Lexmark's X1185 provides your home or SOHO with a very affordable multifunction, all at a pocket-friendly budget of AU$200. But issues with the copy functions may outweigh the initial outlay.

The X1185 is Lexmark's budget All-In-One (AIO) offering. Like its predecessor, the X1150, the unit is stripped of some built-in features. Still, for just AU$169, this multifunctional device packs a 4,800 x 1,200dpi inkjet, a scanner, a colour copier, as well as a PC fax function. Still, this Lexmark is a flawed implementation.

Like the 1150 before it, the machine needs to be tethered to a PC for all of its functions to work. This includes scanning, printing, faxing and even copying. The controls on the front right tip of the AIO do not function unless the software drivers are running on your PC, severely reducing this Lexmark's flexibility. That's not all, as you'll read later in the performance section, the X1185 doesn't exactly work according to design.

Admittedly, the X1185 deserves almost full points for ease of use. Unlike most printers, there are no fixed installation procedures that you have to follow. You can install the drivers first or let the machine prompt you for them. Included also is a startup guide detailing steps and instructions to help those who were totally clueless. However, like the manufacturer's previous budget range, there is a need to remember the model numbers of your ink cartridges. The software is unable to detect the type of consumables installed automatically. On the upside, the USB cable is thrown into the package -- something that's finally starting to happen for all the other manufacturers as well.

The machine -- despite the moderate size -- still has a tight interior found on most other multifunctions. The scanner bed pops open and rests on a brace, revealing the interior of the printer. It is a pity the angle of tilt is quite narrow, making the installation or replacement of cartridges uncomfortable.

In terms of speed, the X1185 completed our 10-page test in a respectable 1 minute 43 seconds or 5.8 pages per minute. This was marginally faster than its predecessor and placed this unit around other budget inkjets such as HP's Deskjet 3550, Epson's C43UX, or even Lexmark's own Z605. For the photo tests, the X1185 took a dismal 29 minutes to churn out the highest-quality A4-sized picture.

With regard to quality, the prints produced were mediocre. We realigned the cartridges three times and results didn't improve. Text came out blotchy and smudges characterised the letters with font sizes smaller than 5 points. For colour outputs, banding and dithering were visible. Moving on to the photo outputs, the story was pretty much the same. Pictures exhibited dithering and banding on our test prints on glossy media. Adding to the downside, the unit did not support borderless outputs and the pictures produced on paper were not centered.

The scanner and copier of the X1185 did decently with regard to colour fidelity. The scanner delivered images that remained sharp but with colours that were slightly washed out. To be fair, this is typical of most other AIOs. Monochrome scans, on the other hand, did much better. A4-sized scans took about 40 seconds.

Because the X1185 does not come with an automatic document feeder (ADF), copy speeds will never be acceptable. Monochrome copies took around 48 seconds, while colour ones took 3.5 minutes. The timings were generally acceptable. What did bother us, though, was the operation of the AIO. We reinstalled the drivers twice but still found the same issues. Using the hardware copy functions resulted in a reproduction of a strip measuring only 1cm. We had to use the software before copies could be made, and even then the copies weren't achieved properly. The X1185 printed in portrait mode even when the originals were in landscape.

The X1185 uses the same cartridges as its predecessor and the Lexmark Z605. These cartridges can be found in stores from AU$33 (black) and AU$36 (colour), respectively. In our tests, after printing two A4-sized photos, and two 4R pictures, the colour ink levels were already halved. Using this Lexmark for photo printing could turn out pretty expensive.

In all, the X1185 was a little disappointing in terms of driver issues. Due to its software-reliant concept, it really is nothing more than a scanner integrated into an inkjet. We reckon the problems that we've had can be easily addressed in future driver revisions. Similarly, because it is unable to copy -- let alone fax -- without the use of a PC, this multifunctional device doesn't fulfill the characteristics of an AIO in the true sense of the word. Nevertheless, at an inexpensive AU$169, the X1185 does sound extremely compelling. Just don't expect anything more than a printer and scanner at this stage.

Lexmark X1185 All-In-One
Company: Lexmark
Price: AU$169
Distributor: Selected resellers
Phone: 1300 362 192

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