Kodak ESP-5 EasyShare All-in-One Printer (8509408) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I am thoroughly impressed with the ESP-5. I was foaming at the mouth when Kodak came out with their first line of "All in One" 5300 series printers, but after having read many marginal reviews I decided to pass and fight it out with my Lexmark X7350 until the next Kodak generation arrived. I'm glad I waited and put shortly... Kodak has ARRIVED!
The Kodak ESP-5 prints great looking full frame 4x6 and 5x7 lab quality prints. The sheet feeder is both reliable and accurate. I print a lot of labels and reproducible alignment is important. The ESP-5 does a wonderful job in terms of reproducibility and color quality. The blank paper feed on my Lexmark is unreliable at BEST! The Kodak has been 100% in terms of mechanical reliability. Color rendition is basically "WYSIWYG" when compared to a calibrated monitor.
The scanner works reliably and produces great resolution scans with accurate tonal quality.
I am also thoroughly impressed with the Kodak Perfect Touch technology software included in the Kodak Home Center. The enhancements such as color restoration and sharpening work fantastic. Please look at the Humming bird picture that I took and enhanced with the included Kodak Home Center.
And last but not least is the cost of the refill cartridges. Thank goodness I'll no longer have to run down and buy another expensive Lexmark or HP ink cartridge. Kodak has a great product with a great marketing strategy... i.e. Sell a decent printer with reasonably priced inks, unlike Lexmark and HP who basically give you the printer for $40 and make their $$$$ on overpriced ink that they purposely engineer so that you can't refill and reuse them. (I still can't grasp Lexmark's and HP's "One Use" License concept...)
Simply put. As soon as you use up that last expensive Lexmark or HP ink cartridge either recycle your old printer or put it in the nearest dumpster and run and buy yourself the Kodak ESP-5!
Footnote 1: I downloaded the latest Kodak Home Center software and ESP-5 firmware upgrade before I printed my first page, so I can't attest to the original software version that came in the box. Seems like all manufacturers always have an upgraded version waiting on their website. This approach worked flawlessly for me, so I'd suggest you do the same.
Footnote 2: I'm running Windows XP (latest service pack) and have had no software problems.
Footnote 3: I am in no way associated with Kodak, Lexmark or HP. Just trying to provide an honest unbiased review based on my experiences.
Footnote 4: The ESP-5 came with an USB cable and bonus Print Artist software. Printing directly from the SD memory card slot works great.

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Kodak ESP 3 All-in-One - Multifunction ( printer / copier / scanner ) - color - ink-jet - printing (up to): 30 ppm (mono) / 29 ppm (color) - 100 sheets - Hi-Speed USB, USB host (DE; FR; UK Version) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)*** Update February 22, 2009 ***
New rating: 1
(The Amazon site won't let me change the actual rating so the best I can do is put in this comment.)
After 9 months the printer started malfunctioning. With full ink cartridges it would print horribly as though it was out of ink. I had an extended warranty but was told they can't get parts to fix it. Fortunately I was allowed to exchange for a different make. Until now all of my comments below held true - but reliability with this unit seems to be a problem.
*** Original Review***
I have had the printer for about 2.5 months now and haven't had any problems. Had it set up and working in a matter of minutes.
Some other reviewers seem unhappy about its lack of bluetooth or that it doesn't have a USB cable in the box. This didn't bother me because I wasn't expecting it to be bluetooth compatible, and I knew it didn't have the USB cable in the box.
Pros:
- Easy set up. Installed drivers from CD, plugged in USB cable, worked like a charm.
- Prints fast
- I love having scanning and copying capabilities built in. Have used both and it worked just fine.
- Inexpensive ink
Cons:
- Louder than most printers (I have seen other reviewers comment on this as well)
- The paper tray design is a little weird. The output paper almost lies on top of the input paper. Seems to work fine for smaller print jobs but my guess is that it wouldn't for larger print jobs.
- Copying/scanning must be done one page at a time. But this is typical of most home printers.
- Would be nice to have automatic duplex printing. But most home printers don't.
So if you're looking for a high end professional office printer for high volume copying, duplex printing, etc., then this probably isn't the printer for you. If you need a decent home printer/scanner/copier it works great.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Kodak ESP 3 All-in-One - Multifunction ( printer / copier / scanner ) - color - ink-jet - printing (up to): 30 ppm (mono) / 29 ppm (color) - 100 sheets - Hi-Speed USB, USB host (DE; FR; UK Version)

Click here for more information about Kodak ESP 3 All-in-One - Multifunction ( printer / copier / scanner ) - color - ink-jet - printing (up to): 30 ppm (mono) / 29 ppm (color) - 100 sheets - Hi-Speed USB, USB host (DE; FR; UK Version)

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