Epson WorkForce 30 Printer: In-Depth Review and User Opinions

The Epson WorkForce 30 is an affordable home inkjet printer designed for everyday printing needs. First released in 2010, it is a low-cost printer aimed at home and home office users looking for an easy to use machine that can handle basic print jobs.

Some key things to know about the WorkForce 30:

• Entry-level consumer inkjet printer
• Utilizes Epson's Micro Piezo printhead technology
• Prints at up to 16 pages per minute in black and up to 11 pages per minute in color
• Maximum print resolution of 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi
• 150-sheet front paper tray capacity
• Prints standard letter and legal sized paper
• Compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems
• Uses individual ink cartridges - black, cyan, magenta, yellow
• Prints, scans, and copies
• Compact footprint design

Overall, the WorkForce 30 delivers solid performance for routine home printing tasks like printing webpages, documents, photos and more. It's a budget-friendly option for those seeking an easy to use consumer printer without advanced features.

Print Quality

The Epson WorkForce 30 offers excellent print quality for an inkjet printer in its class. It can print at up to 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi resolution when using Epson's DURABrite Ultra ink.

The printer has a maximum print speed of 34 pages per minute for black text and 15 pages per minute for color prints. It uses Epson's MicroPiezo inkjet technology for predictable, high-quality results.

The combination of resolution and ink technology allows this printer to produce sharp black text as well as vivid photographic prints. Users report sharp prints without jagged edges. Photos printed with the WorkForce 30 have rich, accurate colors. The DURABrite Ultra ink is also fade and water resistant to help preserve the quality of the prints.

Overall, the print quality of both text and graphics rivals more expensive inkjet printers. The resolution allows tiny details and text to render crisply. And Epson's inks provide photo-quality results for family photos, creative projects and more.

Connectivity

The Epson WorkForce 30 offers both wired and wireless connectivity options for easy printing from multiple devices.

It has built-in Ethernet and WiFi capabilities, allowing you to connect the printer to your home network via an Ethernet cable or set it up on a wireless network. The WiFi is 802.11b/g/n compatible.

Connecting via Ethernet will provide the fastest and most reliable connection, which is ideal if the printer is located near your router or modem. WiFi gives you the flexibility to place the printer anywhere in your home and print wirelessly.

Setup is straightforward with the printer's control panel LCD screen that walks you through the process of connecting to wireless. It supports WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK security protocols to help protect your wireless network.

The WorkForce 30 allows wireless printing from laptops, desktops, smartphones and tablets. You can print documents and photos from across the room or across the house as long as your devices are connected to the same network as the printer.

Printing Features

The Epson WorkForce 30 offers several convenient printing features for home and office use.

Duplex Printing

The printer has automatic duplex printing, allowing you to easily print on both sides of the paper to save paper. It supports duplex printing for documents up to legal-sized paper.

Mobile Printing

You can print directly from your smartphone or tablet using the free Epson iPrint app. The app allows you to print photos, emails, webpages, Microsoft Office documents and more from your iOS or Android device.

Scan-to-Cloud

The WorkForce 30 lets you scan documents and photos directly to popular cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive. This allows you to digitize paperwork and important documents to access them from anywhere. It's a handy feature for organizing and sharing files.

Ink and Toner

The Epson WorkForce 30 uses DURABrite Ultra ink that is specially formulated for Epson printers. It produces smoother blacks and vivid colors on plain and photo papers.

The printer uses individual ink cartridges for each color - black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. This allows replacing only the color that runs out rather than the whole set.

The standard cartridges can print around 190 pages for black and 170 pages for color. The high-capacity XL cartridges yield around 600 pages for black and 500 for color.

Replacement ink cartridges cost around $13 for standard and $20 for XL. Compared to laser toner cartridges, ink cartridges tend to be more expensive over the long run for high volume printing. But for moderate home use, the costs are reasonable.

Overall, the ink system provides high quality prints without breaking the bank. The individual cartridges help lower long-term costs by allowing replacement of only the depleted color. The DURABrite Ultra ink also improves photo printing and durability.

Paper Handling

The Epson WorkForce 30 printer can handle a variety of paper types and sizes. It has a 150-sheet paper tray capacity.

Supported media types include plain paper, photo paper, envelopes and labels. You can print on paper sizes ranging from 3.5 x 5 inches up to legal 8.5 x 14 inches.

Both the main paper tray and rear feed slot can hold Letter, A4, or legal sized paper. The rear slot is also convenient for printing envelopes or other one-off media up to 1.3mm thick.

The paper tray has adjustable slider guides to accommodate different paper sizes. Overall the WorkForce 30 provides ample paper handling capabilities for home and small office use. Just be aware that the lack of a secondary paper tray means you'll need to replenish paper more frequently compared to printers with higher capacities.

Design and Build

The Epson WorkForce 30 is a compact and lightweight inkjet printer designed for home and home office use.

Dimensions

The WorkForce 30 measures 14.9 x 13.7 x 7.3 inches (W x D x H) and weighs a light 12.1 pounds. Its small footprint takes up minimal space on a desk or tabletop. The top-loading paper tray folds up neatly into the body of the printer for a reduced size when not in use.

Noise Levels

This is a relatively quiet printer given its intended use. Epson rates the noise level at 5.3 B(A) for black printing and 5.8 B(A) for color printing. This is comparable to normal conversation levels and suitable for an office or home environment. The printer operates smoothly and quietly during printing.

Build Quality

The WorkForce 30 has a plastic casing but feels sturdily built overall. The top paper tray has a tendency to rattle slightly when extended but does not feel flimsy. Buttons have a responsive, clicky feel when pressed. Overall the printer gives an impression of decent build quality for the price.

Setup and Software

Setting up the Epson WorkForce 30 is a straightforward process. Unpacking and installing the ink cartridges takes just a few minutes. The printer connects via USB, WiFi or Ethernet, with the setup wizard walking you through getting it on your wireless network easily.

The WorkForce 30 comes bundled with basic software for Windows and Mac. This includes the standard Epson printer drivers, a scan utility, and Epson Connect for printing from smartphones and tablets. The software is quick to install and provides all the necessary tools for basic printing, scanning and copying needs. More advanced users may want to upgrade to a third party scanning software for OCR and document management features.

Overall, the setup process is simple enough for novice users. The bundled software covers the essentials for a home office or student printer. Those looking for enterprise-level business features will need to upgrade, but the WorkForce 30 delivers solid basic functionality out of the box.

Pros and Cons

The Epson WorkForce 30 delivers solid performance for home office use at an affordable price point. However, it does have some limitations compared to higher-end models.

Pros

• Excellent print quality for both documents and photos
• Fast printing speed up to 15 ppm black/7.7 ppm color
• Wireless connectivity for printing from mobile devices
• Compact, space-saving design
• Low operating costs with ultra high-yield ink cartridges

Cons

• Small 100-sheet main paper tray capacity
• Lack of auto duplexing for two-sided printing
• No Ethernet port for wired network connectivity
• No display screen on the printer itself
• Slow scanning speed and no ability to scan over network
• Ink tends to be expensive if not using high-yield cartridges

The WorkForce 30 provides very good print quality and wireless connectivity in a small, inexpensive package. But the lack of high-end features like auto duplexing and fax may be limiting for business use. For low to moderate home office printing needs it's an excellent value.

Conclusion

The Epson WorkForce 30 is an overall excellent home and small office inkjet printer that provides exceptional print quality, fast print speeds, flexible connectivity options, and convenient features like auto 2-sided printing.

For home and casual office users looking for an affordable printer that excels at printing photos and everyday documents, the WorkForce 30 is easy to recommend. It delivers professional-looking prints up to 13" x 19" in size, handling everything from photos to puzzles to presentations with ease. The inclusion of wireless and Ethernet connectivity makes it flexible to set up in any environment as well.

Unless large volume color printing is a requirement, most average users will be satisfied with the output and performance of the WorkForce 30. The modest cost of replacement ink cartridges also helps make it an economical choice for lower volume printing. Its small footprint allows it to fit into tight spaces while still providing excellent paper handling capabilities.

Overall, Epson delivers a very capable printer with the WorkForce 30 that outperforms competitors costing much more. For home and home office buyers focused on excellent print quality and flexible connectivity at an affordable price, the WorkForce 30 is highly recommended.