Lexmark X73 All-In-One InkJet Printer: Product Review

I purchased Lexmark X73 All-In-One InkJet Printer almost 6 years ago. I've decided it was finally time to praise my old girl for all the work she has done for me.
The reason for my 350$ purchase was simply because I was sick and tired of the cheap Cannon printers that they sell at walmart for $20. The ink cartridges cost more, so every time I ran out of ink, I'd just buy another cruddy Cannon for 10 bucks less than the ink refill. Which resulted in about 5 or 6 old printers piling up in my basement.
I found the LexmarkX73 at walmart. It went down from $400 to $350. I figured it was a swell deal, and that I wouldn't have to replace it for awhile. I was right. God was I right.
The Lexmark X73 All-In-One InkJet Printer is a heavy machine, which for me was annoying. It's also very bulky, and you can easily drop it seeing how there are no grips for you to hold while moving it around. Once you place the printer where you want it though, you can rest assured knowing that it is not going anywhere.
The Lexmark X73 All-In-One InkJet Printer is simple to use, and does not require you to have computer skills or wiring skills to hook it up. Its basically plug and play.
The printer came with instructions, (which I didn't even need to read) and an installation CD-ROM.
It installed easily, and the interfaces were simple to use. Their is even a convenient icon so you can look and see how full your ink cartridges are. After installation the printer prints out an alignment sheet. This is so you can choose which settings look best for your pictures and documents. Very easy to use.
The printer also talks. "Printing started. "Printing complete." "Out Of Paper." "Jammed", I thought it was a cute feature, I may as well tell you about.
My ink lasted me a good half a year before the yellow ran out first. For refills it will run you $30.00-$40.00 depending on where you buy them. I would recommend Costcos or Sams Club. You can buy ink in bulk there, and it saves you even more money. Or if you don't feel like becoming a member to a club, go to Walmart, where you can purchase refills at about $30. The cheapest place I've found refills yet.
I only needed the Lexmark X73 All-In-One InkJet Printer for copying, and scanning old photographs for restoration purposes, and for photo alterations. This lexmark however also came with a fax machine which I didn't have a need to hook up. This is why it's called an All-In-One. Scanner, copier, and fax it's all included.
Scanning was surprisingly simple; all you have to do is open up the top, place your photo or document face down on top of the glass, and hit scan.
Scan time for me ranged from a few seconds to a minute, depending on the size of the photograph.
You also get printing options such as color, black, black and white or gray. You can also choose the quality of the print. Photo quality; for photos, or medium; for documents.
The printer prints fast. It did for me anyways. For a full colorful image it printed in less than a minute. For a document about 20 seconds.
I've read in other reviews about the Lexmark X73 All-In-One InkJet Printer, that scanned photos looked horrible. This was not the case for me though. Photos came out wonderfully for me. But that could also just be because I alter all of my photos in separate photoshop programs. Like add color to older looking photographs. Brighten them up etc.
If you are not willing to take the time to alter digital photos then expect crappy results no matter what type of printer you are using.
Issues:
The box said that the printers paper tray could hold up to 50 pieces of paper. This was the only issue I had with my machine. It can only hold about 10 pieces of paper at a time, or paper jams would occur.
Even if you have only 20 pieces in it, you run the risk of an annoying paper jam.
The Lexmark X73 All-In-One InkJet Printer like I mentioned earlier is a big machine. So storing it on your desk will result in it taking up a lot of desks space.
One other thing I found annoying about the Lexmark X73 All-In-One InkJet Printer was how small the usb cables were. My desk is meant for the printer to be on the left side, and the PC on the right side. There should have been a longer cable for me to plug the printer in. I had to alter everything on the desk just to have the usb cable barely reach the PC. A real pain in the neck. Thinking back now, I could of just bought an extension...but I am cheap.
I know that some people have had awful issues with their Lexmarkx73's. I've come to my own conclusion that when a product first releases it's made to excellent standards.
As soon as a company knows it has consumers, the products quality is slightly diminished to save money for the company. (example. Nintendo ds; converted to ds lite- a product of lesser quality, which easily breaks) This could be why my 6 year old machine has never once given me any problems. I feel anything made afterward, or modified for the X73, may have been less efficient. AKA poorly made.
But like I've said, and I will say it again. I have not had the need to upgrade my printer for the past 6 years. I don't think you can get any better than that. I'm sticking with my Lexmark X73.
Also if you ever want to hook this printer up to another computer, and happen to lose the installation CD-ROM, don't worry! You can simply go to www.lexmark.com, hit drivers on the main screen menu, and find the printer you are looking for. No need to write the company and wait for the disc in the mail, like some printer companies require. Just download it, and go.
Overall:
I feel that this is the best printer I've ever had. I have never had an issue with it regarding maintenance. Ink lasts long. Picture quality in my opinion is flawless and I would buy the LexmarkX73 again if mine was to break now.
I have a feeling that she's got another 6 years in her or more. You cannot get better than that. No matter how old she has grown she produces quality like my offices $2,000 printing machine.
I have truly had nothing but luck with my Lexmark X73 All-In-One InkJet Printer.
You Know You Want One:
So go and get one.