Customer Reviews

Lexmark X83 Multifunction with USB Cable (10K0000)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

This Multi Function gives great functionality, but is bigger than what I had imagined , it does not offer standalone fax option, and USB only.

Right out of the box it can be used as a color or black and white copier, without needing to be hooked to a computer. It has a nice regular Copier Control Panel where you can set the printing quality, enlargement/shrinking, and other settings for your copies. Its flat bed scanner lets even open books to be scanned/copied. Copies' quality is very nice, even on the normal setting and using regular paper.

Once hooked to the computer there are drivers for Win98/ME/2K/XP that let you control scanning, copying and printing from your PC. I really liked the control panel window, and you may use it to check the MF instead of using the real panel. I was not able to find Linux drivers for it, though.

PROS:
One box for printing, scanning, and casual copying.
Good printing/copying quality (better than some Color Laser Printers I have tried).
Power Saver Mode.
Good Windows printer drivers.
Flash upgradeable firmware (downloadable updates).

CONS:
No standalone FAX option.
No Linux driver.
Relatively big footprint.
USB only, no optional parallel port for printing.

...P>First, color is okay but requires such manual calibration that it will drive you nuts. You manually align the heads, which isn't a big deal until you have to keep popping out/inserting the cartridges.

Color saturation is descent, but contrast is rather dull. Copying actually looks better than printing - most 1600x1200 digital photos of mine came out looking bland.

My biggest problem is the driver - IMHO, a printer driver should just hang out with the Windows spooler and not have anything spurious. Not so with the Lexmark. You have extra software that must spawn each time a job is launched, which means that you have extra apps eating memory and you must be logged on to a machine for the printer to be networked.

Mine was defective - it kept saying "cartridge short" and I had to restart the printer each time. Sometimes the printer firmware itself would die requiring me to unplug/replug the machine. I returned it and got an Epson Stylus C80 - much better.

If you want good quality & scanning, get a seperate scanner and printer. Much less headache.

My small business depends on dependability and veristility of our equipment. We are quite limited in space so when I was looking for a multi-function printer the X83 looked like a good bet. It turned out to be an incredible machine for the money. We love it and it does everything we need it to. Print quality isn't the best that I've seen but it is very good. It is very easy to use. I can't imagine a better bargain.

This machine is very easy to use - with or without the computer running. Copying is easy with the scroll menu on top, and the print is adequate for most uses. Photo editing software is more complex than most - doesn't allow for cropping - but still easy to use. On- screen menu for scanning is very user-friendly. I would recommend this machine over some of the other ones we tried, especially for the price.

OK. Would you like a REAL review of the printer. OK... here it is...I have had the misfortune of having [it]for 6 months it has never worked for any length of time.
I have XP and before that ME, does not matter it does work on either one.
Problem communicating with the printer ..will become words that you will cringe when you hear them.
The printer cartridges are ...... the most expensive on the market and unlike most other printers you cannot find refilled catrges.
...BR>Do not waste your money this thing is a joke.. think I am kidding? I emailed ... and offered to send it back to them free!... They refused to pay shipping!!...that should give you an idea of the quality of this product.( I am not joking)
I first saw the X83 and thought that it would be a great printer copier, now I see why it was cheaper than the HP.
I know my review sounds extreme but I would recommend that your save your money and your sanity.

i've had it with this mach. it has so many problems i don;t know were to start.
for one thig i keep getting a "carrier stall" message. when i called lexmark for help they said that they never heard of a carrier stall messg. i asked the support guy how it is that it's in the mach. problem display and yet he never heard of it.
the collor is very poor and i would think that it would be a smart move for them if they gave the mach. for free and for the price they charge for the cartridges they could make out like bandits. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT THIS UNIT.

As much as I've tried to get my temper under control, the piece of crap from Lexmark has almost sent me over the edge. I've finally given up toady as I ripped the entire unit off my desk, threw it out the door, and commenced to stomp it into oblivion in the driveway, much to the horror of my neighbors.. The paper jams, printing poblems and quality is THE WORST I've ever seen.

This will be my LAST purchase from Lexmark.

My real rating is minus ten stars. >:-<

I'm really surprised to read that anyone is a fan of this printer. I bought this printer after my daughter was born so I could print all her pictures and make photo albums. The paper never feeds properly. I tried everything I could to correct the problem but each time it yanks the paper to one side and reads "error". This is so frustrating. I've never had such a problem with any printer. Recently purchased a HP for a fraction of the price and it works perfectly. I've spent the past few months making those photo albums that Lexmark prevented me from making. This printer is very flawed and I'm not surprised that they no longer sell it. Did Lexmark even check it before manufacturing it and selling them? Can't imagine many of them faired well. Beware of the Lexmark X83!

Well I am going to have to agree with most of the other reviewers, this thing is lousy. It has never really worked correctly, and the print quality is terrible. The scanning doesn't work too well either. I just bought a new computer, and I haven't been able to get this to work. I am fairly computer literate, but after half an hour of working with this thing it still won't work. The plug and play doesn't work since Lexmark has not updated their drivers, and the installation program from the CD's freezes up all the time. Not to mention this thing is enormous, at least double the size of a comparable replacement.

Which is what brings me to Amazon today, buying something new to replace this piece of junk. Don't buy it.

Should you buy a Lexmark X83?

The simple answer would be No.

Why?

The Lexmark X83 guzzles $40 ink cartridges. Design of the 'paper feed mechanism' is inherently flawed. As a draftsman, I have yet to see one print emerge with text and/or picture geometry squared at right-angles to the paper.

I also had the misfortune of receiving my new Lexmark X83 with smudges under the scanning glass!

Lexmark has failed to release a Windows XP driver update since November of 2002 and Firmware revisions halted at v5.81; released in January of this year. Are the firmware and driver updates important? Surely they are when the X83 still Fails to operate flawlessly in Windows XP and Windows 98SE.

Simple plug and play right? Not with this printer. Keep away from the X83. Try an HP.