The field of all-in-ones has a tendency not really to be the place to find adventure, yet from time to time a daring manufacturer attempts something which really grabs our attention. The true interest in the Lexmark Genesis S815 is just how it scans: within sits a 10-megapixel camera.
The Genesis creates a composite colour preview image in just three seconds. Even once you include the operation of getting the scan to a connected Computer, the time barely increases. We scanned an A4 colour page into Photoshop at 150ppi in just six seconds, as well as an A4 photo at 300ppi in only eight - and there is a variety of on-device choices for colour fixing, cropping and all sorts prior to when you complete the work. Together with that scorching speed, the reliability of the colours in our examination photos ended up being great, having deep blacks, radiant reds as well as the numerous graded blues in a summer sky identified and faithfully duplicated.
On the flipside, the 10-megapixel resolution along with A4 platen size necessarily mean the utmost feasible scan quality is 300ppi - this is very much a consumer rather than professional device. Good detail seemed to be its sole significant weak point, with fluffy, frazzled edges on text as well as small portions of busy photos mixing in to one another slightly in areas.
The scan technology completely decides the strange upright form of the Genesis. The normal printer part remains at the bottom together with a 50-sheet output tray at the front; above that, the platen is located almost upright, along with a 100-sheet input tray also upright at the rear of the main body. Open up the cover in your direction and, deep behind the glass, you will notice the camera as well as LEDs, reflected via a 45-degree mirror at the back.
The lid hinges out by approximately an inch for thicker media, and you can easily comfortably hang a publication over the top of the platen so that you can conveniently grab a single page. The on-device scan engine enables you to keep adding documents prior to finalising a multi-page scan, plus it can scan as many as four photographs at once.
It managed normal-quality mono as well as colour print rates of 9ppm and 7.7ppm respectively, and churned out a 6 x 4in print at top quality in 33 seconds. That is pretty much up there with the likes of the A-Listed Canon Pixma MG6150, and as soon as you include that with the near-instant scanning, you're certain copies will arrive rather quickly as well.
Text and colour documents utilizing the Lexmark S815 printer ink cartridges tend to be appropriately fine, with thick blacks as well as solid areas of colour exhibiting absolutely no speckling or frazzled edges. However photograph prints, even at best quality, are middling; colours are decent yet there is just not sufficient contrast or sharpness to come anyplace around the splendour of the Canon.
That is certainly a major weakness, yet everything else concerning the Genesis gets a thumbs-up. It offers both USB and also 802.11n Wi-Fi connections, and among the clearest and most intuitive setup programs we've utilised, and also slots designed for SD, MMC, xD plus Memory Stick cards sit in convenient reach on the right-hand side. And it is all governed by the exact same excellent 4.3in touchscreen and SmartSolutions interface that first impressed us a lot on the Interact S605.
The Genesis by itself sells at a ludicrous 400 inc VAT. At that price we wouldn't go near it, but there is a temporary workaround: should you be fast and order in advance of 31 March 2011, you'll be able to claim an immense 200 cashback from Lexmark. With the value cut in half it's more worthwhile, and even though we can visualize a number of ways in which the Genesis needs to try to improve, because of its sheer bravado and ingenuity we can't help but like it.
Lexmark Genesis S815 ink cartridges can be found here.
