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Kodak ESP C310 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £79
inc VAT

The ESP C310 isn't perfect, and it's not the cheapest wireless MFP we've seen, but it's incredibly cheap to run. Heavy users will find it good value.

Specifications

print speed, USB, 802.11b/g/n wireless, 173x419x313mm

http://www.pcworld.co.uk

Regular readers might notice more than a passing resemblance between Kodak’s ESP C310 inkjet multifunction peripheral (MFP) and the cumbersomely titled Advent AWP10 Wireless Multifunction Inkjet Printer we reviewed a few months back. At the time of our earlier review we noted that while the Advent printer used Kodak technology there was no equivalent model in Kodak’s own range. The ESP C310 fills that gap.

Like the Advent AWP10, the C310 is a compact MFP with a single sloped paper tray at the rear and a flat output tray at the front. There’s a USB port and support for 802.11b/g/n wireless networks, but no wired Ethernet connection. Both devices share maximum print and scan resolutions and claimed print speeds, but there are some minor differences, chief among which is the Kodak’s smaller 3.8cm colour screen.

Kodak ESP C310

The Kodak’s huge advantage, however, is that while Advent users must make do with Advent-branded ink cartridges and very high running costs, buyers of the ESP C310 can use Kodak’s own number 30 supplies. The resulting running costs of 1.4p per mono page part and 2.8p per colour page part are among the lowest available on any consumer inkjet, making the C310 exceptionally good value for anyone who plans to print in high volumes.

The ESP C310 shares many of the AWP10’s quirks, including a tendency for the top sheet to ride up in the input tray and black text that can appear ‘torn’ horizontally at times. Unlike the AWP10, however, it didn’t suffer from memory errors during our 1,200dpi scan test. It’s quite a slow printer, delivering our 25-page mono letter test at 3.9ppm, and our 24-page mixed colour document at just 2.6ppm. In addition to imperfect text, colour prints on plain paper aren’t as vibrant as those from some other inkjets, but the quality is adequate for most uses.

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Basic Specifications

Rating ***
Maximum native print resolution 9,600dpi
Max optical resolution 1,200dpi
Output bit depth 24-bit

Tested Print Speeds

Time for two 10x8in photos 1.0 6m 6s
Time for six 6x4in photos 1.0 5m 59s

Physical and Environmental

Standard printer interfaces USB, 802.11b/g/n wireless
Optional printer interfaces none
Size 173x419x313mm
Weight 5.4kg

Paper Handling

Maximum paper size A4/legal
Maximum paper weight 290gsm
Standard paper inputs 1
Standard paper input capacity 100
Maximum paper inputs 1
Maximum paper input capacity 100
Duplex (code, cost if option) No

General

Printer technology thermal inkjet
Supported operating systems Windows XP/Vista/7, Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later, iOS and Blackberry via free app
Other inkjet features 3.8cm colour screen, automatic head alignment
Other inkjet options none

Buying Information

Price £79
Consumable parts and prices £11
Price per colour A4 page 2.8p
Quoted life of supplied black cartridge 335 (ISO/IEC 24712)
Quoted life of supplied colour cartridge(s) 390 (ISO/IEC 24712)
Quoted life of supplied photo cartridge(s) N/A
Warranty one-year RTB
Supplier http://www.pcworld.co.uk
Details www.kodak.co.uk

Print Quality

Number of ink colours 4
Number of ink cartridges 2
Maximum number of ink colours 4
Maximum number of cartridges 2
Quoted photo durability 259 years
Quoted photo durability source Wilhelm Imaging Research

Tested Scan Speeds

Full scan area preview 12s
A4 document at 150dpi 10s
A4 document at 300dpi 21s
6x4in photo at 600dpi 34s
6x4in photo at 1200dpi 1m 24s

Tested Copy Speeds

Time for single A4 mono copy 1.0 23s
Time for single A4 colour copy 1.0 35s
Time for 10 A4 copies using feeder 2.0 N/A

Photo Features

PictBridge support No
Borderless printing A4
Direct (PC-less) printing Yes
Supported memory cards SD, MMC, Memory Stick
CD printing No

Copy Features

Maximum number of copies 99
Max mono copy resolution 1,200dpi
Max colour copy resolution 1,200dpi

Fax Features

Max mono fax resolution N/A
Fax memory (maximum mono pages) N/A