Epson's Workforce 310 color inkjet multifunction printer gives small offices a cheap ($130 at this writing), fast, adequately configured machine. We blanched at its ink prices, though.
Epson Workforce 310 All-In-One Printer

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$89.98 - $169.45 From 10 Vendors Get Best Prices »
- Spec Navigator
- Media Handling
- Display
- Network
- Connectivity
- Platform Support
- Dimensions
- General Features
- Green
- Included Hardware
- Included Software
- Resolutions
- Scanning
- Faxing
Media Handling
| Manual Feed Slot | No |
| Maximum Number of Input Trays | 2 |
| Maximum paper size, height | 14.0 inches |
| Maximum Sheets With All Paper Trays | 130 |
| Output Tray Capacity | 50 |
| Standard Number of Input Trays | 1 |
| Maximum paper size, width | 8.5 inches |
| Standard input sheet capacity | 100 |
| Duplex printing | No |
General Features
| Printer Emulation Type | ESC/P Raster (host based) |
| Media slots | |
| PictBridge compatible | No |
Included Software
| Included Software |
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- Lab Tested
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Bottom Line
The high ink costs make this model less economical than it should be, but at least it’s fast.
Epson Workforce 310
Workforce 310 All-In-One Printer Review, by Melissa Riofrio and Susan Silvius, PC World October 2, 2009
The Workforce 310 performed well in our speed tests. It printed plain text at a swift 18 pages per minute. Copy and scan speeds were also fast. Graphics samples printed at a more pedestrian 2.9 ppm. (Epson's maximum speed claim of 36 ppm for text and 20 ppm for graphics ignores the processing time that precedes every print job.) Print quality was almost as good as performance. On plain paper, text samples were reasonably black, but a little fuzzy, while graphics looked grainy and sometimes yellowish. On Epson's own photo paper, textures improved, but we noticed an overall pinkish cast and some dullness to the colors.
The Workforce 310's feature set is adequate for a light-duty office. USB and ethernet connectivity are standard. The control panel is a little crowded but logically laid out and well labeled. The two-line, 16-character monochrome LCD shows scrolling instructions that force you to stop and watch--not good when you're on deadline. The 30-sheet automatic document feeder, 100-sheet input tray, and 50-sheet output tray are composed largely of rickety plastic. Duplexing is manual only.
Epson's documentation could be more helpful. The full User's Guide is available online only, and downloadable only in small sections. It contains a decent amount of how-to instruction, but basics like a diagram of the control panel are nowhere to be found.
Unfortunately for any small office, the ink costs are high. The standard-size, 245-page black cartridge costs $17 or a whopping 6.9 cents per page, while each 340-page color cartridge costs $12.34, or 3.6 cents per page. A page with all four colors would cost 17.8 cents. The high-yield versions include a 410-page black cartridge, which costs $20, or a reasonable 4.9 cents per page. Each 525-page color cartridge costs $17, or 3.2 cents per page. A page with all four colors would cost a pricey 14.6 cents.
Epson's Workforce 310 offers a useful list of features for a low initial price, and it's fast to boot. The small businesses whom it targets will suffer later over the high ink costs, however, and that dampens our enthusiasm for the product. We like Canon's Pixma MX330 a little better, despite a similar level of tradeoffs; but HP's $200 Officejet 6500 Wireless is even better (and available in a $150 version without Wi-Fi).
For more choices, see our Top 10 Inkjet Multifunction Printers.
--Melissa Riofrio and Susan Silvius
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- Rating Breakdown
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81
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67
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77
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Printers
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Performance
| 300dpi Line Art Image (secs) | 6.21 |
| 4 by 6 Color Photo (secs) | 14.17 |
| 4 by 6 Grayscale Photo (secs) | 15.07 |
| Color Output Quality | Good |
| Color Photo Quality | Good |
| Copy Output Quality | Good |
| Copy Quality | Good |
| Final Scan Time, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi | 11.71 |
| Final Scan Time, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi | 7.57 |
| Final Scan Time, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | 7 |
| Grayscale Glossy Output Quality | n/a |
| Grayscale Output Quality | Good |
| Line Art Output Quality | Fair |
| One-Page Copy | 7.15 |
| One-Page Copy (secs) | 7.15 |
| One-Page Line Art, Maximum Resolution | Good |
| One-Page Webpage (secs) | 24.72 |
| One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | Very Good |
| Overall Scan Quality | Very Good |
| Preview Scan, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi | 8.58 |
| Preview Scan, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi | 8.58 |
| Preview Scan, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | 8.56 |
| Sports Action Shot (secs) | 61.48 |
| Ten-Page Word Document | 43.45 |
| Ten-Page Word Document (secs) | 43.45 |
| Tested Color Speed (ppm) | 2.9 |
| Tested Glossy Photo Speed (ppm) | 9.7 |
| Tested Grayscale Speed (ppm) | 4 |
| Tested Text Speed (ppm) | 18 |
| Text Output Quality | Good |
| Three-Page Word Document | 26.1 |
| Three-Page Word Document (secs) | 26.1 |
| Total Scan Time, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi | 11.71 |
| Total Scan Time, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi | 7.57 |
| Total Scan Time, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | 7 |
| Two-Page Excel Document | 44.94 |
| Two-Page Excel Document (secs) | 44.94 |
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