Lexmark MC3224dwe All-in-One Color Printer

We were looking for a good color laser printer that had scan/copy capabilities because, well, COVID means that working and schooling from home result in not being able to use the work copier for the occasional paper-related tasks that seem to come up a handful of times a year.So how did it go? Here is what we found:- Stupid simple to set up. Plugged it to Ethernet and turned it on, and our two Windows 10 computers just saw it and configured it for use. No drivers, no programs, no installation.- AirPrint functionality worked without doing anything. We can now print right from our iPhones and iPads; the printer just magically shows up in the printer list.- Scanning to computers also works without any programs, drivers, or anything. The touchscreen on the printer gives you the option to "Scan to COMPUTERNAME" for each computer on your network. Doing so does a scan and sends it to your default scanning app on your computer, such as Windows Fax and Scan which just popped up and worked. Did I mention no configuration required?- Scan to email works great as well, although we did have to configure the outbound email settings to get them to come through. So like five minutes of effort here, but you can set up shortcut profiles for each person receiving a scan which include image settings, subject line, etc. Now, it is stupid simple to quickly scan to email for myself, my wife, or both of us at the same time.- Copying works reasonably well. The ID card mode helps add more detail when necessary, but my standard for what I need with a copier is pretty low.- WiFi Direct works nicely if you have guests and don't want to have them join your WiFi, but they still want to bum some print jobs off of you. While this is a nice addition, hard to see where this would be used if you are using the other connectivity options.- The web interface for configuring the device is intuitive and very full featured. You could easily use this in a true office environment and have it scan to a network drive if you wanted.- The device is silent when not in use, and it is a bit louder than say a tiny LaserJet. That being said, it spits out your print job and quiets down again VERY fast. Not like other printers that would be loud and do an extended clean cycle after every other print.- Print jobs get sent over very fast. Device spools up immediately on sending print, and the job is complete and you have your print after about 7 seconds. Paper comes out pretty fast!- Duplex works very well. Paper sheet will come mostly out of the printer before it gets sucked back in again to print on the reverse side. We are expecting very light use so this is not an issue. Again, the printer is really haulin' as it is moving the paper around like it knows it has a purpose.We were comparing this to similar HP and Brother models with similar featuresets of laser printing, color, duplex printing, and scanning. Although an auto document feeder (ADF) would be nice, we will never have the kind of volume or usage where having it is any kind of necessity. This AIO device meets all of those needs at a price point $150 to $250 less than the HP and Brother units. And I am staying the heck away from Canon printers given their recent quality issues, so that is out of the question.Overall, insanely impressed with this device! Go Lexmark!

I was a bit nervous about this purchase because I saw quite a few negative reviews. This is still very early as I just received it today, and I will update this review if anything changes. So far though, I'm extremely and happily surprised. The touch screen is small, but very easy to use. I didn't bother with the mobile app, but just stepped through setup on the printer itself. within 5 minutes I was connected to the network and able to print from my computer, iPad and phone! After an additional 10 minutes, I had the email capabilities setup and can scan to email. There are a ton of advanced features that I don't need (networking, FTP, etc), but it is nice to know they are there. Print quality looks great. the only negatives I can come up with are that It's a bit loud and clunky sounding, and I do wish that it had an email address book or use a default so I wouldn't have to type it in each time. That said, for a wireless color laser printer and scanner for under $200, I don't even think those deserve a loss of a star.

The printer output is very good, so no complaints there. My yellow and cyan color just ran out, and when I went to buy replacements, I got sticker shock. I decided NOT to replace those colors. Well, that's where the profit is with printers. Like with cheap razors, and expensive blades later.I lugged the Lexmark out to the dumpster tonight, and dropped it in. Yes, inkjet printers eat up the ink (and our $$, too). I have gone through several of those. I guess the best solution is to just stop doing much printing. I still have my monochrome laser printer, and that generic black toner is affordable. My laser printer doesn't handle that size paper. When I ship from home, I print the 4x6 standard label on 8 1/2x11 paper, then cut it out with scissors. I just ordered a very small printer, to print 4x6 inch photos/labels.