Epson Expression Premium XP-7100: a low-cost photograph printer

Epson’s Expression Premium XP-7100 is an all-in-one printer that’s optimized for images, however sale costs place it within the funds class. At $150, we questioned simply how good a photograph printer it’s. We additionally examined its velocity, ease of use, and the long-term prices of this cartridge-based printer to search out out if it presents sufficient high quality and worth.

Design

The XP-7100’s black colour matches its premium aspirations and would slot in properly in a house photograph studio. Residence printers which are meant for informal use are sometimes white to mix in with the decor extra simply.

I don’t thoughts the textured black prime, and the shiny faceted corners look good. It’s additionally compact, notably for an all-in-one printer that features an computerized doc feeder (ADF). It stands simply 8.1 inches tall with the ADF panel open for scanning. To entry the flatbed scanner, that you must raise the lid.

The footprint is 15.24 inches extensive by 14.5 inches lengthy when the trays are closed. Epson gave the Expression Premium XP-7100 a intelligent computerized output tray that extends when printing. The massive 4.3-inch colour touchscreen panel mechanically tilts up on the similar time. That will increase the size to 23.5 inches.

There’s a USB port on the entrance for straightforward walk-up printing and scanning through a thumb drive. Its reminiscence card slot accepts SD, SDHC, SDXC, and microSD with an adapter.

The primary paper tray tucks beneath the underside and is remarkably skinny for such a multifunctional mechanism. It’s utterly detachable, holds 100 sheets of paper as much as 14 inches lengthy, has a built-in photograph tray, and features a holder to print instantly on CDs and DVDs. Envelopes and specialty paper load on the rear.

Epson packed a ton of performance right into a small area. The query is whether or not high quality and velocity are adequate with this compact design.

Printing efficiency

In testing, the output of the Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 was spectacular. I examined borderless full-page printing, 4×6 photograph printing, and plain paper printing of quite a lot of photos. Shade constancy is great, with detailed pictures on photograph paper and first rate high quality even on plain paper.

It’s no shock that Epson is aware of learn how to construct an amazing photograph printer, however I wrongly assumed there might be some tradeoff in high quality at such a low worth. The Expression Premium XP-7100 makes use of a five-color Claria Premium ink system that’s practically a match for Epson’s six-color selection.

An expert photographer would possibly discover the distinction, but it surely was a problem for my eyes to detect the marginally higher colour constancy of Epson’s EcoTank ET-8500, a six-color premium photograph printer. That’s a way more costly printer, however the ink tank financial savings would add up over time for a heavy person.

Naturally, black-and-white printing is crisp as properly. Monochrome prints are quick at 15.Eight pages per minute, and double-sided printing is supported. Shade doesn’t lag too far behind, rolling by 11 pages in a minute.

In case you’re brief on time, don’t be afraid to strive “draft mode” images. Footage printed in draft lose a little bit element however look nearly as good as regular print high quality, which is almost indistinguishable from very best quality.

When printing a number of copies, it’s price checking if the draft mode is nice sufficient because it saves ink and prints a lot quicker. Actually, I doubt I might ever select the very best quality with such lovely photograph prints in the usual setting. A 4×6 is completed in simply 12 seconds and appears nice.

The compact paper feed appears dependable, however two 4×6 photograph papers had been pulled by at a time. This didn’t have an effect on printing and might be due to larger humidity and the inherent stickiness of photograph paper. The envelope check is the one place the Expression Premium XP-7100 let me down. I merely couldn’t get an envelope to print accurately after three tries. If I discover a answer, I’ll replace this text.

This isn’t a great workplace printer; it’s a photograph printer. If you need velocity and dependable doc, label, and envelope printing, a laser printer is commonly a better option than an inkjet. General, print velocity and high quality had been among the many greatest regardless of the envelope challenge.

Particular options

The Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 is an all-in-one printer that may function a scanner and colour copier. Printing and copying are wonderful, however scanning is its weak spot, not less than the best way I exploit a scanner.

When scanning to a cellular system, I wanted the Epson iPrint app. That is an older app, and it solely helps as much as 300 dots per inch (dpi), which doesn’t present sufficient high quality in the event you crop in on a scan. In case you scan to a USB thumb drive, an SD card, or a pc, there’s an choice for 600 dpi decision.

The thumb drive and reminiscence card choices are vital for me since my pc isn’t close to the printer. The shortage of high-resolution scanning within the app looks as if an oversight. Epson maintains the iPrint app, and the most recent replace was just some weeks in the past. Maybe a repair for larger scanning density will are available a future replace.

For a low-profile printer, Epson gave the Expression Premium XP-7100 a pleasant doc feeder. The ADF carried out properly, rapidly and reliably scanning a number of double-sided pages. It may possibly deal with 30 pages at a time. The flatbed scanner is fast and easy to make use of, making copies straightforward.

Software program and compatibility

With the Epson Expression Premium XP-7100, setup begins with putting in the ink cartridges and aligning the print heads. That’s fairly normal for inkjet printers, although some make use of the scanner to automate and velocity up the alignment course of.

Epson’s documentation cautions that it is best to gently shake the biggest cartridge, which is black, earlier than set up. It’s a element that’s simply missed and will trigger printing issues.

Since it is a photograph printer, there are 5 kinds of ink, together with the standard cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. There’s additionally a photograph black which works higher when printing photos.

Epson features a plastic bag to retailer the ink caps that must be eliminated. It may be messy, so roll up your sleeves earlier than beginning.

After set up, the printer takes a couple of minutes to organize the ink cartridge. The following step was connecting to Wi-Fi. Epson doesn’t point out a cellular app in its fast begin information, so I related manually. Since my printer is upstairs, I used my router’s longer-range 2.4GHz band.

Connecting through a Mac or Home windows PC is straightforward and easy. You’ll want to put in Epson apps to entry each function, however for printing, you need to use system software program.

From an iPhone, you’ll be able to print with out an app. On Android, I put in the Epson Print Enabler, which serves as a driver. To make use of the scanner, I found I wanted the Epson iPrint app. It additionally offers extra management over printing. Actually, the printer handles paperwork and photos effortlessly, so that you solely want the app for scanning and monitoring ink ranges out of your cellphone.

Value

The Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 retails for $240, however sale costs are nearer to $150 in a number of retailers. That makes the upfront value very low for such a high-quality photograph printer and all-in-one system.

Lengthy-term ink prices are literally an important consideration for cartridge-based inkjet printers. A four-pack of the colour cartridges prices $48.29, good for about 300 colour paperwork. That makes colour print value as a lot as 16 cents per web page.

Epson says 4 high-capacity colour cartridges final for about 650 pages. That involves $75.96, decreasing the price of a mean colour doc to 12 cents. That’s higher, however nonetheless costly.

Black-and-white printing prices between Four and 5 cents per web page, however as a photograph printer, I wouldn’t use a lot black ink.

Is that this the printer for you?

Epson’s Expression Premium XP-7100 can print lovely images rapidly and handles most monochrome printing duties properly. Scanning and copying with the flatbed and doc feeder works properly with a thumb drive, reminiscence card, and pc.

If that you must do medium to high-volume photograph printing, the Expression Premium XP-7100 will get costly in a rush since Epson’s Premium Claria ink cartridges are comparatively expensive for low-yield ink cartridges that require 4 to print in colour and one for monochrome.

The printer is thoughtfully designed and well-made however has some tough edges relating to printing envelopes and scanning to a cellular system.

General, I used to be impressed with the print high quality, however I want the associated fee per web page was decrease. It’s an amazing alternative for a images fanatic who needs to sometimes print their greatest photos to share with family and friends. If you wish to print in colour each day or make plenty of colour copies, one other photograph printer would possibly fit your wants higher.