Your needs, this model
Does it fit your priorities?
Can I print monochrome Legal duplex documents over Ethernet at 14,000 pages monthly, with 350 included sheets and a declared Letter speed of 46 ppm?
Yes, with earlier models enabled. Both supplied inputs support Legal, automatic duplex is documented, and the 15,000-page recommended monthly maximum fits this need.
Explore this need in the finder →Does the base configuration include Wi-Fi without buying the optional radio?
No. USB and Ethernet are standard; the listed MarkNet N8370 Wi-Fi hardware is optional.
Explore this need in the finder →Can it hold 500 included A4 sheets because the maximum capacity is 2,000?
No. Standard included capacity is 350 across the main tray and multipurpose feeder. The larger maximum depends on optional drawers.
Explore this need in the finder →Higher-volume mono printing on a wired network
The Lexmark MS521dn is an earlier reference for a workgroup that wants shared black-and-white printing and larger replacement toner options. Its recommended monthly range is higher than the smaller MS models, but the supplied paper arrangement remains a 250-sheet main tray and a 100-sheet multipurpose feeder. Plan the workload and refill pattern together rather than treating the optional paper maximum as included.
The exact US part is 36S0300, marked discontinued by Lexmark. Verify the regional unit, installed options, actual supplied cartridges and current software when considering an offer. These original specifications do not establish stock, condition or warranty for an individual machine. The related B2546dw adds a different wireless configuration and uses a different toner family.
Print rate, monthly recommendation and paper weight
Lexmark declares up to 46 one-sided Letter pages per minute in black. Automatic print duplex is separately 23 Letter sides per minute. Those manufacturer mode ratings are not measurements from testing for this article. Job complexity, short files and application processing can change actual throughput, while specialty media has its own handling constraints.
The recommended range is 2,000–15,000 printed pages monthly, distinct from the 120,000-page maximum duty cycle. Use the recommendation for routine workload planning. Letter, Legal and A4 have positive support in the normal tray and multipurpose feeder, plus the automatic duplex path. The guide limits duplex paper to 60–90 gsm, despite a wider weight range in the alternate input. A sheet that feeds successfully in simplex is not automatically appropriate for two-sided output.
Expansion is a separate configuration
Standard input totals 350 sheets at the stated 20-pound or 75-gsm basis. That is 250 in the main tray and 100 in the multipurpose feeder, rather than one large drawer. Keeping an alternate stock in the multipurpose input changes how much ordinary paper is loaded and ready. Envelopes follow a separate one-sided MPF routine with the correct paper size and type.
Optional 250- or 550-sheet drawers can expand the documented maximum to 2,000 sheets. Confirm the supported installed arrangement and any stand requirements for the actual package. The original guide requires added options to be made available in the print driver. A catalogue maximum does not guarantee the machine you receive includes the drawers or is already configured to use them.
Connections and protected-job requirements
The included computer interfaces are USB Type-B and gigabit Ethernet. MarkNet N8370 Wi-Fi is optional. AirPrint and Mopria are documented over a suitable shared network, so a mobile device on office Wi-Fi can reach the printer on Ethernet without establishing an included radio inside the printer. A direct USB computer arrangement is separate from that network path.
The 2.4-inch color LCD is a control display, not a color print engine. Lexmark explicitly classifies MS521 as print-only black-and-white hardware, with no scanner, copier or fax. The original guide's confidential-job menu describes memory-held jobs and makes the invalid-PIN-limit setting conditional on disk storage. A complete compatible submission and release workflow needs confirmation before protected collection becomes a purchase requirement; the generic security heading alone is insufficient.
Check the supplied toner discrepancy
The exact US page's box list and supplied-cartridge specification both state 5,000 starter pages, while a nearby general footnote states 6,000. Verify the actual cartridge in the offered package rather than resolving that discrepancy by assuming the larger figure. Replacement options are clearer: US 56F1U00 is declared at 25,000 pages, 56F1X00 at 20,000, 56F1H00 at 15,000 and 56F1000 at 6,000 under ISO/IEC 19752.
Match geographical compatibility and Return Program conditions. The separate imaging unit has its own declared estimate and use basis, and none of these yields establishes current running cost. The body measures 15.7 inches wide, 14.7 deep and 10.2 high at 31.1 pounds before access clearance. Check the electrical label and correct cord. Choose this reference when wired mono printing and the recommended range fit, while confirming paper options and the supplied toner package separately.
Key details at a glance
| Color printing | No |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Recommended monthly minimum | 2000 pages |
| Recommended monthly maximum | 15000 pages |
| Maximum monthly duty | 120000 pages |
| Included ordinary-paper capacity | 350 sheets |
| Declared one-sided mono Letter rate | 46 pages/min |
| Unit-body width | 15.7 in |
| Unit-body depth | 14.7 in |
| Unit-body height | 10.2 in |
| Unit weight | 31.1 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
Maker maximum 46 one-sided Letter pages/minute black; print duplex separately 23 Letter sides/minute. Declared modes, not measured results.
Paper handling
Standard 250-sheet tray plus 100-sheet multipurpose feeder, combined 350 at 20 lb/75 gsm. Both sources support Letter/Legal/A4, all automatic print duplex supported. Optional 250/550-sheet drawers expand maximum to 2,000; none is included. Envelopes use a separate one-sided MPF routine.
Scanning arrangement
Explicitly print-only monochrome laser hardware. No paper scanner, copier, fax or document feeder; generic driver or software lists do not add hardware.
Computer and mobile connections
Included USB Type-B computer printing and gigabit Ethernet. MarkNet N8370 Wi-Fi is optional, so base wireless is not included. AirPrint/Mopria are documented suitable shared-network routes; USB computer and front-flash capability are separate.
Supplies and declared yields
Exact US box and supplied-cartridge field both say 5,000 starter pages; nearby generic footnote says 6,000. Verify the actual supplied cartridge. Replacements 56F1U00 25,000, 56F1X00 20,000, 56F1H00 15,000 and 56F1000 6,000; regular 56F0UA0 25,000, under ISO/IEC 19752. Separate 56F0Z00/56F0ZA0 imaging unit 60,000-page estimate uses three average Letter/A4 pages per job and about 5% coverage. Geographic/Return Program conditions apply.
Software and support
Original exact-family guide documents AirPrint/Mopria. Confidential Print Setup menu describes memory-held jobs and a disk-only invalid-PIN limit, but complete compatible submission/panel release workflow is not established here; confirm before relying on protected release. Current software support needs checking.
Electrical edition and setup
Exact US part and body measurements established. Nominal mains input is not established in the read sources; inspect the actual rating label and correct cord. Body measurements exclude working access and any extended paper guides.
Sources for this assessment
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