Lexmark has done well with its line of dedicated photo printers and the new generation, of which the P350 is a part, continues the company’s reputation for entry-level printing. With Tesco pitching it at just £70, it’s one of the cheapest compact photo printers we've seen.
The P350’s screen displays small animations for tasks such as replacing the single, tri-colour ink cartridge, as well as menu navigation and photo preview. It ratchets up from the top of the printer, allowing for several viewing angles.
On the front of the printer are six buttons, with the now familiar four-way navigation arrows surrounding a confirmation key with a tick on it. The other keys offer cancel, automatic red-eye removal, a photo-enhancement menu and print start.
Compared to the P450, the newer device is slimmer and lighter. Two slots at the front can support most flavours of memory card, including Mini SD and Transflash, with appropriate adapters. You also need an optional adapter for a Bluetooth connection, but as supplied, the printer takes input from Pictbridge and USB2.
Lexmark claims a print speed of 75 seconds for borderless 6 x 4in prints – the largest the P350 can produce – in normal mode. Take this with a pinch of salt, as under our tests it took over a minute and half to print from a PC.
Prints from a Pictbridge camera and SD card took 123 seconds and 143 seconds, respectively. Although short of the claimed speed, these times are faster than earlier Lexmark photo printers and are more in line with its main competitors.
The P350 is also the first Lexmark printer to use evercolor 2 inks. Lexmark claims these new pigmented inks can resist fading for up to 100 years behind glass, when printed on Lexmark’s Perfectfinish photo paper.
The images produced were clear and well-detailed, with natural hues and less stippling than we’ve seen in the past from Lexmark. Consumables are supplied in a 100-shot print pack for £20, giving a very acceptable cost per print of 20p.
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