Photo printing at home: five colour MFPs

Printing equipment brings Epson the largest profit item. The brand's product park presents solutions of the most diverse design. Take, for example, a typical home model "3-in-1" with the name L3150 and sort out all its background.

The device combines the functions of an inkjet printer, scanner and copier in one compact package. High print resolution (5760x1440 dpi) allows you to get a detailed result at the output. It will be especially useful when printing photos for a home photo archive. The finished photo card in colour leaves the MFP output tray after about 69 seconds. after sending the snapshot to print. In the documentation printing mode, the Epson L3150 takes acceleration up to 9 pages/min. in b/w and up to 5 pages/min. in colour.

Another important advantage of the model over its peers is the high resolution of the flatbed scanner (1200x2400 dpi). However, the built-in CISS on board the MFP looks much more interesting, which is a tray with four containers for paint. Their "factory" resource is enough for about 4,500 monochrome prints and 7,500 colour pages. Thanks to Ink Lock and Key Lock systems, even a beginner can handle filling ink tanks.

The model was created with an eye to working in tandem with a computer over a wire and mobile gadgets over a Wi-Fi network, which greatly simplifies the tasks of printing and scanning papers. The MFP's own control panel is represented by a number of buttons with intuitive designations on the upper end. To complete the picture, it lacks only a display. In addition to its absence, there are no other claims to the device. As a result, the Epson L3150 rightfully occupies the leading lines in the category of inexpensive home MFPs with a serious focus on photo printing.

Canon PIXMA G3410 is a home "inhabitant" with a balanced ratio of price and printing capabilities. It will perfectly fit into the measured rhythm of household life, assisting in printing, scanning and copying everyday papers.

Being the legal successor of the popular model Canon PIXMA G3400 , the device got rid of separate printing cartridges and got a built-in continuous ink supply system (CISS). The tank on the left side of the front panel of the MFP is intended for black pigment—type coloring matter, a trio of tanks on the right hand of the paper delivery tray — for coloured coloring ink. The regular volume of black paint is enough to get 6K prints (with 5 percent paper filling), colour — for 7K pages.

The MFP's home "registration" is clearly hinted at by the printing speed. So, up to 9 monochrome prints or up to 5 colour pages accumulate in the output tray of the device in a minute. Printing a 10x15 cm photo takes the model exactly 1 min. A4 scans of documents and photographs Canon PIXMA G3410 sends to a PC by wire or to a paired smartphone over a wireless Wi-Fi network. The only thing is that the MFP is absolutely not friends with the macOS system, while working perfectly with "iPhones" and "iPads".

The controls of the device are concentrated on the right side of the "backrest". There was even a place for a 1.2-inch monochrome screen among them. The practical use of it is a visual display of a given number of prints in the paper copying mode. You can appreciate the MFP at home or in a small office, where there is no urgent need to print out tons of papers.

The Smart Tank 615 model is a universal tool for home or mini—office in the vision of HP, sharpened for the tasks of printing documents and photos, scanning, copying papers and even sending materials to business partners by fax.

First of all, the device is notable for the CISS put into service. Built-in ink tanks are integrated into the MFP housing on both sides of the paper dispensing tray. The tank on the right holds 135 mL of black paint, and three coloured tanks on the left side (for blue, yellow and purple colours) — 70 mL of ink. In the factory configuration of the model there are three bottles of black ink, which is enough to obtain about 18K monochrome prints.

The HP Smart Tank 615 is controlled by a touch panel with a 2.2-inch monochrome screen size at the head. You can also give MFP commands from a smartphone paired with a printer via Wi-Fi. The model is "friends" with the lion's share of common wireless printing services: Google Cloud Print, Apple AirPrint, Mopria, HP ePrint, HP Smart. An additional point in the MFP's piggy bank of advantages is awarded for the presence in its assets of a device for automatic transmission of originals on 35 pages (automates the process of obtaining document scans).

Regarding the possibilities of printing photographs, the model also demonstrates excellent results. Let her do it slowly (it takes her about 79 seconds to print one copy of a 10x15 cm photo), but the quality of the prints is guaranteed to be on top. In a strong middle-class MFP, worthy rivals of the HP Smart Tank 615 will have to look carefully. And it is far from a fact that they will be found.

"Lazernik" HP Colour Laser 178NW from the colour league of home-office MFPs properly handles with all the stated functions: prints quickly, scans well and copies papers. You can also use it to print small-sized pictures for a home photo album.

The device is designed to work with A4 sheets. Of these, up to 150 pcs can be placed in the loading tray of the model. When performing monochrome printing tasks, the HP Colour Laser 178NW reaches speeds of up to 18 pages/min. Documents with colour diagrams leave the depths of the MFPs in the amount of 4 pages /min. The maximum resolution of the received prints rests on the "ceiling" of 600x600 dpi, which is an indicator "below the average for the ward".

The MFP is "tied" to the computer by means of a wire, and "by air" the model keeps in touch with mobile gadgets running Android or iOS. The device supports wireless printing and scanning services Google Cloud Print, Apple AirPrint, Mopria and, of course, the proprietary HP Smart application.

The monthly load on the HP Colour Laser 178NW should not exceed 20,000 pages. During the printing period of such a volume of sheets, it will be necessary to fill a black-and—white cartridge about 20 times and a colour cartridge under 30 times. The convenience of interacting with the device is added by a two-line monochrome screen on the control panel. In the category of "lasers" 3-in-1 for home needs or small office workgroups, the model occupies a very strong position.

The unpretentious "worker bee" Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C5790DWF will not let you down either in a relaxed home atmosphere or in an intensive office operation mode. The MFP practically needs no maintenance and provides a low cost of one impression.

The secret of the model's success lies in the use of large-capacity containers for pigment ink instead of traditional cartridges. They are the only consumables of the device (together with the tank for used paint). The resource of containers is approximately 10K monochrome and 5K colour prints. At the same time, the monthly operating time of the Epson PrecisionCore printhead can reach 45K pages.

The integration of the MFP into the office network infrastructure is carried out via the Ethernet LAN port, as well as "over the air", which opens up wide possibilities of wireless interaction with the device. It is possible to send images and papers to print or scan documents directly from a smartphone that connects to the printer via Wi-Fi. In addition, the device supports duplex printing and is equipped with a module for automatic transmission of originals for scanning (holds 50 sheets of paper).

The command control point of the MFP is located on the front panel. It organically combines mechanical buttons and a touch-screen colour display of a rather large diagonal (4.3"). The model carries a built-in fax on board, replacing bulky stand-alone solutions. The device is one of the most economical in the class and beats the lion's share of peers in all points of the programme.