Computers / Printers & Accessories / Don't Buy a Lexmark Printer X1185 Series

The Lexmark X1185 printer is actually a printer, scanner, copier, and fax machine in one (although I've never gotten the fax machine part to work properly). I got mine as a Christmas gift from my sister and brother-in-law a few years ago. Due to my experience, my next printer won't be a Lexmark brand.

The main problem is the ink cartridges. First of all, when you have to replace the ink cartridges you have to align the printer correctly by choosing the right colors it prints out on a page. And it's not easy to align those colors to get the printer to properly produce the printing jobs. You have to pick the one item among about a dozen that closely match the target item, and usually a bunch of items in the middle of the lineup look exactly the same. I can never seem to get this part right.

Secondly, I've never been able to use up the ink in the cartridges before it would stop printing properly. The ink indicator onscreen will tell me I had 25% more ink left in the black ink cartridge, but when I print something I get smudges at best and nothing at all at worst. The color cartridge is no better. I'll have streaks across the page that don't even correspond to the colors of the pictures I'm printing out. With how expensive these cartridges are (they're about the price of a printer themselves), it definitely isn't worth the hassle.

Another characteristic I don't like is how slowly (and loudly) it prints the pages out over other contemporary home office printers. Personally, I'd just like something a little quieter and faster, like my mother's Hewlett-Packard (HP) printer.

I've heard complaints from others about Lexmark printers too, so if you're in the market for a small printer to set up at home, I wouldn't recommend you try Lexmark X1185. I'd try another brand like Hewlett-Packard instead.