Review: Lexmark x502n MFP

Cheap multifunction printers (MFPs) are all very well, but they’re not particularly robust, and most lack the performance and capacity for shared use.

The new Lexmark x502n, however, is based on the same fast laser used to power the popular c500 family of colour printers, so is well up to the task.

Added to which, you get a built-in scanner and document feeder plus a fax modem for network scanning and faxing as well as walk-up copying.

The A4 laser engine that powers the Lexmark MFP is a single-pass device, capable of up to 31ppm (pages per minute) when printing in black and white and 8ppm in colour.

A built-in 10/100Mbits/sec Ethernet interface and multiprotocol print server also come as standard, along with a USB port for direct PC connection.

Top copy speed is 21ppm and maximum print resolution 1,200x600dpi with driver support for both Windows and Apple Mac as standard. The duty cycle is a massive 35,000 pages per month, but most users will want to add the optional 530-sheet second paper tray (£115 ex Vat) to save having to constantly restock the built-in 250-sheet unit.

Unlike a standalone laser, there’s no separate manual feed slot and, although card, envelopes and transparencies can be loaded via the paper tray, that could prove inconvenient. We also found the lack of a duplexer, now standard even on cheap entry-level lasers, frustrating.

Print quality was good, if not quite up to professional standards. The toner cartridges slot in behind a large door at the front of the unit, making them very easy to change. As it’s based on the same laser as the c500, the same consumables can also be used.

The black cartridge, as delivered, is good for 2,500 pages and the colours 1,500 each with high-yield replacements capable of printing 5,000 pages for black (£78 ex Vat) and 3,000 pages per colour (£68 ex Vat each). A separate photo developer cartridge (£122 ex Vat) slots in from the top and should last for around 120,000 pages.

Finally, the flatbed colour scanner sits neatly on the top with printed pages collected in the gap between the two. You also get a 35-sheer automatic document feeder with a comprehensive control panel and backlit LCD for local setup and operation.

Unfortunately, although Lexmark makes big claims for its walk-up interface, we had to consult the manual on several occasions to work out how to do some basic tasks. Likewise, we had to check with the user guide when it came to scanning direct to a network PC or to an email address. Plus we had to pre-seed the printer's internal directory with potential network targets and email addresses via the web-based management interface before these options could be used.

Separate client software (Presto Page Manager) lets you access all the features on the x502n from a remote PC with OCR (optical character recognition) software also included. This all worked well enough although we thought the interface a little too basic, plus we would have liked to see more documentation.

For a small business after a colour photocopier and printer in one, the Lexmark x502n is a robust, capable and affordable solution with the network scanning and fax facilities a bonus worth having. However, the lack of a duplexer could be a real drawback, plus we found it quite complicated and lacking when it came to documentation.