Lexmark Wireless All-In-One Printer Put To The Test

All-in-one printers can do everything from printing documents to scanning, faxing, copying, and even printing photos from memory cards. We see whether the new Lexmark all-in-one printer with WiFi will be a worthy addition to your small office or home office.

Instead of purchasing a fax machine, a scanner, and a printer separately, businesses often purchase an all-in-one printer to save money. Companies like Lexmark have been providing consumers with affordable all-in-one printers that can print a lot of pages per minute and provide various ‘services’ that give users an edge. Lexmark’s X6570 is an all-in-one printer that not only provides a complete office solution for users, but also has a wireless printing function for easy printer sharing inside the home or office.

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The X6570’s main control panel

The Lexmark X6570 is a white and grey printer that sports a small profile. The main control panel with a 2-line display is located up front, hosting various keys like 2-sided printing, menu, power, copy mode, scan mode, fax mode, photo card mode, and a number keypad for fax functions. Users can also find an SD/MMC/xD/MS memory card slot, a CF card slot, and a USB port (for Pictbridge) on the right side of the unit, allowing users to print photos without turning on the computer. Users can find the duplex cover (for printing on both sides of the paper), USB port, power supply with port, line-in and extension out telephone jack (for fax functions), and a Wi-Fi adaptor at the back of the unit.

The printer has a lot of functions that make it a good addition to any home office. It can print photos and files, scan images, fax important papers, copy documents, and can even print back-to-back with its 2-sided mode. It can also connect wirelessly to a network for wireless printing, allowing users to print anywhere in the home.

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Performance:

After taking all the contents out of the box, getting the printer to work is as simple as following instructions. It took us less than 10 minutes to put the ink cartridges in, connect the phone jacks, install the software, and make the printer run via USB connection. Users can also opt to connect the printer to the wireless network, allowing anyone with a Wi-Fi connection to print their documents anywhere in the network’s vicinity. The setup for this is simple as well, with users only having to connect the printer to the computer in order for it to automatically locate and connect to the network. A Wi-Fi indicator light in front of the printer will show users if the printer is connected to the network (green), if it is not connected to the wireless network (orange), or if there is no wireless card present (no colour).

At default settings, we were able to print 10 text-filled pages in a minute, although we were able to reach the claimed print output of 28 pages per minute when adjusted to quick print mode. We were also able to print a coloured 4 x 6-inch photo in 1.5 minutes, while an A4-sized photo took about 4 minutes to finish.

While the text printouts were clear, we could not say the same for its photo printouts. Photos were not as sharp as we expected it to be, with colours being dull and dark. The only way to go around this is to purchase a separate photo cartridge when printing photos as it significantly improves the quality of prints. When using the Photo Card function (where you put your memory card, CF card, or PictBridge-enabled phones), users will have to print a proof sheet first to see the photos stored in the card. From there, one can choose to print all the photos, the last 20 photos, photos from a date range, or a specific photo.

The scanning, fax, and copy functions of the X6570 were easy to use as the instructions were all displayed on the X6570’s screen. We have also found the 2-sided print button to be handy when printing documents as it automatically prints on both sides of the paper. This gives the printer a ‘greener’ approach, saving paper and the environment as well.

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Lexmark’s Productivity Studio

Lexmark has also included a Productivity Studio that includes functions like scan photos, copy photos or documents, send a fax, scan and e-mail a document, and create a poster or greeting cards. Users can also setup and diagnose the printer from this software and also setup and manage faxes. Other document management programs such as converting documents to PDF and converting documents to text for editing are also available, making it a program worth using most of the time.

Finally, the installation software comes with a Lexmark toolbar for Internet Explorer (a Firefox version is also available and can be downloaded at the Lexmark website) that allows a user to print a web page normally, in black and white, plain text (with pictures removed), or print the photos found on the webpage.

Conclusion:

Considering its RRP of $299, the Lexmark X6570 is an all-in-one printer worth recommending for its ability to print, scan, fax, copy, wirelessly connectivity, as well as its two-sided printing functions, productivity software, and Internet Explorer toolbar. Just remember to purchase a Lexmark Photo cartridge ($42.99) when you are planning to print photos to get the most out of this printer and you will be just fine.

Product Specifications:

Print Technology Thermal Inkjet
Color Technology 4 Color Inkjet – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Optional 6-Color Photo Printing

Function:
Color Copying
Color Printing
Color Scanning
Faxing

Maximum Print Speed (Draft, Black): Up to 28 ppm
Maximum Print Speed (Draft, Color): Up to 24 ppm
Maximum Print Speed (Normal, Black): Up to 10 ppm
Maximum Print Speed (Normal, Color): Up to 4 ppm
Maximum Copy Speed (Draft, Black): Up to 24 cpm
Maximum Copy Speed (Draft, Color): Up to 23 cpm
Print Resolution, Black Up to 1200 x 1200 dpi
Print Resolution, Color Up to 4800 x 1200 dpi
Scan Resolution, Enhanced Up to 19,200 dpi
Scan Resolution, Optical 600 x 1200 dpi

Operating Systems Supported

Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64
Microsoft Windows Vista
Apple Mac OS X (10.4.4-10.4.x Intel)
Apple Mac OS X (10.3.x-10.4.x Power PC)
Microsoft Windows 2000 5.00.2195 or later
Microsoft Windows Vista x64

Standard Ports

USB 2.0 Specification Hi-Speed Certified
PictBridge Certified Port
USB pass-through via PictBridge port
802.11g/b Wireless

PictBridge Certified USB Port

Digital Media Memory Card Compatibility

CompactFlash I & II
Sony Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO
Secure Digital (SD) Card
MultiMediaCard (MMC)
Microdrive
xD Card
Sony Memory Stick Duo (with adapter)
Mini Secure Digital (Mini SD) Card (with adapter)
Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo (with adapter)
SanDisk TransFlash Memory Module (with adapter)
RS-MMC (with adapter)
xD Card Type M, Type H
MultiMediaCard (MMC) Mobile (with adapter)
Micro Secure Digital (Micro SD) Card (with adapter)

Size (H x W x D): 202 x 454 x 350 mm

Weight (kg): 8.0 kg

Product Warranty: One Year Replacement

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Lexmark X6570 Wireless All-In-One | $299 |  | www.lexmark.com

For: Multi-functionality; Easy set-up; Wireless printing function; Can be used without turning on the PC; Memory card ports and PictBridge; Price of printer; Price and variety of ink cartridges
Against: To have better quality photo prints, users must purchase Lexmark’s Photo cartridge which costs $42.99.
Conclusion: The Lexmark X6570 is a printer that can handle most home/office tasks without the need for wires.