HP PhotoSmart Premium fax C309 and Epson workforce 610 compared

HP Photosmart Premium Fax C309

The HP Photosmart Premium Fax C309 tries to cram just about every function consumers might want into one all-in-one printer. The Photosmart Premium Fax scans, prints, faxes and copies, like most multifunction printers, but it has a host of extra features as well. It can print directly from USB flash drives, Bluetooth and a variety of memory cards. And it can display photos on an adjustable 2.4-inch LCD. This HP all-in-one printer has duplex printing (input and output), an automatic document feeder (which can scan legal-size sheets too big for the scanning bed) and an input tray for printing onto specially coated CDs and DVDs. The HP multifunction printer is also fully networkable, through either Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The downside to all this functionality is that the Photosmart Premium Fax is a bit bulky, and it has a small paper input tray, which holds only 125 sheets. The Epson WorkForce 610 (*Est. $150) is a smaller and lighter alternative that has similar functionality and costs about the same.

Reviewers tend to agree that the HP Photosmart Premium succeeds at stylishly cramming all its features into one comparatively small machine. PCMag.com and IT Reviews give the HP all-in-one printer top honors, and CNET and PC World praise the model as well, though they note a few drawbacks. Only TrustedReviews.com bucks the trend, finding the various functions ultimately unsatisfying. All concur that the Photosmart Premium Fax is the best value for those who will need its myriad features on a regular basis.

• Good print quality, especially for photos
• Network ready
• Prints on CDs and DVDs
• Color fax

• Slow duplex printing
• Low paper capacity
• Bulky

Epson WorkForce 610

The Epson WorkForce 610 distinguishes itself as one of the most compact multifunction printers with a built-in fax, which are usually bulky and heavy machines. Measuring 18 inches by 14 inches by 9 inches (with trays folded away) and weighing 18 pounds, it is smaller and lighter than others in its class. The drawback is that it has a small paper capacity -- a single 100-page input tray. Some owners also point out that the compact nature of the 610 means it's hard to fix minor mechanical problems such as paper jams. Nevertheless, professional reviews say you get good quality and speedy document and photo printing, scanning, copying and faxing, but manual (not automatic) two-sided printing. The Epson WorkForce 610 has Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking built in, and Bluetooth is an extra-cost option. While the lowest-quality setting (draft mode) is very fast -- comparable in speed to lasers when printing text -- reviews say the prints don't look good.

Since the WorkForce 610 has just recently replaced the very similar 600 model, there are few reviews to date that look at the 610 on its own. But blog-style reviews at TestFreaks.com and JusTechn.com are encouraging, as is the evaluation at About.com. We found only a handful of owner reviews at Amazon.com, but they are overwhelmingly positive so far.

• Compact size
• Good, fast prints
• Standalone fax
• Ethernet and wireless networking

• Small paper tray
• Draft-mode printing could be better
• Difficult to clear paper jams