Most people want a printer that will print their documents simply and reliably. If you are a home user and this sounds like you, the Lexmark Z22 printer using Lexmark Z22 ink may be a good choice for you. Now, this printer will likely have to be bought refurbished or used at the time of this writing, but if you come across one and are confident in the seller, you may want to consider this machine.

This printer is well respected by the casual buyers who purchase it. It has been reported to print well and dependably, and to print suitably in color using Lexmark ink. Most are very happy, especially when considering the price. You should note that it was designed with older computers in mind, however. While it was designed for some older operating systems, Lexmark's website does provide drivers for Windows XP (I haven't seen any for Vista).

A major consideration for purchasing this printer is the reasonable price. At the time this printer was in production, it was known for being a good deal for what you got. If you have an opportunity to purchase this printer refurbished or used, make sure that it still is a very good deal for a used printer (and make sure it is in good condition too). Lexmark Z22 ink cartridge is still available online for under fifty bucks.

The major con to consider is the speed of the printer. It only prints 6.5 pages per minute in black and white, and 3.5 pages in color. If you are running a business that requires a high-output printer, then this printer is obviously not for you. For many home users who are simply printing out shorter documents and pages from websites, this speed may be more than adequate for you - unless a super speedy printer has spoiled you already!

Another possible hang-up with this printer is the fact that it requires two separate types of Lexmark Z22 ink cartridge, but only allows one to be installed at a time. This is how it works: you use one color cartridge to print regular color copies, and the other kind of cartridge to print photos. You will have to switch them out as your color needs change. Again, if you are a low-volume user, this might not be a big deal.

Here are the basic stats. It will print a variety of paper sizes. It could print anything as short as 3 by 5 inches, or anything as large as 8.5 by 17 inches. With standard thick paper, it will hold one hundred sheets reliably at a time. It will allow you to load twenty-five photo sheets and ten envelopes at a time as well. This printer will accept either USB or parallel cable connections.

As for Lexmark itself, the company itself is well respected as a manufacturer of computer peripherals. In fact, Fortune magazine listed it as number five in its list of the most admired companies of its kind. It now has grown to such a point that it makes about five billion dollars in revenue a year.