It’s obvious that inkjet technology has come a long way in a short time. Still, the $99 Lexmark Z43 color inkjet printer is pretty amazing.

The Z43’s solid output quality will be adequate for many users. It handles text printing better than graphics, but it does both adequately well. You won't want to print large, detailed photographs with regularity on the Z43, but small photographs are surprisingly sharp. Lexmark offers a special photo ink cartridge for the Z43 that will improve output quality a little bit. At the highest resolution, the Z43 can print at 2400x1200dpi.

As is the case with most low-priced printers, the Z43 suffers most in the area of speed. At high resolutions, the printer will be annoyingly slow, printing text pages at 1 to 2 per minute and a single full-color graphic page in 3 to 5 minutes.

The Z43’s input area will hold only 100 sheets, and the guides seemed a little flimsy. We wouldn’t recommend overloading them. The input area can handle several types and sizes of input media, including some thin card stocks.

Some people might find the Z43 tougher to use than other printer models because it offers very few controls on the printer itself. You’ll have to run the printer almost exclusively through your computer. However, Lexmark’s printer driver software is adequate for handing the task.

The Z43 does have a few drawbacks, but the bottom line is the printer’s bottom line, which is less than $100. Never before has so little money bought you such a strong printer.

Pro: Good printer for low price.

Con: Slow output, especially with photos.