The Lexmark X5150 All-In-One Printer is Good for Home Use
Written: Dec 08 '03 (Updated Sep 19 '08)
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Pros: Easy to set up and use. Good quality printing.
Cons: Dust shows up easily on it.
The Bottom Line: The Lexmark X5150 is a good printer/copier/scanner who want all three but who don't want to spend a lot.
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| dragonfire88's Full Review: Lexmark X5150 All-In-One InkJet Printer |
I have used several different printers, at home, college, and work. I have had several at home, including two different Lexmark models. Some of the printers have held up longer than others. Just over two years ago, I got the Lexmark z22 Printer. I was very happy with that printer. A few months ago, I got a new printer, the Lexmark X5150 All-In-One Printer.
My other printer was still working fine when I got the Lexmark X5150. I had thought it would be nice to have a printer that would also work as a scanner and copier. There have been a few times when having a scanner would have been helpful for something I was trying to do. I frequently need copies of receipts for rebates, and I was tried of having to go all over town to try to find a working copier every time I needed to copy something. I had considered getting a multifunction printer when I got my last one, but they were more expensive than I could afford at that time. I have continued to look at them every so often, and I knew the prices had come down. I found a good sale on the Lexmark X5150 a few months ago and decided to go ahead and get it.
The Lexmark X5150 prints, scans, copies, and can send faxes if it is hooked up to a computer that has a working internal fax modem. This is a color ink jet printer. The scanner is a flatbed scanner. I wanted a flatbed for the scanner/copier part of the printer because I thought it would be easier to scan and copy what I want that way. I need to copy small receipts at times, and I wasn’t sure that would work well with a different type of copier. For what it does, I thought the price I paid, $120, was very reasonable. It does print good quality text and pictures, but someone needing a printer for a business may want to get one that is a bit better and prints faster. Copies that are made with this printer are of good quality as well. This printer is intended for home use. The printer came with a power cable, software CDs, two ink cartridges, an owner’s manual, and a poster that illustrated how to set up the printer before using it for the first time.
SIZE
The Lexmark X5150 is larger than my last printer. It is the largest printer I have ever had. I was able to put the printer on the same stand I had my old one on, but it does take up more room on the stand. This printer may not be the best choice for people who have limited space. The printer is 9.46"H x 18.48"W x 15.56"D. It weights 14.5 pounds, heavier than my last printer, but not so heavy that it was hard for me to move around. The printer is black on the bottom and the top is silver. The colors of the printer do match nicely with my black Dell Dimension 4400 Computer. Dust is more noticeable on this printer than it was on any of my previous printers. It is very easy to dust off.
OPERATING SYSTEMS
The Lexmark X5150 will work with a few different operating systems. The printer will work with Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP. It will also work with MAC OS 9.2. and MAC OS X. I have Windows XP on my computer and have had no trouble using this printer. For the rest of the review, when I discuss how things are done, it will be referring to how they work in Windows XP since that is the operating system I have. One of the CDs that came with the printer had the drivers and programs for Windows. The other CD had the MAC version of those things on them.
MANUAL
A user’s guide came with the Lexmark X5150. The guide says it is for the X5100 series of printers. The picture of the printer on the cover looks just like mine. All of the diagrams that are in the manual look like my printer as well. I don’t know what the different between the X5150 and the X5100 are. The manual covers how different things on the printer works, including the programs that came with it. There are directions on printing, copying, scanning, and faxing. There are also sections on what maintenance to do for the computer and troubleshooting for when something isn’t working right. The manual says that it just covers how things are done in Windows. MAC users can click on help in any screen of the programs to get to the user’s guide for Macintosh. I don’t understand why the directions for Macintosh computers aren’t in the manual as well since they were with my last Lexmark printer.
HOOK UP
It was very easy to hook the Lexmark X5150 up to my computer. This printer must be connected to the printer with a USB cable, which does not come with the computer. I had an extra one around the house that came with something else so I didn’t have to worry about getting one. The power cable connects to the back of the printer. That part is much larger for this printer.
SET UP
I didn’t have any trouble setting up the Lexmark X5150. The poster that came with the printer clearly showed what to do to get the printer up and running the first time. There were a few written instructions on the poster as well, but it was mainly pictures. There were several steps, but it didn’t take long to do. Before connecting the USB cable to the printer and the computer, the power cable it to be plugged in and the printer turned on. On the right side of the top of the printer is a small display screen. Under the display are the buttons that make up the operator panel. Some questions show up in the display that are answered with the buttons on the operator panel. The scanner unit portion of the printer lifts up and there is a little lever thing under there that has to be moved to unlock the scanner so it will work. The scanner unit must also be lifted up to install or change the ink cartridges. After those are installed, then it is time to hook the printer to the computer with the USB cable. Windows XP did detect the new printer at that time. I put the CD into the computer and installed the drivers and software. That only took a few minutes. There is additional software that is needed if you want to use the fax. That doesn’t automatically install.
INK CARTRIDGES
The Lexmark X5150 uses two ink cartridges, one for black ink and one for color. I haven’t had to replace either one yet. I did check to see how much the cartridges were, and both were around $30, about the same as the cartridges for my previous Lexmark printer. I think the black one was a dollar or two less. The cartridges can be found in stores that sell printers and printer supplies. I’m sure they could also be found on the internet. It was very easy to install the cartridges. There was some tape to remove from the bottom of them, and a sticker as well. When the scanner unit is lifted up, the print cartridge carrier will stop where you can get at it to install the cartridges. There are lids that fit down over the cartridges that must be lifted up to install or change the cartridges. There is a small tab that has to be squeezed to do that. The cartridges slide into the carrier, and the lids snap close over them. All that is left after that is to put the scanner unit back down. A message shows up in the operator panel about printing an alignment page. That is done automatically with this printer. I didn’t have to look at the paper and try to figure out which line looked the straightest like I’ve had to do with previous printers.
OPERATOR PANEL
The Operator panel is located on the top of the printer. There is light beside the power button to indicate when the printer is on. There is also a stop/clear button near the power button. The small display window shows different messages and indicates when the machine is printing, copying, or scanning. Below the display is an option button and right and left arrow buttons that are used to scroll through the options and make selections. The option button can be used to change settings like the paper size being used, how light or dark the machine prints or copies, the type of paper being used, adjustment of the color for color copies, set the size of the original document being scanned or copied, select the type of document being scanned, collate, do a mirror image of what is scanned, check things with the ink cartridges and clean them, select when the power save function will start, clear out a selection, return to the default selections, and select the language that will show up in the display. There are other buttons on the operator panel for black copies, color copies, photo copy, photo options, scanning, and faxing. If a selection is wrong, it can be taken out by using the stop/cancel button.
PRINTING
The sheet feeder on the Lexmark X5150 can hold up to 100 sheets of paper. I never have that much in there at time. I find the paper gets jammed easier if there is more in the feeder. This is a top loading printer. It is important to get the paper in the sheet feeder straight, or it will get jammed up. If the paper is left in the feeder too long, the edges can curl up, which will cause trouble when printing. There is a small paper guide on the sheet feeder that may need to be adjusted to get the paper to load properly. This printer can print on plain paper, envelopes, labels, card stock, greeting cards, index cards, postcards, photo paper, glossy paper, and transparencies. Custom sized paper may also be used provided it is within certain dimensions that are listed in the manual. Directions for how to load the different types of papers into the printer are also in the manual.
When the print option is selected, a window opens up that gives some options. The user can choose to print the entire document, the current page, one page, or a range of pages. The user can also choose to print out more than one copy of the document you are printing. The properties for the printer can be accessed from that window to change different settings. The document can be printed only in black even if there is color in it. I haven’t done that yet with this printer, but I have in the past with other printers, especially when my color cartridge has been getting low. Once the print button has been clicked on, a small window will open up on the bottom right side of the screen. If the document being printed has been saved, the file name will show up there. A little bar shows the progress of the print job. The window tells how many pages are being printed, how many copies, and which page or copy it is currently printing. So if I am printing out a three-page document, the window will first tell me it is on page one of three. It will change as it moves onto pages two and three. It works the same way for telling which copy it is printing. The window also shows the levels in both ink cartridges. With my other Lexmark printers, a warning would pop up when printing started once the ink got down so low. I don’t know if that will happen with this printer or not, but I’m thinking it will. A voice says when printing has started and when it is finished. I can hear the printer when it is printing, but it isn’t really nosy.
ALL-IN-ONE SOFTWARE
The software that comes with the Lexmark X5150 allows the user to do some different things. There is an icon on my desktop for the All-In-One software. From that program, I can scan to a specific destination, copy, get troubleshooting and maintenance information, preview images to print, and manage and edit saved photos. The photo editor in the program allows the user to adjust different things in a photo like contrast and brightness. Photos can be made bigger or smaller, and flipped around in different directions. It is very easy to use the photo editor. This printer has a paper type sensor that will detect plain, glossy/photo/ coated papers or transparencies. The printer will detect those and automatically adjust the settings related to paper type and resolution. The user has to go into print properties to select the paper size. The paper type sensor can also be turned off from the print properties window.
SCANNING
To scan a document with the Lexmark X5150, the first thing that has to be done is to place the image on the scanner glass. There is a small arrow on the printer that indicates where the upper left corner of the document being scanned should be. The document can be scanned either by using buttons on the operator panel or from the All-In-One software. To scan from the operator panel, a button that will allow you to choose the destination is pushed first. E-Mail, File, and Software are listed by the button. Once that button is pushed, the last destination that was picked shows up. The right arrow button is used to scroll through the destination options. Select needs to be pushed once the right destination is showing. Then the start scan button can be pushed to start the scan. If the user wants to do the scan through the All-In-One software, it must be opened. The user can see a preview of the image and adjust if you only want to scan in part of the document. The destination for the scan can be selected from a drop down menu. There is a start scan button to be pushed once the destination is selected. There is a link to click on to change some other scan settings from there as well. If a scan or copy hasn’t been done for a while, the scanner will need to warm up before it starts. A message shows up on the display saying it is warming up, and it counts down from 25 seconds. Once that time has passed, the scan will start. That will happen when doing a copy as well.
COPYING
Copying can also be done from the operator panel or the All-In-One software on the Lexmark X5150. For either method, the item to be copied needs to be placed on the scanner glass, just like it has to be done before scanning. If using the operator panel, you can use the button that says number of copies to select to make several copies of the document. There is a button for color copies and one for black copies, depending on which is needed. If multiple copies are made, the stop/clear button must be pressed after the copies are finished to return the default settings. To copy with the software, open the All-In-One software. A preview can be shown to select the number of copies and if they are to be in black and white or color. Then the copy now button should be pushed.
FAXING
The Lexmark X5150 must be connected to a computer that has a working fax modem and is connected to a phone line to send a fax. Faxes can be sent from either the operator panel or the All-In-One software. If the operator panel is used, the start fax button needs to be pushed after the document is on the scanner glass. That will open the fax software on the computer. The user has to install that software themselves before a fax can be sent. In the software, the fax number is entered. There is the option to do a cover sheet for the fax. Other instructions show up in the software that tell how to finish the process. If the All-In-One software is used, the program should be opened once the document is on the scanner. There is an option there to fax, and that opens up the fax software. From that point on, the procedure is the same as if the fax was started from the operator panel.
RESOLUTION
For printing, the black and color resolution is 4800 x 1200 dpi. For scanning, the resolution is 600 x 2400 dpi. It has 48 bit color recognition. I couldn’t find a resolution for copying.
SPEED
The Lexmark X5150 is a lot faster than my last Lexmark printer. It will print 19 pages per minute in black and 14 pages per minute in color. It can copy 16 pages per minute in black and 11 pages per minute in color. For my needs, that is more than fast enough.
I am very happy with my Lexmark X5150 printer. I haven’t had any trouble with it working with any of my programs. It works great for me. It has been so nice for me to not have to go all over the place looking for a working copier when I need to copy one or two things. This is a good, dependable printer/scanner/copier/fax for home use. I think it is more affordable than getting separate machines for each function. People with a business may want a more powerful printer.
Related Reviews
Lexmark z22 Printer ~ Dell Dimension 4400 Computer ~ Dell XPS 210 Computer ~ Lexar JumpDrive Secure II 256 MB USB 2.0 Flash Drive ~
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 120.00
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh
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