Selling Secrets to the Russians, the Lexmark X1185 All-In-One Inkjet
Written: Sep 23 '06 (Updated Feb 13 '07)
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Pros: Decent Bang for the Buck, Includes USB cable & Ink
Cons: All-In-One Function Runs through the computer for everything.
The Bottom Line: It is not truly an "All-In-One," as it requires your PC for Scanning, Copying, and Faxing. Sometimes a Stand-alone is what you need.
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| DeRango's Full Review: Lexmark Jet X1185 All-In-One InkJet Printer |
Lexmark’s X1185 printers could use a bit of improvement, but with the inexpensive overall price per package, it has proven to be somewhat useful and a decent investment. I would personally recommend light usage of the printer for photos, and treat it more of a work horse around the home office. Perfect for the kids papers, making quick copies, or just light office detail at a decent cost to the consumer. A great overall entry level unit
At a Glance
I was generally pleased with the design and found it to be functional. In design, the X1185 doesn't wander too far off Lexmark's characteristic brazen sharp edges and subdued curves. Similarly, it has kept the sleek grey-and-black ensemble that's proven popular in the market. Amateurs should have no trouble figuring out the minimalist controls on the machine as well. Similar to the X1150 before it, the machine needs to be tethered to a PC for all the scanning, faxing, and even the copying functions to work. The controls on the front right tip of the All In One do not function unless the software drivers are running on your PC, severely reducing this Lexmark's flexibility as a stand alone unit. Along with these flaws the performance issues further into the review prove that it does not work exactly according to the design.
Installation
The X1185 gets some serious credit for ease of use. Unlike most printers, there are no fixed installation procedures that you have to follow. You can install the drivers first or let the machine prompt you for them. The printer includes a startup guide detailing steps and instructions to help those who are Computer Illiterate. Similar to other manufacturer’s there is a need to remember the model numbers of your ink cartridges. The software is unable to detect the type of consumables installed automatically. A positive benefit that is included that most manufactures are starting to do, is throw the USB cable into the package, which the X1185 is no exception, this is included in the box.
Compatibility
Apple MacOS 9, Apple MacOS X, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows ME, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Performance
*Black Print Speed: 14 ppm
*Color Print Speed: 8 ppm
In terms of speed, the X1185 completes a 5-page test in a surprising 50 seconds. This was marginally faster than its predecessor the X1150 and placed this unit around other budget All-In-Ones such as, Epson's C43UX, or HP's Deskjet 3550. In terms of photo quality, the X1185 took me a unacceptable half hour to plot out the highest-quality A4-sized picture.
In terms of quality, the prints produced are mediocre at best I would recommend a photo quality inkjet printer specifically for Photos. Even with realigning the cartridges several times results did not improve. Text typically comes out blotchy and smudges characterized the letters with font sizes smaller than 5 points so for smaller type it is difficult to print something readable.
For color outputs, banding and dithering were visible. Photo outputs, the story was pretty much the same. Color Pictures exhibited dithering and banding on glossy media the same. Adding to the downside, the unit did not support borderless outputs and the pictures produced on paper were not centered, which creates wasted time for reprints.
*These numbers can be deceiving, for example these numbers are taken as a test using a USB port (Universal Serial Bus) 5% coverage of the sheet of paper, at the fastest setting/lowest quality (Economy). 5% coverage refers to the ink on the paper, if I took all the black ink on the paper crunched it up and put it in the corner of the paper it would cover 5% of the page. 5% coverage is about a page of text double spaced at 12 font. In summary, don’t expect the printer to print out an 8-1/2 by 11 picture in 7.5 seconds.
Input Tray
-Holds 100 sheets standard paper; or 50 transparencies; or 10 envelopes at a time. Handles letter, legal, A4, A5, A6, B5, Exec, Index (3” X 5”), Postcard (4” X 6”), and multiple envelop sizes. Handles up to *150lb paper.
*Not 150 lbs literally just the thickness of card stock and envelope papers.
Copier & Scanner
Copying Speed (Black) 13 ppm
Flatbed Scanner
The scanner and copier of the X1185 did decently with regarding color fidelity & photos. The scanner delivers images that remained sharp but with colors that were slightly washed out. However, this is a typical trait of most All In ones. The Monochrome scans, on the other hand, faired much better as the quality was noticeably higher and least wasteful with ink. A4-sized scans take about 40 seconds, which is fairly quick for my photo needs.
Because the X1185 does not come with an automatic document feeder (ADF), copy speeds will never be acceptable. Monochrome copies take around a minute, while color copies take 3 minutes or more. The timings were generally acceptable, what aggravates me is the operation of the AIO.
The X1185 uses the same cartridges as its predecessor and the Lexmark Z605. These cartridges can be found in stores like: Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Max, Wal-mart, and On-line, for about $20 black and $24 color, respectively. Using this Lexmark for photo printing could turn out pretty expensive, as the ink levels proved quite low after several copies of photo pictures I had printed.
LexExpress One Year Exchange
A great thing about the Lexmark warranty is that they don’t repair the units, they are simply replaced. If you call and they can’t fix the problem over the phone, they FedEx you a new printer with overnight shipping! You keep the old one too (Paper weight, Door stop, Boat anchor, ect). No hidden charges or shipping dues.
Dimensions
Width 17.5 in.
Depth 12.1 in.
Height 6.6 in.
Weight 9 lb.
The machine--despite the moderate size--still has a tight interior found on most other multifunction units. The scanner bed pops open and rests on a brace, revealing the interior of the printer. It is a pity the angle of tilt is quite narrow, making the installation or replacement of cartridges uncomfortable
Dots Per Inch?
*Max Resolution (BW) 2400 x 1200 dpi
*Max Resolution (Color) 4800 x 1200 dpi
For all you who look at DPI, (Dead Printer Information), I call it this because manufactures can all use different ways of testing DPI. So not to point any fingers, (Cough *Epson*), they count colors not dots. For example you see 1440 X 740 dpi, now if you take the color orange; you have to mix red and yellow. HP, Lexmark, Canon count this as a single dot, Epson however counts this as two. So they use a layering technology that uses more ink and claims a higher DPI. (Don’t be fooled!) My point is that your printer company can claim what it wishes by using different DPI tests, (there is not standard for printers). I’m not bashing Epson they do however have some good quality machines, (I just can’t think of any)...Truthfully DPI stands for (Dots Per Inch), which basically means the more dots per inch, the smaller they have to be, which in turn gives you a less grainy look on your photos because it produces a smaller dot. (Harder for the human eye to see)
When you replace an Lexmark Thermal Inkjet cartridge you also replace the printer head. The head contains the nozzle used to spray the ink onto the paper. Paper is abrasive to the head thus causing it to “wear down” eventually not to work at all or very poorly. So by replacing both the head and ink, you insure high quality prints with no streaking. Some Canon & Epson printers have the heads built onto the units or separate from the ink cartridge itself, which can be costly to replace or repair
Conclusion
In all, the X1185 was a little disappointing in terms of software & driver issues. Due to its software-reliant concept, it really is nothing more than a scanner integrated into an inkjet. I would recommend purchasing a stand-alone unit that does not rely on the PC for every type of daily use. Similarly, because it is unable to copy or fax without the use of a PC, this multifunctional device doesn't fulfill the characteristics of a typical All-In-One in the true sense of the word. Nevertheless, at about $100, the X1185 does provide the consumer with a decent bang for the buck.
Additional Specifications
Platform: PC, Mac
Monthly Duty Cycle 1,000 - 9,999 (Individual)
Monthly Duty Volume 2,000 Pages
Media Type Banners, Coated Paper, Envelopes, Glossy Paper, Index Cards, Iron-On Transfers, Labels, Photo Paper, Plain Paper, Postcard, Transparencies
Max Media Size 216 x 432 mm (8.5" x 17")
Additional Lexmark Inkjet Printer Reviews
Hewlett Packard LaserJet 3055 All-In-One Printer
Lexmark PhotoJet Z705 InkJet Printer
Lexmark X5470 All-In-One InkJet Printer
Lexmark Z645 InkJet Printer
Lexmark Z53 Inkjet
I feel that an informed consumer is a benefit of my reviews, and I recommend reading a flip side review to compare the quality & experience from:kamel622 Review
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 80.00
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh
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