The Lexmark MC3224dwe brings together all the multifunction features small workgroups need: color printing, scanning and copying. It starts with color output at up to 24 pages per minute in a package that fits almost anywhere and lets you connect via Ethernet, USB, or Wi-Fi. A 2.8-inch (7.2 cm) e-Task touch screen features embedded workflow capabilities including scan to network, scan to email and Lexmark?s own Cloud Connector to help you integrate printing and scanning with popular cloud file storage services. Standard two-sided printing saves paper, while Lexmark full-spectrum security helps protect your network and proprietary information. And one-piece toner cartridges are easy to install.
| Asin | B07T1DQNNS |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 15.5"D x 16.2"W x 12.1"H |
| Weight | 40.2 Pounds |
| Manufacturer |
Jen –
I have been researching printers and trying to decide on one for at least 6 months now. I finally decided to go with this one because it seems all printers get bad reviews but this one didn’t seem to be too bad. I received my first one very quickly and I was very excited. I opened it and saw that the scanning bed was cracked. So, back in the box it went. Mind you, this is a heavy machine and it’s not easy to pack it up, etc. I requested a new one to be sent to me.
The second machine took longer to get to me but I got it in about 3 days. I got it out of the box and got it set up. I connected it to my internet and thought things would be realitively each. No such luck. You have to down load an app to your phone to be able to print from your phone. I do a LOT of printing from my phone or Ipad. So, I down load the app and it can’t find the printer even though they are on the same network. After getting the manual off of HP website and doing some searching, I realize it’s because one of the settings is wrong. Sorry – I can’t remember the setting now and I don’t have the printer any longer. So, I set the indicator and it seems my phone sees the printer. Yea! So, I go to send a document to the printer. It’s about a 10 page document. My current deskjet would hardly take any time to print this type of document. I waited and waited, etc…. The printer kept saying it was receiving the document but wasn’t printing. After about 30 minutes, I decided to try to set up the software on my printer. Of course, in the middle of setting up the software, the printer decided to ‘start’ printing my document but only printed about a quarter of one page and that is all I ever saw it print.
So, I decided to try to concentrate on getting my computer set up. Again, my deskjet was never an issue. Find the printer and start printing. I updated the software and tried to print a document again from my computer. I kept getting communication errors between my computer and the printer. The printer was online the whole time and so was my computer. Mind you this went on for a few hours one night and into the next day.
When I finally think something is printing, it printed a small box and then I got a firmware error. So, I went to look for an update. Again, you have to connect thru your computer to the printer using the computer number. The printer was showing me the number but everytime I tried to access it, it would time out. I tried this for a few hours. This is the only way I could find in the manual to actually update the firmware on the printer, but since I could not get to the actual menu, I couldn’t update it.
By this time, I’m fed up. So, I decided in the end to just return the second machine also. Please keep in mind, that I work in IT. I’m not a hardware person, but I can figure out most things if I have instructions. I don’t know how they expect anyone to get this working without support. Yes, I could have called for help and it might have been resolved, but I don’t like to have to call for help. It should have been working or easily fixed when I connected.
CHAIYAR SIRIPOKE –
First of all the printer is heavy but small price to pay for good print quality and quantity. When I am able to get the thing to work, it’s great. The ONLY problem I have with it is the damn thing keeps going offline. If it’s idle for more than 3-4 hours, it goes off line and I can’t figure out how to get it back online with out resetting it and starting over.
It’s just the first week and i ordered a printer cable as it didn’t come in the box. We’ll see if it works better hardwired!
The touchscreen has so many functions which is great but there’s no user manual that comes with it. The one I downloaded from the Lexmark site wasn’t helpful at all – augh!
After about 4 weeks, I thought I set up the printer driver correctly but after 2 days, it isn’t connected to my pc anymore. It’s driving me nuts! when it was working, it was great but the frustration of set up and staying connected really outweighs the benefits.
UPDATE- with distance learning from March- June I literally printed 2000+ worksheets for my three elementary school kids. I’ve figured out printing via the USB definitely works best. I’m giving it 3 stars because the WiFi printing issue of it going offline still persists and I had to buy a separate printer cable- it doesn’t come in the box.
Santa Ana Sub Teacher –
I’m glad I have live-in tech support (my 2 sons). Here’s my son’s report, after our computers suddenly couldn’t find the printer and scanner.
If A) you can no longer print / printer is no longer connected to computer / printer device driver is unavailable.
Solution:
1) Go to the Printer & Scanner Manager in System Settings.
2) Locate the Lexmark printer.
3) Click on it, then click on “Remove Device.” (Really!)
4) Once the printer is removed, click on “Add a printer or scanner.”
5) Locate your Lexmark printer.
6) Click on it and add the printer.
7) Print a test page.
If B) you can no longer scan but printer is connected to computer and otherwise functioning.
Solution:
1) Go over to the physical printer.
2) Click on “Settings.”
3) Click on “Network/Ports.”
4) Click on “Network Overview.”
5) Click on “IPv6.”
6) Write down / memorize this number – it should be 192.168.0.x – the printer’s current IP address. (“x” is the variable part – for some reason our printer changed this number, which then made communication with it impossible.)
7) Return to your computer.
8) Open the Lexmark Scanback Utility.
9) Under “Which MFP do you want to use?”, check if the listed IP address matches the printer’s current IP address that you took down in step 6.
10) If it is not, click “Setup…”.
11) Click “Add…” or “Edit…”.
12) Enter the printer’s IP address from step 6. Give it a description if you so choose (like, “Darn This Printer”).
13) Click “Okay”.
14) Click “Close”.
15) Under “Which MFP do you want to use?”, make sure you have selected the MFP for the printer’s current IP address.
16) Click “Next>”.
17) Hopefully your problem is solved…until the next time the printer does this. But now you know how to fix it!
Why is this happening?
I’m not sure. What I’d guess is that at some point the printer lost connection to the local wi-fi – perhaps it was turned off, or the router went on strike, or a power outage occurred, or maybe another device lost connection to the router. Regardless of what happened, the printer was assigned / took a completely new IP Address and, on doing so, failed to update its address so that other devices on the network could keep communicating with it.
An analogy: the printer moved to a new house but didn’t tell anyone that it did so or where it moved to. Mail (print and scan requests) would be sent to the printer’s old address but, since the printer did not live there anymore, all the mail senders got in response was silicon silence. So the mail senders (computers) waited. The senders could not know they’d never get a reply because, as far as they knew, the printer still lived there. They’d just assume that, eventually, the fickle printer would get back to them. Meanwhile, the printer would be sitting at its new address, waiting for mail that would never come, twiddling its expensive, ink-covered thumbs.
Once the address is updated on the computer’s end, the two can communicate again and printing and scanning can recommence. It should be up to the printer to update that it’s moved (‘tis common courtesy, really), but c’est la vie – one more thing for Lexmark to fix some time in the distant future.
David Batterson –
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 4×6 standard label on 8 1/2×11 paper, then cut it out with scissors. I just ordered a very small printer, to print 4×6 inch photos/labels.
Al Learnman –
So far, my new printer has performed as expected, printing fairly quickly. Also, the scanner allows multiple pages to be combined into one document.
My only complaint is that the scanner utility software was not installed from the printer installation disk, and I could not find the download for it on the Lexmark website, which required me to contact the Lexmark customer support. One of Lexmark’s agents provided it to me during a chat session. It took awhile to get past the the virtual assistant and the agent response time was also slow, but when the agent realized what I needed, the problem was solved.
Kevin Hayes –
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!
Ben –
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.
tbisrael –
What is weird about this printer is that if you send a print job before connecting the USB connector, it will waste your paper printing hundreds of jargons and windingins! It is a nightmare! Not impressed! However, printer, photocopy, and scanner works pretty well.
Leslie W. Molnar –
I had done a previous review – not on the item itself, but on the seller. Once the printer arrived – 4 days after the promised delivery date – I found the set up fairly easy. It works well and has some features not on my older ink jet printer.
I have two MINOR complaints. I was surprised at how heavy it was – a lot heavier than the ink jet. I am a senior with some medical problems and getting it into the house and to the area where I use it was a challenge. Also – I use it with a Chromebook which has no optical drive. The printer came with a disc but no real user manual – I assume that is on the disc. I tried to download one from the Lexmark web site, but there does not seem to be a downloadable manual.
Cheryl Francis –
Easy to install.