February 1998

LEXMARK OPTRA S 1620 LASER PRINTER

At $1,000 the Optra S 1620 is a great value. The resolution is 1200 dots per inch. It is compatible with many of the other Optra S line options like envelope feeders and duplex units. The 1620 has a PostScript emulator for graphics-oriented work. The printer engine is rated at 16 pages per minute. A fast RISC processor ensures that the first page prints as soon as possible.

Visually, the printer has a massive appearance. While it isn't larger than a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 5, it looks larger than it is. When you start printing you quickly realize that despite the low price, it's not one of those flimsy "personal laser printers." Printing is fast. Inexpensive laser printers always sound like they're made of plastic. The 1620 is solid. Access panels close with a satisfying thunk. The 1200 dpi resolution is overkill for most business documents. The print quality is very crisp and dark.

Set up and software installation is routine. The toner cartridge is easily accessible from the front. The printer trays are well designed. The auxiliary tray looks short when opened. However, 8 1/2" x 11" paper is completely supported. The standard paper tray holds any business size paper including 8 1/2" x 14".

Optional add-ons include the usual envelope feeder, extra print trays, network cards and memory. You can add DRAM and Flash RAM. The printer comes with 4 MB. Add up to 68 megabytes. The memory slot accepts standard 72 pin EDO SIMMs. You can add one DRAM SIMM. You can also add up to two Flash memory SIMMs ($180-$430). Flash memory is non-volatile. It is used to store fonts and document formats. Add one or two Flash SIMMS for up to eight megabytes of Flash memory.

Because desk space is at a premium, manufacturers are using the skyscraper approach to equipment design. When you add the paper trays to a Lexmark printer, the printer towers over you. Without much effort your desk can end up looking like New York's skyline.

The printer comes with drivers for every operating system network protocol. In addition to the standard parallel port you can install an Ethernet card ($270-$410), a Token Ring card ($630) and there is a Tri-Port interface card with LocalTalk, serial and infrared ports ($100). Lexmark also makes a hard disk adapter card ($80) available with and without a hard disk. Using it prevents you from connecting the printer to a network except through an ethernet-to-parallel router.

The Optra S 1620 is inexpensive enough for SOHO users and fast enough for small workgroups. It will satisfy the needs of a large number of users. The PostScript emulation makes the printer useful to graphics professionals. They can add DRAM and Flash memory to store fonts and to reduce printing times.