An inkjet multifunction printer for keen photographers
The new Expression Photo XP-760 is one of Epson’s more pricey home inkjet multifunction printers (MFPs). As its name suggests, it’s aimed at budding photographers. In a bid to deliver great photos it prints with six ink cartridges rather than the usual four. The two extra (lighter shades of cyan and magenta) are intended to produce less grain in lighter areas of photo prints, such as the sky.
The XP-760, which has a squat glossy appearance that’s reminiscent of a VHS recorder, has a couple of neat tricks. Turn it on and the large, touch-sensitive control panel glides upwards on a motorised hinge. Start printing and the paper-output tray slides out with a gentle purr. You can connect this MFP to your router so that every wireless device in your home, from computers to smartphones, can use it. It supports Google Cloud Print and direct printing via email, so you can print from anywhere you’ve got an internet connection. You can also print photos directly from an SD card, which is the most common type of storage card used in digital cameras.
While the XP-760 can’t send faxes, it can print on both sides of a sheet of paper (duplex printing). It has two paper trays (for A4 and photo paper up to 5x7in respectively). You can leave both loaded and the printer will select the correct type for the job. It can also print directly on to CDs and other optical discs you may have burned yourself, provided you buy blanks with the suitable coating - these are widely available.
As you might expect, the print quality on plain paper was unimpressive in our tests. While it’s good enough for printing the odd letter, text isn’t dark enough and colour graphics lack impact compared with a good office inkjet. Load up some photo paper, however, and it’s a completely different story. The six inks produced sensationally good images that look as good as anything from a professional photo lab. Colours are stunningly accurate, details are sharp, and there’s no tell-tale inkjet grain.
While it’s not the quickest printer, it still managed five pages of text in 42 seconds and five of colour graphics in 53 seconds, which isn’t bad. Waiting 84 seconds for a 6x4in photo or two minutes 45 seconds for an A4 borderless print is no hardship when the results look this good.
Moreover, Epson scores bonus points with a great scanner. First off, it’s fast, taking a mere 20 seconds to capture a 6x4in photo at a reasonably detailed resolution of 600 dpi (dots per inch). Secondly, the results are excellent. The scanner faithfully reproduced the full range of shades and colours from our test images.
Epson sells ink for this MFP in two sizes, and as usual the larger cartridges are better value. Using these XL cartridges, A4 pages of mixed text and graphics should cost around 9.4p each, which is acceptable though not especially cheap. If you’re looking for an MFP that’s a good all-rounder and offers lower running costs, we’d recommend you opt for Canon’s Pixma MG5650. However, if you’re happy to sacrifice a little quality on your plain-paper prints in return for unbeatable photo prints, this printer is second to none.
With an excellent scanner and peerless photo prints, this MFP is perfect for photographers. We wouldn't recommend it for office work, though.
SPECIFICATIONS
5760x1400dpi maximum print resolution • 9.9ppm colour/9.5ppm mono quoted speeds • 4800x1200dpi maximum scan resolution • USB • Wi-Fi • One-year warranty