The HP Color LaserJet 3800 and Lexmark C720 are both small workgroup color laser printers, but have a few defining characteristics that may influence a purchaser’s decision. Let’s start with printing speed; the HP 3800 is rated for 21 pages per minute in color and the Lexmark is rated only at 6 pages per minute. The difference is in the quality even though the Lexmark has a slower processor, 266 MHz as opposed to the 533 MHz in the HP 3800, it produces better quality color prints. If speed is your main concern then stick with the Hewlett Packard.

Both of these printers support the same printer languages, PCL 6, PCL 5E and PostScript 3 but the Lexmark C720 blows the HP 3800 out of the water with supported platforms. The HP only supports Mac and Windows users while the Lexmark is compatible with SuSE Linux, SunSoft Solaris, Novell, and Red Hat Linux to name a few; the list is long and covers almost everything. The HP does handle and carry more media capacity than the Lexmark by about 100 sheets creating higher performance and better work flow. Base memory is a bit higher on the HP 3800 at 96 MB opposed to the Lexmark C720 base memory of 32 MB.

Envelopes are supported well in both printer camps with a few variations; the HP LaserJet 3800 supports US No. 10, while the Lexmark C720 supports both US No. 10 and No. 9 giving it a slight edge over the Hewlett Packard. The HP has a larger monthly duty cycle of 65,000 making it a bit more durable and better suited to higher volume printing needs. Toner cartridges are a bit simpler to change on the Lexmark with all of the consumables in one place under a single access panel. The HP Color LaserJet 3800 is far better suited for fast and higher volume printing but the Lexmark C720 provides slightly better graphics at a slower speed.