Lexmark Pro915
The Pro915 is likely the last entry-level product by Lexmark that we will review on Hardware.Info. That's because the manufacturer has indicated that it will no longer release products for this market segment. Lexmark has decided it will from now on only make printers and all-in-ones above the £300-£400 mark. It's a bit of a shame, because as consumers we now have one less brand to choose from when we need a small office printer.
The Pro915 looks good and the various components feel solid. The area in which Lexmark traditionally distinguishes itself from competitors is the touchscreen. There are of course more printers in this test that has a similar display such as the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus, but it has a resistive screen. The display on the Pro915 is capacitive and offers great viewing angles. A capacitive screen is generally easier to read then a resistive screen. This is mainly because a resistive screen contains two layers with a space between them, which often causes the screen to be less easy to read. The touchscreen function is usually also smoother on a capacitive display.
One drawback of a capacitive screen is that you can only input commands with your fingers on the display, and not with a pen or other object. In office environments it is common to walk up to a printer with a pen in your hand, but this is a minor gripe if any at all.
The results of the Pro915 are disappointing. It manages to be slowest printer (by far) in almost all charts on the next page. For a small office inkjet where speed is definitely an advantage (time being money and all that), the Pro915 is on the slow side. What also stands out is that the idle energy consumption is on the level of a laser printer.
Fortunately the print quality of the Pro915 is good. The black text isn't deep black, but the difference is small. Moreover, the printed text is very sharp. Colour and photo prints also look good, but get a bit close to oversaturation sometimes.
