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Epson WorkForce WF-2530WF review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £60
inc VAT

Although it comes with useful software tools, this low-cost MFP's print quality and speed are reliable but unremarkable

Although most modern inkjet MFPs for both business and home use have colour screens, touchpads and other shiny bells and whistles, the Epson Workforce WF-2530WF keeps it very simple indeed with a two-line mono LCD display and a range of clearly labelled function buttons. The display’s small size means you have to lean in to read it comfortably, but this doesn’t really get in the way of using or setting up the MFP.

Epson WorkForce WF-2530WF

You can even get the 2530WF onto your wireless network without having to plug it into a PC, thanks to the Wi-Fi Setup button. Press this and you can choose between using a standalone Wi-Fi setup wizard, manually entering your network’s details, or using WPS if your router supports it. When it comes to entering your network’s password, the numeric keypad doubles as phone-style alphanumeric text entry pad. There’s no Ethernet port, so USB is your only wired option.

Unlike printers from the bigger and more capable WorkForce Pro range, this MFP has only one paper tray: a vertical input at the back that can take 100 pages of A4. It also has a 1,200×2,400dpi scanner with an ADF. Neither the ADF nor the print engine are duplex, but that’s hardly surprising at this price.

Although scans are slightly slow and a little dull looking, there’s a good amount of contrast in both light and dark areas and fine detail in our high-resolution photo scans was fairly sharp, although not perfect. Areas of finely gradated shading are also smooth and natural-looking, while text scans were sharp even at 150dpi. A 150dpi scan of an A4 document from the platen takes 17s, but if you increase the resolution to 300dpi, you’ll have to wait 49s. A 600dpi photo scan took 57s and we had to wait over two minutes for a 1,200dpi scan of a 6x4in snap.

Epson WorkForce WF-2530WF

As well as its driver disc, the MFP comes with a copy of Presto! PageManager 9.03, which helps you archive and carry out text recognition on scanned documents. The printer’s software automatically checks for the latest version online, and also checks if there is a new version of the printer’s firmware available. It also lets you enable mobile print services, which allow you to print to the WF-2530WF from a mobile phone or tablet using Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print or the company’s own Epson Connect service, which gives your printer a unique email address to which documents can be sent.

The address generated isn’t exactly what you’d call memorable, but that hardly matters once it’s saved to your address book. A web interface allows you to restrict who can email content to the printer, too. Finally, Epson’s iPrint app makes it easy to print documents and phones on the WP-2530WF from compatible iOS or Android smartphones.

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Basic Specifications

Rating***
Maximum native print resolution5,760×1,440dpi
Max optical resolution1,200×2,400dpi
Output bit depth24-bit

Quoted Speeds

Quoted speed, mono A49ppm
Quoted speed, colour A45ppm

Tested Print Speeds

Time for two 10x8in photos 1.017m 43s
Time for six 6x4in photos 1.020m 52s

Physical and Environmental

Standard printer interfacesUSB, 802.11n wireless
Optional printer interfacesnone
Size221x329x377mm
Weight5.9kg
Noise (in normal use)36dB(A)
Duty cycle3,000 pages

Paper Handling

Maximum paper sizeA4
Maximum paper weight255gsm
Standard paper inputs1
Standard paper input capacity100
Maximum paper inputs1
Maximum paper input capacity100
Duplex (code, cost if option)No

General

Printer technologypiezo inkjet
Supported operating systemsWindows XP/Vista/7/8, Mac OS X 10.5+
Other inkjet features2-line LCD screen
Other inkjet options£27

Buying Information

Price£60
Consumable parts and prices£10 each
Price per colour A4 page6.6p
Quoted life of supplied black cartridge175
Quoted life of supplied colour cartridge(s)165
Quoted life of supplied photo cartridge(s)N/A
Warrantyone year RTB
Supplierhttp://www.argos.co.uk
Detailswww.epson-europe.com

Print Quality

Number of ink colours4
Number of ink cartridges4
Maximum number of ink colours4
Maximum number of cartridges4
Quoted photo durability118 years
Quoted photo durability sourceEpson

Tested Scan Speeds

Full scan area preview16s
A4 document at 150dpi17s
A4 document at 300dpi49s
6x4in photo at 600dpi57s
6x4in photo at 1200dpi2m 11s

Tested Copy Speeds

Time for single A4 mono copy 1.039s
Time for single A4 colour copy 1.040s
Time for 10 A4 copies using feeder 2.03m 2s

Photo Features

PictBridge supportNo
Direct (PC-less) printingNo
Supported memory cardsnone
CD printingNo

Copy Features

Maximum number of copies99
Max mono copy resolution1,200dpi
Max colour copy resolution1,200dpi

Fax Features

Fax memory (maximum mono pages)180