Kodak ESP 3250 And 5250 All-In-One Printers Skimp On Ink Costs
Kodak updated their all-in-one printer line with the ESP 3250 and ESP 5250. Both use Kodak’s Kodacolor technology, which lets them subsist on extremely cheap ink, which is great for extremely cheap people like myself.
The ESP 3250 (above) is similar to the ESP 3, but for the same $US130 price point it adds a multifunction card reader and a 1.5-inch LCD (the ESP 3 has no display).
The ESP 5250 (pictured up at the top), which at $US170 is $US20 more than the ESP 5, adds Wi-Fi to the mix, a welcome new feature. It also keeps the ESP 5’s multifunction card reader and shrinks the display to a 2.4-incher.
These printers both use Kodacolor, a tech which Kodak claims reduces ink costs by up to $US110 a year. Without having tested them we can’t really tell, but Kodak’s ink sure is cheaper than competitors: A three-colour cartridge for either printer costs $US15 and black is $US10. Compare that to Canon’s ink, which is $US13 per colour and $US15 for black. If Kodak’s printers are efficient, that’ll mean a lot of money saved. [Kodak]
KODAK Printers Offer Lowest Total Ink Replacement Cost in the Industry
Rochester, NY, September 2, 2009 – Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) invites consumers to print, copy, scan and save with its new KODAK ESP 3250 and ESP 5250 All-in-One (AiO) Printers. The ESP 3250 and ESP 5250 Printers join Kodak’s innovative line of printers that are revolutionizing the inkjet business by offering the lowest total ink replacement cost in the industry². With KODAK AiO Printers, consumers can print vivid colour documents and KODAK lab-quality photos³ at home for less, saving an average of $US110 a year on ink¹ compared to other leading consumer inkjet printers on the market.
“The introduction of the new KODAK ESP 3250 and ESP 5250 AiO models delivers on Kodak’s commitment to bring consumers affordable, first-class printing solutions,” says Randy Brody, Vice-President, Worldwide Marketing, Consumer Inkjet Systems at Eastman Kodak Company. “With our line of innovative and intuitive printers, Kodak is committed to providing high-quality, in-home printing with fairly-priced ink so that consumers can print what they want, when they want, without fear of the ink replacement cost.”
Innovations in Printing Solutions
KODAK ESP 3250 and ESP 5250 AiO Printers continue to combine the latest in printing technology with low-cost, high-quality pigment ink cartridges that deliver brilliant documents and KODAK lab-quality photos³. The end result is what consumers want – an easy-to-use printer that produces exceptional prints that last a lifetime and are rated highest in water and stain resistance as well as savings on their ink replacement costs.
The KODAK ESP 3250 and 5250 Printers are designed to efficiently print with a speed of up to 30 pages per minute in black and 29 pages per minute in colour. In addition, both feature improved paper handling with intelligent paper tray systems that automatically adjust settings based on paper type and size to reduce printing errors and save time. With colour LCD display screens and memory card slots, the ESP 3250 and ESP 5250 Printers make it easier than ever to create colour and black-and-white documents and photos without a computer.
KODAK ESP 3250 AiO Printer ($129.99 MSRP7) features a 1.5″ colour LCD along with memory card compatibility, making it easy for consumers to view and print without a computer.
KODAK ESP 5250 AiO Printer ($169.99 MSRP7) is enabled with built-in Wi-Fi, offering increased efficiency and flexibility for the freedom to easily print from anywhere in the home and without cables. The printer also features a 2.4″ colour LCD and memory card compatibility to view, edit and print photos.
Quality and Performance for Less
KODAK All-in-One Printers use Kodak’s premium pigmented inks that come in a simple two-cartridge set-up, saving consumers an average of $US110 a year on ink¹. Black cartridges retail for $US9.99 U.S. MSRP7 and a five-ink colour cartridge retails at $US14.99 U.S. MSRP7. The exclusive KODACOLOR Technology embedded in each printer enables consumers to cost-effectively print crisp documents and KODAK lab-quality photos³. This technology is a combination of four key elements: pigment-based inks, micro-porous photo papers, colour and image science and a Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) print head.
Furthermore, Kodak’s Home centre Software includes the exclusive Facial Retouch feature that enables consumers to improve their personal photographs right at home by automatically reducing blemishes and enhancing facial features in just one click. Also, KODAK All-in-One Home centre Software contains an Optical Character Reader (OCR) which allows the user to scan documents that can be edited.
Both KODAK ESP 3250 and ESP 5250 Printers are ENERGY STAR qualified and include features such as manual two-sided printing and multiple-pages-per-sheet printing. In “Standby” mode, both printers use less than one watt of power. Both printers are also compliant with the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, which limits the presence of certain substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
Waiting for a real review of this product. i am hearing these printers drink ink. :)
I wonder if these are any better than my 5500 AiO Kodak printer. The 5500 AiO and these look so nice but wow was that a bad way to judge a printer. I replaced the machine twice and twice on each printer I replaced the ink-head. I ordered brand new printheads from Kodak and would burn out after barely using them. I bet there was nothing even wrong with the machine it was the factory in China producing faulty printheads, LIVE AND LEARN KODAK! I long to see 'made in japan' on products again, but its all made in china and made in Malaysia, cheeper is not better, sheeesh. I have never been so stressed and disappointed with a printer. I have ALWAYS used HP printers, even when they are broken they still work! I only went with Kodak because I thought it was a good brand name and with all common cameras turning digital, they lost a HUGE market with film cameras. Yea they make film for motion pictures and professional photographers but think of how many customers they lost. I used kodak film but not since the 90's. But I will only buy HP printers from now on. Bought the HP Photosmart All-In-One Printer (C6380) its great.
Which is why I don't always trust companies that offer a wide variety of items, except Apple. I trust HP printers but those HP LCD screens look good but are probably terrible. Granted Logitech makes a bunch of stuff but I am very happy with the logitech 2.1 Z4 speakers, wicked!
bought the previous version of this printer. it was crap. print quality was terrible, print head broke, and the card reader was a joke. bought an HP instead. works perfectly.
bdubs1975
Just a quick note, these printers do not use a "3-color" cartridge, they use a 5-color cartridge. Cyan, magenta, yellow, an additional black (for photo's), and a "p" ink, which is a clear coat.
ninjamurf
@Needz: I tend to concur, having had some experience with Kodak printers. I think the problem is that people think of printing photos, and the Kodak name inspires confidence. It's a mistake to equate Kodak's knowledge of photography and film developing to printing color images with inkjet technology. For now I vastly prefer Epson and HP inks and printers for the closest to true photo quality. They cost more, but the results are worth it if you want decent photos that don't smear or fade.
@gadam07: I fill my cartridges myself with syringes and ink purchased online. I researched and found a reputable ink provider. I haven't printed many photos, but regular prints have turned out fine. I paid $25 for the initial set and have filled it at least 3 times and the bottles are still more than 50% full.
lilyHaze
I work retail and all Kodak printers, with the exception of the small photo printers, are crap. We've had so many returns on these with complaints about smearing and having to replace broken printheads about every 6 months. It seems to me they skimped on the printer to lower ink prices for this campaign.
The ink is cheap. The demos I have seen look about the same as other inkjets. ALL inkjets have a common issue. If you do not use them regularly, ink dries and clogs the print head, at least on the Epson, Canon, and HP units I have owned. That dates back to the first HP DeskJet 500 I had which used EITHER a 3 color OR a black cart. When you replace the rather expensive HP cartridges you get a new print head. on the others, if the head is clogged, you might get lucky, or you can buy a new printer or print head. Kodak can provide a new print head. Basically inkjet technology has its limits.
dfwguy
@xa3021: If you want a good basic printer try the Canon ip4600.
Or you could get a more decent, expensive printer, then outfit it with something like this continuous ink system: [www.inksupply.com]
@KyleW: major... not mojor.. lol
I work at a mojor photo store. I have tested the Kodak line on our sales floor. Although I can not say that the prints were horrible, they were definately not as good as the color in the Epson, Canon, or HP printers. The color was just not great at all.
Someone from Newegg said that the ESP line of Kodak printers were not that great and that even though the cartridges are cheaper, the printer uses up more ink per page. Who knows... perhaps they had the settings to print at maximum resolution for printing... It would be interesting to read a professional review on Kodak's new printers.
SBM_from_LA
We ordered a few of these for my work and there absolutely HORRIBLE! You completely get what ya pay for on the ink. Here's some of what happened...
We ordered 2 ESP5 printers...they send a ESP3 and ESP5, We sent the ESP3 back after nearly 3 hours on the phone with Kodak. They send back a ESP5, which doesn't work. Again, alot of time on the phone we send it back and they send another ESP5 which actually works!
After we hooked up and calibrated and cleaned and all that fun stuff we print some basic text documents and there were lines in both of them! So we try some more to see if it gets better and they did a little but not much. We try photos and there even crappier!
So we call Kodak and they tell us they'll send new ink for free to see if that helps...guess what...didn't help at all! So then Kodak sends out new cartridge heads (the piece that holds the cartridges) and they say this will fix it....guess what again....nope.
These printers are good for minimal text documents. I would just say we got a bad one from the warehouse but we got two and they both do the same things....suck!
Its about time someone quit gouging on ink cartridges.
mikegriffin
How are the drivers tho? I run XP SP3, Vista64, and W7 RC on my three home computers. I have had a heck of a time getting things to work properly with my Vista64 computer from day 1, HP still has not put out drivers for their large format computers for Vista64 that work worth a damn.
Nanan00
Just don't expect any Linux support.
Jordan Salyer
Shrinks the screen from 1.5" to 2.5"?
Anyways, my printer takes 6 cartridges, $12-$19 EACH, and it won't print if ONE is empty/EXPIRED.
I see a Kodak printer in my future.
Maybe the color cartridge is cheaper, but with all of the colors stored in one cartridge, you are throwing away ink every time you change the cartridge. If I run out of cyan, I have to throw out the remaining magenta and yellow ink left in the cartridge instead of using it up. I'm not sure how that is really saving me money vs. using a printer with separate ink cartridges. The separate ink color cartridges may cost more, but at least I get to use all of the product.
Row8s
@goodhorse: But you're still paying almost a third of the cost. If you had a Canon and a color ran out, you would pay $13 to replace it. You would still be low on the other colors and need to replace them soon too. With the Kodak, you would pay a couple bucks more and have all your color ink refilled. You still throw out a little bit of color, but unless you're printing nothing but blue, chances are good that all your colors will at least be at low levels when one of them goes.
cabjf
I have no need for the printer but I will say that I do wonder why Kodak keeps reusing names. I mean how many products have used Kodacolor? I mean Ektar has gone to lenses and different types of film before being reused again by their newest film.
They better not reuse the name Kodachrome though ...
Most of Kodak printers get really crappy reviews, and at least one will mention "high ink use". Cheap ink...great marketing.
gregivq
I'm thinking about this color cartridge. So Canon charges $13x3 for the equivalent $15 cartridge from Kodak. BUT they force you to replace the entire thing when one color runs out. Still seems wasteful to me. Give me individual color cartridges and I'll reconsider.
goodhorse
@pdok: INDEED
iminahammock
@iminahammock: Amen to that. I'm down to one inkjet now (I still had a bunch of replacement cartridges for it), with all the cheap lasers out there why bother?
My main complaint with inkjets is that I've never had one that could handle 2-3 months of disuse without serious print quality problems.
pdok
Why does something so reasonable seem so unlikely to be true?
iminahammock
We need a "best printer" roundup. Everyone I buy is straight garbage.
waitingforthebeat