Lexmark Multifunction Inkjet Printer (21A0500)

List Price: $66.99 Discount Price: $44.27

Features:

• Print up to 22 ppm black and 16 ppm color printing
• Printing up to 4800x1200 dpi print resolution in photo mode on glossy media
• 1-Touch PC-free copying (color or black)
• Reduction/enlargement capacity from 25% - 400%
• 1-99 copies at a time

Customer Reviews:

I wouldn't, if I were you ... [Posted on 2007-08-14]
I'm living away from home for some months and needed an "all in one". This seemed like the ideal device. HOWEVER:

(1) The drivers include spy software: every time you print, it exchanges network messages to Lexmark, informing them of with your serial number and how much you're printing. It will not print without an internet connection!

I called Lexmark and got into an argument with them. They denied and denied this, but after some time, they finally admitted it.

(2) Changing my firewall from Windows to Zone Alarm rendered the printer nonfunctional, as it relies on direct UDP messages to DNS to do it's dirty work -- it does not use the normal Windows protocols.

(3) Also, there is a cartridge issue. The so-called "Lexmark program" cartridges are a scam. The network data exchanges the printer makes with Lexmark every time you print decide when you've used "enough" ink from the cartridges; the printer is then told to declare the cartridges "empty", whether they're empty or not -- and the printer stops functioning.

Oh, by the way: it prints OK in monochrome, reasonably in color on plain paper. Photo printing is sub par. Scanning is purely for airheads who don't know how to set up a scanner; the controls are very rudimentary, and the driver resets itself to its defaults after each page is scanned.

This thing is an ink hog!!! [Posted on 2007-08-14]
I recently bought this printer due to features and price. While it does a great job, it uses way too much ink. I don't do a lot of printing and I am having to buy ink cartridges on a weekly basis. I had an Epson before this printer and will be going back to the Epson brand.

I personally think that Lexmark is making their printers affordable and then sticking it to you with the ink usage and cost of cartridges. I would not recommend this printer.

Uses a lot of Expensive Ink [Posted on 2007-08-16]
The printer does an adequate job on printing b/w and color. Previously, weused an HP Inkjet that did much better on draft copies and consumed ink at a much slower rate than this printer. Add to this, how expensive the ink is (three cartridges of black equals the cost of the printer) and it's not a real bargain.

I do like the scan feature that can make copies even with the computer turned off. That's time saver for me.

The ink consumption and the way Lexmark keeps you from buying other ink are real drawbacks.

The Gillette Principle Applied to Printers [Posted on 2007-10-22]
While on a vacation trip in the Southeast, I found myself in suden need of a scanner and copier. I'd visited a library and in their archives found a plethora of documents and photos I could use for research. There were so many that paying for copies would have gotten into more money than I wanted to pay, and the librarians had no time for scanning photos.

I decided to buy a cheap printer/scanner/copier, since I already have one at home. Nothing in Circuit City or Best Buy was cheap enough, so I buzzed into Wal-Mart and picked up a Lexmark X2500 (XP certified) for $46.97 plus tax. The choice was mostly by default, since Lexmark was the only brand in the store that was Windows Vista-certified.

Interestingly, the printer came with everything except the black ink cartridge. The color cartridge was there, but a note on the box stated, "Black cartridge sold separately." This reminds me of the King C. Gillette marketing trick of selling shavers at little or no profit in order to create a repeat market for profitable double-edge razor blades.

The cartridge cost $17.97, so in reality I paid about $66 for the printer/scanner. The situation begs the quetion: Is Lexmark selling printers cheap, giving retailers the lion's share of the profit in order to make money on ink cartridges? No doubt they're making money on the carts at the selling price, and it may well be that, as with other Lexmark printers I've owned, they won't last as long as the carts in my HP at home.

At least I'll have an emergency backup printer on hand when the HP gives out. Plus, the X2500 really is small enough to be called portable. Maybe I'll pack it next time I travel by car, just to have it available.

The scanner functions fine, though the software could be easier to use. It seems to have been designed in a hurry. The editing features are limited, so you'll want to have your own editing software. But as a standalone photocopier the machine does a good job, color or B&W. If you do library research and make a lot of copies, this machine is worth it for the copier function alone.

Important note: I was pleased to find that the X2500 operates as a copier without being connected to a computer. That means I don't have a lug a laptop to the library if all I'm doing is photocopies.
--Mike

Disposable P.O.S. [Posted on 2008-01-23]
If you want a cheap, disposable product - you've got it. A friend bought this for his new Windows Vista system (Problem #1), and asked me to see if I couldn't get it to work faster. Killing all the annoying noises and print "enhancing" color and sharpness tools didn't even put a dent in the abysmal performance of this device. The only way this would even appear to work faster is if you left the printer here on earth and ran your computer at the event horizon of a black hole. Lexmark continues to try and rival HP for frill filled drivers that are more annoying than useful - although they ensure you use ALL their software by making the printer non-functional if you fail to install EVERY LAST FRIGGIN BIT of it. AND, as another reviewer noted, God forbid that you're somewhere you don't have an internet connection or refuse to allow local SERVER services on your machine.

As far as scanning goes, fergeddaboutit. I clocked this puppy at almost a FULL TWO PAGES PER HOUR on a simple black and white text page. I had to stop the color scan test as I was ready to commit suicide.

This is my third experience with LEXMARK, and it's "three-strikes, you're out!" Unless you're otherwise trapped, find a cheap EPSON or CANON instead!!

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