Lexmark X782e
The Lexmark X782e is the only multifunction printer in the review that could easily drop into a large workgroup setting and satisfy everyone.
PROS: The fastest MFP in our roundup. Excellent user interface.
CONS: Difficult setup process, expensive.
Features: A
Ease of use: A+
Color accuracy: A
Text quality: A
30-page black-and-white text print time: 1:01
30-page color print time: 1:01
VALUE: B+
PRICE: $4,518
WHEN WE SAW the enormous, refrigerator-sized box from Lexmark International on our loading dock (the delivery guy wouldn’t bring it up to the lab for us — he said it was too heavy), we thought the company might be trying to compensate for its poor showing in last year’s roundup.
The X782e ships in seven boxes, all strapped down inside a huge outer shell. Even with instructions, putting this monster together was a daunting task. If we had not set up hundreds of MFPs over the years, we might have been a little lost. Even so, it took the better part of a day to get the X782e ready to test.
It was extremely speedy once we got everything configured. It blew through our 30-page text document in 1 minute, 1 second and our 30-page graphical document in 1 minute, 10 seconds. Those were the fastest times in the review and are likely attributable to the 800 MHz processor and 768M of memory.
Its user interface was the only one to show what page of a document was printing and not just the name of the file. It’s helpful to know if the printer is working on Page 10 of 20 or Page 10 of 3,000 if you plan to wait for it to finish before making copies or using another function of the shared MFP.
The user interface is similar to the look of vehicles’ Global Positioning System units. It is easy to use, with a touch screen that lets you choose whether to copy, fax, print or scan.
It’s also packed with features you would expect to find on a high-end MFP. It has a rated 150,000-page monthly duty cycle. And the X872e comes with enough paper trays to hold 1,600 sheets of paper.
It might be a pain to put together, but once you have assembled your tower, it will be a long time before you get the low-paper warning.
The Lexmark X782e is the only MFP in the review that could easily drop into a large workgroup setting and satisfy everyone. It’s speedy, has a huge capacity and is simple to use. Despite the high price, it earns a Reviewer’s Choice designation because for what you pay, you get a lot.
Lexmark International, 800-539-6275, www.lexmark.com
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