The Lexmark Optra E321 printer is an upgraded version of the original E320, a speedy printer that first came out in 2001. The early version was given high marks for its speed, quite ahead of other personal laser printers of its time. The 321 model is even faster, shooting out regular sized documents at a rate of 20 per minute. The Lexmark Optra E321 toner cartridge does 3000 pages and their high-yield version can do double this number before needing replacement.

This model has good resolution, 600 to 1200 dpi and has 8MB of memory. It retails for just under $300, making it a reasonable choice for the home office or college student. The Lexmark Optra E321 toner refills are also inexpensive. The main drawback mentioned in a number of online user and professional reviews is the noise this printer makes when pumping out documents.

On the positive side, the E321 has a nice look for a printer. Unlike the typical white or off-white models, this printer is gray, a change for the better. It is great for small places, like a dormitory or tucked in a small home office and weighs only 20 pounds, so it is easy to move around.

Even though this is a good printer, it has ranked in quite a few complaints regarding noise. Owners have expressed that the interface buttons seem a little loose, so when the machine shakes when it prints, the buttons rattle to make more noise. Also, just being turned on, the printer hums. Users have also stated that they heard a whining noise when turning the printer off. If this does not sound like it will bother you, the machine is still a good machine.

The Lexmark Optra E321 printer possesses the average paper capacity that most small printers do, which is 150 pieces of paper. The holding tray can only hold 100 of these pages, though, so consumers should make sure to remove at least fifty pages after they print them if they plan to print all 150 pages in one sitting. This printer also has additional output tray materials that help with the kind of papers that differ from the norm.

This improved model has added some nice features for beefing up its operations. As mentioned previously it has 8MB of RAM, which can accommodate some sizable printing tasks. The memory can be expanded all of the way up to 72MB. The E321 has both parallel and USB ports, though neither cable is included in the purchase price.

Twenty pages a minute is a good rate for a home printer, even for impatient students doing homework at the last minute. Once the printer is fired up, page one appears within 10 seconds. The standard toner does 3000 pages with five percent coverage and Lexmark does offer a higher yielding cartridge that fits this model of printer.

Another bonus feature of the Lexmark Optra E321 Printer is that it is both Mac and Windows compatible, something that is rare among budget printers. The Lexmark Optra E321 compatible toner are efficient and cost effective and are not shipped installed in the printer so that there are no unpleasant spillage surprises when opening the box. For just about $300, it is worth putting up with a little bit of printer hum in exchange for speed and reliability, especially with the quality one can rely on with Lexmark compatible toner. Shop online for extra laser replacement toner to find good deals.