Synopsis:
Do you use a printer, scanner, copier and fax machine? Many of us do. The Lexmark PrinTrio X75 handles all of these functions and at an affordable, low-cost (below $100). This hardware offers both value and convenience. It takes four different devices and combines them into one compact machine that takes up just one corner of your workspace, freeing up much of your space for other purposes. It prints in both black and in color with photo-quality (up to 2400×1200 dpi), scans in color at a high-resolution (48-bit color scan depth), copies in color and provides fax machine software. The X75 PrinTrio is an excellent solution that completes many office functions and is an excellent choice for the home, small office, or small business.
I had a Hewlett-Packard printer for years but my flatbed scanner died and I needed a higher resolution for use with the United States Postal Service to print postage due to my eBay sales. I needed a new printer as soon as possible so the search began. I came across this printer trio but never heard of Lexmark before that. But, for such a low price (I believe around $80), it was hard to overlooked. I asked around and most people told me that this was a bad printer. I heard it was too noisy, it eats ink and that it burns out too fast. I looked around a little more but I decided what the heck, if it’s bad, I’ll get a refund. So I bought and the printer worked great and it’s worked great for the past several years.
Contrary to what everyone told me previously, this Lexmark is very quiet compared to my past printers and it hasn’t burned out. It does, however, eat color ink. I emptied out my color ink cartridge in about two months. But my black ink cartridge lasted much, much longer. So, just a word of caution. If you have extensive color printing needs, this probably is not for you. The color printing does offer high-resolution printouts but not on par with higher-priced, professional quality printers. If you just need a utility printer for text and things, such as postage, etc., this is a great low-cost solution.
Instead of buying high-costing replacement ink cartridges, I bought an ink refill kit and, so far, have refilled the black cartridge about five times without a problem. The print head nozzle has clogged up a few times but cleared up with a little wiping and the printer’s self-cleaning feature. The cartridge can’t be refilled but a few more times but I’ve still saved nearly $150 from buying new cartridges.
The flatbed scanner is a lot better than the printer. It can scan color graphics in under thirty seconds on a 300 dpi setting, which is much better than previous scanners I’ve owned. It’s even better on higher setting but can take about three minutes at 9600 dpi. The OCR (optical recognition recognition) is adequate but needs a bit of editing.
The copier works pretty good but I’ve only tried it in black, not color. If set light enough, the quality is as good as any copy you can get at a retail establishment (you know, those ten or twenty cent copies at 7-Eleven, pharmacies or libraries). Save time, money and inconvenience and get this Lexmark.
The fax functions are adequate for occasional faxes – better for sending than receiving. I’ve rarely had problems sending faxes with this machine. But, I’ve had problems receiving faxes. It frequently doesn’t pick up on incoming faxes. The included BVRP FaxTools software is mediocre but serves its purpose adequately.
The included software operates the X75 well and has many maintenance and troubleshooting features. The graphics editing program, however, only offers the most basic of editing functions. I always need to further edit the images in PSP or Photoshop.
The paper feed tray folds up from the top surface of the machine to a near vertical position in the back so it doesn’t take much space up at all. There is a pullout tray at the front to hold your printouts. The paper occasionally gets jammed but what printer doesn’t? Jams are easy to fix but very rarely the computer needs a reboot. One major annoyance is that I’ve never gotten envelopes to feed and print correctly and I’ve read all of their self-help guides.
All of the functions (under basic default settings) can be controlled on the printer itself. A small control section at the front right of the top panel offers power, page feed, scan, black copy and color copy buttons, plus two status lights.
Product Features:
Up to 2,400 dpi and up to 11 ppm printing
Simple 1-touch scanning in 48-bit color
1-touch color copying, up to 9 cpm black, 4 cpm color
Reduces or enlarges 25 to 400 percent
BVRP FaxTools software for storing e-mail and faxes
Technical Details:
Printer type: Thermal Inkjet
Print resolution: 2,400 x 1,200 dots per inch
Print speed, black: 11 black pages per minute
Print speed, color: 6 color pages per minute
Paper handling: Up to 100 pages 20 lb
Scanning area: 8.5 x 11.7 inches
Scanner optical resolution: 600 x 1,200 dpi
Color depth: 48-bit
Copy speed, black: Up to 9 ppm copies per minute
Copy speed, color: Up to 4 ppm copies per minute
System requirements:
CD-ROM drive
One of these OS:
Windows 98, ME, 2000 (all versions, Pentium 200, 64 MB RAM, 286 MB hard disk space),
Microsoft Windows XP (all versions, Pentium 233, 128 MB RAM, 500 MB hard disk, 286 MB virtual RAM)
Macintosh OS 9.2 (G3 300, 64 MB RAM, 250 MB hard disk, 64 MB virtual RAM)
Macintosh OS X (G3 300, 128 MB RAM, 250 MB hard disk, 64 MB virtual RAM)
Interface: USB
In the box: #16 / 10N0016 black print cartridge, #26 / 10N0026 color print cartridge, installation software CD (drivers and software), BVRP FaxTools software, setup sheet, user’s guide, power supply, Lexmark X75 PrinTrio
Dimensions: 18.1″ X 6.6″ X 13.3″
Weight: 12 pounds
Negatives:
There are several negatives, many of which I described throughout my review above. A quick recap of my biggest peeves. The main one being that it’s awful at loading most things except standard 8.5×11″ paper. The color ink is eaten up fast. Scanners aren’t really meant for photographing 3D objects (as opposed to flat items) but previous scanners have done it; this one does not. And the software needs improvement.
Conclusion:
Overall, this is great multifunction machine for home or small office use that takes up little space but delivers adequate results. I won’t say that the X75 is perfect and flawless but it suits my purposes fine. If you need a top notch, professional quality photo printer, this is not for you.
The X75 is a few years old and Lexmark has improved its technology so you should look to find a newer model for under $100 now. The X75 can probably be bought for under $50 now.
