Epson Workforce 30 Inkjet Printer

The Epson Workforce 30 is limited in functionality--you won't get a fax or scanner or copier in this almost-full-size unit--but it what it does, it does very well. In particular, photos look fantastic, in large measure thanks to the DuraBrite ink that Epson uses, but you won't sacrifice basic black-and-white quality either. For well under a hundred bucks, this is a pretty good deal.

The Epson WorkForce 30 is a fine, entry-level color inkjet printer. If you don't want to spend much money, and if you don't need anything in addition to a printer (like a fax or a copier), there are a lot of advantages to be found.

Print speeds were excellent. The first page of a black-and-white document came out within 30 seconds of turning the printer on, and a four-page PDF took about 20 seconds per page. They looked great, though the color photos on the PDF didn't look as good as I hoped. My fault for not using the proper paper (cheap copy paper won't cut it). When using the higher-end Epson inkjet paper, colors looked far superior.

Similarly, color graphics pages look excellent when using good paper, with sharp, clear colors. The printer, like most decent inkjets, automatically sets itself to print whatever's in the print queue, so there's no need to fool with settings. A 5x7 color print on Epson premium photo paper took a bit of time to print--just over four minutes--but the end result was truly excellent. Epson's DuraBrite ink is instant drying and provides a high level of smudge- and water-resistance.

The WorkForce 30 comes with two black ink tanks, allowing it to print what Epson calls "laser-quality" black text. I'm not sure it's quite laser quality, but for the price, it's more than close enough. And I appreciate Energy Star efficiency rating.