PRINTING. The Lexmark CS410dn prints using laser technology, which picks up powdered 'toner' on a roller and fuses it to the paper with heat. It prints color photos with only Fair quality, which is not unusual for a laser printer. Its text quality is Excellent, as we've come to expect from a laser printer. Text printing was very quick, 15 pages per minute, costing 1 cents per page. It prints color graphics such as charts and web pages beautifully, in presentation-quality, with no noticeable defects, at 4.6 pages per minute, costing 6.9 cents per page. It has auto-duplex printing to print both on sides of the page, with no loss of quality. If any color ink runs out, it stops printing—it can't be set to just use the remaining black ink. If the black ink runs out, it stops printing—it can't be set to just use the remaining color ink. The capacity of the main paper tray is 250 sheets, a generous size.
SCANNING and COPYING. This is a single-function printer. It lacks a built-in scanner/copier.
CONTROLS and DISPLAY. The printer has a medium-size 2.4-inch display screen.
CONNECTIVITY and NETWORKING. You can connect directly to a PC with a USB cable, or to your network router with an Ethernet cable.
COST OF OWNERSHIP AND TONER. When this section was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $485, very expensive for a color laser printer. Printing uses up toner. Over time, as you print, the costs add up. This printer uses 4 cartridges. The Lexmark toner cartridges used in testing were the 70C1HK0, 70C1HC0, 70C1HM0 and 70C1HY0. At the time, their prices were $45 for black and $59 (each) for the other three. We estimate the toner cartridges to last an extraordinarily long time — around 7 years — following a typical printing schedule. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate the total cost to be $574, typical for a color laser. The estimated yearly cost is $44, very low for this printer type. So the 3-, 4- and 5-year estimates are $618, $663 and $707 respectively.
PRINTER FIRMWARE. Firmware is software that exists inside the printer. All models are evaluated using the latest firmware version available at the time of testing.
SOFTWARE. The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual, (and for all-in-ones:) scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a Windows 10 PC using the latest version of printer driver and printer support apps available at the time of testing. The software version was 2.7.1.0.
ABOUT THE TONER CARTRIDGES, SOFTWARE AND FIRMWARE. Our test results are valid only for the Lexmark-brand toner cartridges, and the software and firmware versions indicated. If your printer's software or firmware differ from the ones shown you either have an older or a newer version of these. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the printer's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware updates are downloadable directly to your printer via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable). You can check your printer's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware by either (1) running the Lexmark printer-update app installed on the PC, or (2) accessing the "Settings" section of the printer menu and navigating to the firmware update option. Consult the user manual or Lexmark's website for further guidance. Try searching online.
