For the growing number of home-office denizens (myself included), a tougher challenge than finding the ideal space (away from the TV) or the perfect chair (not too cushiony) is unearthing a quality all-in-one printer. Well, allow me to make things easy: despite some minor flaws, the Epson WorkForce 600 offers everything an individual could want in an all-in-one – including Wi-Fi connectivity.
Background
Epson actually created the WorkForce 600 with small offices and home-based businesses (or “micro-businesses” as they call them) in mind. The goal was to deliver a compact, convenient and efficient inkjet alternative to the laser printer that could also function as a photo printer, scanner, copier and fax machine. While other all-in-one manufacturers may lay claim to the same target audience, Epson touts several key advantages of the WorkForce 600. For one, they claim the printer can crank out laser-quality documents up to twice as fast as comparable models (printing up to 38 pages per minute). And, along with producing superior color images, Epson also asserts the WorkForce prints documents that are “smudge, fade, water and highlighter resistant”. Despite these contentions, the printer’s most alluring feature is the Wi-Fi component. For homes or small offices where laptop printing is a commonality, a printer with wireless capability seems to me a modern-day essential.
Lowdown
In terms of design, functionality and print quality, the Epson WorkForce 600 is decidedly above average. With a sleek, shiny black exterior, the WorkForce has a very James Bond look to it; a hidden paper feed and pair of telescoping trays only reinforce this impression. The WorkForce also features an angle-adjustable control panel – a handy addition. Far more impressive than the appearance though is what this puppy can do. While the aforementioned Wi-Fi component is the major selling point in my eyes (and it works flawlessly – from basement to attic), the WorkForce actually has a few other things going for it too. It offers users five settings (draft, text, text & image, photo and best photo) for optimizing any type of printout. Users also can print photos or documents from memory cards or flash drives without a computer via ports on the front of the printer and the 2.5-inch LCD display screen (with a surprising number of advanced options). Add these useful extras with the Wi-Fi and, as far as functionality goes, the WorkForce gets an A+. Amazingly, the print quality is nearly as good. Comparing printouts from the Epson WorkForce 600 with printouts from a similarly priced Canon all-in-one, the Epson clearly came out on top. Printing from the Web, the WorkForce 600 exhibited colors far truer to the picture on my computer screen and even with basic Word documents the Epson printout was noticeably clearer (especially with bolds). But image/photo printing is where the Epson really proved itself superior. With darker blacks and brighter oranges and yellows, it was like looking at the difference between standard and high definition.
Wild Card
While the Epson WorkForce 600 does a lot of things exceptionally well, it’s not without a few imperfections. For example, the included software takes a decent chunk of time (about 20 minutes or so) to install and setup on each computer, and it would be nice if the printer could hold more paper (say a whole ream). Also, the shiny black exterior collects fingerprints so, much like that brand new black sports car, it’ll probably never look quite as pristine as it does day one. But all that’s just nitpicking. A more noteworthy wild card is the noise the WorkForce 600 makes when it prints. Not necessarily the printing itself, but the initial pull of the paper into the printer. The first time I printed on the Epson I was jarred by its sudden volume. Fortunately, the beauty of wireless printing is that your computer doesn’t have to be right on top of your printer - so you can put some distance between the two if the noise really bothers you. A final consideration has more to do with the way the printing industry operates than the WorkForce 600 itself. Companies usually don’t make money off printers (you buy them just once) but rather the extras you have to buy over and over (i.e. ink cartridges). While Epson is in line with everyone else in terms of ink costs (standard black cartridges for the WorkForce 600 are $18.99; color $13.99) it’s worth keeping this ongoing expenditure in mind – even with the WorkForce 600’s reasonable price of $199.99.
Upshot: If you have a home office and are shopping for a Wi-Fi-enabled all-in-one printer, set your sights on the Epson WorkForce 600.
For more information about the WorkForce 600 click here..
