If you’re looking to get into Epson’s new PrecisionCore printhead technology, like the one in the WorkForce WF-3640 (a DT Editors’ Choice), but want something slightly less expensive, Epson is bringing it to two new lower-priced offerings, the WorkForce WF-2660 ($150) and WF-2650 ($130).
With PrecisionCore, Epson touts laser-like print quality from an inkjet machine, without the laser-like price. Epson achieves this by using a new, more efficient printhead with a higher number of nozzles, which drops just the right amount of ink onto the paper to create a higher-quality print, as well as delivering faster print speeds. (Our test of the WF-3640 corroborates much of Epson’s claims.) While designed for the home office – giving those users color prints, which are expensive to produce in an office environment – the WF-2660 and WF-2650 work just as well in a family room. These aren’t photo printers, but we find these WorkForce PrecisionCore printers can handle photo prints nicely. Our one knock against the larger WF-3640 is that it’s slightly expensive for home users, so the WF-2660 and WF-2650 are more attractive from a low-price standpoint.
Related: Epson WorkForce WF-3640 Review
But a lower price comes with a tradeoff, and that means one less printhead. The WF-2660 and WF-2650 use a four-color one-chip printhead configuration, while the WF-3600-series uses two and the WorkForce Pro WF-4600 series uses four. (Epson’s industrial printers, one of the first to use PrecisionCore, have even more printheads.) The image quality should remain the same as the WF-3640’s, but the WF-2660 and WF-2650 have slower print speeds (13 pages per minute in black, 7.3 in color). Both printers offer Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct (peer-to-peer), Ethernet, and USB connections, while the WF-2660 has the added benefit of Near-Field Communication (NFC) pairing for devices that support it.
Both multifunction machines have a 30-page Auto Document Feeder (ADF) and a 150-page paper capacity, and you can copy, scan, print, and fax. Specs and performance wise, both units are identical, except the aforementioned NFC and a large 2.7-inch color touchscreen in the WF-2660 (versus a 2.2-inch monochrome LCD). The printers also support Epson Connect, a mobile printing solution, as well as Apple AirPrint, Android Printing, Kindle Fire, and Google Cloud Print. Epson says the machines use 70-percent less power than laser printers.
We expect both printers to offer the same print quality as the WF-3640 we tested, although the print speeds will differ. We are currently testing the WF-2660, so stay tuned for a full review.
Related: The future of Epson’s inkjet technology lies in a “chip” that’s thin as a razor blade
In addition to the two new models, Epson also announced the WorkForce WF-2630. Although it’s part of the WF-2600 series, this machine does not use the PrecisionCore technology. It has a 100-sheet paper capacity, and print speeds of 9 ppm in black and 4.5 ppm in color. This multifunction printer offers the same wired and wireless features (minus Ethernet), and has a 2.2-inch mono display. This MFP will set you back just $99 at retail.
The WF-2660 and WF-2630 will be available later this month, while the WF-2650 will go sale in October.
