Epson has a wide range of printers that can suit almost any need. That also includes office printers focusing on page throughput without needing much maintenance or topping up with paper. I had a chance to put the Epson WF-7310DTW to the test in our lab to find out what it was capable of.
- Printer Output: Color
- Printer Type: Inkjet
- Connectivity Technology: USB, Ethernet, WiFi, WiFi Direct
- Duplex Printing: Yes, automatic
The Epson WF-7310DTW is a rapid office printer that can smash through big duplex jobs to a high standard. It can even create a few high-quality photo prints that impress for the price. However, using cartridges with a low yield is less economical in the long run, making it slightly more expensive to run. This means it’s not the best solution for everyone, as its lack of a scanner and other valuable features puts it in a weird niche of usefulness and budget.
- Easy to set up and install cartridges as no effort to open and slots are keyed
- Has high-capacity paper trays
- Fast and duplex printing is available
- Wider page formats supported in the rear feeder
- It comes with small cartridges that don’t last very long
- It is expensive to refill, even with XXL cartridge availability
- No scanning capabilities
- No external storage printing is available
Box contents and setup
If you buy the printer, here’s what you get included in the box.
- Driver and Utilities (CD)
- Individual Ink Cartridges (4 colors – C, M, Y, B)
- Main unit
- Power Cord
- Quick Start Guide and Warranty documents
This printer is tightly nestled in between foam and packed in a foil bag, which is great and helps to protect in transport. The first thing you notice is how heavy it is. Weighing over 13kg, it might be challenging to sort out alone, and you may want to grab someone to assist you with it.
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It becomes much more straightforward once the printer is out and put in the right place. After removing the tape holding all the parts in place, it can be plugged in and prepared, which entails opening it up to load the included ink cartridges. It’s noticeably accessible to open the unit with one hand, and it stays open, giving you reasonable access to tinker inside.
Unfortunately, the printer still uses these cartridges compared to Epson’s vast selection of ink tank printers, which we’ve also tested. The included set has a relatively small capacity, rated for only 300 pages, so they won’t last long for the amount of paper you can fit into the cassettes.
Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW box, Image by PC Guide
Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW box contents, Image by PC Guide
Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW ink slots, Image by PC Guide
Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW insides, Image by PC Guide
To load them, give them a good shake and peel off more tape to slot them into each place. They are conveniently keyed to ensure they are entered in the correct color slots, like Epson’s ink refill bottles. After that, there’s no app you have to install; you simply follow the prompts on the screen, which makes it much easier to sort without needing another device. It also provides instructions on installing the PC driver and setting it up alongside ink initialization.
Connecting to your internet lets it update the firmware, ensuring it’s ready for printing with the latest edition and everything running as it should. It is now accessible to various network devices, making printing easier. However, the lack of external storage options, such as a USB stick or SD card, can be annoying as you’re limited to devices connected to the same network.
Design
The Epson printer’s overall design is rather large and bulky. It’s a giant black box that you should just set up in one place unless you’re looking for an arm workout moving it around. This form makes it suitable for the job, with easily accessible trays and insides to sort out any problems.
Looking at it from the front, you’re greeted with the controls at the top. It features a small 6.1cm (2.4 inch) LCD screen and a load of buttons to control the machine since there is no touchscreen. It also folds out and can be adjusted in its angle to make it easier to see and use while you stand above it.
Below are the various paper trays, with the motorized output tray at the top and the two paper cassettes below. You can load up to 250 sheets into each cassette for a total of 500 pages before you have to worry about restocking.
Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW controls, Image by PC Guide
Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW LAN, USB, and power, Image by PC Guide
Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW left side, Image by PC Guide
Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW open rear, Image by PC Guide
Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW paper trays, Image by PC Guide
Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW rear feed, Image by PC Guide
Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW right side, Image by PC Guide
The sides host nothing too special other than convenient ingresses for your hands when carrying the printer and lifting it off a surface, and then there are a couple on top to help lift the lid.
That takes up the majority of the printer’s top. The lid opens up with two hinges rather easily, as it’s a light plastic cover that doesn’t need holding in place. If you need to clear out any jams, you can access the cartridge holder, maintenance box, and sheet roller without propping anything up and with a good amount of space.
The extra paper tray at the back of the top gives it large-format paper support, as the cassettes are only for A4 sheets. Now you can fit an A3+ size sheet, even if it is only one at a time, as I found it rather fiddly otherwise. If you push the sheet slightly too deep, it automatically pulls it through, so you must sit it gently and adjust the paper guides accordingly.
Lastly, the rear has a few connections built into the printer, including the ethernet, USB-B, and power ports. The back can also be opened to grant access to the paper feeder, another way to clear any paper jams that may arise in its use.
This model stands out because it lacks a scanner, which makes it slightly more convenient to handle and does not add to the already significant weight. However, it can be a rather detrimental feature to not have in many cases and in offices where this printer might be found.
Print results and speed
After setting up and evaluating the printer design, I tested the printer’s performance. I checked out color, monochrome, photo, and duplex prints while timing queues to see how long it took to do so. Below, you can find the various results, even if they might be challenging to see in detail.
Epson WF-7310DTW photo quality, Image by PC Guide
Epson WF-7310DTW monochrome prints, Image by PC Guide
Epson WF-7310DTW image qauality, Image by PC Guide
Epson WF-7310DTW color prints, Image by PC Guide
Overall, the quality of the monochrome and color tests was impressive. Neither shows any dots or artifacts where they’re not supposed to be, something that sometimes shows up around the color wheels or gradients. Even a text size 10 has a legible and clean finish.
It also prints all of these rather quickly, with a queue of 3 color sheets taking between 8 and 14 seconds and 3 black-and-white pages only taking 3 seconds each. That pace extends to the duplex printing as a queue of 6 pages of the Bee movie script starts off at 18 seconds on the first but quickly drops to just 6 seconds each. So, if you have a long job in monochrome, it will take no time to finish.
On the other hand, photos printed on a range of glossy paper sizes definitely take some time. The printer does warn you of this as you change the paper settings for photos and lets you know it might also take some time to dry. Considering it seems more set for an office than being a photo printer, the photos are rather impressive. They certainly take a few minutes to complete, but the result is worth it if you haven’t lined up many.
Specifications and cost
| Printing Technology | 4-colour inkjet printer |
| Maximum Print Resolution | 4,800 x 2,400 DPI |
| Ink Type | Ink cartridges |
| Operating Systems | Mac OS X 10.11.x, Mac OS X 10.11.x or later, Mac OS X 10.12.x, Mac OS X 10.13.x, Mac OS X 10.6.8, Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later Windows 10 (32/64 bit), Windows 7 (32/64 bit), Windows 8 (32/64 bit), Windows 8.1 (32/64 bit), Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows Vista (32/64 bit), Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP2 or later, Windows XP SP3 or later (32-bit), Windows Server 2003 R2 |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 515 x 400 x 298 mm |
| Weight | 13.5kg |
| Connectivity | USB, Ethernet, WiFi, WiFi Direct |
| Mobile and Cloud printing | Epson Connect (iPrint, Email Print, Remote Print Driver), Apple AirPrint |
| Paper Sizes | A3+, A3 (29.7×42.0 cm), A4 (21.0×29.7 cm), A5 (14.8×21.0 cm), A6 (10.5×14.8 cm), B4, B5, C4 (Envelope), C6 (Envelope), DL (Envelope), No. 10 (Envelope), Letter, 9 x 13 cm, 10 x 15 cm, 13 x 18 cm, 16:9, User defined, Legal |
| Input Paper Capacity | 250 Sheets Standard |
| Display | 6.1cm LCD |
Here, I’ve outlined some of the more in-depth specs of the WF-7310DTW, with a full range of supported paper sizes and operating systems. The printer’s print resolution is impressive, as seen in the print quality. It also features the printer’s dimensions, making it a big consideration of where you can even fit it in.
The printer’s pricing is not too bad, as at the time of writing, it is available for $200/£180. The capacity and speed are rather impressive in terms of price, but the cost comes in the long term from the cartridges and ink refilling. A full-color refill costs $62.95/£54.99 from Epson, supposedly yielding 300 colors and 350 black pages. This costs $0.16/£0.13 per color page and $0.04/£0.04 per black page, much more than an EcoTank option from Epson.
Conclusion
- Printer Output: Color
- Printer Type: Inkjet
- Connectivity Technology: USB, Ethernet, WiFi, WiFi Direct
- Duplex Printing: Yes, automatic
If you need speed and duplex printing of documents and even occasional photos, the Epson WF-7310DTW is an excellent option. It quickly gets through the print queues, especially when it makes black-and-white sheets. However, its big drawbacks are the running cost and lack of some nice-to-have features. The high cost to print per page of cartridges, lack of external storage print capabilities, and lack of scanner on top limit the printer’s usefulness, which makes an AIO printer a more appealing option.
