Lexmark X4250

The X4250 is one of very few multifunction devices to offer colour faxing, but it's so rare that, whoever you fax is unlikely to be able to see it. A 100-sheet feeder at the top rear of the machine provides the main paper input, with a 30-sheet automatic document feeder in front to handle scanning, copying and faxing.

As far as printing goes, draft print speed is quoted at 10ppm for colour and 19ppm for plain text. We couldn't get anywhere near these speeds in our tests, with a 25-page mono text document taking two minutes, 40 seconds to appear - more like 9ppm. Switching to full-quality mode slowed things down to 6ppm. Lexmark's claim of 'near-laser quality' certainly wasn't borne out in our tests either. It's dark enough, but the spidery edges of characters make for occasionally malformed portions of text, even on specialist inkjet paper. Draft quality was only marginally lighter, but it suffered from the same quality issues. While it's fine for personal use, we'd hesitate before using it in presentations or important correspondence.

Colour speed was also disappointing, with a rate of 2ppm in Best mode, and only marginally quicker in draft. Graphic images and photos came out reasonably well on plain paper, although there was slight banding evident on closer inspection. Draft mode left images washed out, as well as severely banded, some so severely that even using it for layout proofing would be unwise. Printing a photo at the Best setting took just over ten minutes, but was again disappointing. Even on Lexmark's own paper, the results were grainy and dull, also suffering from noticeable banding.

The sheet-fed scanner input rules out bound documents. It's not ideal for photographs either, which tend to get bent in the process - and it's barely worth the risk,as the resultant scans suffer from obvious lines. Documents fare better though, with enough legibility for archival or OCR work. Copy quality and speed are restricted by the printer, with an eight-page newsletter taking nearly 15 minutes to complete. There's a slight degradation evident from the originals, butÊnothing severe.

The 'Control Center' software is well put together, with a wealth of wizard-based options to cater for common tasks. Advanced settings are a little buried, but it keeps the layout clear for common functions. The driver interface is well laid out too, and offers comprehensive options for banner printing, posterisation and booklet printing. There's also a facility to print an image in reverse, for use in T-shirt transfers for example. A nice idea is the option to have the status reported by recorded voice samples, informing you when a job is starting or finishing - something that you'll find either annoying or useful.

Build quality is more shaky. The main bulk of the unit is sturdy enough, but the various paper trays feel flimsy, and flex worryingly under the slightest pressure. The front-panel overlay also doesn't fit entirely snugly, leaving the buttons underneath too recessed to use with comfort.

There's no denying you're getting a lot of features for the money, but it comes at the detriment of speed and quality. And while it costs relatively little, the running costs are high at nearly 4p per page. Unless you're looking for a perfunctory device for internal business or personal use, it's one to avoid.

Author: Ross Burridge