Lexmark 720 manual Performance, Separate Ink Cartridges, Lexmark J110 Product Specifications

Lexmark J110: Product Specifications

Resolution Modes	600- by 300-dpi
	600 dpi
	2400- by 1200-dpi
Print Speed	Color	Black
Normal (600 dpi)	10 ppm	16 ppm
Ink saver (600- by 300-dpi)	14 ppm	15 ppm
Best (600 dpi enhanced)	2.3 ppm	10 ppm
Duty Cycle	10,000 pages/month
Memory	8 MB
Processor	100 MHz
Software Compatibility	PCL 3
Interface	IEEE-1284, USB
Networking	10/100Base T
	(optional on J110)
Paper Handling	Tray 1: 250-sheet input tray
	Tray 2: 250-sheet input tray
	(standard on J110tn)
	10-sheet multipurpose
	feeder (standard on J110tn)
Paper Sizes	Letter, Legal, Executive
Paper Types	16 to 32 lb. paper
	Transparencies, envelopes,
	labels, card stock.
Size	20.3"W by 11.7"H by 20.1"D
Weight	35 lb.
Street Price
J110	$899
J110tn	$999

Source: Lexmark International, Inc.

Performance

The J110 can print up to 10 ppm in color and 16 ppm in monochrome at 600 dpi resolution, exceeding the HP Color LaserJet 4550ís color print speed of 4 ppm, and matching its monochrome performance. In Draft mode, which Lexmark calls ìInk Saverî mode (600- by 300-dpi), color print speed rises to 14 ppm, but black speed drops to 15 ppm. According to Drew Zande, Product Marketing Manager for Lexmarkís Business Printer Division, the black speed drops because the J110 is actually taking time to process an algorithm that selectively subtracts dots to be printed, when printing in Ink Saver mode. By Lexmarkís reckoning, Ink Saver mode can save users up to 50% on supplies costs. In ìBestî mode, which Zande describes as ì600 dpi with advanced color science processing,î the J110 prints 2.3 ppm in color and 10 ppm in monochrome. Like many ink jets in Lexmarkís product line, the J110 can print photos at up to 2400- by 1200-dpi. However, Lexmark would not quote print speeds at this maximum

resolution. The J110 is driven by a 100 MHz processor, which gives the printer an 8-second first page out time. Lexmark claims that the J110 is robust enough to print up to 10,000 pages per month.

The J110 also marks the debut of a new Lexmark technology, called PerfectFinish, which pre-coats sheets of paper with a thin layer of fluid that dries before printing. Lexmark claims that PerfectFinish produces crisper black text and richer colors, and reduces ink bleed, especially when printing on recycled paper. The PerfectFinish fluid, a formulation developed by Lexmark, is dispensed from a bottle installed in the back of the printer. The printer can coat up to 10,000 pages before the bottle needs to be replaced.

Details about the PerfectFinish system were not forthcoming from Lexmark. However, we were able to learn from the U.S. Patent Office that the company has received a patent for a coating apparatus for use in ink jet printers. U.S. Patent 6,183,079, granted on February 6, 2001, describes the apparatus, which is comprised of rollers and doctor blades. The patent document also gives hints about the coating material, explaining that it must have a ìhigh viscosity such that only a minimum amount of water is introduced onto the substrate,î to prevent the paper from curling. The patent says that patent application 9/096,128, entitled ìCoating System for Ink Jet Applications,î describes ìexample coating materials.î

Separate Ink Cartridges

Until now, most Lexmark ink jet printers have used print cartridges with nozzles and ink supply integrated into a single unit, in a black/tri-color configuration (the early Canon-based Lexmark 4079 did use separate ink tanks and a permanent print head). The benefit of integrated cartridges, according to Lexmark, is that replacing the print head with the ink supply ensures the best possible print quality, because one is essentially replacing the entire print engine. Lexmarkís opinion of permanent print heads, such as those used by Epson, is that they tend to deteriorate over the life of the printer, and have a tendency to become clogged.

The debate over separate versus tri-color cartridges is equally simple. Proponents of the individual cartridge system, Canon and Xerox, claim that it reduces wasteó colors are replaced as they are depleted, while Lexmark claims that colors generally deplete evenly. Indeed, Xerox commissioned a study to determine how much ink is left over in tri-color cartridges after the first color runs out, finding that on average, 20% of the ink delivered with the cartridge remains (see Color Business Report, September 2000). HP and Epson also use tri-color ink cartridges in their printers, but both have introduced models with separate ink cartridge technologyómost notably the

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