The simplistic design of the Lexmark Z 31 inkjet printer is typified by the presence of just two control buttons and respective lights – for power and paper feed. The shape and styling too is in keeping with the modest dimensions of this entry level product, and is clearly very much rooted in the era of a decade ago when it first came on the market.

As with most printers in the Lexmark range, the Lexmark Z 31 inkjet is simple to install. Once hooked up to the computer and the mains outlet, it is but a matter of minutes until you can start to print. The drivers may need to be downloaded but once installed, the auto set-up regime and test printing, will allow you to get under way in about 20 minutes.

A basic paper tray has a capacity of just 100 standard letter sized sheets of paper, whilst this is easily accessed from the top of the Lexmark Z 31. Whilst no options exist to increase this capacity, there is a separate feed for single sheets and envelopes, which can be very useful for the home user. Resolution can be as high as 1200×1200 dots per inch (dpi), though speed is sacrificed.

The Lexmark Z 31 does have a “Quick Print” mode that allows for up to eight pages per minute to be printed. This changes the resolution back to 600dpi, but does improve the speed significantly. However, colors can fade where pinks can appear to be more of a lavender color, blacks a darker shade of gray, and reds to appear orange. Whilst print quality is better in “Normal” mode, the colors can fade considerably here too.

The Lexmark Z 31 is further hindered by its minimal connection via parallel port with no serial port option, let alone the popular USB connectivity. It is also only easily compatible with Windows operating systems, though as mentioned earlier, XP and Vista drivers will need to be downloaded from the Internet.

There are some saving graces for the Lexmark Z 31 however, as it retains some nice features. It was one of the first printers to be given Lexmark’s “Accu-Feed” paper handling system, to minimize blockages for example.

For an entry level printer, some nice photo options exist too, whilst printing on the maximum setting does deliver good quality, if slow copies. It is possibly a victim not of its own deficiencies, but how fast paced printer technology has become over recent times.

Out of the box, you will have everything needed to set-up and go, making it a great idea for a kid’s first printer. Included in the box are a black, and color Lexmark Z 31 Ink Cartridge. Printer Ink is as simple to replace as you would expect from this user friendly piece of kit, being no harder than lifting the top, letting the print heads come to the middle automatically, and then switching the old ones for the new. Lexmark ink is trusted worldwide.