Epson Expression Premium XP-7100: a low-cost picture printer | Digital Traits | Digital Noch

Epson’s Expression Premium XP-7100 is an all-in-one printer that’s optimized for pictures, however sale costs place it within the funds class. At $150, we puzzled 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 affords sufficient high quality and worth.

Design

The XP-7100’s black shade matches its premium aspirations and would slot in properly in a house picture studio. House printers which might be 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 automated doc feeder (ADF). It stands simply 8.1 inches tall with the ADF panel open for scanning. To entry the flatbed scanner, it is advisable raise the lid.

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

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

The principle 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 picture tray, and features a holder to print straight 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 ok 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 picture printing, and plain paper printing of quite a lot of photos. Shade constancy is great, with detailed pictures on picture paper and respectable high quality even on plain paper.

It’s no shock that Epson is aware of how you can construct a terrific picture printer, however I wrongly assumed there may very well 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 almost a match for Epson’s six-color selection.

An expert photographer would possibly discover the distinction, however it was a problem for my eyes to detect the marginally higher shade constancy of Epson’s EcoTank ET-8500, a six-color premium picture 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 nicely. Monochrome prints are quick at 15.8 pages per minute, and double-sided printing is supported. Shade doesn’t lag too far behind, rolling by way of 11 pages in a minute.

If you happen to’re brief on time, don’t be afraid to strive “draft mode” pictures. Footage printed in draft lose a bit of element however look nearly as good as regular print high quality, which is almost indistinguishable from highest quality.

When printing a number of copies, it’s price checking if the draft mode is sweet sufficient because it saves ink and prints a lot sooner. Actually, I doubt I’d ever select the highest quality with such lovely picture 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 picture papers have been pulled by way of at a time. This didn’t have an effect on printing and may very well be due to greater humidity and the inherent stickiness of picture 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 resolution, I’ll replace this text.

This isn’t a super workplace printer; it’s a photograph printer. If you would like 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 have 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 shade copier. Printing and copying are wonderful, however scanning is its weak spot, no less than the best way I exploit a scanner.

When scanning to a cell 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 when you crop in on a scan. If you happen to scan to a USB thumb drive, an SD card, or a pc, there’s an possibility for 600 dpi decision.

The thumb drive and reminiscence card choices are necessary for me since my laptop 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 newest replace was just some weeks in the past. Maybe a repair for greater 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 nicely, shortly and reliably scanning a number of double-sided pages. It may deal with 30 pages at a time. The flatbed scanner is fast and easy to make use of, making copies simple.

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’s best to gently shake the most important 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 picture printer, there are 5 kinds of ink, together with the same old 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 subsequent step was connecting to Wi-Fi. Epson doesn’t point out a cell app in its fast begin information, so I linked manually. Since my printer is upstairs, I used my router’s longer-range 2.4GHz band.

Connecting by way of a Mac or Home windows PC is simple and easy. You’ll want to put in Epson apps to entry each function, however for printing, you should utilize 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 telephone.

Worth

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 picture printer and all-in-one system.

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

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

Black-and-white printing prices between 4 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 pictures shortly and handles most monochrome printing duties nicely. Scanning and copying with the flatbed and doc feeder works nicely with a thumb drive, reminiscence card, and laptop.

If it is advisable do medium to high-volume picture printing, the Expression Premium XP-7100 will get costly in a rush since Epson’s Premium Claria ink cartridges are comparatively pricey for low-yield ink cartridges that require 4 to print in shade and one for monochrome.

The printer is thoughtfully designed and well-made however has some tough edges in terms of printing envelopes and scanning to a cell system.

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