Labs

Multi-function printers don't get much cheaper than Lexmark's X2550, but its performance far exceeded expectations. Installing the software driver was time-consuming, and it then prompted us to start an automatic print head alignment and, for no readily apparent reason, scan the page that emerged.

At over two minutes and minutes 20 seconds per print, the X2550 was among the slowest photo printers too. But quality, although somewhat grainy, was acceptable, and unusually our pictures looked better on Lexmark's Everyday paper than Premium Glossy Photo Paper.

The

ADVERTISEMENT

X2550 held its own when it came to mono document prints, completing our draft test in one minute and eight seconds and giving well-defined lettering that was only slightly pale. At full quality, text prints took only a little longer and looked very presentable. But colour documents were very slow, a single page taking more than a minute.

Scans were suitable for basic low-resolution archival purposes, but higher-resolution images looked grainy. We had to use the scanner driver's Advanced menu to reset our desired resolution for each scan, as neither settings nor previews were retained by the very basic control interface.

This machine isn't well suited to regular use as a photocopier, with slow colour copy printing and banded mono reproduction, but all our text was at least readable.

So the X2550 doesn't excel at anything in particular, but - despite slow colour printing and a frustrating scanner interface - it didn't do at all badly for a fully functional MFP that costs less than most ordinary inkjets. And, unusually for a cheap printer, its ink costs were among the lowest in the group, making it a genuine bargain.