This holiday season, you will be using your phone, tablet, and (shockingly) your camera to take dozens if not hundreds of photos. Some will go up on Facebook or Instagram, but many will sit on the device waiting. Well, with the Epson Expression Photo XP-860 Small-in-One All-in-One Printer the wait is over. Use it to print pictures now and your memoirs later.
This printer looks similar to the Epson All-In-One we reviewed last year. It is but the updates Epson packed into this next-generation printer are impressive. That is especially the case with its ability to let you print wirelessly from your iPad, iPhone, tablet, smartphone or computer. Yes, the days of needing to plug a device or a memory card directly into the printer are long gone. In other words, this inexpensive Epson Expression Photo XP-860 Small-in-One All-in-One Printer is built for life in 2015 and beyond.
As they explain:
Pro-quality photos and easy wireless printing from a fast, ultra slim all-in-one: Print stunning, professional-quality photos with the Expression Photo XP-860 Small-in-One printer. Featuring a space-saving design, the XP-860 produces borderless photos up to 8″ x 10″ with 6-color Claria Photo HD Inks for smooth gradations and amazing skin tones. Breeze through everyday tasks with a 4.3″ color touchscreen, 30-page Auto Document Feeder, and auto 2-sided printing, copying, scanning and faxing. It also prints 4″ x 6″ photos in as fast as 10 seconds. The rear feed accommodates specialty media, and there are dedicated photo and CD/DVD trays — plus, this all-in-one scans to Facebook. And, wireless connectivity supports easy printing from tablets and smartphones.
Inside the box you will find:
- Epson Expression Photo XP-860 Small-in-One printer
- One 277 Black Ink cartridge
- One 277 Cyan Ink cartridge
- One 277 Magenta Ink cartridge
- One 277 Yellow Ink cartridge
- One 277 Light Cyan Ink cartridge
- One 277 Light Magenta Ink cartridge
- Setup and instructions manuals
- CD-ROM containing software and drivers (Windows and Macintosh)
- Power cable
If you plan to go “old school” and plug a computer into the printer, then you will need to bring your own USB cable since the company did not include one.
The setup process took a bit of time, but the printer walked me through the process step by step and within a few minutes I was up and running. So long as you remove all (ALL!) the tape holding different pieces in place and follow the instructions, you should not have any issue with getting things going.
The Epson Expression Photo XP-860 Small-in-One All-in-One Printer is fast. It offers ISO print speeds of 9.5 ISO ppm (black) and 9.0 ISO ppm (color). It is also skilled at recreating the images you took with your iPhone 6+ thanks to the use of 6-color Claria Photo HD Inks that deliver smooth gradation and amazing skin tones.
The printer has much more to offer. Among these are an Automatic Document Feeder that actually works well! As they put it, the document feeder lets you, “Easily copy, scan and fax stacks of documents with the built-in automatic document feeder.”
The printer also lets you save paper by doing automatic two-sided printing. considering I print out no less than a dozen different drafts of each of my High Holy Day sermons each year, being able to use just half of the paper I otherwise would is a nice feature that I appreciate.
Then there is the previously mentioned Epson Connect technology. It lets you print and share documents and photos from anywhere.
You don’t HAVE to go wireless however, because the printer still has an SD card slot and a USB thumb drive port. on the front.
And lest you think this small, inexpensive printer is simply for home use, the fact that it is both wireless and ethernet network ready means one printer can be shared by multiple computers and people whether at home OR at the office.
Let’s tick off the features of the Epson Expression Photo XP-860
- Professional photo quality thanks to brilliant 6-color Claria Photo HD inks deliver borderless photos up to 8″ x 10″ with smooth gradations and amazing skin tones
- 30-page Auto Document Feeder
- Auto 2-sided print/copy/scan/color fax; auto extend output tray
- 4″ x 6″ photos in as fast as 10 seconds
- Creative: specialty paper support with rear feed, plus dedicated photo and CD/DVD trays
- Ultimate wireless: easily print from iPad, iPhone, tablets and smartphones; includes Wi-Fi Direct
- Intuitive: 4.3″ touchscreen with gesture navigation
- Worry-free: smudge, scratch, fade and water-resistant prints; Auto Photo Correction and red-eye removal
- PC-free: easy photo printing with built-in USB and memory card slots
- And finally there is my favorite new feature and the one that helps this printer stand out. You see, the Epson is a social printer that lets you “scan to Facebook and the cloud for easy photo sharing.” And while I’m not sure how often I would use this feature for some odd reason I kinda like the fact that it is there.
In all the Epson Expression Photo XP-860 Small-in-One printer is exactly what Epson claims it to be. It is a “Premium Small-in-One that offers ultra powerful performance, is ultra slim, and features a space-saving design.” Easy to set up and easy to use, this printer is already seeing more than a bit of use here at home. You can learn more here. The printer has an MSRP of $299.99 but you can purchase yours for just $221.92 here in our Amazon Affiliate Store.
Source: Manufacturer review sample of the Epson Expression Photo XP-860 Small-in-One printer
What I Like: Small footprint; Feature-packed; Accessible price; Wireless and social connectivity gets better and better
What Needs Improvement: I don’t love needing to use (and replace) six different printer cartridges