Customer Reviews

Lexmark X83 Scanner-Printer-Copier

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

After comparing the Lexmark X83 at a CompUSA with the comparable HP, we chose to purchase it. In short, we have been very pleased with it. For reference, our previous printer was a Lexmark 3200 which we also bought for its value.

The print quality is fantastic, with a stunning high-end of 2400x1200. On Kodak photo-paper, the images are amazingly vibrant and life-like.

B/W printing is very fast and crisp at the default we set (600x600 on plain paper). It looks at least as good as the office HP laser printer, although that might have to do with the better paper we use at home. I prefer the Lexmark technology to the HP REt; it seems to make small letters more readable.

Others have written about the X83 not being networkable, and that is my biggest gripe. I "solved" this by connecting the printer to my USB hub on the desk top, instead of the USB port in the back of the computer. I unplug the printer from the hub and attach it to my laptop when I want to print from the laptop(rare; I usually print my work at the office). The USB connection makes it very easy to do this.

The USB connection has also proven useful for scanning. Transfer between the printer and the computer is much faster than the old printer connection (my old scanner used a bi-directional parallel port).

Scanning is easy. You can use the included little applet, which is simple. I tried OCR to convert an encyclopedia page to text, and it was pretty accurate. OCR has come a long way since the last time I tried it.

Copying is done via the front panel. One reason I chose the Lexmark was that the copy bed was like a copier. I believe the comparable HP used a page feed, like a fax, which makes copying book pages impossible; the HP flat bed was (...) more expensive. The cover also comes off, which is handy for those really fat books I have.

So, here's a summary:

HITS:

* Cheap compared to HP
* Good quality print in B/W and color
* USB connection
* Easy panel operation
* Flat-bed scanner for copying/scanning books

NITS:

* Not networkable
* Colors not quite true in copying
* Bundled software? What bundled software?

OVERALL:

See my 5-star rating! Great for home use.

I wrote a lengthy review for this printer. I don't know where it went. I do not understand how the other reviewers don't see this as a far superior printer to the competition. Do yourself a favor, and go into your local office supply store, take a full color picture advertisement from any available in the store. Put it in the X83 and Color copy it. Then do the same for every other machine out there, ESPECIALLY THE HP's. No contest, the Lexmark is superior scan and print quality. The colors are fuller, richer, truer. HP has a history of reliability problems. If you do not believe me, simply check out the reviews on their regular printers especially the CSE models. I bought one, for 400 dollars and got burnt. It worked for 6 months of occassional use, then was replaced with a refurb from HP, and that one gave me 6 months and two weeks. Just enough time to no longer qualify for the one year warranty. 400 bucks???????
My brother has the HP 950 multi-function. We have run it though every test, and he admits the Lexmark is superior at half the money.
Every store salesman I run into pushes the HP. Must be the margins. (And I don't mean the kind they have on the page) I wrote a long and elaborate review before, explaining the differences in the results, comparing the HPs with the X83. Too exhausting to do it again. It has been a couple of weeks, and it is still not posted. If for any reason you see a review magically show up, you know why I wrote two.
Do yourself a favor, and don't listen to people who do not know how to load drivers in Windows. Don't listen to people who have been beat up by salesman, who convinced them that the HP was superior. Check it out for yourself.
By the way, go into the Lexmark 3200 printer reviews, and see how many people are writing favorable things, even though the printer is two years old. I have two of those, ran a business with them, and they are still working perfectly. (They aren't super quiet) Just very nice printers.
The X83 is the Best. It scans and copies the best. It print photographs the best. The colors are deeper. Sometimes the HP misses outlines altogether, the light grays fade into a non print, and the Lexmark captures all of that.
Do a side by side, judge for yourself. The truth is evident. The proof is in the pudding.

Shopping for a low-cost multifunction machine? Then you'd better be ready to compromise. At the low end, you must choose between flatbed scanning and full-featured faxing, between speed and price. If you're on a budget, and you think that faxes are best handled by fax machines, then the X83 is an excellent choice.

At my local retailer, the only other machine in this price range was the HP PSC 500 (excluding a few offerings from the Xerox SOHO division, which no longer exists). The X83 beat the PSC 500 hands down in all of my experiments, with better color imaging on photos and 3-D objects and faster, quieter printing. The Lexmark has other nice features, from separate controls for color and monochrome copying to an easily accessible cartridge area.

Like another reviewer, I also compared the X83 to the HP PSC 750 (which, though reasonably priced, was outside my budget). Here HP closed the gap (product specifications aside). I did not notice a substantial difference in quality, but the HP did seem faster. The lack of bundled fax software with the HP had no impact on my decision.

Justifiably, any decision to buy an all-in-one from either manufacturer will be influenced by the reputations of their printers. Though I have been completely satisfied with the X83, I would strongly urge looking into extended warranty options (from a retailer or direct from Lexmark). Only time will tell whether this is a good buy or just a good deal.

This is a great buy for anyone who needs a low cost home copier and printer. Its fast (fastest around for [its price range]), and has great features. The enlargement feature is amazing. You can enlarge to the exact percentage point (136%, 248%, ect.) and it englarges flawlessly. This copier is great. Another great thing is the ability to do standalone color and black copying, because some things like this have to be hooked to a computer to copy, but not this. The printing feature is nice to, I print photos on it and have no complaints, they look like I took them to a developer, when its just my little all in one copier thats doing the printing. In terms of speed, it could be faster, but then I would have to pay more. For home use, I could not ask for anything more. A great piece of equipment!!

I have not returned my X83, but I have been thinking hard about it. The hardware is incredibly good. It scans and copies great. The printer is wonderful - very vivid and crisp.

If you have one computer in your home - go for the X83.

If you have more than one computer - look elsewhere.

The X83 'does not support networking' - this from Lexmark tech support. The control program runs as a windows appication not as a service. The software developers at Lexmark did not figure out how to integrate the X83 with Windows printer sharing. I have tried extensively and have not been able to get any W98 (W95 is not supported), WME or WXP clients to be able to print over the network to the X83.

I HAVE been able to get Windows 2000 clients to print to the X83 over the network, but it is awkward. The user that installs the printer software has to be logged on to the server when you print to the X83 (because the control program is a windows application).

Lexmark Technical Support didn't mention anything about correcting the situation, just that X83 doesn't support networking.

Again, if you have one computer, get an X83. It is a beautiful piece of hardware. If you want to share the X83, think about something else.

Pros:
1. Great print/scan/copy quality!!! (fast too) and easy to use
2. Great price
3. Networkable with windows 2000
4. Fast warm up time and fast transfer rate with USB2 cable
5. Nice printer driver (even have voice alert) and scan software
6. Light weight

Cons:
1. Does not include USB2 cable, have to buy separately (feels like buying a printer without getting a printer cable)
2. The black ink cartridge that comes with it is defective (alignment problem), have to buy a new one. The sales person told me that the cartridges that come with the device are only good for 50 pages.
3. Cannot scan/copy legal size document

The scanner works just great, single pass, true 48 bit color. When I scan images and objects, they come out the exact same color. The scanner also has the functions of any other scanner, you can send straight to e-mails, fax, copy, imediately save and send images to selected programs.
The printer is wonderful, at 2400 X 1200 dpi, the colors are more vibrant and accurate. Also, the printer nearly has the speed of a laser printer.
The copier is just great, you don't need to turn on your computer to copy images or objects. Also, you get the option of copying in color or black & white, which you don't get with alot of other multifuntional printers.
The options printer also has over 20 customizable options which makes it even better and easier to use.
The PC faxing function works great too, it not has hard as I thought it would be, it's as simple as one touch of a button.
When a new cartridge is installed, it detects it.

If you decide to purchase this machine, you won't be sorry. It's truly an absolutely fantastic machine!

I decided to write because I see two other people in addition to Lexmark tech support saying this device is not networkable. It works for me. I have two Windows 2000 machines with the X83 plugged into one of them and the other pc (is) able to share that printer and its functions. I did nothing unusual, only set up print sharing on both boxes. Nice quality photo prints but scanning seems a bit blurry.

Nicely put together. Seems quite solidly built and integrates well. Very quiet and the price is definately right. The only real negatives are the fact that its not terribly fast and its a pc fax. It doesn't have the card reader function of the brother product but it is half the price. It's easy to recommend this product.

Machines were set up next to each other..I ran both black and color samples in all 3 modes...the hp 750 cost [cost] more but Lexmark had supposedly higher resolution. Both color and black came out better on the hp..Salesman was pushing the lexmark telling me it came with full ink and not started ink like hp. Also was told the paper transport was better by lexmark.... However Here is what i liked about hp. 1) Higher support frame so copy stays on flat bed better (the top and bottoms).2)Much faster!! Better quality copies in every mode.Is it worth the [cost] extra...only if speed and quality matter. ...