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We put the x7550 through our speed tests first. At 5.41 black and white pages per minute, we were thoroughly unimpressed by the sluggish output time, most of which was taken by almost 6 full seconds of start-up time, even after several tests had already been conducted. Comparatively, it didn't even come close to the Canon Pixma MX700, which blasted out 7.41 pages per minute or even its previous incarnation, the Lexmark x4550, which put out an average 7.66 pages per minute.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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We already had a sour taste in our mouths after the speed tests, but the quality tests were even more disappointing, to put it lightly. On the best quality settings and using Lexmark's standard black ink cartridge, the x7550 produced text that looked clean on the surface, but under 8x magnification, we saw plenty of random ink spray, indicative of the nozzle's inability to handle the ink's pressure. We weren't surprised, since the x4550's results weren't stellar either, but we were hoping to get at least slightly better photos. No such luck. Our 4-inch-by-6-inch test prints were exceedingly oversaturated and warm, most noticeably in portraits and close-up skin shots. The skin tones came out muddied with far too much cyan, casting a dark shadow over 70 percent of the test sheet. Not only were our test subjects inaccurate in color and skin tone, but we also noticed a poor color output in layered shots and severe banding in light hues.
Most of all, we were frustrated with the copying functionality, or lack thereof. On their Web site, Lexmark brags that the x7550 can handle up to 99 copies using the paper feeder on top of the unit, but it took us several tries to coerce the thing into accepting the master copy. The feeder's paper guide is a bit wide and too shallow for a single 8 inch by 10 inch sheet of paper, so it has to be fed in at a perfectly straight angle or it'll jam up the printer. Of course, freeing a jam inevitably destroys the original, which is fine for testing purposes, but what happens when you only have one master for copy purposes? We'd have a hard time suggesting you subject your valued documents to this snaggle-toothed beast.
Service and Support
Lexmark stands by their products with a 12 month defect-free warranty program, but may require a proof of purchase for replacement, so be sure to keep your original receipt. In addition, Lexmark also offers an extended 1 year warranty that includes on site repair, exchange, installation, and renewal for $799.
Find out more about how we test printers.
Lexmark X7550:
