Lexmark MC3426i: compact single-pass color capture with optional cloud fax review

Two-sided document capture is the useful upgrade

The Lexmark MC3426i is an earlier compact color multifunction reference for a workgroup that scans both sides of originals regularly. Its 50-sheet feeder captures both sides in one pass, while automatic print duplex, copying, Ethernet and Wi-Fi cover ordinary document production. The deciding tradeoff is fax: this i configuration does not support analog telephone fax, and its cloud fax requires a separately configured service.

Lexmark marks exact US part 40N9650 discontinued. This reference describes that documented configuration rather than current stock, warranty entitlement or an individual machine's condition. Check the actual suffix, regional unit, included trays, compatible software and service requirements. The similarly sized MC3326i has a one-sided feeder; the MC3426adw has a different fax arrangement.

Check the scan route and size together

The exact specification explicitly identifies an automatic single-pass two-sided document feeder. The original size table supports Letter, Legal and A4 through the feeder, but only Letter and A4 on the glass. A broad 8.5-by-14-inch scanner-area headline therefore does not establish a Legal flatbed. If both feeder and flatbed must accept a Legal original, this configuration does not meet that combined requirement.

For Letter, the declared simplex scan rates are up to 48 black or 21 color sides per minute, with duplex at 96 black or 42 color sides per minute. Those duplex figures count scanned sides. They are not printed-page rates or evidence that every two-sided color job runs at the faster black figure. These are manufacturer specifications, not measurements from testing for this article.

Print duplex and the standard paper stack

Lexmark separately declares up to 26 one-sided Letter pages per minute in black or color, and 13 Letter sides per minute for automatic print duplex. Letter, Legal and A4 fit that two-sided printing path. Envelopes instead follow the instructed one-sided media routine, with their own feed and stock restrictions.

Standard input is 250 sheets plus a one-sheet manual feed on the stated 20-pound or 75-gsm basis. The 750+1 maximum needs optional paper equipment and is not supplied with the base configuration. Lexmark recommends 750–5,000 printed pages monthly, separately from its 75,000-page maximum duty ceiling. A faster scanner does not raise either the included paper stack or the recommended print workload.

Cloud fax is a service choice, not a hidden modem

The exact US footnote explicitly rules out analog fax through a phone line. It describes optional etherFAX subscription service and a trial limited to three months or 300 pages, whichever comes first, with possible other charges. Treat those as dated manufacturer terms and check the current provider arrangement rather than assuming a continuing free service.

The original guide requires updated firmware and portal registration using the printer serial number for etherFAX. Fax over IP needs a license bundle. A fax-server routine can send through an email-capable service, but receiving requires a separately configured device transport. These are genuine possibilities; they do not make the normal USB or Ethernet print/scan setup an included fax plan. A printing-supply subscription and a fax-service subscription are also separate decisions.

Connections, supplies and the practical comparison

Included interfaces are USB Type-B, gigabit Ethernet and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. The exact scan destinations include USB-connected or network-connected computers, with AirPrint and Mopria for documented network printing. A compatible Print and Hold driver can submit confidential PIN jobs for release at the 2.8-inch touchscreen. Confirm the software and network route for each task rather than assuming every application supports every function.

Supplied toner is declared at 1,500 pages for each CMYK cartridge under ISO/IEC 19798. US C341XK0, C341XC0, C341XM0 and C341XY0 extra-high-yield replacements are each rated at 4,500 pages. Match geographic and Return Program conditions without deriving current cost from yield alone. The body is 16.2 inches wide, 15.5 deep and 13.6 high at 42.7 pounds before working clearance. Verify the actual electrical label and cord. Choose this reference for compact single-pass capture; compare documented analog-fax hardware for a phone-line routine or a verified larger paper package when refilling is the main constraint.