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Lexmark X5270 All-in-OneThough the Lexmark X5270 offers speedy text printing and great software, its print quality needs improvement.
 Photograph by Rick Rizner The X5270 printed text faster than any other inkjet in this month's lineup, at 7.7 ppm. Graphics, however, were a tad below average, at 1.0 ppm. Scanning a 4-by-5-inch photo at 100 dpi took just 15 seconds, versus the average of 26 seconds for recently tested inkjet MFPs. Making a copy of a page of text took 28 seconds, about 9 seconds faster than the average. As we saw from Dell's All-in-One Photo Printer 922 (which uses the same engine, drivers, and case), the X5270's print quality was a mixed bag. Text was dark but looked somewhat jagged, though it was still legible down to small sizes. In our line art test, narrow parallel lines overlapped often and bled together rather than forming distinct strands. Color graphics on plain paper had an unnaturally orange cast and looked faded, but blues were realistic. The orange cast remained in the photos we printed on glossy paper, though colors appeared better overall and more detail was retained. Like the prints of graphics on plain paper, copies of text and graphics were faded. The simple case design seems small and sleek, but also feels flimsy and light. The console is easy to use, but beyond the menu and cancel buttons, there are only three function buttons: for copying in grayscale, copying in color, and scanning. The selection is pretty limited; for example, you can't set the number of copies or choose the copy quality from the front panel. The driver, however, includes numerous helpful features and additions, such as a print status box that shows how much ink is left in the cartridges every time you print. Called the All-in-One Center, the software and driver allow you to copy; send a fax through the PC; and scan to a file, specific application, e-mail, or fax. The software will also set the resolution based on the type of document you are scanning and the way you will use it, such as printing, faxing, or viewing on screen. You can edit images and scan text into the included optical character recognition application, ABBYY Fine Reader 5.
This inexpensive MFP will suit users who won't mind using a PC to access most of its features, and for whom print quality is secondary to speed. Lisa Cekan |
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