TECHXNY - Lexmark shows two all-in-ones

By Alexandra Krasne
PC World, 06/27/02

Targeting buyers with tight budgets, Lexmark International Inc. has unveiled a pair of all-in-one devices that replace copier, fax machine, scanner, and printer in one fell swoop. The PrinTrio and X125 multifunction devices are being shown here this week at PC Expo/TechXNY.

Lexmark's X125 All-in-One Office Center is a 2400-by-1200-dpi USB printer priced at US$179 and scheduled to ship in July. The model can output 16 pages per minute in black and white, and 8 pages per minute in color, according to Lexmark tests. It's also a 33.6-Kbps sheetfed fax that sends and receives color and black-and-white pages. Plus, the device's fax memory can store up to 80 pages.

A sheetfed scanner provides 600-by-1200-dpi optical resolution with up to 9600-dpi enhanced resolution and a 36-bit color scan depth. Finally, the X125's black and color copy capability handles your copying needs at up to 12 black-and-white pages per minute and up to 5 color copies per minute, according to Lexmark.

The model's LCD screen is easy to navigate and allows you to copy as many as 99 black or color copies from an original and resize photos and documents. The X125 ships with a black cartridge, a color cartridge, phone cords, and ViewAhead photo editing software.

Budget Entry, Too

Lexmark is also showing the new PrinTrio, a printer, scanner, and copier rolled into one device. The product is priced at $149 and is also expected to ship in July.

Reported speeds of the 2400-by-1200-dpi printer are 11 pages per minute in black and white, and 6 pages per minute color. The flatbed scanner offers up to 600 by 1200 dpi (up to 9600 dpi enhanced), and a 48-bit color depth.

Unlike many all-in-one devices, this one has a low profile, which means that it takes up about as much desk space as a large ink jet printer. The included color copier lets you reduce or enlarge images 25 to 400 percent, but is for those with "light copying needs," as it reportedly reproduces only up to four color copies per minute or four black-and-white ones. Lexmark also bundles PC fax software to create and send fax messages.

One drawback, however, is that Lexmark's photo print longevity hasn't stood the test of time, according to tests conducted by Henry Wilhelm, founder and president of Wilhelm Imaging Research. His research concludes that Lexmark papers fade significantly more quickly than do prints from HP, Epson, and Canon. Lexmark representatives say that they're working to improve print longevity and that they're conducting tests internally.

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