Kodak Claim Biggest Ink Savings With ESP Office 6150

Kodak recently released the ESP Office 6150 AiO inkjet printer – the latest printer featuring the company's patented pigmented ink technology. This technology enables Kodak ink cartridges to sell at a fraction of the cost of other producers: for example, colour cartridges for the Office 6150 cost only £10.99, while costing £25.99 for the comparable Canon PIXMA MP640. Kodak in fact claims consumers can save £50 annually by switching to Kodak printers!

Before rushing out to take advantage of Kodak's discounts though, potential buyers ought consider the other features of the Office 6150, as well as the printer's weaknesses. Targeted at the crowded home office market, critics agree Kodak's printer fares badly against other models available. Chief weaknesses include an inflated purchase price and mediocre image quality. We've listed below the best reviewer comments as well as the Office 6150's features – look through and decide for yourself if Kodak's savings claims hold water!

Features
• Integrated printer, scanner copier and fax machine – perfect for the small or home office.
• Automatic document feeder (holding 30 sheets) – for effortless copying.
• Duplex printing w/ 200 sheet paper tray – for eco-friendly printing that also saves you money.
• 2.4 inch LCD colour display.
• 802.11n WiFi connectivity – meaning you can print both from notebooks and also iPhones and BlackBerries.
• In-built memory storing 100 fax messages.

Reviewers' Comments

TrustedReviews.com's Simon Fuller notes several problems with the ESP Office 6150. Chief among these is the printer's slow speed: in testing the 6150 produced around 3.5 ppm, when Kodak claim the printer can generate around 30 ppm. Moreover this is slower than Kodak's previous releases, including the Kodak EasyShare 5500. Fuller also notes that printing wirelessly slows the ESP Office 6150 even more, causing the printhead to glitch repeatedly.

Printing speed aside, Fuller comments that the ESP Office 6150's colour cartridges are not individual. This means the entire cartridge must be replaced each time one colour empties, and potentially adds to ink cartridge costs. He also notes that the LCD display is not touchscreen – a common feature in SOHO printers today.

PCPro.co.uk's Mike Jennings meanwhile finds greatest fault with the ESP Office 6150's printout quality. He notes that colours are grainy, and that this is highly disappointing given the Kodak printer's £170 retail price. Moreover Jennings notes the ESP Office 6150's ink cartridge savings are offset by the need to buy expensive paper for the printer to perform well.

Finally Jennings notes the Canon PIXMA MP640 offers comparable functions and higher quality printing at a lower retail price. The ESP Office 6150 simply doesn't compare.

Summary

The Kodak ESP Office 6150 might offer the industry's cheapest printing, but other printers offer faster and better quality images at a lower retail price.

Sources
Chris Bennan, Kodak ESP Office 6150 AiO Printer Review,' Pocket-Lint.com, 19 May 2010.
Mike Jennings, 'Kodak ESP Office 6150 Review,' PCPro.co.uk, 20 April 2010.
Sean Doherty, 'Kodak ESP Office 6150 Aio Claims Lowest Ink Cost In Industry,' Blog.Databazaar.com, 14 June 2010.
Simon Williams, 'Kodak ESP Office 6150 – Inkjet All-In-One Review,' TrustedReviews.com, 14 May 2010.

Canon Pixma MX870 Offers Great Quality Photo Printing

Canon recently released the PIXMA MX870 inkjet printer – its latest multi-function printer offering high quality photo printing for the home. Boasting Print, Scan, Copy and Fax functions in addition to 5 separate slots for ink cartridges, so you need only replace the colour you need, the printer has been received well at review sites. Below we've compiled a list of the PIXMA MX870's features for you to browse, as well as summaries of the best reviews. Enjoy!

Features:

• Print, Scan, Copy and Fax functions – so you can complete all your printing and copying on one machine.
• Wi-Fi Connectivity – meaning you can print wirelessly.
• 5 Ink Cartridge Slots – helping you save money because you only replace the colour cartridge needed.
• 33.6kbs 3G Faxing – giving you the fastest possible faxing, as well as automatic saving on the printer's memory.
• High Resolution 9600x2400dpi Printing – for incredible looking photos.
• Auto Photo Fix II Software – enabling you to optimise your images before they're even printed.

Reviews:

Jon L Jacobi and Melissa Riofrio, PCWorld.com: This review notes that the PIXMA MX870's printing speed falls slightly short of that advertised by Canon. While Canon claim the MX870 prints 9.4 plain text pages per minute (ppm) and 1.8 colour pages per minute, PCWorld.com recorded speeds of 6.2ppm plain text and only 1.8 ppm for colour pages. However, the MX870's print quality makes up for this slow speed: PCWorld.com note that colour printouts have “rich smooth colour.”

Simon Matthews, TrustedReviews.com: This review notes that the PIXMA MX870 belongs to a solidly built line of Pixma printers, and contributes to that reputation. Photo prints in particular are “bright and accurate, with smooth variations between colours.” TrustedReviews.com also notes that the MX870 offers lower prices per page than rival printers, costing only 2.4p per text printout and 7.9p per colour. On the other hand, notes that the PIXMA MX870 printout speed for both plain text and colour is slower than similar printers by rival brands.

David Bayon, PCPro.co.uk: This review notes that the MX870 benefits from in-built Windows 7 compatibility, unlike earlier models in the MX series. It also notes that the MX870 is cheap to maintain: compatible ink cartridges can be found for under £10 each. The MX870's bulk however means it isn't worthwhile purchasing if you only print occasionally, but for small offices and busy families this printer is perfect.

Summary:

• The PIXMA MX870 prints slightly more slowly than rival machines, but the printout quality is excellent.
• The PIXMA is cost-effective, offering individual colour cartridges at a low price.
• The PIXMA MX870 makes an excellent choice for families who'll make use of its multiple functions. Its sheer size however means that people who don't print frequently ought to look elsewhere.

Price:

£199.00 from Canon Europe.

Sources


David Bayon, ''Canon Pixma MX870 Review,' PCPro.co.uk, 04 March 2010.
Jon L Jacobi and Melissa Riofrio, 'Canon Pixma MX870 Review,' PCAdvisor.co.uk, 01 June 2010.
Sarah Meyer, 'Canon Pixma MX870 Review,' PrinterComparison.com, 19 February 2010.
Simon Williams, 'Canon Pixma MX870 – Inkjet All-In-One Printer Review,' TrustedReviews.com, 09 March 2010.

Enjoy The World Cup With This Printable Sweepstakes Kit

The World Cup is upon us, and here at 999inks.co.uk we couldn't be more excited. We've set up a widescreen TV at one end of the office to catch the action; we've even hired out the local pitch for a kickaround ourselves. Moreover, on Wednesday we uncovered a sweepstakes kit being offered at DailyMail.co.uk to make things even more interesting.

The concept is simple: you print out (using 999inks.co.uk cartridges naturally) the list of teams and cut them up. You then enlist 32 football-mad colleagues to pick a team at random, while charging £1-5 per entrant. Whoever's team wins the tournament gets the pot of money!

Visit DailyMail.co.uk here for the sweepstakes kit – and enjoy the tournament!