Epson Workforce Pro WF-5620DWF A quick, capable all-in-one inkjet

This inkjet multifunction printer introduced similar laser-rivalling features to the Officejet Pro 8720 (see above) when it went on sale a couple of years ago, and now it has fallen to about the same price. It’s a more conventional-looking box, with a 35-sheet paper feeder on top, and its smaller touchscreen is complemented by a physical number pad for fax dialling.

There’s a USB socket on the front as well as the usual rear connections. Also at the back is a single-sheet feed for special paper, which the Officejet Pro lacks. The Workforce Pro is rated as quieter, at 52dba compared with 55dba, although we didn’t havee the chance to compare the two sidee by side.

Epson’s scanning softwaretware is less restrictive than HP’S, andnd printing was straightforward. Text output wasn’t quite as fast, reaching 19.2ppm, but pages of colour graphics emerged quickly at 13.1ppm. A 300dpi black-and-white photocopy took eight seconds, and a colour one 14 seconds, but a 10-page colour document took over twice as long as the Officejet Pro managed, at three minutes 43 seconds. Scanning a 300dpi colour A4 page took 14 seconds, and a 1,200dpi postcard-sized photo a reasonable 36. Quality was good, though some scans looked over-sharpened.

A full set of four Epson 79XL cartridges costs around £105 if you shop around, rated for 2,600 black pages and 2,000 colour. You can also buy the colours separately. That gives it running costs that are just a fraction higher than HP’S. Overall, there’s little to choose between these two models – they’re certainly different, but equally capable.

AUTUMN 2016

Apple has unveiled IOS 10, the operating system that’ll be installed on the iphone 7, due in autumn. The hardware isn’t expected to differ much from that of the iphone 6s (pictured), but Apple may replace the headphone jack with a Lightning port adapter.