Shop RadioShack for Great GiftsKodak ESP 5
Manufacturer: Eastman Kodak Co. Part number: 8509408
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Kodak ESP5 is an attractive full color all-in-one printer, scanner, and copier, and casual photo enthusiasts will be happy with the watered-down editing software, but hard-core users should look elsewhere for a multifunction printer. The ESP5 is too expensive and suffers from too many mechanical deficiencies for us to give it our CNET stamp of approval.
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CNET editors' review
Kodak ESP 5 price range: $90.20 - $139.00
- Reviewed by: Justin Yu
- Edited by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 08/19/2008
The good: Improved photo quality over previous model; attractive design; large 3-inch LCD screen; easy-to-use Home Center software.
The bad: Poor quality build with several mechanical errors; average print speed; graphics quality still lacks definition.
The bottom line: The Kodak ESP5 is an attractive full color all-in-one printer, scanner, and copier, and casual photo enthusiasts will be happy with the watered-down editing software, but hard-core users should look elsewhere for a multifunction printer. The ESP5 is too expensive and suffers from too many mechanical deficiencies for us to give it our CNET stamp of approval.
The simplistic design, barebones editing software, and lack of features peg the $170 Kodak ESP5 as an entry level all-in-one printer. Unfortunately, you can do much better for the money; for example, the HP OfficeJet J6480 is meant for the home office, but still produces excellent quality photos and even includes a fax machine with an autofeeder for just $30 more. The inflated price tag and mechanical deficiencies prevent us from recommending Kodak ESP5.
Design and Features
The printer has the same simple black design as the ESP3, its cheaper cousin that lacks the LCD screen. The perforated scanner cover adds an elegant touch and the smaller footprint (6.9 inches tall by 16.6 inches wide by 11.8 inches deep) will easily fit into tight quarters, but the majority of the printer is made of a light plastic that gives the device a flimsy and delicate feel. When you raise the cover to reveal the ink bay, a thin plastic arm pops up and braces the cover, similar to the hood of a car. The mechanism requires two hands to close and is an overall poor design choice; it's almost guaranteed to break over time, and we're not sure why Kodak didn't just use a standard spring-mounted lid. Also, the cover on top of the scanner bed folds on a fixed hinge that doesn't reach over thicker items like large books.
The printer industry has slowly started to steer more toward photo printers with five individual color ink cartridges for less waste, but the ESP5 still retains the standard-size ink cartridge bay: one for black and one for five different colors. The Kodak Web site reports 10 cents per color photo, a relatively decent price for the average inkjet printer. In addition, Kodak sells three different printing bundles that include black and color ink cartridges as well as several types of paper.
The most obvious advancement over previous models is the ESP5's 3-inch LCD screen that lets you perform light photo-editing features right on the printer. The options aren't nearly as sophisticated as the HP Photosmart C8180, but the choices are fine for the average photo enthusiast. We're also happy to see that the home screen has a shortcut to copy or scan a document--we usually see this option at least two or three clicks into the menu. The screen itself moves on a hinge so you can see it from a variety of angles and also folds down flush into the printer when it's not in use. The rest of the basic faceplate features zoom, menu, start, and cancel buttons. Just below the buttons you'll find a multimedia card reader for MemorySticks, xD, SD, and Compact Flash cards. There's also a USB port at the bottom for printing directly from a USB key or a PictBridge-compatible digital camera.
The ESP5 feeds paper through one tray for both input and output and can accommodate up to 100 sheets of paper in a variety of sizes. At this price, we would have liked to see two separate trays for output organization and perhaps even a separate tray for 4-inch-by-6-inch photo paper so that you don't have to deal with taking out paper every time you want to swap media. We also encountered several paper jams--enough to where we found ourselves constantly monitoring our tests to watch for error. Most of the jams are caused by the small plastic guide that's supposed to align the paper according to its size, although most of the time its tiny reach results in bunched up, misfed bundles of paper.
The printer ships with the two separate installation discs for Mac OS X and Windows XP/Vista. It also includes the Kodak Home Center software. The Home Center acts as a hub for the copy, print, and scan functions. The copy feature is easy to navigate and offers a unique collage copy setting that duplicates several pictures in the same orientation as the originals. The scanning center is a little too simplified and lacks an option to scan directly to a PDF or an e-mail; both are almost an industry standard and we're disappointed to see that Kodak let these two crucial features fall by the wayside.
Luckily, you get more options in the print center. In the initial set up, you can set the software to automatically scan your computer for photos and is actually very easy to navigate, like an iPhoto for Dummies. Once you've chosen the photos to print, the software offers the opportunity to edit each individual picture with a variety of one-touch enhancements including color sharpening, red-eye reduction, color restoration, and Kodak's "Perfect Touch" technology that combines all three in one button. You can alter the severity of each adjustment under the settings menu. The software also lets you perform a custom facial retouch that analyzes portraits and fixes skin blemishes and discoloration accordingly. The result doesn't always work as well as a custom Photoshop edit, but the learning curve is much shorter and meant for the average users wanting to clean up their images with little to no hassle.
Performance
The Kodak ESP5 is a little inconsistent in terms of its speed. We compared it with several other all-in-one inkjets in a similar price range, and while it printed at almost the exact same speed as the ESP3, the rest of the results aren't as clear cut. The ESP registered at the bottom of the list for text, printing at a low 4.39 pages, yet it topped the competition in the photo speed test, standing tall at 1.37 pages per minute. It's worth noting that the rest of the sample scores aren't very widespread, and we doubt you'll notice a significant difference in speed over a long period of time. It's safe to say, however, that the Kodak ESP5 comes in at a very average pace.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Photo Speed | |
Color Scanning Speed | |
Graphics Speed | |
Text Speed |
We complained that the ESP3 produced blotchy, transparent colors and unrealistic skin tones, so we're happy to see the improvement Kodak has made in the ESP5. Color text under the "normal" setting still leaves a bit to be desired and we can still see visible banding in darker shading, but the transition from color to color is visibly cleaner with more distinct line formation. We recommend specifying "best" as the default print quality; you'll notice a significant difference between "normal" and "best."
Service and support
Kodak protects the ESP5 with a comprehensive one-year warranty that covers the printer as well as the print head. It also covers ink cartridges for 13 months from the date of manufacture or until it needs to be replaced, whichever comes first. The warranty includes toll free phone support from 9 a.m. to midnight ET every day, and an online chat system that lets you speak with a Kodak technician from Saturday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. Kodak's site also has manuals, software downloads, and interactive tutorials to help with the troubleshooting process.
Find out more about how we test printers.
User reviews
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3rd times the charm
by shagbag123 on November 20, 2008
Pros: prints well, colors are fairly accurate, prints quickly, sharp, clear display
Cons: LOUD!
takes quite a while to "warm up."Summary: I don't know what the deal is with Kodak's quality control, but i went through 2 of these printers before i got a working one. I bought the ...
Summary: I don't know what the deal is with Kodak's quality control, but i went through 2 of these printers before i got a working one. I bought the printer from Best Buy. Brought it home, started it up, but it would only print black. It appeared as though the colored ink was not coming out of the printer head. After googling the problem, I cleaned it, but was only successful in printing in blue and black. I decided to exchange it for another ESP 5. The new one would not print at all, again the printer head would not release the ink. The employees tested it at the store, verified that it did not work. Finally, we tested the remaining ESP5 they had at the store. Luckily this last one worked, and is printing fine so far. I was determined to get a working printer, as Kodak?s line of printers have the cheapest ink by far. If you are patient like me, and want cheap ink, the ESP5 is the one to get.
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Piece of S___
by lofter1 on April 17, 2009
Pros: The ink is priced good.
Cons: The errors will drive you nuts and eventually you will spend more time trying to get the damn printer to work then haveing it actually work properly.
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS. Wait till they can actually get a product that works before buying. I'd rather spent twice as much on ink and have a printer that ...
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS. Wait till they can actually get a product that works before buying. I'd rather spent twice as much on ink and have a printer that works then buy cheaper ink for a printer that only works a small percentage of the time.
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Worst Printer and Customer Service
by bherzog--2008 on April 5, 2009
Pros: The black plastic of the printer is the one nice part of the printer, great concept.
Cons: Printer never worked,
Paper jammed continuously.
Loudest printer I have ever listened to.
Technical support is extremely frustrating and non responsive.
No Fax capabilitiesSummary: Called customer service, which was even worse than the printer. Over 2 hours on hold waiting to speak to a supervisor. They offered to replace the printer, but when I ...
Summary: Called customer service, which was even worse than the printer. Over 2 hours on hold waiting to speak to a supervisor. They offered to replace the printer, but when I asked for a refund it was denied. Kodak is new to the home printer business you would think they would go out of their way to support their product.
Even though the printer never worked and we had replaced it with an HP Printer in order for my daughter to be able to do her homework. Was told someone from Kodak would be contacting me. Still have not heard from anyone after a week.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good Printer when it works properly
by ollermann on December 26, 2008
Pros: Quality prints, LCD screen, easy to use menu
Cons: Loud, print time is longer than usual, paper tray
Summary: I have had this printer for about a week now. I connected the printer and loaded the software just fine. When I made my first few prints I noticed that ...
Summary: I have had this printer for about a week now. I connected the printer and loaded the software just fine. When I made my first few prints I noticed that everything was very light in color and the pictures look horrible. After calling Kodak support they said I needed a new print head. They sent me one free of charge with brand new ink and it seems to have fixed it for now. will have to see how it holds up. Prints are good quality.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Is Kodak really serious?
by worcangela on October 16, 2008
Pros: Good size display screen, adequate print quality (when it worked)
Cons: Horrible software, several glitches with spooling, not recognizing paper, flimsy "leg" that hold printer open, cheap paper tray with nowhere to put printed photos
Summary: I never did get this thing to work for more than 10 minutes. It malfunctioned as a display in the store but I gave it the benefit of the doubt ...
Summary: I never did get this thing to work for more than 10 minutes. It malfunctioned as a display in the store but I gave it the benefit of the doubt because floor models get beat up. Once at home the install software took an hr to install and never prompted me to finish. I was only able to print through the windows print wizard because the Kodak software would not work. I called tech support 4 times. I was told to reinstall the software, fiddle with settings, reboot it, (all common sense things which i can do without the assistance of tech support), nothing works. The display screen just says printing/scanning but does nothing, no prompts on the computer screen. It's telling me to load paper when there is paper in there already. It has not printed more than 2 test pages and 2 pictures. The last time I talked to tech support she said if this last firmware update didn't work they would send me a new printer. No thanks. I will bring it back to the store and get another brand because this is the most horrible experience I have ever had with an electronic device. I expected more from Kodak.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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5 new print heads in a year
by irishlaldyliz on October 7, 2009
Pros: low the low cost of ink
Cons: This has been such a big pain---their print head systems keeps going out and you have to wait to get another one......and they won't send you a second one for when it goes out again...I am ready to do the "Discount Tire" routine with this
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Worst printer I have ever used
by Linda214 on September 25, 2009
Pros: None found
Cons: Very slow........Lots of malfunctions.
Summary: Ink cheaper but requires frequent replacement
Summary: Ink cheaper but requires frequent replacement
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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prints nice but very slow
Pros: The pictures are the best I've seen from any printer of this price and it does print sharp text and the printer itself is very nice looking
Cons: compared to my cannon pixma MP450 this printer is very slow I find myself getting impatient waiting for text to print and pictures take a lifetime but the quality is much better so I am giving up speed for quality
Summary: The price was right at only $129.00 I really like the great photos done on photo paper, but when I need to get a lot of paper work done ...
Summary: The price was right at only $129.00 I really like the great photos done on photo paper, but when I need to get a lot of paper work done the slow speed kills my enthusiasm and now I am stuck with it until I can find a faster printer for about the same price
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Hoped for more.
by zdfowler on September 18, 2009
Pros: Printed 4x6s from memory card better than from desktop. No-questions-asked support for bad print head from Kodak.
Cons: Print head went out after 90 days, but within a year. Need to clean print head frequently. Color is washed out for photos unless using highest quality or direct from card printing. Noisy.
Summary: Bottom line -- it works, but I don't trust it for very long.
Bought it for in-office color printing and color newsletter proofs. Colors are iffy compared to screen ...Summary: Bottom line -- it works, but I don't trust it for very long.
Bought it for in-office color printing and color newsletter proofs. Colors are iffy compared to screen and if not on high quality. Ended up using it to help print a few hundred 4x6 photos in a night for a photo booth, about 1 minute per 4x6 sepia print I believe. Office Depot, Office Max don't carry the ink. Staples does. Direct from Kodak is cheap plus S/H. Makes me leery about this printer's future. Haven't tried scanning.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Run the other way !!!
by Zoey27 on September 14, 2009
Pros: quality of photos when the print correctly
Cons: too much to mention
Summary: I spend more time troubleshooting than I do printing !!
Summary: I spend more time troubleshooting than I do printing !!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Eastman Kodak Co.
- Part number: 8509408
- Description: Kodak welcomes you to an easier way to print, copy, and scan photos and documents for less. With the Kodak ESP 5 All-in-One printer you can save up to 50% on everything you print, compared to similar consumer inkjet printers. No matter how you choose to use it, now you can print, copy, and scan even more for less.
General
- Printing Technology Ink-jet - Color - Photo printer
- Display Diagonal Size 3"
- Width 16.6 in
- Depth 11.7 in
- Height 7 in
- Weight 11.9 lbs
Memory
- Supported Flash Memory CompactFlash, Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick Pro
Copying
- Maximum Copies 99
- Copying Features Fit to page, Mirror Copy
Printing
- Max Printing Speed up to 30 pages/min (mono) / up to 29 pages/min (color)
- Color 6-ink
Scanning
- Scan Element CIS
Document & Media Handling
- Min Original Size 3.94 in x 5.9 in
- Max Original Size Legal (8.5 in x 14 in)
- Original Type Sheets
- Min Copy Size 3.94 in x 5.9 in
- Max Copy Size Legal (8.5 in x 14 in)
- Standard Media Capacity 100 sheets
- Document & Media Handling Details Input tray - 100 sheets size: 3.94 in x 5.9 in - Legal (8.5 in x 14 in)
PC Connectivity
- PC Connection Availability Yes
- PC Connection USB host, Hi-Speed USB
- Operating System Support MS Windows XP, MS Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS X 10.4 or later
- Software Included Drivers & utilities
Power
- Power AC 110 V ( 60 Hz )
- Power Consumption Operational 120 Watt
Miscellaneous
- Direct Printing Specifications DPOF, PictBridge
- Consumables Included 1 x Ink tank ( Black ), 1 x Ink tank ( Color )
- Microsoft Certifications Works with Windows Vista
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Eastman Kodak Co.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Eastman Kodak Co. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.kodak.com/
- Address:
343 State Street, Rochester, NY 14650
