Lexmark E360dn

Handling

The Lexmark E360dn is a black-and-white laser printer that you can connect to a network which offers fast printing speeds of up 38 pages per minute--double-sided!  It's compatible with the standard trio of PCL6, PCL5e and PS 3.

By default, the printer comes with toner that's part of the Lexmark Return Program (LRP), with an estimated lifespan of 3500 pages.  There's also a high capacity version of the cartridge that can print up to 9000 pages.  Note that the E360d is also available, but because it doesn't offer automatic two-sided printing, this alternative is a little cheaper.

Our score in this section is so low because the E360dn only offers a very limited range of features compared to some of its competitors: it's black and white, doesn't have WiFi or a touchscreen interface and is a mono-function printer with built-in scanner or fax machine. 

Printing Quality

The quality of printed documents is excellent, and exactly what we'd expect from a 1200 dpm printer.  Text is accurate, with no visible pixellation--try comparing a sample against one produced by a 600 dpm printer.  We still have one criticism though: the printer puts too much into grey areas, making them too dark, as you can see in this sample.

Obviously, we don't recommend using it for printing photos: you don't just miss out on colour, but also on plenty of details. 


Speeds

Lexmark claims that this printer can print at 38 ppm with the first page ready in just 6.5 seconds, and the E360dn delivers just that. With our test documents, we even reached speeds of 38.4 ppm, with the first page appearing within 7 seconds.


The otherwise good results turn sour in this part of the test, with just one star going to the result that the E360dn will have on your electricity bill.  This printer uses 10 W while on standby, which is an awful lot for a device that isn't doing anything.  It then climbs to 550 W when actually printing.  Results like these aren't standard on laser printers, with the HP P2035 less than half of that.

The only redeeming feature is that it isn't very loud at just 55 dB when measured from a metre away, but that isn't much comfort.

Noise and Energy Consumption

The otherwise good results turn sour in this part of the test, with just one star going to the result that the E360dn will have on your electricity bill.  This printer uses 10 W while on standby, which is an awful lot for a device that isn't doing anything.  It then climbs to 550 W when actually printing.  Results like these aren't standard on laser printers, with the HP P2035 less than half of that.

The only redeeming feature is that it isn't very loud at just 55 dB when measured from a metre away, but that isn't much comfort.


Cost per page

Cartridge	RRP	ISO Lifespan	Cost per page
0E260A11E low capacity	£91.97	3500	2.63 p
0E360H11E high capactity	£175.25	9000	1.95 p

Coming in at under 2 p per page with the longest-lasting cartridges, this is one of the most economical printers there is to run.