New York, NY -- While this is easily one of the most expensive printers we have ever examined at Castle Ink, that is not reason enough to dismiss it beyond consideration. Admittedly, the cost is definitely prohibitive to anyone besides large offices or workgroups that have heavy duty printing needs.
Businesses that do need a printer of this nature will likely first notice its blazing speed—it is capable of 50ppm and the first page comes out in about 6 seconds, say Lexmark’s tech specs. Another impressive stat is its max monthly duty cycle which is 300,000 pages and even its recommended volume of 15K to 59K pages will suffice for many offices that would chose to purchase it.
The standard paper handling features do not disappoint, either. The output bin will hold up to 500 sheets at a time, two 500-sheet drawer/trays, and a 100-sheet multipurpose feeder. It also comes outfitted in its standard configuration with an automatic duplexer. If you need more than that, Lexmark’s got you covered there too; for additional funds you can purchase a 2,000 sheet high-capacity feeder, a 2,000 sheet dual input, two additional 500-sheet drawers, and a 3,500 sheet finisher.
The W850DN can be connected to either Macs or PCs, and even Linux or Unix systems. It supports up to gigabit Ethernet connections and can also be connected via USB cable. The machine also features a front-side USB port which allows for direct printing of files without a PC. Other features of the W850DN include a 4-line display, an energy-saving Eco-Mode, and a Quiet mode to boot.
In terms of ink, the standard cartridge that ships with the printer is rated for a whopping 35,000 pages, so it will take some time before it runs out. That’s a good thing too, cause the cartridge costs $241.99 direct from Lexmark, but the cost per page is under a penny. As an added bonus, you can recycle the empty cartridges through Lexmark for free.
Overall, this seems like it would a solid bet for any company with heavy duty printing needs. Because this is a monochrome printer only, offices that print a lot in color will want to look elsewhere unless they are comfortable outsourcing those jobs. There are also security features that come with the printer so you can be rest assured that the jobs with confidential information will be secure and that printing is easily monitored.printer.
