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Multifunction inkjet printers with built-in Wi-Fi have traditionally cost at least $250, and optional Bluetooth attachments for wireless printing add, on average, about $50 to the price of a printer. But Lexmark's 2007 printer line seeks to change that.

Of 12 printers the company says it will announce by year's end, 6 will include integrated 802.11g Wi-Fi capabilities, while 2 will provide it as a $50 option. The company has now launched the first five of these printers, including three that support Wi-Fi printing, which lets you share the printer among multiple computers.

Though we haven't officially tested the units yet--that is, put them through the PC World Test Center gauntlet--I have seen them in person, and the build quality of this series looks to be higher than that of previous Lexmark efforts. Each printer supports Windows Vista, and I've also seen Lexmark's wireless setup wizard software in action. Though the wizard does require you to first connect the printer to your computer via a USB cable, it's quite easy to follow thereafter, and it supports the major Wi-Fi security schemes--WEP, WPA, and WPA2.

Multifunction Models

Here are the highlights of each model. For full details, click on the links; they will take you directly to Lexmark's page for that printer. But first, one big caveat: Keep in mind that Lexmark's quoted print speeds are based on draft-mode quality and exclude the time to feed the first page.

X4550 Wireless All-in-One: Currently priced at about $130, this model sits underneath Lexmark's $280 X9350 Wireless All-in-One , which provides more office-centric features such as two-sided printing and fax capabilities. Nevertheless, the X4550 also includes built-in Wi-Fi networking, and it has a variety of photo-oriented features, including media card slots and the ability to print directly from digital memory card slots, PictBridge-compatible digital cameras, or USB thumb drives. Six-color printing is possible with an optional photo cartridge, and Lexmark rates output at 26 pages per minute for monochrome (black) printing and 18 ppm for color.

X3550 All-in-One: Like the X4550, the $80 X3550 includes media card slots, PictBridge support, and a 48-bit flatbed color scanner/copier. Supplied optical character recognition software lets you use the scanner to turn text pages into editable documents. Wi-Fi printing, though, is a $50 option for the X3550, and Lexmark also rates its print speeds as slightly slower than those of the X4550: 24 ppm for black and 17 ppm for color.

X2500 All-in-One: Lexmark touts the entry-level $60 X2500 as the fastest multifunction printer in its class. It may lack media card slots, but if Lexmark's ratings are on target, it certainly will be speedy: The company says it prints black text at up to 22 ppm and color at 16 ppm.

Also New: Inexpensive Wi-Fi Printer

Z1420: If you don't need all the bells and whistles of a multifunction unit, but you like the idea of budget wireless printing, you might want to check out this unit.

The company claims that the $80 Z1420 is the least expensive printer on the market to include built-in Wi-Fi as a standard feature--and at this point, I'd have to agree. The Z1420 also provides the option to print photos using six colors, and includes technology to help minimize paper jams and automatically align cartridges. Lexmark rates its speed at 24 ppm black and 18 ppm color.

So there you have it. Two booming areas in computer accessories--wireless devices and multifunction printers--have come even closer together, a trend that's no doubt set to continue. We'll definitely be putting these Lexmark printers through their paces as soon as we can. In the meantime, our Top 5 Multifunction Inkjets and Top 10 Inkjet Printers charts can help you choose the best printer for your needs.