An excellent multifunctional device based on inkjet printing technology and equipped with an integrated proprietary NPC system is Epson L355. It is precisely the capabilities of this printer, copy machine and scanner that will be described and discussed in the future.
What niche of the market of printing devices is oriented?
In essence, the Epson L355 MFP is universal. It is perfect for organizing a print server in small (up to 10 workplaces) or even medium (up to 25-30 workplaces) offices. The presence of an integrated NPC system allows you to display documentation on this output device . almost any amount Another area in which a MFP can be used successfully -. it is at home course, to the level of photo printers hero of this review does not hold out for sure, but for undemanding home user it will be on more optimal range. Similarly, it may be noted about the office and in which the requirements to the quality of output documents are usually considerably lower.
Equipment
This MFP includes the following items:
Actually the multifunction device itself.
An initial set of cartridges with reduced to 70% print life.
USB interface wire .
Power adapter.
User's manual.
A disk with the necessary application software.
Warranty card.
Only one conclusion can be drawn from the list above: ink for “Epson L355” will only have to be bought additionally. Everything else is in the original configuration. On the other hand, these are consumables and not so difficult to purchase. Moreover, their price is not so high.
Technology for obtaining documents
As noted earlier, the Epson L355 is based on inkjet print technology. It has 4 cartridges. The main one is black. The other three are magenta, cyan, and yellow. An important feature of this peripheral output device is that it is initially equipped with an NPS system. That is, there is no need to replace or refill cartridges. It is only enough to periodically pour ink into these containers, and the system itself will expend them in the right amount.
List of Supported Interfaces
Epson L355 supports two basic connection methods today. The first one is the USB interface . In this case, one cannot do without a direct connection to the system unit of a personal computer, and the latter in this case will act as a print server. If this PC is turned off, it is not possible to display documentation. A more practical way in this case is to use a wireless Wi-Fi interface . With this organization of printing, the MFP is directly connected to the router and the functions of the print server in this case are assigned to it. Also, the second connection method is more convenient on the other hand, because there is no need to lead wires and you can position the device anywhere on the wireless network.
Resolution
The Epson L355 printer boasts the highest resolution. It can display an image in 5760x1440 format. Such a resolution is quite enough to obtain a very, very high-quality photograph or picture. A more modest resolution value will be in the case of using this device as a scanner or copy machine. In both the first and second cases, the maximum value will be limited to 2400x1200. As a result, the quality of the output documents will be significantly worse. But a similar problem is with all direct competitors of this MFP. Alas, from a technical point of view, it is not yet possible to provide the same resolution for all modes of using multifunction devices.
List of formats
The Epson L355 printer can print on sheets of paper up to size A4. That is up to 297 mm in length and 210 mm in width. The density of the sheets may be in the range from 64 to 255 g / m 3 . Again, regarding the size of the output document, it can be noted that A5, B5 and Letter are in the list of formats of this peripheral device . It is also possible at the software level to independently set the sizes of the sheet on which the output will be carried out.
Performance
One of the main advantages of the Epson L355 is its print speed. In this class of devices by this characteristic, it leaves far behind most of its direct competitors. Indeed, 33 black and white pages per minute for such an MFP is a phenomenal indicator. If printing is done in color, then the number of sheets output per minute will be limited to 15 pieces. Separately, it is necessary to note the speed of outputting photos. It takes 69 seconds to print one 10x15 cm photograph.
Software
As noted earlier, the driver disc is bundled with the Epson L355. The instruction indicates that the manufacturer provided for the possibility of functioning of this device only in 2 software environments: Windows and MacOS . Definitely on this list, the Linux system is clearly missing . But there is no set of drivers for such system software and the hero of this review will certainly not work with such software.
Power Consumption and Temperature
The power consumption of this peripheral device is set by the manufacturer at the level of 11W in operation. In standby mode, this value will be even less. The minimum temperature at which this MFP will still function is 10 0 , and the maximum - 35 0 . Although, as the L355 operating experience shows, it can work stably even at higher temperatures - up to 45 0 . Again, the operation of such a device in such temperature conditions is beyond the scope of the manufacturer’s recommendations and in case of breakage, its repair will no longer be warranty.
List of technologies supported by this device
An impressive list of technologies at the software level is supported by the hero of this article. This list includes the following:
Epson Connect is a mini utility to simplify WiFi connectivity.
Nozzle Check - software for checking nozzles.
Head Cleaning - this mini-program is responsible for how to clean the “Epson L355” together with the print head.
Head Alignment - a software system for calibrating the print head of an inkjet MFP.
Power Ink - technological cleaning of the ink system.
Owner reviews
Quite controversial reviews from owners on the global web about this MFP. On the one hand, it has excellent technical specifications. This is high speed, and the presence of an integrated NPS system, this is high resolution (both in the case of printing, and in the case of copying or scanning), these are the 2 main switching interfaces at the moment. To this list you can also add the very, very modest cost of the device. Well, here are the flaws in this case too.
First of all, users highlight the complexity of how to configure the “Epson L355” for printing using Wi-Fi- connection. Again, there are certain ways to solve this problem. The main one is disabling the firewall (both in the operating system and in the network router itself) and disabling AP Isolation mode (in the router). You can also add a connection to this peripheral device to the firewall exclusion list and this also allows you to solve the problem of communicating using a wireless network. Another possible drawback of this MFP is the lack of support for the AirPrint program based on the iOS operating system . A unique solution to this problem is the installation of proprietary software from Epson - iPrint. Of course, in terms of functionality, this utility loses to the development of Apple, but it is still supported by such hardware and allows you to output to this multifunction device without any problems. Significantly easier in this regard to the owners of "Android" devices. There are much more such programs on this platform, and in this case there really is plenty to choose from. As a result, it can be noted that although the MFP itself is positioned as easy to configure, but in fact it is not, and the newfound owner will still have to perform certain manipulations for reliable and stable operation of the device. And not only with the printer itself, but also with other components of the computer network (PC, router and mobile gadgets). So before buying this peripheral device, you need to consider this nuance.
Cost
Although sales started in Epson L355 in 2013, it is still possible to buy it from stocks. The cost for it starts from 8000 rubles. Given the fact that it has support for the wireless standard WiFi and integrated CISS - a similar price is certainly affordable . In the price category to which this MFP belongs, none of the competitors can boast of such a combination. As a result, we get the perfect ratio of price and quality.
Summary
Essentially, the Epson L355 was a very balanced MFP. Those deficiencies pointed out by its owners can be relatively easily and simply eliminated. But the advantages in this case are much greater, and they are much more significant.