatically make the MB3442adw a low-cost printer. Unluckily, I found this printer is a bit pricey especially when compared with other laser printers. If you are using the highest-yield cartridge, the machine costs you around 2.3 cents per page. This value is higher than other printers such as the Brother MFC-L6700DW that costs 1.4 cents per page.

The 0.9-cent difference will cost you pretty pennies if you are printing a thousand pages. For this reason, I should say the MB3442adw is not too friendly for your company budget. But if your printing volume is not that high, the printer is worth trying.

Tons of Connectivity Options

Much like today’s printer, Lexmark’s MB3442adw comes with a variety of connectivity options. The standard connectivity includes USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Direct. The least mentioned enables you to connect the printer with handheld devices, including smartphones and tablets.

The printer also supports mobile connectivity options such as Google Cloud Print, Mopria, and Apple AirPrint. The manufacturer also launched Lexmark Mobile Assistant app and Lexmark Mobile Print app to upgrade your printing experience.

Lexmark MB3442adw Pros and Cons

The MB3442adw is a versatile laser printer that makes your business printing much easier. There are many things to love about this machine, but I can mention some drawbacks as well. Before making a purchase, I recommend you to consider the following pros and cons. Hopefully, it can help you make a decision eventually.

Lexmark MB3442adw Pros

• Compact and space-saving design

Lexmark has proven that a multipurpose printer doesn’t have to be bulky. The MB3442adw is amazingly designed with a compact build and lightweight, making it a great space-saver in your office. This is an ideal choice if you don’t have much space left in your working area.

• Fast print performance

Print speed is crucial as it affects your productivity. The faster it works, the more documents it can handle. Luckily, this Lexmark printer offers relatively quick print speed up to 42 pages per minute. Whether you have a tight deadline or simply want to increase daily productivity, this printer is trustworthy.

• High volume ratings

The MB3442adw is specifically designed for mid-size office or workgroups with medium to high print volume. To meet this capacity, the printer comes with a high print-volume rating up to 8,000 pages. This rating is much higher than most of its counterparts.

• Expandable paper capacity

This Lexmark printer supports generous paper capacity up to 350 sheets. In case you need more space to handle the paper, simply purchase optional paper handling that allows you to expand the capacity up to 900 pages.

• Dependable print quality

Another thing to love about this printer is dependable print quality. The output result is more than acceptable for business documents, thanks to highly legible texts and overall excellent output.

Lexmark MB3442adw Cons

• Relatively pricey running cost

In case your business prints in high volume, the running cost might be a bit bothersome. This printer costs slightly higher than other laser printers. But these few differences can end up draining your budget if you print thousand pages.

Bottom Line

The Lexmark MB3442adw is an ideal monochrome printer to support your business. Despite its small size, this is a full-featured printing machine that comes with all-in-one functionality. It supports fast print performance as well as excellent print quality to ensure your business documents are well-handled. Not to mention it doesn’t consume a lot of space in your work station.

If you are searching for a mid-range business printer that combines professional design and capable performance, the MB3442adw could be it. But in case you are looking for a low-budget printer that won’t break your savings, especially for high print volume, you might need to find another alternative that offers lower running cost.