Lexmark X 7675 Pro

Lexmark outfits the X7675 in an attractive black finish with silver side paneling and clean, rounded edges that give it an original flair, as opposed to previous versions that looked too much like made for Mac clones. We're happy to see Lexmark take a unique stand on their chassis design. The printer measures 8 inches high by 19 inches wide by 14 inches deep and only weighs 19 pounds, making it easy to unplug and transport around the home or office.

The front of the printer is pretty basic except for a media card reader on the right side that supports PictBridge USB, SD, MS, xD, MMC, CF, and MD cards as well as a center control panel that folds on a hinge for adjustable viewing angles. The buttons on the control panel range access the most common device settings and include keys for your on screen address book, copy, scan, fax, photo shortcuts, toggles for one and two sided or black and white prints, a cancel button, and a button that takes you to more specific device settings.

While we appreciate the time Lexmark saves by including the toggle keys, we're disappointed that the panel is missing one touch autodial buttons. Our favorite control panel lives on the HP Officejet J6480. It's the basis for all other printer comparisons based on its intuitive layout, two line display with ink maintenance alerts, and a comprehensive set of tactile shortcut buttons.

The paper input tray sits up on top of the printer and can hold up to 100 sheets of paper using the industry standard adjustable arm that stretches horizontally to fit paper sizes up to 8.5 inches by 17 inches. Again, Lexmark hurts our enthusiasm by not including any advanced to paper handling technology, especially after we've fallen in love with the HP J6480's massive 250 sheet input tray offered at the same price as the X7675.

Nevertheless, we had no problem loading plain 20 pound paper into the tray, but the tray that's supposed to catch prints on the way out is too short even with the extra plastic foot extended, the printer sent paper flying off our desk. We solved the problem by manually organizing finished prints and smaller media like photo paper so it didn't shoot out onto the floor, but it's definitely something to be aware of while you're using it. The X7675 also features an auto document feeder that can hold up to 25 pages for copies, faxes, or scans.