Lexmark S305 Impact Colour Inkjet Printer Review
Downgraded to Poor Status*

The Lexmark S305 Impact printer was released almost two years ago. To make space for their new range of models, Lexmark have slashed the price of this Wi-Fi enabled multi-function machine.

Lexmark have obviously put some thought into the product and packaging. On opening the box we were surprised to see a USB cable had been included with the machine. There was also a professional looking folder containing user manuals which gave a sense of quality, even at this price point.

The S305 has a small mono LCD screen on the font next to some basic control buttons. There is a PictBridge port and memory card slots on the right side of the front fascia. There is a decent flat bed scanner with a 1200dpi resolution.

Lexmark introduced the new Ink system featuring Vizix print technology with this model. The S305 uses four individual No. 100 and 100XL Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow Ink Tanks that slot into the built-in print head of the machine. Previously all of their cartridges contained print heads, pushing up the price of their consumables. The new Ink Tank system and the availability of compatible cartridges lower the running costs of this machine considerably.

One important point to note is that Lexmark recently released a software update for this printer. The update prevents the use of compatible cartridges with this machine. Do not download the update if your intention is to use copy cartridges with the S305!

Print quality and speeds are decent, and now that the price of this machine has been reduced and XL compatible cartridges are available, the Lexmark S305 Impact printer becomes a worthwhile purchase. It may not offer cutting-edge technology like some of its rivals, but it does the basics well and works with Number 100 XL compatible cartridges.

*Update:
Further to our original review we have found that several customers have had problems with the printhead. Certain nozzles had become blocked, or ink was flooding out of certain colours. When contacting Lexmark customer support they suggest you download a software update, even though this is not the correct fix for the problem. The software update prevents owners from using compatible cartridges. Lexmark will not offer any technical support or help without you agreeing to perform this action first. If you refuse then your only course of action is to return the printer under warranty. Lexmark will request you return it to the shop it was purchased from. Because of these problems we are downgrading our score of this printer to Poor.