BIOS: Technology Means Business

Lexmark has recently introduced three new all-in-one (AIO) thermal inkjet printers which claim to deliver industry-leading value and ease of use for the home printing market. The X3480 (£79.99) and X2470 (£59.99) AIOs offer some of the best values in the industry for direct photo printing, scan and copy functionality. The downside is that build quality and performance is somewhat lacking.

The X3480 and X2470 (reviewed here) also include Lexmark’s new Web Toolbar software, which makes it quick and easy to print pages, text and photos from the Web in just a few clicks without advertisements and other unwanted elements. Lexmark’s Web Toolbar also enables you to adjust the size of photos, as well as select normal or draft quality printing options. The new X1270 (£49.99) is the industry’s price-leading AIO, combining high quality printing, scanning and copying in a compact, stylish design.

The X2470 (153x375x286mm, 4.9kg) all-in-one gives your family the capability to do more, whether you are printing homework, Web pages, photos or other everyday documents. The printer is relatively reliable and easy-to-use, and represents terrific value. The only criticisms that can be levelled at the device is that print, scan and copy quality is below par and the build quality of the device is basic - the plastic buttons feel cheap and the scanner’s lid seems to hang on to the main unit by a thread (actually, two rather flimsy plastic catches).

The new Lexmark X3480 AIO is designed for home users looking for a multifunction printer with broad general purpose functionality at an affordable price. With direct photo features (memory card slots and PictBridge support), print speeds up to 5ppm (17ppm in Draft), as well as a 48-bit colour scanner and colour copier, the X3480 sits at the top of Lexmark’s range.

The X2470 incorporates direct photo printing, scanning and copying functionality into compact unit - and at the best price point in its class. The device prints at speeds up to 17ppm and copies and scans with the touch of a single button. You can also plug your camera directly into the easily accessible front-panel PictBridge port and press a single button to print borderless 4x6-inch photos. Having said that, photo enthusiasts will be disappointed with the printer’s lacklustre 3-colour (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) print quality. Small-business users looking to reproduce documents for customers should also look elsewhere.

The X2470, like the X3480, features Lexmark’s specially designed single cartridge printing system, which produces photos, colour graphics and text with a single cartridge, eliminating the cost and hassles of buying multiple cartridges. The control panel (three dedicated buttons, no screen) lets you make a colour copy independently from your computer, as well as make a 4x6-inch borderless colour copy of a photo and open the ‘All-in-One Centre’ software to preview the scan on your monitor. You can also initiate scan-back alignment if the button is held down for three seconds.

Technical specifications of the device are surprisingly reasonable. These include print speeds up to 17ppm in both black and colour (about 45 seconds for a 10x15-inch print) and print resolutions up to 4800x1200dpi (optimised). The X2470 has a maximum paper capacity of 100 pages (20lb or 75gsm bond) and supports a basic range of media types: coated paper, envelopes, labels, plain paper, transparencies , banner (A4 or Letter), Hagaki card, index card (3x5-inch), iron-on transfers, and photo paper.

Media sizes are supported up to A4 (210mm x 297mm), and it has a maximum monthly duty cycle of 1000 pages. It’ll scan at a resolution of up to 600x1200ppi, and copying is super speedy at 13 black and 5 colour copies per minutes.

The X2470 is one of the industry’s price-leading AIO and a respectable choice for the cost-conscious consumer looking for basic everyday print/copy/scan functionality. For less than £60 you get moderate print and copy quality, speed and ease of use - along with an attractive compact design. The downside is that if you’re after a photo printer there are much better offerings. Black text quality on regular office paper is acceptable, but the fact that the printer uses a single ink cartridge to produce both colour and black inks means you’ll have to change the whole cartridge when a single colour runs dry. Mac OS users are also out of luck. [6.5]

[Best Printer Pricing UK]
[Best Printer Pricing US]