The Epson Expression Home XP-345 replaces the outgoing XP-335 model. The article 'What is the difference between the Epson Expression Home XP-335 and XP-345 Printers?' compares both specifications, old and new, and discovers the following changes...
*Faster black and white printing with the new model.
*Media handling now includes borderless print and manual duplex.
*The height of the case is 1mm taller at 146mm on the new XP-345.
*The new XP-345 is 100g heavier at 4.3kg.
*An added feature for the new XP-345 is Red-eye removal, Photo Enhance.
Epson talks about a liberating experience using the new Epson Expression Home XP-345 printer. This is because it offers numerous connections via the iPrint application, WiFi, and through a USB cable. The Epson app enables owners to print from smartphones and tablets on the go. You can even email documents and pictures directly to the printer from anywhere in the connected world! The Creative application offers direct printing from Facebook, various templates for creating cards, office stationery, and children's colouring templates. WiFi direct allows a computer to connect directly to the printer without the need of a wireless router. You can also use the conventional WiFi connection method going through the internet router to print jobs from your laptops or personal computers. I personally prefer to use the USB cable that does not need setting up.
For a cheap printer, the technology on offer is astounding compared to years gone by! The Expression Home XP-345 is capable of producing really good quality work; albeit rather slowly. Speed seems to be the trade-off for the cheap price. But for home users with plenty of time on their hands, this will not be too much of a problem. Owners of the XP-345 printer can print nice looking photographs, however, as an example of slowness, an A6 print will take over 3 minutes to complete. The machine will also make a good job of printing graphics, but again rather slowly. The quality of printed text is acceptable, however, other printers can be crisper in their output. We were impressed with the quality of photocopies, which for a standard resolution copy takes approximately 15 seconds.
Over recent years Epson seemed to have improved their scanners on low-end models, and the XP345 makes no exception. For a machine costing around £50, it is amazing how much detail with a wide colour gamut is captured on scans. Money well spent if not just for the scanning and copying facility this printer provides!
Unfortunately, at this price, there have to be some drawbacks. These include the slightly delicate case, cheap clicking buttons, and low-capacity ink cartridges. This is not a heavy duty machine and will not withstand constant use. This printer has been designed for home users, giving them a facility to infrequently print photographs, tickets, and homework. Anything more will cause wear and tear on the plastic components and drastically shorten the lifespan of the printer. With a high cost per page price, the Strawberry 29 ink cartridges can be expensive to use. Generic Strawberry 29xl replacement cartridges are also unusually expensive. So If you need a cheaper printer to run or a workhorse for office use, then instead go for an Epson Workforce printer. Otherwise, this model ticks most of the boxes for the home user.