The Lexmark E120n is a compact and relatively lightweight laser printer that delivers good quality output at a budget-friendly price. Despite some annoying quirks, the E120n is a good choice for a home office with low-volume requirements.

The E120n is network-ready out of the box, and the installer automatically handles the configuration process for you. Wireless options are available, including a wireless print server ($149) and an 802.11g wireless print adapter ($249).

An operator panel on the front of the E120n has two control buttons (Continue and Cancel) that are easy to use. There are also four indicator lights that may drive you bonkers. A green Ready/Data light and a red Error light blink in a variety of different patterns, depending on what they're trying to tell you. For example, if there's a jam in the printer paper path, the Ready/Data light will blink ten times. We lack the patience for a printer that requires a translation guide, but this may not be an issue for everyone. With the exception of paper jams, errors are usually few and far between, and even paper jams don't happen all that often.

The E120n supports print resolutions of up to 600X600 dpi. Output quality is generally good, although not quite as good as you would expect from a laser printer. Text is sometimes fuzzy at small sizes, and very fine line art has a tendency to break up. Banding in grayscale images was limited in our tests, and photo quality was acceptable for general-purpose use. Output speeds were satisfactory but not notable.

Paper capacity is somewhat limited, which is not surprising considering the E120n's budget price. There is a 150-sheet paper input tray and a priority feeder that can hold up to 15 sheets of standard paper, label or card stock, as well as five transparencies or envelopes. The output bin on the top of the printer can hold up to 50 sheets of plain paper.

The Lexmark E120n may not be the speediest laser printer on the block, but it offers very good value for your money and is a reliable performer for light-duty home and home office use.

Pros: Easy to set up, budget-friendly price for a laser printer with built-in networking, good output quality, compact size fits almost anywhere
Cons: Limited paper capacity, per-page printing costs are higher than average, complicated indicator light sequences, wireless networking is available but costly

Warranty
1 year with Advanced Exchange, limited