Quantcast
Subscribe to magazine

NEW Reviews Beta Feedback

Get Printers updates
  • Print

Lexmark X5150 All-In-One Printer (Lexmark-17K0284)

-

Pending
thumb 1
  • X5150 All-In-One Printer (Lexmark-17K0284)

Lexmark X5150 All-In-One Printer (Lexmark-17K0284) Review

by Roy Santos

Our Best Buy MFP is a solid all-around performer at an affordable price.

WHAT'S HOT: For quick scans, the Lexmark X5150 left most of its MFP competitors in the dust. Scans of 4-by-5 color prints at 100 dpi, for example, took only about 18 seconds. The X5150 scanned a 2-by-2 color print at high resolution in just over 40 seconds. The unit also finished second in color printing speed, bested only by the Canon MultiPass MP730.

This MFP is one of the few networkable devices in the roundup. An optional $100 network interface card lets you connect and share the printer on your home or office network.

  • Would You Buy This?
  • 0Yes
  • 0No

Got a Hot Tip?

Seen news about this product? Send us a link.

WHAT'S NOT: Unfortunately, image quality is not the X5150's strong suit. It earned the lowest score for scan quality among all units in our June 2003 roundup, and it landed in the middle of the pack for print quality. Our judges rated its copy quality Good.

WHAT ELSE: The X5150 includes Abbyy's FineReader OCR engine, which is well integrated with the main software interface, making it easy to access and use. Though the MFP doesn't offer stand-alone faxing capability, it does include BVRP Software's FaxTools, which lets you use your PC's fax modem to fax documents.

Upon installation, the Lexmark driver detects most of the graphics and productivity applications on your computer. It lets you scan graphics or text documents directly into your choice of applications. And if it misses a program in your lineup, you can always add the app manually to the MFP's application menu. These setup tasks are easy to do, and the setup routine worked most of the time in our hands-on testing.

UPSHOT: The Lexmark X5150 is one of the most affordable networkable MFPs in this roundup. Though the quality of prints and scans leaves something to be desired, the unit satisfies basic print, copy, and scan needs with impressive speed.


SUMMARY
Lexmark X5150 All-in-One Print Center





$



User Reviews for Lexmark X5150 All-In-One Printer (Lexmark-17K0284)

  • Reviewed by: witchy

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths:

    Weaknesses: page feed, changing cartridges, support, printer is loud and slow

    Overall Evaluation: The paper feeds crooked all the time! When I changed ink cartridges I started to get white horizontal lines on part of my page. I figured maybe I left something on the cartridge but no I had not. I reinstalled both the black and color, followed the on-printer window and instructions... still part of my printouts have lines or incomplete sections and not always in the same place. I can NEVER depend on the print I will receive whether I'll be able to use it or not.

  • Reviewed by: MJCLEMENS33

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Farily easy to operate. Fast black & white copies

    Weaknesses: Ink costs are outrageous! Cartridges difficult to find. Drinks ink! Scanned documents faded & rarely legible. Not suitable for consistent, true-color photos.

    Overall Evaluation: I purchased my printer primarily for digital photos. The Photo-Editing program is weak. A new cartridge will print true colors for a few pages, then blues look teal, grays appear purple and skin tones often Orange. I use only Kodak professional quality paper, have a nice computer with Windows ME. I use more ink printing trouble-shooting or cleaning pages than I do printing photos. I use several cartridges a month and have the same experience every time. Scanned documents are often streaky and faded and are rarely legible. Not much better quality than the old Lexmark I used for years. The old model was not a photo printer. Cartridges not available at discount stores, only at high-end office supply stores or on-line. After less than a year and a half, I'm shopping for a new printer that actually prints quality photos and have no doubt that it will pay for itself quickly. It won't be a Lexmark!

See all user reviews

People who looked at the Lexmark X5150 All-In-One Printer (Lexmark-17K0284) also looked at:

Latest Printers Playing in PCW Video

More Latest Printers Playing in PCW Video ยป

Latest Printers News, Reviews, How-To's

  • HP Printer Connects Directly to the Web HP's Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web All-in-One Printer can print news stories and directions directly from Web sites, but the execution could use more polish.
  • Printing 35mm Slide Scans When you scan and reprint photographs, chances are you'll retain their original size or only make modest adjustments. But when you scan, or order high resolution...
  • Lexmark's Platinum Pro905 Printer is Suitable for a Small Office This color inkjet multifunction printer is a competent small-office device that can can access and view Web-based applications on its LCD.
  • IMo Foto Frame Also Prints Your Pictures Digital photo frames are hot products this season, as more and more consumers look for ways to free their growing photo collections from the computer. But why...
  • HP Says Some Windows 7 Printer Drivers Are Coming Some new Windows 7 users may find there are no drivers yet for their Hewlett-Packard printer.

Best Prices on Ink & Toner

See all Ink & Toner

Best Prices on Paper

See all Paper