Lexmark Ships All-In-One Printer Devices

Sub-$200 X83 and X73 ink jet printers also handle scanning and copying chores.

Lisa Cekan, PCWorld.com

NEW YORK-- Lexmark is adding two multifunction devices to its recently announced Z-line of ink jet printers. The company is launching the X83 and the X73 at PC Expo (part of TechX NY) here this week.

Both devices offer scanning, color copying, and color printing. The X83 sells for $199 and the X73 costs $149.

The X83 replaces Lexmark's current multifunction device, the Z82. It has most of the same functionality, although Lexmark says its reported speed increases from 8 pages per minute to 12 ppm in black, and from 4 ppm to 6 ppm in color. The X83 offers USB connectivity only and is compatible with Windows 98, ME, and 2000, but not the Macintosh. However, according to Lexmark, it will introduce Mac support soon.

The X83 prints at 600-by-600 dots per inch resolution in normal mode; the maximum resolution is 2400 by 1200 dpi. The flatbed scanner scans at 600-by-1200-dpi optical resolution and 48-bit color scan depth.

Reported copy speeds for the X83 are 10 ppm for black and 3 ppm for color, and it functions as a standalone copier. Using an LCD control panel, you can copy in black and white or color and you can enlarge or reduce images from 25 percent to 400 percent.

The copier also includes a few finishing features, such as booklet printing, poster copying, and N-up, which fits multiple pages onto a single sheet. Poster format copies a single page across multiple sheets.

Slower Performance for Lower Price

Lexmark's new X73 offers the same functions as the X83, with just a couple of tradeoffs in price to performance. For $149--one of the lowest prices for a multifunction device--the X73 prints at reported speeds of 9 ppm in black and 5 ppm in color. Another tradeoff: The X83 can scan at an enhanced resolution of up to 19,200 dpi, while the X73 offers a maximum scan of up to 9600 dpi enhanced resolution. Unlike the X83, however, the X73 is currently compatible with a Mac.

The new units are also somewhat less multifunctional than some devices that carry the tag. Like the Z82, neither the X83 nor the X73 includes a standalone fax, although Lexmark includes software for sending scanned faxes through a PC.

When PC World tested the Z82 in January 2001, we declared the bundled Samsung SmarThru OCR software difficult to use. This time Lexmark includes Sprint OCR and Black Ice fax software, which may be easier set up. However, many offices still fax enough that they won't want to rely on PC-only faxing.