Lexmark C3224dw: low-volume color printing in a short body review

Color printing without a multifunction top

The Lexmark C3224dw suits a small office that wants color documents and automatic two-sided printing but has no regular need to scan or copy at the printer. Its short 9.6-inch body and included Wi-Fi, Ethernet and computer USB connections are the useful combination. The main tradeoff is functional: Lexmark's support site explicitly identifies C3224 as a print-only color laser, even though some general marketing and app text also mentions capturing scans.

The exact US product is part 40N9000, now marked discontinued by the manufacturer. This assessment is for identifying an installed machine or checking a specific earlier-model offer. It makes no current-stock claim. Confirm the suffix, regional electrical label, software path and supplied consumables before deciding whether an old offer is suitable.

Plan around a modest monthly routine

Lexmark recommends 250–1,500 printed pages per month. That range is a more useful starting point for an ordinary document routine than the separate 30,000-page maximum duty cycle. An office regularly needing 2,000 pages monthly should not treat that larger duty figure as permission to ignore the recommendation. Consider the appropriate workload class before comparing headline speeds.

The maker declares up to 24 one-sided Letter pages per minute in black or color, with a separate automatic-duplex rate of 13 Letter sides per minute under its ISO method. These are source specifications, not measurements from testing for this article. Duplex reports, complicated graphics and the time taken to send a job need their own practical allowance. A color engine also means this is not a monochrome-only printer, even when a driver is set to print a particular file in grayscale.

The tray and the manual slot have different jobs

The included paper supply is a 250-sheet tray plus a one-sheet manual feed. Lexmark presents that as 250+1, with the same maximum rather than an expandable stack of drawers. The manual slot can be useful for an occasional special sheet, but it is not another continuously loaded tray. For a minimum stack capacity, count 250 sheets on the stated 20-pound or 75-gsm basis.

The original paper table supports Letter, Legal and A4 in the standard tray and automatic duplex path. Set the correct paper size and type before printing. Envelopes use a separate one-sided routine; the guide limits the standard tray to five envelopes at a time. Optional trays discussed in the broader family manual are not established as C3224dw equipment by that discussion alone. Its exact specification remains the boundary for included and maximum capacity.

Choose the connection that matches the location

USB Type-B is the computer printing connection. The product page's separate “Direct USB” field should not be confused with that port: the original cable diagram explicitly describes a USB printer port connecting to a computer. Ethernet is 10/100 rather than gigabit, and built-in Wi-Fi is also included. For infrastructure Wi-Fi setup, follow the guide's network instructions, including its instruction to disconnect Ethernet while configuring that route.

The manufacturer documents AirPrint and Mopria Print Service for supported network printing. A direct USB-only connection does not provide that shared-network mobile route. The guide also describes configuring Wi-Fi Direct and connecting a computer to the printer's own wireless network. Complete that setup deliberately rather than treating ordinary Wi-Fi and peer connection as identical. Generic app scanning and cloud-capture language does not change this printer's lack of a scanner.

Supplies, space and a useful alternative

The stated supplied toner yields are 750 black pages and 500 pages for each color under ISO/IEC 19798. US replacement C3210K0, C3210C0, C3210M0 and C3210Y0 cartridges are declared at 1,500 pages. Do not assume that a higher-yield cartridge offered for an adjacent MC3326 is compatible here. Match the geographic region and Return Program terms; declared yields alone do not establish today's cost per page.

The body is 16.2 inches wide, 15.5 deep and 9.6 high and weighs 35.5 pounds. Leave additional room for loading, cables and service, and verify the actual unit's electrical label. If occasional document capture is necessary, compare an actual flatbed multifunction model; if stacks of originals are routine, require an explicitly included feeder. Those alternatives add different hardware rather than software capabilities to this compact print-only arrangement.