Kodak ESP C310 review

Regular readers might notice more than a passing resemblance between Kodak’s ESP C310 inkjet multifunction peripheral (MFP) and the cumbersomely titled Advent AWP10 Wireless Multifunction Inkjet Printer we reviewed a few months back. At the time of our earlier review we noted that while the Advent printer used Kodak technology there was no equivalent model in Kodak’s own range. The ESP C310 fills that gap.

Like the Advent AWP10, the C310 is a compact MFP with a single sloped paper tray at the rear and a flat output tray at the front. There’s a USB port and support for 802.11b/g/n wireless networks, but no wired Ethernet connection. Both devices share maximum print and scan resolutions and claimed print speeds, but there are some minor differences, chief among which is the Kodak’s smaller 3.8cm colour screen.

The Kodak’s huge advantage, however, is that while Advent users must make do with Advent-branded ink cartridges and very high running costs, buyers of the ESP C310 can use Kodak’s own number 30 supplies. The resulting running costs of 1.4p per mono page part and 2.8p per colour page part are among the lowest available on any consumer inkjet, making the C310 exceptionally good value for anyone who plans to print in high volumes.

The ESP C310 shares many of the AWP10’s quirks, including a tendency for the top sheet to ride up in the input tray and black text that can appear ‘torn’ horizontally at times. Unlike the AWP10, however, it didn’t suffer from memory errors during our 1,200dpi scan test. It’s quite a slow printer, delivering our 25-page mono letter test at 3.9ppm, and our 24-page mixed colour document at just 2.6ppm. In addition to imperfect text, colour prints on plain paper aren’t as vibrant as those from some other inkjets, but the quality is adequate for most uses.