Finally, using the built-in PictBridge port and media card slots, you can transfer photos between different locations or just print photos, without touching your PC. The PictBridge USB port also accepts USB-based flash thumbdrives, so you can transfer photos from either a memory card or a flash drive to your PC or transfer from a memory card to a flash drive. Using the Photo Card menu, you can print a proof sheet of all the photos on a card, just the 20 most recent photos, or a subset of photos designated by date. The last two options are especially helpful because you can't preview photos on the screen as you can on the Brother MFC-440cn and the Canon Pixma MP460 printers. Once you've printed proof sheets, simply bubble in the photos you want to print and scan the sheet using the scanner. Only the photos you chose will be printed. If you want to print photos without first printing a proof sheet, you also have the option to print all the photos, just the last 20, or the images shot within a particular date range. Other options include photo effects such as red-eye reduction, automatic image enhancement, and color effects (sepia, antique gray, and so on); paper size; paper type; paper quality; and layout (one-up, two-up, and so forth).
Performance
Compared to other multifunctions in its price range, the Lexmark X5470 performed decently in the speed tests. It was quite fast at text prints, spitting out 6.90 pages per minute. It printed 4x6 photos at 0.53ppm, behind both the Canon Pixma MP160 and the Pixma MP460, but right in line with the Brother MFC-440cn and the HP OfficeJet 4315. It made a pretty good showing with scanning too, scanning grayscale and color documents at 5.66ppm and 5.13ppm, respectively. It's Achilles' heel, though, was copying: It produced a mere 1.32ppm, compared to the Officejet 4315's 5.08ppm.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
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Copy speed | |
Color scan speed | |
Grayscale scan speed | |
4x6 photo speed | |
Text speed |
Unfortunately, print speed comes at a price for the X5470: quality. The text quality was disappointingly bad. Although the text was legible, it was shrouded in fuzziness, and letters were inconsistently formed, almost as if it were printed from a fax machine instead of a printer. The color graphics print showed decent color reproduction, though the entire print had a slightly faded quality to it. We noticed graininess in color blocks, especially in the photo elements, and even worse, the entire page was beset by distracting horizontal lines. In a section containing vertical, bar code-like lines, the result was a crosshatched look. The 4x6 photo was equally disappointing. The color was overly somber and dull, and nothing about the photo was vibrant. We noticed a lot of graininess and, upon very close inspection, could almost make out individual dots of cyan, yellow, and magenta. The result was a general lack of sharpness and detail.
The scans were the highlight of the X5470's quality assessment, though neither the grayscale nor the color scan was spectacular. Both showed fairly good detail and sharpness, though the dark areas of the grayscale were a bit muddy. The color scan showed decent color reproduction, but the scanner had some problems reproducing a smooth color gradient.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Color scan | |
Grayscale scan | |
Photo | |
Graphics on inkjet paper | |
Text on inkjet paper |
Service and support
Lexmark backs the X5470 with a one-year warranty. Free, toll-free phone support is available on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m. ET for the length of the warranty. Lexmark's Web site includes a knowledge base, downloadable drivers, and a resource center to help get you started on new printing projects.
What You'll Pay
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