Your needs, this model
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Can a wired Ethernet printer handle color Legal duplex reports at 6,000 pages monthly, with AirPrint and 250 included sheets?
Yes, with earlier references enabled and a suitable shared network. The exact model documents AirPrint, Ethernet, automatic Legal duplex and a 250-sheet Legal stack.
Explore this need in the finder →Does its normal base package meet a Wi-Fi printer requirement without adding a radio card?
No. Wi-Fi is supplied through an optional MarkNet N8372 card, which is not included in the documented base configuration.
Explore this need in the finder →Can it automatically scan both sides of originals because it has duplex and a color LCD?
No. Duplex refers to printing, and the LCD is a control display. The exact CS421 hardware is print-only, with no document scanner or feeder.
Explore this need in the finder →A wired color workgroup printer
The Lexmark CS421dn is an earlier color printer for a small workgroup with Ethernet available at the intended location. Automatic duplex and a 250-sheet main tray are standard. The deciding connection detail is that Wi-Fi hardware is optional: references to wireless phone printing over an office network do not mean a radio card is already inside the base printer.
Lexmark marks US part 42C0030 discontinued. This reference explains that exact configuration without promising current stock, coverage or the condition of an offered unit. Verify the regional part, cartridges, installed accessories and software. The original CS421 support page explicitly calls it a print-only color laser, so a color panel or generic app description must not be mistaken for a document scanner.
Read the Letter rating in its own mode
The exact US specification declares up to 25 one-sided Letter pages per minute in black or color. Automatic duplex is separately rated at 12.5 Letter sides per minute. The original master brochure instead prints a 23-ppm metric-market figure without explicitly labeling it Letter. It is useful supporting material for the physical configuration, but it should not replace the precise US Letter entry.
These are maker declarations rather than measured performance from this article. Lexmark recommends 800–6,500 printed pages per month, while the maximum duty cycle is 75,000. Use the recommendation for ordinary workload planning. The higher ceiling does not say the printer should routinely produce that many pages, and continuous-page speed does not account for every short job or change of media.
Included input and one expansion assembly
The standard 250+1 input combines a 250-sheet main drawer and a one-sheet manual feeder, on the stated 20-pound or 75-gsm basis. Letter, Legal and A4 have positive support in the main tray and the automatic two-sided print path. The manual feed is helpful for an occasional alternate sheet; it is not a second substantial input stack that reduces normal refilling.
The original brochure diagram clearly distinguishes the optional 650-sheet duo assembly. It combines a 550-sheet drawer with a 100-sheet multipurpose feeder and takes the maximum to 900+1. The exact model supports one optional assembly, not the larger two-option arrangement of a nearby CS521. Check what is installed and allow space for access. Envelopes use their instructed one-sided routine with the correct paper size and type settings.
Mobile printing can use the wired network
Standard interfaces include USB Type-B for a computer, gigabit Ethernet and a separate front Type-A flash-drive input. The optional MarkNet N8372 is wireless hardware that must be checked in a particular package. A base machine connected by Ethernet can still be available to an AirPrint or Mopria device on a suitable shared network with Wi-Fi access. The mobile device's wireless connection and the printer's physical connection are separate choices.
For confidential work, compatible Print and Hold or Job Routing software submits a user name and four-digit PIN, followed by release at the printer. The original guide includes non-touchscreen controls; the 2.4-inch LCD and keypad are not a touchscreen. Confirm that the chosen driver supports the protected-job procedure. A direct USB connection does not borrow mobile printing from the separate shared-network arrangement.
Supplies, footprint and the useful comparison
Documented supplied toner is rated at 2,000 black pages and 1,400 pages for each color under ISO/IEC 19798. Exact US higher-yield replacements include 78C1XK0 black at 8,500 pages and 78C1XC0, 78C1XM0 and 78C1XY0 colors at 5,000 each. Match regional compatibility and Return Program conditions. Do not substitute CS521 ultra-high-yield cartridges or treat toner yield as a measured current running cost.
The body is 17.4 inches wide, 16.6 deep and 12.1 high at 46 pounds, before working clearance. Check the actual electrical label and cord. Choose CS421dn when a wired shared color printer meets the workgroup's needs. If included wireless, scanning originals or a larger supplied stack is essential, compare those exact capabilities instead of assuming they follow from the family name.
Key details at a glance
| Color printing | Yes |
|---|---|
| Scanner | No |
| Copying | No |
| Fax | No |
| Flatbed scanner | No |
| Automatic document feeder | No |
| Automatic two-sided printing | Yes |
| Automatic two-sided scanning | No |
| Single-pass two-sided scanning | No |
| Color scanning | No |
| Instructed envelope handling | Yes |
| Apple AirPrint | Yes |
| Mopria printing | Yes |
| Supported PIN-release printing | Yes |
| Recommended monthly minimum | 800 pages |
| Recommended monthly maximum | 6500 pages |
| Maximum monthly duty | 75000 pages |
| Included ordinary-paper capacity | 251 sheets |
| Declared one-sided mono Letter rate | 25 pages/min |
| Declared one-sided color Letter rate | 25 pages/min |
| Unit-body width | 17.4 in |
| Unit-body depth | 16.6 in |
| Unit-body height | 12.1 in |
| Unit weight | 46 lb |
| Imaging engine | laser |
Use the exact model’s instructions for operating limits, supplied equipment and version differences.
Paper, software and setup details
Print-rate conditions
Exact US declaration is 25 one-sided Letter pages/minute black or color, with 12.5 Letter sides/minute automatic duplex. The master metric brochure 23 ppm is not relabeled as Letter. No measured throughput claimed.
Paper handling
Standard 250-sheet drawer plus one-sheet manual feed, 250+1 at 20 lb/75 gsm; per-size main stack 250 for Letter, Legal and A4, all automatic print duplex supported. Only one optional 650-sheet duo tray supported, taking maximum to 900+1. Optional input does not qualify as included; envelopes follow separate one-sided media instructions.
Scanning arrangement
Explicitly print-only color laser hardware. No scanner, copier, analog fax or document feeder; a color screen and generic software/help names do not supply scanning hardware.
Computer and mobile connections
Standard USB Type-B computer printing, gigabit Ethernet and front Type-A flash-drive input. MarkNet N8372 wireless card is optional, so Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct need the optional radio. AirPrint and Mopria are documented through a suitable shared network, including a wired printer and mobile device on network Wi-Fi.
Supplies and declared yields
Supplied toner declared at 2,000 black and 1,400 each CMY pages under ISO/IEC 19798. Exact US 78C1XK0 black 8,500 and 78C1XC0/XM0/XY0 colors 5,000 replacement yields. CS521 ultra-high 10,500/7,000 supplies are not borrowed. Imaging/developer/waste are separate; region and Return Program conditions apply. Master brochure photoconductor 40k vs current US imaging supply 125k is retained as a separate non-universal service-life issue.
Software and support
Exact model page supports AirPrint and Mopria over a suitable shared network. Original guide pages 42–44 document four-digit confidential PIN jobs from compatible Print and Hold/Job Routing software and panel release, including non-touchscreen controls. Verify current driver/app compatibility; old cloud listings are not present service promises.
Electrical edition and setup
Exact US part is documented; nominal electrical input was not established in the read printer sources. Check the actual unit rating label and correct cord. Body dimensions exclude paper extensions, open doors and maintenance access.
Sources for this assessment
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