Tech Reaction

While visiting the Target closeout section, to look for electronics deals, I came across a good one.  The Epson Workforce 500, though not top of the line in any one thing it does a good job at everything, best of all it was only $41.99 + tax! What you get is a small office level multifunction printer (document feed, copy, scan, fax and print).

Scan and print quality: With everything at default and 2400DPI scan you can’t tell much difference, until you get up close and personal.

Scan, print and scan of APS photo.

Scan of APS photo.

The color reproduction is good, though anyone who knows digital photo work will tell you, “Calibration is the number one cause of flawed digital prints”. This was not calibrated! There is a slight color difference, but not much.

Now as to quality:

As can be seen above this is not a professional level machine with the real photo at the top showing no granulation at 2400DPI scan resolution,  while the lower looks like a water painting. Even at the highest settings there is no big “eureka” moment. There again nothing can beat real film. Below we have the maximum settings and the high quality settings side by side. Both were scanned at 9600 DPI. I cant really tell a 6 min. difference in quality (one took over 12 min. to print)

Here we have the maximum settings and the high qualitysettings side by side. Both scaned a 9600 DPI.

Well that is the simple overview of the scan and print, now the ADF (Automatic Document Feeder).

Here is a short video of  the ADF in action: Epson. The ADF coupled this with the fax capability make this an excellent machine for the small office or home by any standard. The Fax with the ADF allows for seamless transmissions of multi-document faxes. Great for those of us too lazy to set up the computer to do these things.

Fax panel

The slide show option is very nice as it allows you to load up a card and use it as a digital picture frame.

As shown above this is an excellent stand alone machine with the ability to to set quality and do minor editing in the sub-menus.

Photo edit control

So all in all I feel I got a great deal! My older Epson had seen it’s better days and I don’t print photos (If I want a good picture I use a 35mm or an APS camera with 400ISO film.) so this is perfect for my home or any other home-office that might be in need of the capabilities of this machine!

Software included: Epson Scan, Epson web to page, ABBYY Fine Reader Sprint Plus and an Arcsoft Suite (Media Impression 2, Panorama Maker 4, Photo Book Screen Saver, PhotoStudio Darkroom 2, Print Creations, RAW Thumbnail Viewer, Scan-n-Stitch Deluxe and Video Downloader)

The usefulness of this software is as varied as the selection. Some of the software I did find useful:

Media Impression 2 is a program worth mentioning as it allows you to take it to the next level for a reasonable price!

I like the idea of commemorating a moment with a TEE or a coffee mug at a decent price.

Panorama Maker 4 is great if you have kids and want to border their walls or border your shop with memories.

By putting these pictures together it can become a great topic for conversation.

The one other program I found of value was Dark Room!

It has an astounding number of tools and options that can allow for doctoring of bad shots or total restoration of old photos.

Spec’s

Printing Technology 4-color (CMYK) drop-on-demand MicroPiezo® ink jet technology
Ink Palette Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black
Ink Cartridge Configuration 4 individual ink cartridges
Ink Type DURABrite® Ultra pigment ink
(smudge, fade and water resistant, highlighter friendly)
Fade Resistance / Print Longevity4 Up to 105 years
Minimum Ink Droplet Size 3 droplet sizes, as small as 3 picoliters
Maximum Print Resolution 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi
Print Speed1 Black text up to 33 ppm
Color text up to 33 ppm
4″ x 6″ borderless photo in as fast as 26 seconds (12 m 27.9s highest quality 4×6)
Copy Speed1 Black up to 31 cpm
Color up to 31 cpm
Fax Specifications Black-and-white and color
Modem: 33.6 Kbps — as fast as 3 sec per page
Memory: Up to 180 pages
Speed dials: 60 (max.)
Scanner Type Color flatbed
Photoelectric Device Color CIS line sensor
Optical Resolution 1200 dpi
Hardware Resolution 1200 x 2400 dpi
Maximum Resolution 9600 x 9600 dpi interpolated
Scanner Bit Depth 48-bit color / 24-bit output
Copy Quality Color: Black/White, Draft: Normal
Copy Quantity 1 – 99 (PC-free)
Maximum Copy Size 8.5″ x 11″ (PC-free)
Copy Features Fit to page, automatic reduction and enlargement (25 – 400%),
Adjustable copy density
PC-free Printing Print all photos, photo index sheet and color photo restoration
Automatic Document Feeder 30 sheets
Color Display 2.5″ tilt LCD
Built-in Memory Card Slots Compatibility CompactFlash®, Microdrive®, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick
Duo™†, MagicGate™ Memory Stick, MagicGate Memory Stick
Duo™†, Memory Stick PRO™, Memory Stick Pro Duo™†,
Secure Digital (SD™), SDHC™, mini SD™†, mini SDHC™†,
Memory Stick Micro™†, micro SD™†, micro SDHC™†,
MultiMediaCard™, xD-Picture Card™, xD-Picture Card Type-M,
xD-Picture Card Type-M+, xD-Picture Card Type-H
Direct Camera Connection Front PictBridge™ port (print from digital cameras and
mobile phones)
Supported Digital Camera Technologies Epson PRINT Image Matching®, Exif Print, DPOF
PC-free Filters and Image Enhancements Auto Photo Correction
PC-free Paper Support Plain (8.5″ x 11″), Photo (4″ x 6″, 5″ x 7″, 8.5″ x 11″)                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Maximum Paper Size 8.5″ x 44″

Paper Sizes 3.5″ x 5″, 4″ x 6″, 5″ x 7″, 8″ x 10″, 8.5″ x 11″, 8.5″ x 14″,
A4, B5, A5, A6, half letter, executive, user definable
(3.5″ – 44″ in length)
Borderless Photo Sizes 3.5″ x 5″, 4″ x 6″, 5″ x 7″, 8″ x 10″, 8.5″ x 11″, A4
Paper Types Supports plain paper, Epson Bright White Paper, Photo Paper
Glossy, Premium Photo Paper Glossy, Ultra Premium Photo
Paper Glossy, Premium Photo Paper Semi-gloss, Presentation
Paper Matte, Premium Presentation Paper Matte, Premium
Presentation Paper Matte Double-sided, and Matte Scrapbook
Photo Paper (letter)
Envelope Types No. 10, DL, C6; plain paper, bond paper, air mail
Input Paper Capacity 100 sheets plain paper, 10 envelopes
Recommended Ink Cartridges†† 68 High-capacity Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow or
69 Black, 69 Cyan, 69 Magenta, 69 Yellow
Weight and Dimensions (W x D x H) Printing: 18.1″ x 18.9″ x 10.6″
Storage: 18.1″ x 16.1″ x 9.3″
Weight: 16.8 lbs.
Connectivity Hi-Speed USB 2.0
Operating Systems Windows Vista®, XP, XP Professional x64, 2000
Mac OS® X 10.3.9, 10.4.x, and 10.5.x
Software Included Epson printer driver, Web to Page, Epson Scan, ArcSoft® Print
Creations, ABBYY® FineReader®
Color Management Auto Photo Correction, Epson Vivid Color™, Adobe RGB and ICM
Sound Level 39 dB
Temperature Operating: 50 ° to 95 °F (10 ° to 35 °C)
Storage: -4 ° to 140 °F (-20 ° to 40 °C)
Relative Humidity Operating: 20 – 80% (RH)
Storage: 5 – 85% (RH) (no condensation)
Safety Approvals Safety standards UL60950, CSA C22.2 No. 60950 EMI FCC
Part 15 subpart B class B, CAN/CSA-CEI/IEC CISPR 22 class B
Telecom Regulations FCC Part 68 (USA), IC/CS03 (Canada)
Power Requirements Rated voltage: 100–120 VAC
Rated frequency: 50–60 Hz
Rated current: 0.6 Amp
Power Consumption Approx. 13 W ISO 10561 (Standalone copy printing)
Approx. 3.0 W (Standby Mode)
Energy Star® compliant
Warranty One-year limited warranty in the U.S. and Canada
What’s In The Box WorkForce 500 color all-in-one, instructional manual,
CD-ROM with drivers and bonus software, free sample paper
pack with offers, power cord, telephone cord, 4 DURABrite
Ultra Ink cartridges (one 69 standard-capacity Black ink
cartridge and three 69 standard-capacity color ink cartridges:
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow)