Lexmark Z1520 review

Lexmark's Z1520 looks like a larger version of the low-cost Z1320, which won the Budget Buy award in our inkjet Labs last month.

However, this is a very different printer both in price and performance. It uses the same two-cartridge system, including one tri-colour cartridge, and an optional photo cartridge to take the place of the black. It also has the advantage of an automatic duplexer.

A helpful installation program took us through unpacking and setting up the printer. WiFi is activated by pressing the power button a second time. We were able to connect the printer to our wireless network when the installer prompted us.

The Z1520 proved quick in our draft print test and completed the same 50-page draft test using the duplexer in five minutes and 15 seconds - one of the fastest times we've seen from an inkjet. The lettering on draft prints was dark and legible, although most characters had rough edges. Normal correspondence-quality text documents also printed reasonably fast; the first page took 19 seconds to appear. Characters were solid and well defined, but there were faint black specks between them, even after we cleaned the print heads.

Colour documents looked fantastic, with perfectly sharp text and faithful colour reproduction. Unfortunately, we had to wait just over 20 minutes for the 25-page document to print. Photo printing was also fairly slow and is definitely not the Z1520's strong suit. All our pictures suffered from a purple tint, which affected skin tones and pale backgrounds, and our photos had a purple sheen when the light hit them.

Although we were using Lexmark's ink and photo paper, the ink took an extremely long time to dry, coming off on our hands and on to the other pictures as we took them out of the printer. Even after half an hour, some ink was still coming off when we touched the photos.

At this high price, the Z1520 is a disappointing addition to Lexmark's range of wireless printers. Although the cheaper Z1320 lacks WiFi, it is faster at normal document printing, offers lower print costs, and produces better-quality photos. If you're looking for a high-quality home inkjet, Canon's Pixma iP4300 (below) is half the price and much better quality again. If you absolutely must have wireless printing, Lexmark's X4550 wireless MFP, which scored four stars in last month's What's New, is half the price of the Z1520.

Author: Kat Orphanides