Crave

Lexmark's 4.3-inch touch-screen LCD.

(Credit: Lexmark)

Not to be outdone by HP's recent touch-screen printer, the folks at Lexmark just debuted their line of Web-connected touch-screen all-in-ones.

The big difference between the two is that although they both have touch technology, the HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web is meant to live in the home, while the three printers featuring Lexmark's MyTouch technology are designed to increase productivity for the business market. Nevertheless, this won't stop us from putting them side-by-side in the first ever Web-connected, touch-screen-printing kumite.

Only three out of the eight new products include a large 4.3-inch touch screen, coincidentally the exact same size of HP's LCD screen. I had a chance to preview the entire lineup, and I was impressed with the comprehensive set of new features built into each device. The "SmartSolutions" button layout lets SMBs streamline their work flow by customizing their home screen with easy-to-use applications that include template shortcuts, address book favorites, RSS feeds, ID and ID card copies--all built into the machine with updates available through the host computer.

Four of the new printers also feature 802.11n wireless connectivity and all eight include Lexmark's Vizix technology that uses individual ink tanks to produce higher quality output at a cheaper refill cost. Business users will also be happy to see Lexmark's new business card scanning technology that recognizes and automatically uploads contact information into popular desktop software suites. One drawback: the technology isn't available for Apple's vCard address book sync.

All of the new printers will be available in September, and we'll be getting units into the CNET Labs as soon as possible to begin testing, so check back soon to see who will win in a head-to-head match.

Dear Lexmark,

We'd like to invite you and one of your printers to join our secret society: it's called Best 5, and although we don't have perverted initiations, secret handshakes, or kooky hats, you do get to feature your X7675 Professional on our list of the Best 5 printers.

We put the X7675 printer/scanner/copier/fax machine through a series of grueling tests to gauge its print speed, ease of use, and output quality, and we're impressed with the results. The front mounted control panel contains individual buttons that toggle commonly used preferences, and you can even plug your camera's memory cards into the media bay for direct printing.

The printer did tempt us to unleash the ceremonial paddle two times during our tests: first, the paper input tray can only hold up to 100 sheets of paper, while the competition offers similarly priced units that can support 250 pages. As long as you don't mind refilling paper every once in while, this is a minor irritation. Second, the tray that's supposed to catch paper as it rockets out of the printer is way too short; we actually stationed a pledge with a trashcan beneath the printer to catch the falling debris, but it's also a problem that is easily solved with five fingers and a little attention.

So congratulations, Lexmark--your X7675 Professional now joins the ranks of the most world renowned Top 5ers. Your inauguration will come at a time of our choosing--maybe tonight, maybe six months from now, but we recommend continuing to bring the heat--your membership depends on it!

Convergence is the key to staying ahead in the technology game, so it's no surprise that printer vendors are offering more and more printers that do quadruple duty as scanner, copier, and fax machine. Today, Lexmark caters to the back-to-school shoppers with a handful of new All-in-Ones that are competitively priced but include all the features you'd find in their larger counterparts.

The $99 X5650 AiO is a printer, scanner, copier, and fax machine with an auto-document feeder for scanning/copying stacks of paper. It can reportedly print up to 25 black pages per minute and 18 color. Unique to this model is a port that sits on the front of the printer, making it easy to quickly connect and print through a laptop.

The $129.99 X6650 is also four machines in one and adds a wireless printer server built into the device. It also has a 2-inch OLED screen, an auto-document feeder, and the same reported print speed as the X5650.

Finally, the $149.99 X4950 only has three capabilities (print, scan, and copy), but also has wireless, two-sided printing (duplexing), a 2.4-inch color LCD, and an auto-document feeder.
All three models in the Home and Student series will be available in September.

So you bought a brand new computer for your home and want a desktop printer to go along with it, but don't have a ton of cash leftover? No problem. Prices for single-function inkjet and monolaser printers have dropped significantly in the past five years, and you can easily pick one up that'll handle the job for less than $150. Leave the high-volume documents for the laser monster at work and invest in a scaled-down, simple printer for the home.

Take a look at our roundup of inexpensive printers for the home.

Don't be tempted by the bundle of functions, Lexmark's z2420 is a dud of a printer. Initially, it might seem like a good deal: the single function photo printer is available online for $82, comes with built-in 802.11 b/g, and boasts a new hardware design over last year's model. The z1420 had some serious output quality issues that we assumed would be fixed in the next iteration, but unfortunately, the z2420 is no different.

Aside from the terrible print quality, we also spent the majority of our testing time trying to pull paper out of feed tray jams--not fun. The official review is live, so check it out and the next time you're shopping for a inkjet, remember there are definitely better options.

Ask anyone about Lexmark printers and they would probably mention "affordable" at some point. That may be, but it doesn't necessarily mean that quality is sacrificed.

The X6575

(Credit: Lexmark)

In recent years, all-in-one (AIO) units are becoming more popular as they are space-saving, and price reductions have further boosted sales of this category. Probably with this in mind, Lexmark's introduced its new line of all-in-one targeted at home users, students, and small offices.

The X4650 is part of the Home and Student line of printers that Lexmark released earlier this year. It boasts Wi-Fi connectivity for wireless and network printing and, according to its Web site, the fuss-free installation process should be complete within 10 minutes. The X4650 can print, copy, scan, and output pictures directly from flash media or PictBridge.

The X6575 is targeted at professionals and business users. It also has Wi-Fi, which we think is great so everyone can print from it without the messy cables, and is fitted with an auto document feeder that can hold up to 25 pages for multiple-page copying or faxing.

The X2650

(Credit: Lexmark)

Another new AIO from Lexmark that has fax function is the X5495. Without Wi-Fi, it's a scaled-down version of the X6575. Compared with the professional model, the print speed is slightly slower at 25 pages per minute (ppm) for black and 18ppm for color prints.

According to its specifications, the X2650 looks like an AIO for students. Stripped of the slots for memory cards and PictBridge function, this printer houses the bare essentials of what is required for an AIO--copy and scan on top of printing, which is what a student may be using the most.

(Source: Crave Asia)

...Or at least, multiple armloads of printers. Lexmark announced six new printers today, both wired and wireless, but all inkjet. Lexmark has been at the forefront of offering wireless capability built-in, even on its low-cost, consumer oriented single-function printers like the Z1420. This new batch of printers includes four that offer wireless networking:

The Lexmark X7550 Wireless All-in-One.

(Credit: Lexmark)

- X6570 Wireless All-in-One ($150): this unit prints, scans, copies, and faxes. It also offers memory card slots, a PictBridge enabled USB port, an automatic document feeder, an auto duplexer, and optional six-color printing. It lacks a graphical LCD however, offering just a text LCD.

- X7550 Wireless All-in-One ($200): the X7550 is basically the X6570, with the addition of a 2.4-inch color LCD for previewing photos, and faster print speeds.

- X4850 Wireless All-in-One ($150): the X4850 lacks both ADF and fax functionality, but includes a graphical LCD.

- Z1520 Wireless Color Printer ($130): the Z1520 is the update to the Z1420. It offers memory card slots and optional six-color photo printing.

The X5070 and X5495 are both full-color all-in-one printers, though unlike the previous models, they lack wireless capability. The $90 X5070 features fax, scan, and copy capability, a built-in handset (for faxing), an automatic document feeder, and PictBridge support. The $100 X5495 offers slightly faster print speeds than the X5070, but a smaller ADF.

All of these models will be available in September, except for the the X5495 which will hit stores in December.

The X4550 multifunction includes wireless connectivity.

(Credit: Lexmark)

Lexmark announced today five new additions to its inkjet printer lineup, two of which include wireless networking. The new printers range from basic, single-function offerings to multifunctions suitable for multiuser environments.

- Z1300--the Z1300 is a $25 basic printer that offers 22ppm black and 16ppm color. It uses a two-tank ink system (black and CMY), with an optional three-color photo tank for six-color photo prints.

- X2500--the X2500 is a color 3-in-1 printer (print, scan, copy). The $60 unit offers 22ppm black and 16ppm color printing (in draft mode).

- Z1420--the $80 Z1420 is a single-function printer that offers both USB and built-in wireless networking. It prints black at 24ppm and color at 18ppm.

- X3550--the X3550 is an inexpensive multifunction (print, scan, fax) printer at $80. It comes with built-in memory card slots, a PictBridge port, and print rates of 24ppm black and 17ppm color. Wireless connectivity is optional on this model and the wireless adapter unit is simple to install.

- X4550--the $130 X4550 is the high end of this new round of printers. It offers wireless connectivity, multifunction printing (photo, print, scan, copy), built-in memory card slots, and a PictBridge port, and it prints black at 26ppm and color at 18ppm.

The new multifunctions come with an improved software suite that allows you to easily edit and print photos. All models are available now. Check back soon for full reviews.