Lexmark X2500 Multifunction Printer

Avoid ir!

By Donald  Aug 14, 2007 | 7 out of 7 found this Lexmark X2500 review helpful

Pros: reasonable monochrome quality; reasonably fast

Cons: "spy software"; hugely expensive cartridges and ink

I'm living away from home for some months and needed an "all in one". This seemed like the ideal device. HOWEVER: (1) The drivers include spy software: every time you print, it exchanges network messages to Lexmark, informing them of w...ith your serial number and how much you're printing. It will not print without an internet connection! I called Lexmark and got into an argument with them. They denied and denied this, but after some time, they finally admitted it. (2) Changing my firewall from Windows to Zone Alarm rendered the printer nonfunctional, as it relies on direct UDP messages to DNS to do it's dirty work -- it does not use the normal Windows protocols. (3) Also, the cartridge issue ("Lexmark program") cartridges are a scam. The network exchanges with Lexmark decide that you've used "enough" ink from the cartridges; the printer is then told to declare the cartridges "empty", whether they're empty or not -- and the printer stops functioning. Oh, by the way: it prints OK in monochrome, reasonably in color on plain paper. Photo printing is sub par. Scanning is purely for airheads who don't know how to set up a scanner; the controls are very rudimentary, and the driver resets itself to its defaults after each page is scanned. Read more Less