9. Kodak ESP 5

As Canon's MP620 shows, it's not unusual for printer manufacturers to offer a series of different options across their range of models. The same is true of Kodak's ESP-3, and this model, the ESP-5, which has the same sleek black exterior as its sister.

Innovation comes in the guise of an LCD screen which is not available on the ESP-3, and Kodak seems keen to stress how easy it is use this printer with a series of very basic buttons controlling the most commonly-used functions on the front of the printer.

It's user-friendly, then, but does it deliver good results?

Printing Speeds

Kodak claims that this printer is capable of 29 pages per minute, but this strikes us as a very optimistic boast given that we only ever managed to coax 23 ppm out of the machine in draft mode with a very simple document.

In standard mode, this printer achieves results that are a little below the average compared with other manufacturers' offerings with 4.5 ppm in color and 7.5 in black and white. By way of comparison, Epson's printers can achieve 7 ppm in COLOR, and Lexmark go one better at 8.5 ppm. 

A 4 x 6 photo print appears in under 50 seconds, which is about average for a printer in this price bracket, even if once again Canon beats the ESP-5 to a pulp with photos in just 20 seconds.

Worryingly, though, the model we tested was less than reliable even during the short period that we had it in our labs. Tt demonstrated an inexplicable tendency to slow down for no apparent reason, sometimes as much as 2.5 times less rapid than normal.

Acceptable everyday printing

In draft mode, printed text is very readable, with strong blacks.  You could probably think about using it as the default printing mode if you were looking to save a few pennies. The individual inkdrops can still be seen if you look very closely, but this is a detail that will pass average readers by and is probably not worth worrying about.

These strong black and white results make the ESP-5 an ideal office printer, and it's only when considering its color performance than its faults start to become apparent. Tones are a little uneven, and the colors could be brighter.  The results are still high quality -  perfect for use at home and still very reasonable for professional users.

The reverse is true with photo printing.  Although the individual ink drops are very obvious to the naked eye, the colors are light and clear without being aggressive.  In black and white photos, gray shades tended towards red and purple.

Cartridges

You can certainly get a lot of ink out of these cartridges, but don't be fooled by how full they claim to be. We were very amused to open one up which claimed to be empty but actually had plenty of ink in it. Whether or not they represent good value for money or not, depends, of course, on how cheaply you can get 'em.