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Lexmark X500N

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Pros
Very inexpensive to buy
Impressively sturdy paper tray
Cons
Pricey toner; yellowish, grainy photos
No automatic duplexing available

$425.00 - $607.94
From 16 Merchants

Pricing: Very Inexpensive: $499 (10/21/2008)
Performance: Good: 71
Features: Fair: 67
Design: Good: 79

Find out how these four scores, and their relative weights, combine to produce the PC World Rating.

Pricing

Very Inexpensive: $499

Standard-Capacity Black Cartridge - $134.7

Standard Cyan Ink Cartridge/Toner Cost - $119.7

Standard Magenta Ink Cartridge/Toner Cost - $119.7

Standard Yellow Ink Cartridge/Toner Cost - $119.7

Performance

Good: 71

Text Printing (Plain Paper, Normal Settings)
Tested Text Speed (ppm)	25.4
Three-Page Word Document (secs)	31.11
Ten-Page Word Document (secs)	30.69
Text Output Quality	Superior

Color Printing (Plain Paper, Normal Settings)
Tested Color Speed (ppm)	3.1
Two-Page Excel Document (secs)	28.55
One-Page Webpage (secs)	21.56
4 by 6 Color Photo (secs)	26.9
Color Output Quality	Fair

Color Photo Printing (Glossy Paper, Best Settings)
Tested Glossy Photo Speed (ppm)	1
Sports Action Shot (secs)	61.66
Color Photo Quality	Good

Grayscale Printing (Plain Paper, Normal Settings)
Tested Grayscale Speed (ppm)	2.5
4 by 6 Grayscale Photo (secs)	23.79
Grayscale Output Quality	Good

Lineart Printing (Plain Paper, Best Settings)
Tested Lineart Speed (ppm)	2.5
300dpi Line Art Image (secs)	24.04
Line Art Output Quality	Poor

Scan Tests (in seconds)
Preview Scan, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi	15.62
Preview Scan, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi	14.82
Final Scan Time, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi	13.69
Preview Scan, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi	14.83
Final Scan Time, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi	10.37
Preview Scan, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi	14.82
Final Scan Time, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi	13.33
Overall Scan Quality	Good

Copy Tests
One-Page Copy (secs)	21.94
Copy Output Quality	Superior

Features

Fair: 67

Memory (in MB)
RAM Installed	128
Maximum Amount of RAM	128

Dimensions
Dimensions	19.0 by 17.2 by 21.0
Weight (pounds)	77

Vendor Rated Speeds
B&W Pages per Min.	B&W PPM:31
Color Pages per Min.	Color PPM:8

Resolutions
Max. B&W dpi	1200-by-600
Max. Color dpi	1200-by-600

Interfaces
Parallel Port	No
Serial Port	No
USB 1.1	No
USB 2.0	Yes
Ethernet	Yes
Media Card Readers	None
PictBridge	No

Drivers
Macintosh	Yes
Windows 98	Yes
Windows NT	Yes
Windows 2000	Yes
Windows XP	Yes
Linux	No

Power
Maximum Power Draw (watts)	670
Standby Power Draw (watts)	35

Multifunction Printer Specs
Scan Area (inches)	8.5 by 11.7
Max. Scanning dpi	1200
Maximum Enhanced Scan Resolution (dpi)	1200
Scanning Image Sensor Type	CCD
Scanner Type	Flatbed
Maximum Scan Color Depth	24
Maximum Scan Grayscale Depth	8
Fax Resolution (dpi)	1200-by-1200
Fax Memory (pages)	0
LCD Type	mono

Paper Handling
Number of Input Trays, Standard	1
Number of Input Trays, Maximum	2
Tray Capacity, pages	250
Maximum Sheets With Optional Paper Trays	780
Manual Feed Slot	No
Maximum Paper Size	Legal
Output Tray Capacity	250
Auto Duplexer	No

Warranty & Support
Labor Warranty (years)	One
Parts Warranty (years)	One
Weekday Support Hours	12
Saturday Support Hours	6
Sunday Support Hours	0
Other Service	On-Site Repair
Toll-Free Support	Yes

Cost of Operation Inside of Warranty
Cost per Page, Black	$0.07
Cost per Page, Color	$0.15
Fuser Kit	$231.25

Vendor-Supplied Data (in Pages)
Monthly Duty Cycle	35000
Monochrome Ink/Toner Yields	5000
Standard Cyan Ink Cartridge/Toner Yield	3000
Standard Magenta Ink Cartridge/Toner Yield	3000
Standard Yellow Ink Cartridge/Toner Yield	3000
Fuser Kit (Service Life)	60000
Waste Tray/Cartridge/Bin (Service Life)	30000

Bundled Items
Included Hardware	Power cord, tray extension sheet, expandable tray lid
Included Software	Presto Page Manager

Reliability & Service
Summary of results for all of brand's products in this category	Lexmark printers again had a poor showing, with subpar grades in six of nine reliability and service areas. Lexmark says that its internal surveys indicate that its customers are satisfied. Our readers beg to differ.

Reliability of brand's products in this category
Reports of products arriving with problems	Average
Reports of products with any significant problems	Worse than Average
Reports of problems that render a product unusable	Worse than Average
Buyers' rating of products ease-of-use	Worse than Average
Overall satisfaction with reliability of brand's products in category	Worse than Average

Service & Support Quality
Time spent holding for phone support	Average
Overall quality of vendor's phone support	Worse than Average
Reports of problems unresolved after contacting service	Worse than Average
Overall quality of service	Average

Design

Good: 79

Lexmark X500n Color Laser Multifunction Printer Review

by Melissa Riofrio

- Lexmark's X500n is the least-expensive color laser MFP we've tested. Considering its good overall design and performance, it's a tempting bargain--until you have to buy your first toner cartridge.

Read Complete Review »