I’ve just bought the Lexmark X5495 Multifunction Colour Ink-Jet Printer for myself and I have to say, I’m impressed with it.

I needed to get a scanner, but instead of going for a stand alone device, I decided that a multifunction device would be a better option in the long run. I know that I’ve posted about getting a Brother DCP-6690CW, which I still want, but at this time the Lexmark X5495 Multifunction Colour Ink-Jet Printer suits my needs.

It scans, copies, prints and faxes. In addition to that, you can plug a whole host of memory cards in to it, which is great. I have SD cards and Sony Memory Sticks all over this place. I’ll list the exact cards it takes in a minute. I wanted to write about setting the Lexmark X5495 Multifunction Colour Ink-Jet Printer up on a MacBook, or at least my experiences with setting it up on the MacBook.

I installed the drivers for the Lexmark X5495 Multifunction Colour Ink-Jet Printer on to my MacBook as directed, but it wouldn’t work. It kept telling me that I hadn’t installed the printer on my laptop. I clearly had, so I decided to uninstall it and get the latest drivers from the Lexmark website. I started the whole process of installing the drivers for the Lexmark X5495 Multifunction Colour Ink-Jet Printer again. This time the printer installed, but I was getting an error about the colour tables not being installed correctly. I tried uninstalling and re-installing the drivers again with no luck.

I contacted the Lexmark support team via their UK website and through Live Chat. This was a new experience for me. I was talking to one of their technicians who tried to guide me through the process of finding out what was wrong with the installation, but he couldn’t sort it out either, so I was transferred to a Mac Technician who took over control of my MacBook and had a look at the problem remotely. This was fascinating to watch. Apparently I’d downloaded the wrong drivers and needed to get some other ones which he sent to me. This process took a little bit of time but wasn’t the usual kind of customer service I’ve received.

I have to highly commend the good people at the Lexmark Technical Support centre for their amazing effort in getting my Lexmark X5495 Multifunction Colour Ink-Jet Printer working properly on my MacBook. It now works flawlessly.

So, back to that list of cards that the Lexmark X5495 Multifunction Colour Ink-Jet Printer can handle:

• SmartMedia
• CompactFlash
• Memory Stick
• IBM MicroDrive
• MultiMediaCard (MMC)
• SD Memory Card
• xD Memory Card
• Memory Stick Pro

Quite an impressive list.
My experience with using the Lexmark X5495 Multifunction Colour Ink-Jet Printer are nothing but good up to now. I’ve successfully printed off documents and pictures and sent faxes. The quality of the output is pretty good too for what I want this particular printer to do.

I’m really happy with my Lexmark X5495 Multifunction Colour Ink-Jet Printer and I’m sure that if you get one, you will be too.

Now this is one cool gadget that I would love to own. The Polaroid PoGo Instant Photo Printer is one of those devices that you really need if you take a lot of pictures with your mobile phone and digital camera.

The PoGo Instant Photo Printer lets you transmit your pictures from your mobile phone over Bluetooth to the device, or via a USB cable from your PictBridge friendly digital camera. There’s no need to carry anything else with you. This is a dream for someone like me who already has pockets full of gadgets.

The images that the PoGo Instant Photo Printer produces are 2″ x 3″ and are printed on sticky backed photo paper in less than 60 seconds. And unlike the Polaroid cameras of days gone by, you don’t have to shake the picture to see the result. The PoGo Instant Photo Printer uses a special heat activated Zink paper to produce its images, so you don’t have to worry about costly ink cartridges.

The PoGo Instant Photo Printer is powered by a rechargeable battery or directly from a power socket with the supplied adapter and can hold 10 sheets of photo paper at a time. Measuring just 12cm x 7.2cm the PoGo Instant Photo Printer is small enough to fit in your pocket.

Ok, it isn’t going to produce 6″ x 4″ prints that you can share in bulk, but it’s definitely worth getting if you want to have a fun night out with your mates and maybe see the results of your snaps instantly. This is exactly why I would buy one. At just under £100 the PoGo Instant Photo Printer is a technological marvel that is at the forefront of photo printing.

I blogged about the Brother DCP-6690CW printer a while back and mentioned that I was going to still use my current printer (which is an Epson Stylus Photo R220) because it had CD/DVD printing facilities. I got to thinking about making it wireless also because I’ve developed a dislike for unnecessary cables going in to my laptop.

After a bit of looking and talking to people I’ve decided that an AirPort Express from Apple would suit my needs quite well. The AirPort Express is a gadget that lets you create a wireless network for your home, or even extend your current wireless network. But it’s more than that. With the AirPort Express you can connect it to your HiFi and play your iTunes library through your stereo. The ability to connect a USB printer to the AirPort Express is also an option. This is why it appeals to me so much.

I’m always looking for ways to simplify things around the house, and having an AirPort Express would definitely reduce the number of cables running around the place. Ever since I got my laptop last month I’ve become aware of just how many cables I used to have. The back of the PC is still like cable junction, but I’m reducing it drastically. When I get an iMac it’ll get reduced even further.

The AirPort Express is available through PriceGrabber from £56 which is great value considering what it can do. I can feel my credit card twitching in my pocket as I type this.

Recently I was looking to buy a new printer; actually I’m still looking, but I think I may have found the one. The Brother DCP-6690CW ticks most of the boxes for me. It is one of the most feature packed multi-function printers I have seen in a while.

The Brother DCP-6690CW prints at a maximum size of A3, which is great for me because of Uni design concepts and such, but not so great in terms of desk space. It is quite frankly a monster of a machine. It has a footprint of 540mm x 488mm, which is about twice the size of my current A4 laser printer. Obviously, when I get the Brother DCP-6690CW it will replace the current setup of a monochrome laser printer, colour inkjet printer and a scanner. Well, that’s my excuse anyhow. The colour inkjet will probably be located somewhere because it has a CD/DVD printing facility.

The thing that grabs me about the Brother DCP-6690CW is not the 4.2in touch screen LCD, or the huge array of memory card slots, or quite frankly the PictBridge compatibility. No, the one selling point that really caught my eye was the fact that it’s wireless. Having just bought a laptop that connects wirelessly to the home network, I don’t want to have to tether it up to a printer when I want to print.

It’s not a bad price for a multi-function device either, with the best price on PriceGrabber at the moment being £231.09.
I know that this is going to be my next big purchase because it’s something that will help me with my studies. I also know that I won’t have to replace the Brother DCP-6690CW for a very long time.