Discover printing fun home with the Z13! All sorts of documents - from photos and drawings, to graphics and images, the Z13 lets you print just about anything you can dream up:... more
This review already contains more than 120 words. As a Ciao member you could earn up to £5 with this review.
A review by Broksababie on Lexmark Z 13 Color Jetprinter December 5th, 2001
Author's product rating:
Picture quality
Excellent
Printing speed
Fast
Colour sensitivity
Excellent
Ease of use
Very easy
Value For Money
Excellent
Advantages:
Excellent Printing Quality,Range Of Features For Printing .
Disadvantages:
Pricey Ink Cartridge .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I was desperately in need of a new printer after my Epson 440 passed gracefully on, so after careful consideration and price ranges I decided to go for the Lexmark Z13.
So after purchasing your printer, you will need to set it up, you will need to purchase a USB cable as this is not included with it, these retail in Dixon's and Curry's etc for £14.99 but a trip to Argos or Index and you can pick one up for only £6.99.
The printer comes with one coloured cartridge (yes this model only takes one at a time), however you can buy a black one and use that alone too. A power supply box, power cable, printer ink storage box for using black and coloured to stop the one not in use drying up, plus the printer software.
Installing the power pack is easy, you then need to switch your printer on and the ink compartment will move to the middle, open the cover pop the ink in and close the lid, that's it, switch on and off and your now ready to get started.
You will now need to install the software and drivers; this is auto-run from the CD and is done all in one go. After installation is complete you are given the option of printing a test page to set the correct head level alignment, on screen viewing compared to your print out makes this proceedure foolproof.
Now you can get started on your own printing needs, hitting the print icon on your browser will bring up a the Lexmark properties box, this is an excellent feature I found and very useful with all the varying settings as follows:
You are firstly asked what you want to do: = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
1.Increase the quality or speed of printouts. 2.Reduce the ink usage whilst printing. 3.Print a photograph. 4.Print a banner. 5.Put on an iron on transfer. 6.Any others.
By selecting any of the above you are given clear guidelines which settings to select, the quality and speed setting is displayed on screen via diagram, this shows the out come of selecting quick, normal, better to best printing settings.
The paper tab allows you to select which size or type of paper or card you are using, be it A4 or a small envelope, and simply select the correct one. Of course you also set here the number of pages or copies you want it to print of each.
The software included will place a shortcut onto your desktop, here you find the Lexmark Solution centre, click this and you will be given the following choices:
Printer Status Remaining Ink Printing Ideas - This shows you how to create envelopes to posters to photographs at the click of a mouse. Troubleshooting -All included here from paper jams to fuzzy printouts to positioning errors.
Print cartridge - Just in case you forget here you can see a step-by-step cartridge installation.
Advanced - Here you get a direct link to the Lexmark website, several of the sites features I will mention later on, but this also allows you to download the latest software or drivers for this particular model.
So that is the basic printer information and operation but now to its actual performance?
The Lexmark Z13 is capable at printing photo quality at 1200 X 1200 dpi, you can load the paper feeder up with 100 sheets or so it says but from my experience if you put too much in then it ends up dragging in 3 or 4 sheets at a time, so this I do not recommend.
It has a gripper that slides along to ensure that whatever size of paper you use will stay straight and be fed into it correctly, a paper tray at the bottom pulls out and extends to catch your printouts and slides neatly back in when not in use, as does the actual paper feeder, this closes over the printer, acting as a lid, so no more dust or dirt in your machine.
I tested the printer both with text. (Yes I printed my old ciao opinions out!!), plus taxed it slightly more with a photograph, I found that for text only you will get around 4 or 5 pages a minute, whilst a photograph can take 7 minutes or more depending on size.
Whilst printing a status box appears in the bottom right hand corner, this displays the % done, the remaining ink level and estimated printing time left.
So the end results?. = = = = = = = = = = The actual printing quality was brilliant in fact a lot better than my old trusty Epson was, the text is clear and crisp, whilst photographs come out almost true copies apart from a slight colour variation.
However the drawback it seems is the cost of replacement Ink cartridges, these are around £20-24 each and with only using the one you are going to notice the usage rather more. The annoying thing I found is that on various sites you can purchase them for every other Lexmark model at either discount prices or even as refills or compatible, but not this model, hopefully this is merely as it's the newer one and these will appear shortly.
To run this you will need a processor of 200mhz or more, 64mb of ram and 75mb hard disc space, but it will run on almost any operating system Linux included, its very simple indeed both to set up and to operate with results sure to impress, but wait there's more.. = = = = = = = = = = = =
I did mention earlier that there is a link on the included software for the Website, this is well worth a look as from here not only can you register your printer, buy supplies but also have a bit of fun.
Bored with the drab everyday printer status box, well here you can download varying skins to liven this up; these range from animals to TV.
Or feeling creative, well why not make some card models or cards and lots more, all included step by step on site, plus links to various other similar sites to keep you busy and use all your expensive ink!
Of course there are all the usual things such as technical support, product information and the like to go with it. Visit www.lexmark.co.uk
The printer seems to vary a lot in price Dixon's have it for £49.99 whilst Index had it at £51, but the cheapest one I've seen is www.jungle.com and here you can purchase this for a mere £29.99 inc VAT, for that price you really cannot go wrong. Of course it also comes with a 12 month guarantee as most items now do.
So to sum up, this is an excellent printer and very cheap but with high capabilities, don't expect large amount of pages per minute but think of the quality instead, it's ideal for light home use and I am actually very pleased I bought it.
Advantages: Good price, good clear prints Disadvantages: Slow as it's inkjet
...computer so I chose the Lexmark Z13 for £49.99. The assistant in PC World advised us that it did not come with the relevant lead so I also purchased a USB cable for £13.99. I’m sure someone will tell me that I could have got this cheaper elsewhere, but the convenience was the deciding factor on this occasion.
You may be surprised to see that we had good service at PC World, so was I as it happens, so much so that I have written an opinion about ... ...easier. With the Lexmark Z13 you can print with either a black print cartridge or a colour print cartridge. The printer came complete with a colour cartridge – it would seem a bit daft to buy a colour printer and then use it to print in black and white.
You then just open the cartridge carrier, insert the cartridge and snap the lid shut again. It’s as simple as that.
The next thing to do is to connect the USB cable and the diagrams in the instruction ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: cheap Disadvantages: only takes one cartridge at a time
...models, some not so. The Lexmark Z13 was one of the cheapest I saw, and for that reason alone I was swayed away from buying it, convinced I would get something better if I paid more for it.
My other half got really fed up with me after a while as I couldn't make up my mind. Every brand of cartridge and prices were inspected. Lexmark are one of the models that companies don't seem to cater for when you are looking into buying replacement ink instead ... ...the original cartridge so the Lexmark didn't lose any points because of this factor.
The cartridges however are quite expensive (aren't they all). Approx £22 for a black and £27 for a colour, I don't want to buy them too often, but then again it depends on how much you want to print.
So, the Lexmark Z13 was my final choice (it meant I had money left for a takeaway for tea as well, lol).
Obviously I had to try it out when I got home. The installation ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Good printing quality at a low price Disadvantages: Cartridges are costly
I bought my Lexmark Z13 from Argos for £29.99 and I thought that wasn't bad for a 1200 x 1200 dpi photo quality printer.
The Lexmark Z13 doesn't come with a USB cable so you have to buy this seperately so add another £12 onto the price, which is a bit of a downer as most printers come with all the cables these days.
After unpacking the Z13 from the box it was quite simple to connect (after a 2nd trip for the USB cable), it's just a case of plug ... ...can register your printer with Lexmark so you can get updates of the printer driver from the Lexmark website, it must be noted that if you use Lexmark solution center software that comes with the Z13 to update your driver, it will always update through the American website. So all support is American based even if you are running the printer in the UK.
The printer itself hold around 50 sheets in its sheet feeder, but I have found that sometimes ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
...left you alone.
The Lexmark Z13 was my choice simply because of the price. At £29 from Argos it was the cheapest I had seen anywhere and it looked reasonable for the price, as all products in home shopping catalogues somehow do. Only a fool would have expected much for £29, yet the Z13 managed to disappoint even these low expectations.
Much of the disappointment I experienced with this product was due to my own stupidity in impulse buying this ... ...problem with this and other Lexmark printers, the huge cost of replacement ink cartridges, should not be understated. As I abandoned all hope for this printer shortly after purchasing it, I cannot comment on ink life, but eventually the time will come when you need a new cartridge, and Lexmark hit your wallet hard. The one good thing to come out of buying the Z13 was a lesson I learned - always check how much consumables will cost before buying the ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Cheap, Decent Print Quality, Relatively Fast, General Good Budget Printer Disadvantages: Ink Catridge costs, Lack of USB cable
...know! The cost of my Lexmark Z13? £24.99! Yes that was the cost of my new printer! Plus a £2.99 P+P charge but still it was under £30! I bought it from Dixons Online but you can buy it from any of your local Currys, Dixons or PC World for £29.99 (which is only a few pounds more) at the moment. Apart from an Apollo branded printer at £39.99, I couldn’t recall a printer being this cheap! This model was originally £50 RRP, so yes, it has been reduced ... ...printer. I never used a Lexmark printer before so this is my first one from them. After taking out of the box, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to install. Just plug in all the wires, open lid, pop in ink cartridge, install the software from the CD and follow on screen instructions. Done in less than 10 minutes! The only thing I did notice is that it uses a USB interface, which means its not the usual Printer (Parallel) port that you may have used ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Discover printing fun home with the Z13! All sorts of documents - from photos and drawings, to graphics and images, the Z13 lets you print just about anything you can dream up: family photos, web pages, kids' artwork, greeting cards, bookmarks, calendars, invitations and much more. And on top of that the Z13 prints 7 pages per minute in black and 4 in color. So the Z13 is delivering the results you want without making you wait. Your creativity will come to life, and what's more, Lexmark's color-matching system ensures that what you see on your PC screen will be exactly what your printer delivers. The Lexmark Z13 prints at a resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi, the highest quality of any printer in its class. This high resolution delivers incredibly detailed pictures, rich colors and smooth color transitions every time you print. Your pictures look like real photographs and documents take on a new feeling of professionalism. Never before have you been able to achieve photo quality from a printer of this price.
I have nothing but good things to say about this particular printer. Every function is simple to use and it comes with a great utilities software to enhance its performance. The printing quality is very nice for the amount of money spent. Ink cartridges more
It was inevitable.
Our old printer was also cheap and after less than 2 years of use, died on us.
Not being in the position to purchase a stonking professional ultra expensive model, and we certainly didn't have the time to spend the entire day more
Being that we have 2 pc`s at home and up till recently only one printer, we thought it time to get another printer for upstairs.
as i mainly use the downstairs pc there was no need for anything fancy just something to print of a few pages or... more
I recently purchased a Lexmark (Z617 series) printer from my local Tesco store. My old printer unfortunately came to the end of it's life, and I really needed a cheap printer ,quickly! For those of you who use your home computer system religiously, you... more
Printers, I must admit I rarely use them at home. But they're one of those gadgets I must have. When it comes to buying printers cheap and cheerful does me just fine. My photos get developed at the chemists, so no need for one of those snazzy photo... more
With the advent of digital cameras and the like printers have to become better and better to keep up, the problem i had was i might print the odd photo now and again but most of my printing was text and diagrams.
So what could i buy to get me over this... more
Similar products and search queries by other users
Z Jetprinter, 13 Jetprinter, Color Jetprinter, Z 13 Jetprinter, Z Color Jetprinter, 13 Color Jetprinter, Z 13 Color Jetprinter, Lexmarc Jetprinter, Lexxmark Jetprinter, Lexmarc Z Jetprinter, Lexxmark Z Jetprinter, Lexmarc 13 Jetprinter, Lexxmark 13 Jetprinter, Lexmarc Color Jetprinter, Lexxmark Color Jetprinter
Are you the manufacturer / provider of Lexmark Z 13 Color Jetprinter? Click here
