BUYERS LABORATORY INC.
Lab Test Report
A Comprehensive BLI Laboratory Evaluation
© 2004 Buyers Laboratory Inc. WARNING: This material is copyrighted by Buyers Laboratory Inc. and is the sole property of Buyers Laboratory. Duplication of this proprietary report or excerpts from this report, in any manner,
whether printed or electronic (including, but not limited to, copying, faxing, scanning or use on a fax-back system), is illegal and strictly forbidden without written permission from Buyers Laboratory. Violators will be prosecuted
to the fullest extent of the law. To purchase reprints of any BLI reports or articles, contact BLI at (201) 488-0404. Buyers Laboratory Inc., 20 Railroad Avenue, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Contact us at [email protected].
1
LAB
REPORT
General Appraisal
The Lexmark T430dn provided a solid performance in BLI’s two-month evaluation, completing its
32,500-impression test without experiencing even a single misfeed and requiring no service of any
kind. Along with its flawless reliability performance, another strength of the T430dn demonstrated in
BLI testing was its ability to efficiently process files. It excelled at producing BLI’s job stream, a 19-
page test suite consisting of five different file formats that simulates the type of traffic a device might
experience in a typical real-world multi-user environment, completing the job stream faster than any
other monochrome printer tested. Based on a 366-MHz processor, the T430dn produced competitive to
faster-than-average first-page times for all five tested file formats. In addition, the T430dn demonstrated
competitive overall simplex efficiency rates from both the PCL and PostScript drivers.
With a maximum true resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi, the T430dn earned BLI’s highest rating for all types
of print jobs. BLI test technicians noted that little, if any, toner spray was evident around characters,
the edges of circles were smooth and displayed no stair-stepping, and grayscale transitions were clearly
visible across a wider range than that produced by most tested 600-dpi print engines. (It should be noted
that when printing at true 1200 x 1200 dpi, the Lexmark T430dn outputs print jobs at about half of its
rated speed.)
Manufacturer:
Lexmark International, Inc.; Lexington, KY; made in China.
Test period duration:
Two months, including a 32,500-impression durability test.
Manufacturer’s recommended monthly volume:
Up to 65,000 impressions.
BLI’s recommended monthly volume for optimum performance:
Up to 18,000 impressions.
Type:
Desktop, laser printing, cut-sheet bond paper, dry toner, monocomponent developing
system, heat and pressure fusing.
Controller:
Lexmark controller based on a 366-MHz processor.
Lexmark
T430dn
32 PPM
PERFORMANCE RATINGS
LA
B TESTE
D
BU
YE
RS
LABORATOR
YIN
C
®
BU
YE
RS
LABORATOR
YIN
C
LA
B TESTE
D
RECOMMENDED
20
20
04
04
RECOMMENDED
November 2004
Overall Rating
.........................................................
Recommended
Reliability ...................................................................................... Excellent
Misfeeds ................................................................................................0
Service Calls .........................................................................................0
Print Quality
Text ................................................................................................. Good
Line Art ........................................................................................... Good
Halftone Range .............................................................................. Good
Halftone Fill .................................................................................... Good
Solids .............................................................................................. Good
Pricing Analysis ............................................................................ Excellent
Supplies Cost Per Page ................................................................... 1.563¢
Ease of Use .................................................................................. Excellent
Status Information .................................................................... Excellent
Administrative Utilities .............................................................. Excellent
Productivity ......................................................................................... Good
Suggested retail price:
$849.