Kodak HERO 3.1 All-in-One Printer

The Kodak HERO 3.1 All-in-One Printer ($99.99 direct) is the junior member of Kodak’s HERO line of inkjet multifunction printers (MFPs). It provides a low-priced option with solid home credentials, respectable speed and output quality for its price.

The HERO 3.1, which prints, scans, and copies, is a black machine with silver and red trim, which measures 6.8 by 16.5 by 12.3 inches and weighs 11.9 pounds, closely resembling the Editors’ Choice Kodak ESP C310 All In One Printer ($99.99 direct, 4 stars).  To the right of the lid tilt-up 2.4-inch color LCD lies behind a 4-way controller and some basic control buttons: On, Cancel, Home, Back, Zoom in/Zoom Out, and Start. The HERO 3.1 has a media-card reader that can read cards in the SD, Memory Stick, and MultiMedia Card families, though it lacks a port for a USB thumb drive, one of the features that the Kodak HERO 5.1 ($129.99, 4 stars) adds to the mix.

This MFP has a 100-sheet paper capacity, but lacks an automatic duplexer for printing on both sides of a sheet of paper. It also lacks fax capabilities and an automatic document feeder (ADF), clearly making it an MFP focused on home use and setting it apart from the Editors’ Choice Brother MFC-J430W ($100 street, 4 stars), a business-oriented budget MFP.

The HERO 3:1 includes built-in support for Google Cloud Print and Kodak Email Print, which is essentially an extension to Google Cloud Print. Once you assign the printer an email address through Kodak Email Print, you can print to it from any computer, smartphone, or other device that can send email. You simply create a message, attach the document you want printed, and send it. You don't even need to turn on your computer, thanks to the printer having its own email address, although the printer has to be connected to your network, with your network connected to the Internet.

The HERO 3.1 can connect to a LAN via WiFi or to a computer via USB cable. I tested it over a USB connection with the drivers installed on a PC running Windows Vista.

Printing Speed

The printer's speed on our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing), was tied with the HERO 5.1, at 3.1 pages per minute (ppm), faster than the Editors’ Choice Kodak ESP C310’s 2.7 ppm. (Surprisingly, both the HERO 3.1 and HERO 5.1 tested somewhat faster than the higher-end models in the HERO line.) The HP Photosmart 5510 e-All-in-One ($100 street, 3.5 stars) tested at 3.7 ppm, while the Brother MFC-J430w left them all in the dust by testing at 4.3 ppm.

Output Quality

Overall, the HERO 3:1’s output quality was very similar to the HERO 5:1, with average text, sub-par graphics, and photos of average (if inconsistent) quality.

Text quality was typical of an inkjet MFP, suitable for schoolwork and general business use but not for desktop publishing, marketing materials, or other output

Graphics quality for the HERO 3.1 was sub-par for an inkjet. Banding (a regular pattern of faint lines of discoloration) was prevalent in some illustrations, particularly ones with solid backgrounds. A couple of illustrations showed blotchiness, with slightly faded areas. Another issue was posterization, abrupt shifts in color where they should have been gradual. Also, thin colored lines did not show up at all, defaulting to gray (which made them barely visible against a black background.

Photo quality was inconsistent, with some prints looking better than what you’d expect from a drugstore and others worse. Overall, colors were rich and well saturated. A monochrome image showed a tint, and in several images detail was lost in bright areas.

Other Issues

The HERO 3:1 lets you create and print 3D images. It includes a utility that will create an anaglyphic 3D color image (the kind that needs glasses with one red lens and one blue lens to see the 3D effect). To print a 3D image, you need two photos of the same scene, and you’ll need to move the camera about three inches horizontally between snapping the two pictures. The utility overlays the images and prints them. To let you see the 3D effect, Kodak provides two pairs of glasses with the printer.

Kodak claims  running costs for the HERO 3:1 of 3.9 cents per monochrome page and 10.7 cents per color page; the cost per color page is particularly low.

The Kodak HERO 3.1 offers decent speed for a $99 printer, and its output quality is average for an inkjet at its price. It’s slightly faster than the Editors’ Choice Kodak ESP C310 but it adds little feature-wise, and the C310 edged it in photo quality. The HERO 3.1 is a good choice for a budget inkjet MFP, providing low price and low running costs, but you should also consider the C310, the extra features of the HERO 5:1, or—if you want an MFP for home-office as well as home use—the Brother MFC-J430w.

More Multi-function Printer Reviews:

•   Canon Color imageClass MF8080Cw
•   Brother MFC-J280w
•   Brother MFC-J625dw
•   Canon imageClass MF4570dw
•   HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275
•  more

View the original article here

Kodak HERO 5.1 All-in-One Printer

The Kodak HERO 5.1 All-in-One Printer ($129.99 direct) is a step up from the Kodak HERO 3.1 ($99.99 direct), the base model in Kodak’s new multifunction printer (MFP) line. For the extra $30 you pay for it, the HERO 5:1 adds several features that the HERO 3.1 lacks, chiefly a port for a USB thumb drive and an automatic duplexer for printing on both sides of a sheet of paper. Otherwise they were nearly identical in speed and output quality; the HERO 5.1 is a worthy choice for an MFP geared mostly to home use.

The HERO 5.1 prints, scans, and copies. It measures 7.2 by 16.6 by 15.7 inches and weighs 13.8 pounds. It’s boxier than the HERO 3.1 but very similar in layout. To the right of the lid that conceals the scanner platen, a tilt-up 2.4-inch color LCD lies behind a 4-way controller and some basic control buttons: On, Cancel, Home, Back, Zoom in/Zoom Out, and Start. Along with its port for a USB thumb drive, the HERO 5.1 has a media-card reader that can read cards in the SD, Memory Stick, and MultiMedia Card families.

The HERO 5.1 has a 100-sheet paper tray, enough capacity that you could use it for light-duty home-office use, though it’s mostly geared towards home use. It includes support for Google Cloud Print and Kodak Email Print, which is essentially an extension to Google Cloud Print. You assign the printer an email address through Kodak Email Print, and then you can print to it from any computer, smartphone, or other device that can send email. You simply create a message, attach the document you want printed, and send it.  Because the printer has its own email address, you don't even need to turn on your computer, although the printer has to be connected to your network and your network connected to the Internet.

The HERO 5.1 can connect to a LAN via WiFi or to a computer via USB cable, though it lacks Ethernet connectivity. I tested it over a USB connection with the drivers installed on a PC running Windows Vista.

Print Speed

I timed the Kodak HERO 5.1 on the latest version of our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software, www.qualitylogic.com) at 3.1 effective pages per minute (ppm), which matched the score of the HERO 3:1 and beat out the Editors’ Choice Kodak ESP C310 All In One Printer ($99 direct, 4 stars) 2.7 ppm. The Brother MFC-J430W ($100 street, 4 stars) was faster, testing at 4.3 effective ppm.

Output Quality

Overall, the HERO 5.1’s output was similar to the HERO 3.1, with average text output, sub-par graphics, and average photos. The HERO 5.1’s text quality was typical of an inkjet MFP, suitable for schoolwork and general business use but not for desktop publishing, marketing materials, or other output that you seek to impress an important client with.

Graphics quality for the HERO 5.1 was slightly sub-par for an inkjet. Banding (a regular pattern of faint lines of discoloration) was visible in many illustrations, particularly ones with solid backgrounds. Posterization, abrupt shifts in color where they should be gradual, was evident in a couple of graphics. Also, thin colored lines did not print well, barely showing up against a black background.

Photo quality was about average for an inkjet, with most prints being about what you’d expect from drugstore prints. Overall, colors were rich and well saturated. A monochrome image showed an obvious tint (which may not be an issue if you don’t shoot in black-and-white). Detail was lost in the bright areas of several prints.

Other Issues

The HERO 5.1 includes a utility that will create an anaglyphic 3D color image, the kind that needs glasses with one red lens and one blue lens to see the 3D effect. To print a 3D image, you need two photos of the same scene, and you’ll need to move the camera about three inches horizontally between snapping the two pictures. The utility overlays the images and prints them. To let you see the 3D effect, Kodak provides two pairs of glasses with the printer.

Kodak claims running costs for the HERO 5.1 of 3.9 cents per monochrome page and 10.7 cents per color page, the same as the HERO 3.1. The cost of color printing is low, particularly for a budget MFP.

The Kodak HERO 5.1 builds on the HERO 3.1, adding a port for a USB thumb drive and an automatic duplexer for a little more money. If those features are important to you, the 5.1’s the better choice. Otherwise, their print speeds were identical and output very similar. The Editors’ Choice Kodak ESP C310 provides slightly better photo quality, and the Editors’ Choice Brother MFC-J430w has a more business-oriented feature set.

More Multi-function Printer Reviews:

•   Canon Color imageClass MF8080Cw
•   Brother MFC-J280w
•   Brother MFC-J625dw
•   Canon imageClass MF4570dw
•   HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275
•  more

View the original article here

KODAK ESP Office 2170 All-in-One: Affordable, but Minimal

Kodak's ESP Office 2170 color inkjet multifunction printer (print, scan, copy, fax) aims at the home-office market, highlighting its affordable ink and its very economical purchase price ($150 as of 09/16/2011). Unfortunately no perfect multifunction exists at this price point; the ESP Office 2170’s particular weaknesses are minimal features, slow performance, and mediocre output quality on plain paper.

To Kodak’s credit, the ESP Office 2170 is very easy to use. Installation via Wi-Fi or USB is straightforward, and the control panel’s labeled buttons are refreshing in their one-to-one functionality. The unit also features a readable, if small, 1.5-inch LCD screen. The software handles all multifunction chores ably.

Paper-handling features on the ESP Office 2170 are minimal. The only input is the vertical 150-sheet feed at the back of the unit, and duplex printing is manual only. The output tray pulls out the front of the unit and holds approximately 50 sheets. The flatbed scanner under the automatic document feeder (ADF) handles up to A4-size paper, but it does not telescope to accommodate thicker material. Duplex scanning via the 25-sheet ADF is not available, and we noticed on two different units that paper skewed slightly as it entered the ADF, making us wonder about the quality of the feed mechanism.

Performance is passable. The ESP Office 2170 printed simple text pages on plain paper at 4.7 pages per minute (ppm) on the PC and 3.7 ppm on the Mac—speeds well below the average for each platform. Other speeds were right at the average for the category: 2 ppm printing color snapshots on the PC and 0.6 ppm printing a full-size color photo on the Mac; and 1.4 ppm printing a PDF document with a mix of text and color graphics on the Mac. Not surprisingly, photo quality on Kodak’s own glossy paper is superb: bright, crisp, and realistic. On the plain paper that most people use for most printing, however, text is dark gray rather than black and slightly soft; and images are dull-colored and grainy.

Kodak's ink costs are very low. The standard-size cartridges include a $10, 335-page black cartridge and an $18, 275-page tricolor cartridge, amounting to about 3 cents per page for black and 6.5 cents for color. That makes the cost of your average four-color page a mere 9.5 cents. The high-capacity cartridges offer more yield but little savings: Black costs $20 and lasts 670 pages (3 cents per page), while color costs $34 and lasts 550 pages (6.2 cents per page). Other models in this price range, such as the Canon Pixma MX420, tend to have higher ink costs.

The best way to look at the Kodak ESP Office 2170 is as a photo printer that also handles basic office chores in low volumes. If nothing else, its inexpensive inks make it far cheaper to operate than most others in its class. If you're looking for a true office workhorse, however, it would be worthwhile to spend a little more money up front for a better all-around model like the Epson WorkForce 635.

View the original article here

Kodak HERO 5.1 All-in-One Printer

The Kodak HERO 5.1 All-in-One Printer ($129.99 direct) is a step up from the Kodak HERO 3.1 ($99.99 direct), the base model in Kodak’s new multifunction printer (MFP) line. For the extra $30 you pay for it, the HERO 5:1 adds several features that the HERO 3.1 lacks, chiefly a port for a USB thumb drive and an automatic duplexer for printing on both sides of a sheet of paper. Otherwise they were nearly identical in speed and output quality; the HERO 5.1 is a worthy choice for an MFP geared mostly to home use.
The HERO 5.1 prints, scans, and copies. It measures 7.2 by 16.6 by 15.7 inches and weighs 13.8 pounds. It’s boxier than the HERO 3.1 but very similar in layout. To the right of the lid that conceals the scanner platen, a tilt-up 2.4-inch color LCD lies behind a 4-way controller and some basic control buttons: On, Cancel, Home, Back, Zoom in/Zoom Out, and Start. Along with its port for a USB thumb drive, the HERO 5.1 has a media-card reader that can read cards in the SD, Memory Stick, and MultiMedia Card families.
The HERO 5.1 has a 100-sheet paper tray, enough capacity that you could use it for light-duty home-office use, though it’s mostly geared towards home use. It includes support for Google Cloud Print and Kodak Email Print, which is essentially an extension to Google Cloud Print. You assign the printer an email address through Kodak Email Print, and then you can print to it from any computer, smartphone, or other device that can send email. You simply create a message, attach the document you want printed, and send it.  Because the printer has its own email address, you don't even need to turn on your computer, although the printer has to be connected to your network and your network connected to the Internet.
The HERO 5.1 can connect to a LAN via WiFi or to a computer via USB cable, though it lacks Ethernet connectivity. I tested it over a USB connection with the drivers installed on a PC running Windows Vista.

Print Speed
I timed the Kodak HERO 5.1 on the latest version of our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software, www.qualitylogic.com) at 3.1 effective pages per minute (ppm), which matched the score of the HERO 3:1 and beat out the Editors’ Choice Kodak ESP C310 All In One Printer ($99 direct, 4 stars) 2.7 ppm. The Brother MFC-J430W ($100 street, 4 stars) was faster, testing at 4.3 effective ppm.
Output Quality
Overall, the HERO 5.1’s output was similar to the HERO 3.1, with average text output, sub-par graphics, and average photos. The HERO 5.1’s text quality was typical of an inkjet MFP, suitable for schoolwork and general business use but not for desktop publishing, marketing materials, or other output that you seek to impress an important client with.
Graphics quality for the HERO 5.1 was slightly sub-par for an inkjet. Banding (a regular pattern of faint lines of discoloration) was visible in many illustrations, particularly ones with solid backgrounds. Posterization, abrupt shifts in color where they should be gradual, was evident in a couple of graphics. Also, thin colored lines did not print well, barely showing up against a black background.
Photo quality was about average for an inkjet, with most prints being about what you’d expect from drugstore prints. Overall, colors were rich and well saturated. A monochrome image showed an obvious tint (which may not be an issue if you don’t shoot in black-and-white). Detail was lost in the bright areas of several prints.
Other Issues
The HERO 5.1 includes a utility that will create an anaglyphic 3D color image, the kind that needs glasses with one red lens and one blue lens to see the 3D effect. To print a 3D image, you need two photos of the same scene, and you’ll need to move the camera about three inches horizontally between snapping the two pictures. The utility overlays the images and prints them. To let you see the 3D effect, Kodak provides two pairs of glasses with the printer.
Kodak claims running costs for the HERO 5.1 of 3.9 cents per monochrome page and 10.7 cents per color page, the same as the HERO 3.1. The cost of color printing is low, particularly for a budget MFP.
The Kodak HERO 5.1 builds on the HERO 3.1, adding a port for a USB thumb drive and an automatic duplexer for a little more money. If those features are important to you, the 5.1’s the better choice. Otherwise, their print speeds were identical and output very similar. The Editors’ Choice Kodak ESP C310 provides slightly better photo quality, and the Editors’ Choice Brother MFC-J430w has a more business-oriented feature set.
More Multi-function Printer Reviews:
•   HP PhotoSmart 6510 e-All-in-One
•   Lexmark Pro715
•   Canon imageClass MF3010
•   Kodak HERO 9.1 All-in-One Printer
•   Kodak HERO 7.1 All-in-One Printer
•  more
View the original article here

Kodak HERO 3.1 All-in-One Printer

The Kodak HERO 3.1 All-in-One Printer ($99.99 direct) is the junior member of Kodak’s HERO line of inkjet multifunction printers (MFPs). It provides a low-priced option with solid home credentials, respectable speed and output quality for its price.

The HERO 3.1, which prints, scans, and copies, is a black machine with silver and red trim, which measures 6.8 by 16.5 by 12.3 inches and weighs 11.9 pounds, closely resembling the Editors’ Choice Kodak ESP C310 All In One Printer ($99.99 direct, 4 stars).  To the right of the lid tilt-up 2.4-inch color LCD lies behind a 4-way controller and some basic control buttons: On, Cancel, Home, Back, Zoom in/Zoom Out, and Start. The HERO 3.1 has a media-card reader that can read cards in the SD, Memory Stick, and MultiMedia Card families, though it lacks a port for a USB thumb drive, one of the features that the Kodak HERO 5.1 ($129.99, 4 stars) adds to the mix.

This MFP has a 100-sheet paper capacity, but lacks an automatic duplexer for printing on both sides of a sheet of paper. It also lacks fax capabilities and an automatic document feeder (ADF), clearly making it an MFP focused on home use and setting it apart from the Editors’ Choice Brother MFC-J430W ($100 street, 4 stars), a business-oriented budget MFP.

The HERO 3:1 includes built-in support for Google Cloud Print and Kodak Email Print, which is essentially an extension to Google Cloud Print. Once you assign the printer an email address through Kodak Email Print, you can print to it from any computer, smartphone, or other device that can send email. You simply create a message, attach the document you want printed, and send it. You don't even need to turn on your computer, thanks to the printer having its own email address, although the printer has to be connected to your network, with your network connected to the Internet.

The HERO 3.1 can connect to a LAN via WiFi or to a computer via USB cable. I tested it over a USB connection with the drivers installed on a PC running Windows Vista.

Printing Speed

The printer's speed on our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing), was tied with the HERO 5.1, at 3.1 pages per minute (ppm), faster than the Editors’ Choice Kodak ESP C310’s 2.7 ppm. (Surprisingly, both the HERO 3.1 and HERO 5.1 tested somewhat faster than the higher-end models in the HERO line.) The HP Photosmart 5510 e-All-in-One ($100 street, 3.5 stars) tested at 3.7 ppm, while the Brother MFC-J430w left them all in the dust by testing at 4.3 ppm.

Output Quality

Overall, the HERO 3:1’s output quality was very similar to the HERO 5:1, with average text, sub-par graphics, and photos of average (if inconsistent) quality.

Text quality was typical of an inkjet MFP, suitable for schoolwork and general business use but not for desktop publishing, marketing materials, or other output

Graphics quality for the HERO 3.1 was sub-par for an inkjet. Banding (a regular pattern of faint lines of discoloration) was prevalent in some illustrations, particularly ones with solid backgrounds. A couple of illustrations showed blotchiness, with slightly faded areas. Another issue was posterization, abrupt shifts in color where they should have been gradual. Also, thin colored lines did not show up at all, defaulting to gray (which made them barely visible against a black background.

Photo quality was inconsistent, with some prints looking better than what you’d expect from a drugstore and others worse. Overall, colors were rich and well saturated. A monochrome image showed a tint, and in several images detail was lost in bright areas.

Other Issues

The HERO 3:1 lets you create and print 3D images. It includes a utility that will create an anaglyphic 3D color image (the kind that needs glasses with one red lens and one blue lens to see the 3D effect). To print a 3D image, you need two photos of the same scene, and you’ll need to move the camera about three inches horizontally between snapping the two pictures. The utility overlays the images and prints them. To let you see the 3D effect, Kodak provides two pairs of glasses with the printer.

Kodak claims  running costs for the HERO 3:1 of 3.9 cents per monochrome page and 10.7 cents per color page; the cost per color page is particularly low.

The Kodak HERO 3.1 offers decent speed for a $99 printer, and its output quality is average for an inkjet at its price. It’s slightly faster than the Editors’ Choice Kodak ESP C310 but it adds little feature-wise, and the C310 edged it in photo quality. The HERO 3.1 is a good choice for a budget inkjet MFP, providing low price and low running costs, but you should also consider the C310, the extra features of the HERO 5:1, or—if you want an MFP for home-office as well as home use—the Brother MFC-J430w.

More Multi-function Printer Reviews:

•   HP PhotoSmart 6510 e-All-in-One
•   Lexmark Pro715
•   Canon imageClass MF3010
•   Kodak HERO 9.1 All-in-One Printer
•   Kodak HERO 7.1 All-in-One Printer
•  more

View the original article here