Lexmark Interact S605 review

The Interact S605 is a great example of the improvements Lexmark has made to its MFPs. Ink cartridges with integrated print heads have been replaced by separate print heads and ink tanks. More visibly, it’s bursting with features, including an automatic duplexer, wireless networking and a huge 4.3in touchscreen. This guides you through the setup process, although you’ll still need a PC to set up your wireless connection unless your router supports push-button WiFi Protected Setup (WPS). The Interact includes web functionality and support for downloadable apps from Lexmark’s SmartSolutions Center website. This also means it requires a bit more maintenance. Once we’d finished installing the drivers, we were directed to the website and prompted to download and install a firmware update. The S605 has better print quality than previous Lexmark printers, with sharp, black text and vivid colour prints, although colour and mono copies were rather slow at over 30 seconds per page. Scans looked a little cold and some pale shades were hard to distinguish, but fine detail was precisely reproduced. Colour print speeds were also sluggish at 2.9ppm, but we have no complaints about a normal-quality text speed of 9.1ppm. Photo quality is also vastly improved, with good-looking prints and ink that doesn’t come off on your fingers. Photos printed quickly, too, at just over half a minute per 6x4in snap. Lexmark’s PerfectFinish photo paper pushes the price of a 6x4in print up to 47p, which is expensive.

Print costs in general are the Interact S605’s biggest problem. A page of mixed black and colour costs 9.8p. This is unacceptably high and unless the cost of Lexmark’s new ink decreases significantly, we can’t recommend this otherwise well-rounded MFP.