Kodak’s much publicized fourth printer in the ESP series, ESP9 was touted for its low cost per print, and the host of features that the printer has to offer. Capabilities on this printer make it apt for homes as well as offices.

This Kodak inkjet printer is priced at £150 and comes with wired and wireless connectivity. It prints and scans over a network as well as a USB connection, and it works as a standalone copier and fax machine. Photocentric features include PictBridge, memory card and USB ports along with a 3” LCD screen.

Quality of prints for monochrome text prints turned out well with a good number of font sizes easily readable; not quite comparable to a laser output but good enough for business use. Graphics output was average, nothing more nothing less. Graininess was clearly evident on all prints used for testing. Some lines which were prominent in the lighter gamut were also lost in the process of printing. Photo printing was comparable with Walmart prints. Monochrome photo printing lacked the intensity and the variations in grays.

Kodak claims that the printing speed is lightning quick at 32ppm for black and 30ppm for colour. But, in reality, it was seen that ESP 9 was able to print at 20ppm for monochrome and 17ppm for colour which is still highly acceptable. Each 4” X 6” photograph took around a minute to print.

Printing costs were on the lower side. Each monochrome print was estimated to cost 1.2p while colour prints at 2.6p. This is way cheaper than many other leading solutions in the market.

This is a good printer for the economy of prints it offers. With a moderate printing quality and great printing speeds, ESP 9 fits the bill for businesses, but, if you are looking to present a printed copy to a client, look elsewhere. Photo printing is above par and the wireless connectivity option makes it apt for homes.