Product face-offs
Kodak ESP 3
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| Resolution | 2400 x 1200 ppp | ||
| Speed B&W / color | 30 / 29 ppm | ||
| Ink drop size | NC picolitres | ||
| Number of cartridges | 2 | ||
| Number of base colors | 6 | ||
| Scanner / Copier / Fax | Yes / Yes / No | ||
Scanner and Copier Functions
As a scanner, the ESP-3 is very quick, previewing a page in a speedy 7.5 seconds. Scanning a photo at 300 dpi (the same quality it was printed in) also takes 7.5 second, twice as fast as either of the two Canon models we tested and at a similar price.
If you're in a rush, you'll appreciate the nifty scans, but the quality is less impressive. Unsurprisingly, this model has inherited many of Kodak's earlier faults, including overly strong yellows and reds and smudged details. In black areas, pixellation is clearly visible.
A color copy is available in just under 40 seconds and it'll take you 30 for the same in black and white. No problems on that score, both are perfectly acceptable speeds for models in this class.
If you're in a rush, you'll appreciate the nifty scans, but the quality is less impressive. Unsurprisingly, this model has inherited many of Kodak's earlier faults, including overly strong yellows and reds and smudged details. In black areas, pixellation is clearly visible.
A color copy is available in just under 40 seconds and it'll take you 30 for the same in black and white. No problems on that score, both are perfectly acceptable speeds for models in this class.
Nilofar Hadjanadjiboudine
Test date: 2008-06-06
Test date: 2008-06-06
While some multifunction printers are getting ever more complex, Kodak has decided to keep things simple.
The ESP-3 is not just easy to use , though - it also boasts a neat, sober look, too.
As with its earlier EasyShare 5300, Kodak is hoping that consumers will be willing to take a gamble on more expensive models whose long-term costs are lower thanks to cheaper cartridges and more efficient ink consumption.
Design
The ESP-3 has a classic, stylish design, and if the lack of an LCD screen is surprising, then you probably won't be as shocked to learn that a screen IS available on the next model up, the ESP-5.
The printer's control panel really goes back to basics, and Kodak has clearly put a lot of thought into what features users really need to avoid the temptation to bundle everything into a crowded set of buttons.
It's a bold move, but a definite improvement over some of the confusing interfaces found on Kodak's competitors. In short, you've only got what you need, and nothing more.
Printing Speeds
As with the ESP-5, Kodak's documentation claims that this printer is capable of 29 pages per minute (ppm) in color and 30 ppm in black and white.
Once again, though, printing our test document in draft mode we only managed 23 ppm in black and white.
Given that our test pages are very sparsely covered with text, we are led to wonder just what Kodak were printing to achieve such high speeds in their own tests.
The results in standard mode are more impressive, with 7.5 ppm in black and white and 4.5 ppm in color.
A 4 x 6'' photo print arrives in around 50 seconds, which isn't really slower that much worse than the speeds offered by Canon and others in their high-end models, which usually bring the time closer to 40 seconds.
Quality
In draft mode, the results are perfect for proofreading a document and text is perfectly legible.
The black is not as strong as it might be, but that's OK - the printer is saving ink in draft mode to use for higher quality printing, which is exactly what it's supposed to do.
You'll need to switch to standard mode to get high quality printing with deep blacks for documents that you want to distribute, and even here the presence of ink droplets is far from irritating.
Things are a little more tricky with color printing. Graphics and text in color seem to lack brightness, tinted areas are uneven and the colors run in some places. In photo mode, details are sharper but it's harder to miss the very large ink drops.
You'll find it very hard to convince your folks that trading in a regular trip to the photo lab to use an ESP-3 is worth it, especially when offerings from Canon, Epson and HP are all so much more impressive.
Getting even on price
Kodak's cartridges are still single units containing each of the different ink colors.
Ecologically, it's great: the printheads aren't built in so you aren't throwing away a complex piece of machinery every time you run out of ink.
Economically, it's not so hot: you'll have to change cartridges every time you run out of one color of ink.
Frustratingly, Kodak's cartridges are particularly susceptible to reporting themselves as empty even when there is still a substantial amount of ink left inside them, as we discovered when we literally had to take one apart and pour out the ink to see how much remained.
The ESP-3 is not just easy to use , though - it also boasts a neat, sober look, too.
As with its earlier EasyShare 5300, Kodak is hoping that consumers will be willing to take a gamble on more expensive models whose long-term costs are lower thanks to cheaper cartridges and more efficient ink consumption.
Design
The ESP-3 has a classic, stylish design, and if the lack of an LCD screen is surprising, then you probably won't be as shocked to learn that a screen IS available on the next model up, the ESP-5.
The printer's control panel really goes back to basics, and Kodak has clearly put a lot of thought into what features users really need to avoid the temptation to bundle everything into a crowded set of buttons.
It's a bold move, but a definite improvement over some of the confusing interfaces found on Kodak's competitors. In short, you've only got what you need, and nothing more.
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Printing Speeds
As with the ESP-5, Kodak's documentation claims that this printer is capable of 29 pages per minute (ppm) in color and 30 ppm in black and white.
Once again, though, printing our test document in draft mode we only managed 23 ppm in black and white.
Given that our test pages are very sparsely covered with text, we are led to wonder just what Kodak were printing to achieve such high speeds in their own tests.
The results in standard mode are more impressive, with 7.5 ppm in black and white and 4.5 ppm in color.
A 4 x 6'' photo print arrives in around 50 seconds, which isn't really slower that much worse than the speeds offered by Canon and others in their high-end models, which usually bring the time closer to 40 seconds.
Quality
In draft mode, the results are perfect for proofreading a document and text is perfectly legible.
The black is not as strong as it might be, but that's OK - the printer is saving ink in draft mode to use for higher quality printing, which is exactly what it's supposed to do.
You'll need to switch to standard mode to get high quality printing with deep blacks for documents that you want to distribute, and even here the presence of ink droplets is far from irritating.
Things are a little more tricky with color printing. Graphics and text in color seem to lack brightness, tinted areas are uneven and the colors run in some places. In photo mode, details are sharper but it's harder to miss the very large ink drops.
You'll find it very hard to convince your folks that trading in a regular trip to the photo lab to use an ESP-3 is worth it, especially when offerings from Canon, Epson and HP are all so much more impressive.
Getting even on price
Kodak's cartridges are still single units containing each of the different ink colors.
Ecologically, it's great: the printheads aren't built in so you aren't throwing away a complex piece of machinery every time you run out of ink.
Economically, it's not so hot: you'll have to change cartridges every time you run out of one color of ink.
Frustratingly, Kodak's cartridges are particularly susceptible to reporting themselves as empty even when there is still a substantial amount of ink left inside them, as we discovered when we literally had to take one apart and pour out the ink to see how much remained.
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By far the most ink-efficient printer we tested
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Easy to use
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A choice of two different photo papers
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Quality perfectly good for everyday use
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No integrated printhead, so greener cartridges
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No LCD screen, so no error messages on the printer itself in case of problems
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Single cartridge with no printhead, so ink wasted
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Quality not quite as good as the completion
We would be happy to recommend this printer for its high speeds and very economic printing, but we found better quality printing elsewhere. It is easy to use, but that's often because Kodak have oversimplified things, cutting back on more complex parts of the interface.
