Lexmark E460dn: wired monochrome documents with confidential release review

A shared printer for a wired workgroup

The Lexmark E460dn fits a specific earlier-model routine: several people send monochrome documents over Ethernet, print both sides automatically and release appropriate confidential jobs at the machine. Its four-line display and numeric keypad are useful for that last task. The main limitation is that this wired configuration does not include the wireless radio found in the separate E460dw.

Lexmark identifies US part 34S0700 as discontinued. It remains useful as a configuration reference for an installed or explicitly identified secondhand unit, not a present-stock claim. Check the suffix, complete paper setup, regional electrical label, supplies and available driver before deciding whether a particular machine can replace an office printer.

Confidential release has a defined computer workflow

The original guide names the E460dn on its cover and describes a supported Confidential Print routine. In a compatible driver, the user chooses Print and Hold, supplies a user name and creates a four-digit PIN using digits zero through nine. The job waits in printer memory. At the operator panel, the user locates the held job and enters the PIN to release or delete it.

That can reduce the time sensitive papers sit unattended in the output bin, but it requires the correct driver and submission method. It is not a claim that every application supports PIN jobs. Confidential jobs are deleted after printing, and the guide warns that additional memory demand can remove held work. This memory-based procedure does not require inventing an included hard disk or treating every generic network-security feature as secure release.

Keep the interface choice explicit

The standard interfaces are USB Type-B, IEEE 1284 parallel and 10/100 Ethernet. USB provides a direct computer attachment; Ethernet gives the printer its own wired-network arrangement. Lexmark's statement that the port also works with 1000Base-T describes compatibility with such a network rather than a gigabit connection speed. Connection cables are excluded from the original US box list.

An external wireless print server is listed as optional equipment. A bare E460dn should not be described as a Wi-Fi printer merely because the series has a wireless variant. AirPrint, Mopria and Wi-Fi Direct are not established by the read sources either. For a modern computer, confirm a compatible print driver and the necessary network configuration; the historical operating-system list alone is insufficient.

Ordinary reports and specialty media take different paths

The declared maximum is 40 one-sided Letter pages per minute, while automatic duplex has its own 18 Letter sides-per-minute figure. These are Lexmark specifications, not measurements from testing for this article. Letter, Legal and A4 are positively supported in the ordinary inputs and duplex path. The original guide limits that duplex paper routine to its specified weights, rather than granting every supported specialty medium two-sided operation.

The normal input is a 250-sheet tray and a 50-sheet multipurpose feeder, totaling 300 sheets at 20 pounds or 75 gsm. Envelopes use the instructed one-sided multipurpose path. An optional 250- or 550-sheet drawer can be added, one at a time; the published 850-sheet maximum requires the larger accessory. The recommended monthly range is 1,500–10,000 pages, separate from the 80,000-page duty ceiling. There is no scanner, copier or fax in this print-only unit.

Supplies and installation can settle the choice

The supplied Return Program toner is declared at 7,000 ISO/IEC 19752 pages. US replacement examples include E260A11A at 3,500, E360H11A at 9,000 and E460X11A at 15,000. The E260X22G photoconductor is separate and carries an up-to-30,000-page declaration. Check actual consumable condition, geographic compatibility and cartridge-program terms. A high replacement yield does not establish current cost per page.

The body is 15.98 inches wide, 14.55 deep and 10.2 high at 30.87 pounds; Lexmark separately gives a 23-inch depth with trays extended. Allow operating and service access, and confirm the actual regional power label rather than assuming universal voltage. This model is coherent for wired mono printing with compatible PIN jobs. Compare E460dw for documented built-in Wi-Fi, an explicitly mobile-capable model for phone printing, or multifunction hardware if originals also need scanning.