Lexmark E320: a 150-sheet local monochrome printer review

A smaller paper load for local computer printing

The Lexmark E320 is a monochrome laser printer with USB and parallel computer interfaces and a supplied 150-sheet ordinary-paper input. US part 08A0150 fits a desk producing modest stacks of black-and-white documents. Lexmark declares up to 16 one-sided Letter pages per minute; an A4 rate is not established in the reviewed exact specification.

The model has no scanner, copier or fax, and it does not include Ethernet or automatic duplex. Its usefulness depends on having compatible computer software and accepting manual paper handling. If a shared network or unattended two-sided reports are central to the work, those features should guide the comparison.

Match the driver to the E320 itself

The original model table identifies PCL 5e, USB and parallel with 4 MB of standard memory for the E320. The E322's PCL 6 and PostScript Level 2 capability and the E322n's Ethernet belong to different variants. Family instructions can explain common operation without making every listed feature standard on every printer.

Check the actual operating system and available printing software before relying on an earlier unit. Select the correct port and test the application files that matter to the work. Historical Windows or Macintosh setup instructions establish an original workflow, not compatibility with every present computer.

The panel uses six lights and one button. Keep the relevant light-sequence reference available for readiness, paper prompts and error conditions. AirPrint, Mopria and confidential-job PIN release are not established here. Optional external network hardware would require its own supported setup rather than changing what the supplied printer includes.

Extend the supports and choose the paper path

The original media table supports 150 ordinary Letter, Legal or A4 sheets in the main input at its 20-pound paper basis. Adjust the guides to the load and select the matching size and type in the driver. Extend the paper supports as instructed, particularly for longer Legal sheets.

The one-item manual feeder allows an occasional different sheet without replacing the main stack. Suitable envelopes also have an instructed main-input routine, with up to ten in that path, or can be fed individually through the manual feeder. Keep those capacities distinct from ordinary-paper capacity.

For envelopes, open the front output door for the straighter path and follow the orientation and software settings in the guide. This front path needs working space beyond the closed body. Do not assume an envelope can use the same handling or duplex routine as ordinary paper.

The optional 250-sheet drawer raises maximum input to 400 sheets only when installed. The supplied configuration remains 150 sheets, and the output bin's separate 100-sheet figure can require collecting pages before a full input load is finished.

Back sides need someone at the printer

The documented duplex process prints alternate pages first, then prompts for the stack to be reloaded. Tray 1 supplies the second pass even when an optional drawer supplied the first. Follow the selected binding direction and the guide's reload orientation so that back sides and page order are correct.

This is manual duplex. Someone must handle the paper and use compatible software that provides the process. Check a short document before attempting a larger bundle. A two-sided setting in a printer driver does not prove an internal automatic sheet-turning unit.

Keep the supply measurement contexts separate

The later exact US page declares 1,500 pages for the supplied toner and 3,000 or 6,000 for replacement cartridges under ISO/IEC 19752. The original 2001 guide separately lists 3,000-page 08A0476 Prebate or 08A0475 regular cartridges and 6,000-page 08A0478 Prebate or 08A0477 regular cartridges at approximately 5% coverage. Those declarations should retain their own measurement contexts.

Confirm the exact compatible supply and any program conditions. The guide notes that the Toner Low indication does not appear with the standard 1,500-page cartridge, so inspect the cartridge and output directly. Declared yield is not evidence of the remaining toner or condition of an offered printer.

No recommended monthly range or maximum duty figure is established in the reviewed exact material. Lexmark marks the 19.8-pound E320 discontinued. Check its electrical label, proper cord, supplies, software and physical condition, with room for the open front output path. A documented network or automatic-duplex model is a more suitable comparison when those functions would simplify everyday work.