According to Lexmark, it also shipped originally with a full set of drivers and software for Vista 圆4, XP, XP Professional 圆4, 2000 or later, and Apple Mac OS X version 10.3.9-10.5.x, a list that's now been extended to include Windows 7 and OS X 10.6. I chose a USB connection for my tests, plugged in the supplied USB cable when told to, and then went through the rest of the automated setup.įor my tests, I installed the printer on a Windows Vista system. Then follow the instructions on disc to remove the packing materials, load paper, connect the power cord, turn on the printer, and insert the print head and four ink cartridges (one for each color).Īfter you get the cartridges snapped in, the software installation starts. First find a spot for the 8- by 18.8- by 13.3-inch (HWD) printer, and insert the installation disc in your PC. The setup steps themselves are easy but not entirely straightforward. Fortunately, installation is a one-time thing, making this only a minor issue. I find this more cumbersome than having a printed version to work with, both because I have to keep switching my attention (and swiveling my head) between my computer monitor and the printer, and because it means I can't easily look ahead a few steps as I work. Setting up the S405 is reasonably typical, except that Lexmark puts the installation instructions on disc, so you have to work through them on your computer. If you generally go through 20 or fewer pages per day, however, that won't be an issue. If the total number of pages you have to print and copy-including incoming faxes-is more than about 20 pages per day, having to continually refill the tray can quickly turn into an annoyance. However, the 100-page input tray still limits it to light-duty use. The fax capability and ADF together make the S405 the best choice in the series for a home office, since it's a rare office that never has to fax or deal with multipage or legal-size documents. It's also the only one with an automatic document feeder (ADF) to let it scan multipage documents as well as legal-size pages (which are too big to fit on the flatbed). The S405 is only model that adds faxing-standalone faxing as well as faxing files along with optional cover pages from your PC.

Beyond that, the features vary, with no one model offering every feature. In addition to connecting by USB cable, all four support WiFi, so you can print to them easily from both your home office and from anywhere else in your house.

Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security SoftwareĪll four models share some other features too, including the ability to print directly from PictBridge cameras and memory cards, which is one of the photocentric features that makes them useful as home printers.

Lexmark s405 installation software