PC Advisor

Reviews
£92 inc VAT
INKJET PRINTER
Epson Expression Premium XP-530
Contact
• epson.co.uk
Specifications
Print resolution,
5760x1440dpi; Scanner
resolution, 1200x2400dpi;
Connectivity – Wi-Fi; USB;
Apple AirPrint; 100-sheet
A4 paper tray;
390x341x138mm; 6.2kg
Build:
Features:
Performance:
Value:
Most inkjet printers under £100
use four coloured inks for printing
documents and photos. These
low-cost printers also tend to
use just two ink cartridges – one
cartridge for the black ink, and
a second ‘tri-colour’ cartridge
that holds the cyan, magenta and
yellow inks for colour printing.
Epson’s Expression Premium
XP-530 is an exception to that rule.
It’s still very affordable, at around
£90 but, as the name implies, it’s
also a ‘premium’ printer that uses
five inks to enhance the quality
of your photo prints. There’s a
conventional black ink cartridge
for printing simple text documents,
but the cyan, magenta and yellow
cartridges are complemented by a
‘photo-black’ ink that is designed
specifically for printing photos.
The results are pretty impressive,
with smooth text output that isn’t
quite laser-quality, but should still
be more than adequate for most
home users. Colour graphics also
work well, so the XP-530 will be a
good option for students who need
to print reports, or home workers
who want to print out the occasional
marketing brochure. Print speeds for
both types of document come in at
about nine pages per minute, which
is also perfectly respectable for a
printer in this price range.
However, it’s the printer’s photo
output that really shines. That extra
photo-black ink really adds crispness
and contrast to photo prints,
while the printer’s 5760x1440dpi
resolution ensures that images are
sharp and detailed. And, at just
34 seconds for a 6x4in postcard,
the XP-530 also proves brisk when
churning out your holiday snaps.
The only disadvantage here is
that using five inks can push up the
printing costs a bit. Using Epson’s
standard black ink cartridges for
text printing works out at a hefty
3.8p per page, which isn’t great
value at all. Using the high-yield
XL cartridges brings that down to
2.7p per page, which is still a little
higher than we’d have liked but not
extravagantly expensive.
Colour printing comes to 7.2p
per page with the standard cyan,
magenta and yellow cartridges,
and a competitive 5.2p when using
the XL cartridges. However, you
will need to add another 3p when
printing photos, because of the
extra cost of the photo-black ink.
That does makes the XP-530 a little
more expensive than a conventional
four-colour inkjet printer for photo
output, but if you’re a serious
photographer and you want really
high-quality photo prints then the
XP-530 is about as good as you’ll
get for less than £100.
Using five separate ink cartridges
also helps to reduce waste, as
you need only replace individual
cartridges as they run out, whereas
the tri-colour cartridges used by
most inkjets have to be replaced
even if one of the inks has run out.
Other features include a built-in
A4 scanner and copier, and duplex
printing. The XP-530 includes Wi-Fi
and USB connectivity, along with
Apple’s AirPrint for printing from
iOS devices, and Epson’s own Epson
Connect feature that allows you to
print over the Internet by emailing
photos to the printer when you’re
away from home.
There are a few rough edges,
though. The 100-sheet paper tray
feels flimsy, and the tiny LCD screen
may leave you squinting to read
some of the menu options and
settings, but those are minor flaws
in an otherwise impressive printer.
Verdict
You’ll need to keep an eye on
running costs, but the XP-530 will be
a good option for people who don’t
need to print lots of documents
every day, but who do need high
quality for photos and other
documents. J Cliff Joseph
Using five separate ink cartridges also helps
to reduce waste, as you need only replace
individual cartridges as they run out
54 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews February 2016