Lexmark's new Home and Student printer series

Having a printer for school isn't a complete necessity, but it can definitely make life a lot (yes, a lot) easier. Lexmark's new line of multifunction Home and Student printers offer a slew of features at a reasonable price point. Here's how their new lineup breaks down:

X5650: At $99, the Lexmark X5650 is the lowest priced printer in this group. It's a four-in-one device (print, copy, scan, fax) that features 25 pages per minute in black and 18 ppm in color at 4800x1200dpi for printing, 1200x600 dpi scanning, and a memory card reader for printing photos. However, this printer has one ace up its sleeve: An additional front-side USB port for instant connectivity to laptop computers. This is perfect laptop using students that are on the go. Need to print a paper? Simply use the front-side port for quick access and print away. 

X6650: This is another four-in-one device with almost identical specs to the X5650—25 pages per minute in black and 18 ppm in color at 4800x1200dpi for printing, memory card reader, 36-bit scanning. So what do you get for the higher $129 price? This printer drops the front-side USB and adds Wi-Fi access. 

X4950: At $149, the X4950 is the premium printer from Lexmark's Home and Student series. It's a three-in-one device (print, copy, scan, no fax) that features Wi-Fi and USB connectivity, fast print speeds (30 ppm black, 27 ppm color), 48-bit scanning, USB port for flash drives (scan to and print from), and a 2.4-inch color LCD screen. If you prefer quick speed/scan quality over function, go with the X4950 over the X6650.

Expect these three printers to start appearing on shelves at the end of next month. I'll be receiving several of Lexmark's new printers from its Home and Student series and Professional series, so keep your eyes peel for when I take them for a test spin.