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Lexmark has become something of 'the little engine that could'. Despite tough competition, it just keeps chugging up that hill, trying to reach the top.

 The inkjet printers the company produces are mostly middle-of-the-road.

 Having said that, their machines are pretty good value for money.

 Judging by the labels on the Z31 Color Jetprinter, you would think they have already scaled to the top of that printer-technology hill.

 The Z31 claims the highest resolution in the industry at 1,200x1,200 dpi.

 Unfortunately, I fear this will backfire on poor Lexmark. The claim is confusing because other makers boast equal or higher resolutions. Lexmark's claim holds true as dpi means dots per linear inch, not square inch.

 This means the resolution on the vertical axis of a print may be different from the horizontal axis and it usually is.

 Epson printers, for example, give off 1,440x720 dpi prints, which gives the Lexmark about 38 per cent more dots per square inch.

 However, we all know that print quality means more than just lots of dpi.

 The Z31 chassis is standard Lexmark - short and stout with a top-mounted paper tray.

 It also has Lexmark's dual ink cartridge system, which allows you to swap the standard black cartridge for a photo-quality colour cartridge.

 This photo cartridge gives you two extra colours which will greatly enhance the quality of photographs printed on glossy paper.

 If you are printing text only, you are far better off leaving the standard black cartridge in place.

 You will be saving money and time.

 The Lexmark's print times are about average for an inkjet printer, but using the photo cartridge to print plain text will make the machine considerably slower.

 Text quality is again about average for an inkjet. It is sharp, but not quite as good as a laser.

 The black ink used by Lexmark is a pigment which is far more lightfast than the dyes used in coloured inks.

 The ink is not only fade-resistant but quite waterproof. I have given Lexmark prints a thorough soaking in the kitchen sink and have seen almost no damage to the text.

 When a printer claims the highest resolution on the market, photo quality becomes the big question.

 The Lexmark was good and prints made on glossy paper were of a quality that most people would find acceptable.

 I tend to be quite picky about image quality and the Z31 is not the best I have ever seen.

 The dot pattern was still a bit too obvious in some parts of the image.

 I think Lexmark is going to have to increase the quality of its drivers a bit if it really wants to get into this whole resolution/photo quality shouting match.

 The printer relies on the sRGB system to match colours and while this is the standard method of colour-matching in Windows, it reduces the colour gamut by a noticeable amount.

 The same images printed on an Epson 6 colour machine showed snappier colours, smoother tones and were generally of a better quality.

 While there may be a problem or two with this machine, it's hard to gripe when you look at the price tag.

 The Windows-only Lexmark Z31 sells for a mere $1,190, which includes a one-year service contract which guarantees the printer will be fixed in only two hours if it should break down.

PROS AND CONS Product: Lexmark Color Jetprinter Z31 Price: $1,190 Pros: Quality to satisfy most users at a very reasonable price Cons: Boasts highest resolution in the market, which does not necessarily mean the best prints 



This jet is a value-for-money performer