Printing The Lexmark MC3426adw prints using laser technology, which picks up powdered 'toner' on a roller and fuses it to the paper with heat. Its text quality is Very Good, though not quite as good as other laser printers. Text printing speed is typical, about 13.6 pages per minute, costing 6 cents per page. It prints color graphics with some obvious defects, but OK for casual use, at 3.5 pages per minute, costing 22.3 cents per page. It prints photos poorly, like early color laser printers. Unlike most color printers, it can't print borderless photos. It has auto-duplex printing to print both on sides of the page, with no loss of quality. 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. There's a second single-sheet input tray for full-size paper, in case you just need a printout on letterhead, for instance.
Scanning and Copying Scanning performance was Very Good, fine for general-purpose scanning. It can scan or copy an area up to 11.7 x 8.5 inches (letter size). Copying performance was Good, but had a few noticeable flaws. It has an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for easily scanning/copying a stack of pages. The ADF can duplex—it's a DADF—which can scan/copy both sides of each page.
Controls and Display The printer has a 2.9-inch (diagonal size) color display screen and a touchscreen.
Connectivity and Networking You can connect directly to a PC with a USB cable, or to your network router either wirelessly with WiFi or with an Ethernet cable. Apple AirPrint is built in, to print wirelessly from Apple devices via your local network. You can also install an app on your smartphone or tablet, as another option for printing over your WiFi network. This model has built-in faxing, can store incoming faxes if the paper runs out, and can send faxes from an attached PC.
Cost of Ownership and Toner When this section was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $650, expensive for an all-in-one color laser printer. Printing uses up toner and the costs add up over time. This printer uses 4 cartridges. The Lexmark toner cartridges used in testing were the C3210K0, C3210C0, C3210M0 and C3210Y0. At the time, their prices were $70 for black and $80 (each) for the other three. We estimate the toner cartridges to last a long time—3 years—following a typical printing schedule of 420 text and 168 color graphics pages per year. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate the total equivalent cost to be $775, very high for a color laser. The estimated yearly cost is $63, which is generally typical—but for this printer type, high. The theoretical total cost after 5 years is $963.
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. The firmware version of the Lexmark MC3426adw was CXLBN.073.023.
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.
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.
