Description
Epson’s WorkForce series color inkjet printers are primarily designed for businesses, touting features like fast print speeds and reliability, workgroup connectivity, and easy mobile device printing. The WorkForce Pro DS-90001 tested here is one of three new models launched recently, and stands out for being a multi-function device with additional copy, scan, and fax functions.
A marquee feature on the DS-90001 is PrecisionCore, Epson’s latest printhead technology. PrecisionCore first appeared in Epson’s commercial systems, but is now being brought to desktop inkjet printers. This is the chief reason for the DS-90001’s impressive specs, at least on paper: a print speed of 20ipm for both black and color, and a top resolution of 4,800 x 1,200 dpi. Other impressive numbers include a first-page-out time of about 7 seconds, and a 45,000-page monthly duty cycle.
Versus the single-function WF-5111 that uses the same print engine and costs just S$249, the S$399 DS-90001 is considerably more expensive. That said, it does get you a lot more features. Copy, scan, and fax functions aside, the DS-90001 also comes with a 35-page automatic document feeder, and a USB port for direct printing, scanning and saving of faxes with USB memory devices. While both have wired and wireless networking support (including Wi-Fi Direct and mobile printing, of course), only the DS-90001 lets you share your scans via email. Support for LDAP address books and IP address filtering, and the ability to limit user access to certain printer functions are also useful security features to have for an office machine.
Usage-wise, I’ve hardly any complains. A solidly put together device, the DS-90001’s 3.5-inch color LCD control panel is big and nice, the rear tray handles photo papers well, and the front cassette holds a decent 250 sheets of paper. You can even expand the capacity by adding another 250-sheet paper cassette.
Versus its closest rival the, the DS-90001 was slightly ahead in color print speeds but slightly behind for mono. If you scan multi-page documents a lot, the duplex-capable ADF is a real time saver; unfortunately, it can’t do single-pass scanning. Overall, text looked sharp and colored graphics smooth and clean. And true to claims, the DuraBrite Ultra pigment inks made the printouts impervious to the water and highlighter I threw at them. The ink cartridges that Epson is selling have a high page yield of 4,000 pages in black or color, comparable to toner yields from similarly priced laser printers.
