Printer software issue

I don't know if this should be in the driver thread or software thread, so please redirect as necessary.

My computer runs Windows XP and my printer/scanner is Lexus x2350 (I know it is old, but I cannot afford a new one just yet). The problem I have is that when I scan documents, it saves them as very large files. For example, scanning a one page document at its most efficient setting results in a 1Mb file in PDF format. If I save them in Word or text format, it is only slightly better. I am using the latest driver available, v1.0.4.0, so I don't think it is the driver. I am also using Lexmark's All in One software for scanning and printing. Needless to say, it can be a real bother when emailing multiple pages that were scanned onto the computer. Even zipped up, I usually have to break up the documents into several emails to send them all.

Is there a software package I can use that saves, prints and scans documents more efficiently for this printer/scanner?

Thanks in advance.

 

For scanning, the resolutions go from 72 dpi to 19,200 dpi. I also have the choice ob a color photo, color document, b&w photo or b&w document (OCR I believe). The default and one I use the most often is 300 dpi.

When I scan a 4 page document (b&w text) with PDF, it is about 4.25Mb in size; for Word it is 422Kb.

Is there another software program I can use that would be compatible and more efficient for my scanner/printer?

 

Thanks Halo. I'll give that a try. Appreciate the help.