Lexmark MC3326i: compact color capture with optional cloud fax review

Color documents and one-sided capture in a compact body

The Lexmark MC3326i is an earlier color multifunction reference for a small office that prints reports, copies pages and scans ordinary one-sided stacks. It includes a 50-sheet feeder, a 2.8-inch touchscreen, Ethernet and Wi-Fi. Two distinctions decide the fit: the feeder is simplex, and faxing uses an optional cloud-service arrangement rather than an analog telephone modem.

The exact US reference is part 40N9660, which Lexmark marks discontinued. That describes a documented configuration, not present stock or a guarantee about an older machine's condition. Check the suffix, regional unit, compatible software, supplies and service requirements. The MC3326adwe and the faster-scanning MC3426 variants should not be treated as interchangeable names.

Printing both sides does not scan both sides

Lexmark declares up to 26 one-sided Letter pages per minute in black or color. Automatic print duplex is separately rated at 13 Letter sides per minute. The one-sided feeder scan rate is up to 21 Letter sides per minute in either black or color. These are manufacturer specifications, not measured results from testing for this article.

The original scanner-size table supports Letter, Legal and A4 through the document feeder, while the glass supports Letter and A4. A general 8.5-by-14-inch scan-area headline should not be assigned to the glass. Use the flatbed for a delicate individual original or book page and the feeder for a suitable one-sided stack. A recurring pile of two-sided originals requires manual handling here; compare an explicitly automatic-duplex scanner if that is a central task.

Cloud fax has real conditions

The exact US page explicitly says analog faxing through a phone line is unsupported. The original guide's model matrix agrees, while listing etherFAX, fax-server and Fax over IP possibilities. Those are meaningful alternatives, but each has conditions rather than being a modem hidden behind the network port.

The dated product page describes an optional etherFAX subscription and a trial limited to three months or 300 pages, whichever occurs first, with possible other charges. The original setup requires updated firmware and portal registration using the printer serial number. Fax over IP needs an installed license bundle. The fax-server routine sends through an email-capable service and is outgoing-only unless an appropriate device transport is also configured for receiving. Confirm current provider terms and the complete intended arrangement; ordinary print/scan setup alone does not establish included fax service.

Choose the connection and included paper supply

Standard connections are USB Type-B, gigabit Ethernet and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. The exact scan destinations include a USB-connected or network-connected computer. AirPrint and Mopria are documented network printing routes, while a compatible Print and Hold driver can submit confidential PIN jobs for touchscreen release. These separate routines still need appropriate software and network access.

The main tray holds 250 sheets, with a one-sheet manual feed; included and maximum input are both 250+1 on the stated 20-pound or 75-gsm basis. Letter, Legal and A4 support automatic print duplex. Envelopes follow their instructed one-sided media routine. Lexmark recommends 600–2,500 printed pages monthly, distinct from the 50,000-page maximum duty ceiling. No larger family paper drawer is assumed.

Supplies and the useful alternative

Supplied toner is declared at 750 black pages and 500 for each color under ISO/IEC 19798. US high-yield examples are C331HK0 black at 3,000 and C331HC0, C331HM0 and C331HY0 colors at 2,500 each, with geographic and Return Program conditions. Check actual remaining supplies and compatible replacements rather than deriving present ownership cost from yield alone. A cloud-fax trial also does not establish a compulsory subscription for ordinary printing.

The body is 16.2 inches wide, 15.5 deep and 13.6 high at 42.7 pounds before operating clearance. Verify the actual US electrical label and cord. This configuration is coherent for compact color printing and one-sided capture when optional fax is considered separately. Compare documented analog-fax hardware for a phone-line routine, or a single-pass scanner when frequent two-sided capture changes the workday.