Loading ...This printer is big and is supposed to compete with some laser printers in regards of speed, but offer superior colour printing.
The Epson B-500DN is how can I put it, unconventional in its styling . In fact is more like a monolithic printer with a large bulge on the end that hold the 4 large ink cartridges.
The machine has two paper sources in the machine, with a hefty paper cassette at the front, capable of taking a full ream of 500 sheets of plain paper and a separate feed tray below a fold up cover, which can take another 100 sheets. You can also feed photo paper through the machine as well , in either A4 or 15 x 10cm sizes and, whatever the source, printed pages feed out to a tray at the front of the printer .
On the back of the printer is an oddly- shaped cylinder, which is in fact a duplexer, which allows you to print double-sided pages. Also at the back are the usual USB 2 and Ethernet connections, as the printer is network-enabled as standard.
The control panel consists of a 2-line by 16-character LCD, which has no backlight and is consequently difficult to read in normal use. Control wise there are five control buttons, along with two to feed paper and switch the printer on and off.
Printer setup involves unlocking the cartridge holders and plugging in four ink cartridges. The printer then performs a one-off charging cycle which takes around five minutes. Software installing is simple, as there’s only a driver and web printing utility.
Apparently there is an ISO standard being discussed at the moment to provide a methodology for testing print speeds. We cannot wait for this to come in to force as many speed quotes are at best fictitious . Epson claims the B-500DN is capable of 33ppm, printing black or colour pages in ‘near laser quality’ mode.
Our five page text document completed in 30 seconds and the five page text and colour graphics test was one second quicker. This gives a maximum speed in reality , including preparation time, of 10.3ppm . Epson also claims a first page out in just three seconds, in our experience this was nearer 15 seconds. However in comparison this is still a quick printer and a good alternative to lasers in the same price range, in terms of speed .
Print quality, from Epson’s DURABrite pigmented inks, is fair for an inkjet, but not great when compared to a laser machine . Black text is slightly ‘ jagged ‘, although you have to get very close to see a problem . In most situations , it would be good enough .
Colour graphics are good, though with some dither patterning in areas of solid fill. Colours are vivid, but not as full-bodied as from a typical colour laser. However, where this machine and most colour inkjets beat a colour laser is in photo quality prints. Our 15 x 10cm photo sample produced very natural colouring and plenty of detail, in both brightly lit and shaded areas of the picture . It’s better than we’ve seen from any laser printer.
The machine is quite noisy, noisier than most lasers and you probably wouldn’t want it next to you while you making a call .
Epson B-500DN ink cartridges Epson claim are cheaper to run than an equivalent colour laser and given the prices quoted for its cartridges, we have to agree. There are three different black ink cartridge capacities available, at 3,000, 4,000 and 8,000 pages. Colour Epson ink cartridges come in two capacities: 3,500 and 7,000 pages.
Verdict
Epson’s B-500DN can be a direct rival to a colour laser printer, at the same price point. Print quality is good, speed is ok and although the printer is noisy, This printer is a good commercial alternative to a laser machine .
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