Customer Reviews

Lexmark X6170 All-in-One Scanner, Copier, Fax

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

After reviewing and checking out PC World's latest Mutifunction product review and user comments here at Amazon I was sold. Almost bought HP's 6110 but user comments on CNET scared me. I am overjoyed with the Lexmark X6170 it does everything and more quality & speed are great and setup was so easy it was the icing on the cake. It has stand alone faxing & pc based faxing which was real important for me. This was worth every cent and at $200.00 after rebate it's a steal. Go get it you will not be sorry.

When setting up my office, I came to the conclusion that I needed an all-in-one which included a sheet feeder to make multiple copies/scan multiple pages. With that in mind, I chose the Lexmark x6170. For the reasons set forth below, I have been richly rewarded for my choice.

SETUP - Setup is a snap out of the box. Ink cartridges are easy to install and the alignment of those cartridges is also self-explanatory. The install software installed without a glitch.

PRINT QUALITY - Always very good. Bear in mind that it is not a laser printer, but for an Ink Jet, it will put out good quality prints.

SOFTWARE - Quite useful. In fact even the OCR reading software produced results.

FUNCTIONALITY - The Lexmark x6170 by a push of a button allows the user the ability to scan to various applications including Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat. The Printer Program also allows for double sided printing which is extremely useful. The 50 sheet feeder worked flawlessly. I have not yet had occassion to use the fax.

All in all, I would highly recommend this machine. I have not yet run into any major or minor problems with it to complain about.

I am very satisifed with the x6170 so far. I recently returned a HP6110 because it's software wouldn't play well with my Windows 98 computers. (Read my review.) Finally I gave up, and the store I bought it from, aware of the problem from the HP rep, took it back without question.

I ruled out another HP machine, obviously, and was leery of a Brother because of the printhead reliability issues I've read about in other reviews. The Epson multifunction was SLOW when I tried it at the store, Canon was pricey and just average print quality, so that left only Lexmark. I also required a sheet feeder for multi-page faxing and copying legal size documents, so that narrowed the field even more, until only the x6170 remained.

I wasn't impressed with it's appearance, it looks like it was designed by the same people who design stuff for Target. Maybe I'm getting old. It also is kind of plasticky and has a larger footprint than the 6110.It does have an easy to read blue screen and lighted blue buttons, which I love.

Appearance issues aside, this unit functions beautifully, especially when you factor in the low price. Faxing is fast and the sheet feeder works great. Faxing and copying can be done without your computer being turned on. The software plays well with my computers, and is very intuitive and content-rich, especially compared to the HP. Printing is just one notch below the HP, which was flawless, WHEN it worked. This is merely very very good, but it ALWAYS works. I'll make that trade off!

I can't think of any reason not to recommend the x6170. Don't overlook this machine-give it a try!

UPDATE: I just refilled the ink cartridges. Very simple. Took about 5 minutes. The only difference from HP cartridges is you use a screwdriver to gently pry the top cap off.

The reviewer who said that the installation is complicated should get a new assistant. I can assure you it is fast and easy.

One cavaet: If you use a calling card for long-distance faxes, make sure the PIN number is no longer than 10 digits. It is possible to use a longer one, but it's tricky, and not worth the effort. That issue aside, as time goes by, I am more satisfied with the Lexmark than even when I first posted this review.

wanted to buy a multi-function mach. for home. bought hp 6110, I HATED IT, errors after errors. printed good, scanned and faxed ok, but alwauys having to reinstall software.
then i got a lexmark6100, it installed fine but DID NOT RECEIVE
FAXES NOR SEND MULT. DOC.
I bought my third AND LAST multi-funct. lexmark x6170.
IT WAS EASY TO INSTALL[ONLY ONCE], PIKS SCANNED VERY EASILY.
IT FAXES MULT. DOCS., AND RECEIVES FANTASTIC FAXES.

This is an excellent printer. All around just great.
Great print, fax, scan, and copy. And it has many many features which I might never get to try.
I had some doubts about Lexmark printers, but came out winner. Only if I can find a printer server for this. So far no luck. Would have been nice if it had parallel port as well. Anyway, I recommend it.

I was once very sceptical of anything with Lexmark name attached to it and thought that quality meant the big name brands. Well, I was absolutely wrong. The ease of setting up and using the various functions of this model certainly is a plus and changing ink cartridges does not require review of the manual each time. The X6170 is quiet, has an attractive footprint and the print quality is exceptional.

Lexmark has done something interesting with this printer. They have set their driver installation program up in such a way that you can only install the drivers if

a) the printer is directly connected to the machine via USB, or
b) you buy and install Lexmark's $129.00 N4000e network print server.

What this means is that, unlike the vast majority of printers, you CANNOT use Windows printer sharing in your small office to have multiple computers on your network print to this printer. Lexmark seems to have intentionally disabled this standard Windows feature, without warning the unsuspecting buyer.

Having myself managed and maintained networks with thousands of computers and hundreds of printers I find this undocumented practice - buried on page 75 of a user manual you only see after purchase - as border-lining on fraudulent.

The Lexmark X6170 is a good 4-in-1 printer (with scan, copy, and fax abilities) that is easy to set up and easy to use.

Set-up was a very easy task. Instructions come on a fold-out that contains both words and pictures. In less than 5 minutes, I had the printer powered up, the ink cartridges installed and aligned, and the software installed.

The machine's capabilities are quite extensive. The printer has several print levels to choose from. The automatic document feature is very handy when faxing, scanning, or copying documents.

The control panel is very easy to use, and the display screen is easy to read. The accompanying user's guide can help you to navigate through the various settings and levels within the printer.

The computer software that comes with this printer is also easy to use and understand. Most anything you can do on the control panel can also be done through the Lexmark All-In-One Center on your computer. Unlike many printers I've seen in the past, the Lexmark X6170 does not appear to have any problems communicating with its software counterpart on your computer.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind before you buy a Lexmark Printer, and they both have to do with the print cartridges.

First is the fact that the print heads are a part of the print cartridges. Although this is one less item you have to replace on your own, it means that the color catridges are not separate. When one color goes, you have to replace all three colors. If you are a heavy user of a particular color, like red, this means that you will have to replace the blue and yellow before they are empty.

Second is the fact that there are no generic Lexmark inkjet cartridges on the market (at the time of this review). Lexmark has gone to great pains to keep generic cartridge makers from being able to make generic Lexmark cartridges. The reason for this is money (replacement cartridges are over $30 each). However, Lexmark recently lost a lawsuit over this issue. It is possible that we may see generic Lexmark cartridges (i.e., cheaper cartridges) in the near future.

This printer offers all of the advantages of an all-in-one device with the added advantage of both a flat bed scanner as well as a page feeder for large scanning jobs. It has a very high print and scan resolution and a wonderful print speed. Finally, it is a very attractive device with an innovative shape and all blue backlit buttons and display (No more standard green LEDs! )

I decided on Lexmark after HP printers let me down year after year (I'm a slow learner).

I installed it yesterday. It didn't quite go per the instructions but everything is working just fine.

So far I have faxed, copied, scanned, and printed color and b&w. It prints b&w very very fast, I was impressed. Color prints fast but is slower when compared to b&w. It prints much much faster than any HP printer I have owned-very impressive.

I am very happy.

I gave 4 stars as it is a little clunky in it's construction. They could have tightened up the design a bit, reduced some of the ricketiness factor. Also, the installation, while in the end was fine, did not go per the written information provided by Lexmark.

Definitely, if you want photo quality, you will need a different printer. BUT the photo quality is not as crappy as the PC World review made it out to be. The trick to to be sure to select the quality of printing you want (Best). The photos I have copied on Best quality are good, yes if you look you can see lines but it won't be the first thing the eye sees.

I have gotten excellent color copies off a color original.

And scanning pics in is easy, the software you use is easy. I love it!

If you want a multifunction for business purposes or for projects and you don't need to print award winning photos, then this is the machine for you.