Lexmark X543dn: duplex printing with a simplex color scanner review

Color documents and one-sided scan bundles

The Lexmark X543dn combines color laser printing, copying and color scanning in a wired office MFP. US part 3001385 includes automatic two-sided printing, a 50-sheet document feeder and a flatbed large enough for Legal originals. Its recommended monthly range is 500–1,500 printed pages, making it a reference for a modest shared document routine rather than a high-volume department.

The important limitation is on the original side. The feeder scans one face of a sheet. Built-in print duplex does not make that feeder turn originals over, and this three-in-one configuration does not supply the X544 models' fax function. A team regularly digitizing two-sided contracts should settle the scanner requirement before considering its printing features.

A useful glass area, with a simpler feeder

The original guide explicitly gives the glass an 8.5-by-14-inch maximum. Letter, A4 and full-length Legal originals therefore fit the established flatbed route. Place an original facedown at the marked corner. Books, photos, small items and fragile material belong on the glass rather than in the automatic feeder.

For suitable loose pages, load the feeder faceup with the short edge first and adjust the guides. Its declared 50-sheet capacity uses ordinary 20-pound or 75-gsm paper. Letter, Legal and A4 fit the documented range. A two-sided original needs deliberate manual handling and file ordering; there is no automatic reversing mechanism to finish the second face.

Color scanning helps retain annotations and diagrams. Lexmark lists different scan rates by size and mode: Letter simplex capture reaches up to 20 black or 19 color sides per minute, while the corresponding A4 figures are 18. Those figures describe capture, not finished file delivery or printed output. Choose resolution and content settings for the document rather than simply maximizing every setting.

Build the computer workflow first

The included connections are USB Type-B for a computer and 10/100 Ethernet for a network. The family guide documents computer scanning, Scan Center and network Scan Profile or ScanBack routines. For network profiles, select the destination and scan settings on the computer, then use the assigned profile or shortcut at the printer. Confirm that files arrive where expected.

Check compatible printer and scanner software for the actual operating system before buying an earlier unit. The historical software list is not a promise for a current computer. An optional external wireless print server also does not establish built-in Wi-Fi or a wireless scanning workflow. AirPrint, Mopria and confidential-job PIN release are not qualified features in this assessment.

Feed paper according to the job

The supplied configuration contains a 250-sheet drawer and a one-sheet manual feeder, declared as 250+1 sheets at the maker's ordinary-paper basis. Letter, Legal and A4 each fit the drawer's 250-sheet stack. Extend the tray for longer paper and match the panel and computer size settings to the load. The manual slot is useful for an occasional different sheet, not a second bulk tray.

Automatic print duplex is included. The reviewed size table does not identify a separate duplex-size subset, so verify the precise paper size and driver choice for an essential two-sided job. Duplex media is limited to suitable 60–105-gsm grain-long paper; envelopes, labels, transparencies and card stock are excluded from that route. Envelopes use the instructed one-sided manual feed.

The advertised 900+1-sheet maximum requires the optional Duo Drawer, which combines an additional 550-sheet drawer and 100-sheet feeder. The maker declares up to 21 one-sided Letter pages per minute in either black or color. Its 35,000-page maximum duty figure is separate from the recommended 1,500-page monthly ceiling.

Supplies and the offered printer

The exact US package lists 2,500-page black and 2,000-page color Return Program cartridges under ISO/IEC 19798. Those are supplied declarations, not a reading of the cartridges remaining in a used machine. Replacement choices include standard and high-yield cartridges; the larger X544 extra-high-yield figures should not be transferred to the X543dn.

Lexmark marks the model discontinued. Inspect condition, the electrical label, appropriate supplies and software support, and allow clearance around its 59-pound body. Choose an X544dn if automatic reversing scans and analog fax matter; choose a genuinely single-pass MFP when frequent two-sided capture is the main workload.