Printing The Epson Expression Home XP-5100 prints using inkjet technology, which sprays liquid ink onto the paper from a moving head. Text printing is not a strong point, with noticeably fuzzy edges on letters. Text printing speed is typical, about 12.5 pages per minute, costing 6.1 cents per page. It prints color graphics with some obvious defects, but OK for casual use, at 4 pages per minute, costing 28.3 cents per page. It prints photos on glossy paper with only Fair quality, putting it near the bottom rung among inkjet printers in photo quality. It has auto-duplex printing to print both on sides of the page, though there's a slight loss of quality. The capacity of the main paper tray is 150 sheets, a typical size.
Scanning and Copying Scanning performance was Good, but had a few noticeable flaws. It can scan or copy an area up to 11.9 x 8.6 inches (letter size). Copying was only Fair in performance, not as good as most all-in-ones.
Controls and Display The printer has a 2.5-inch (diagonal size) color display screen that can preview each image in a 2.4-inch window.
Connectivity and Networking The Epson Expression Home XP-5100 has a memory-card reader for directly printing documents and images stored on an SD card. You can connect directly to a PC with a USB cable, or to your network router wirelessly with WiFi. There's a WiFi Auto-connect feature that makes it easy to link to your wireless router. Apple AirPrint is built in, to print wirelessly from Apple devices via your local network. You can also install an app on your smartphone or tablet, as another option for printing over your WiFi network. You can also print an email remotely by forwarding it directly to this printer.
Cost of Ownership and Ink When this section was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $110, cheap for an all-in-one inkjet printer. Printing uses up ink and the costs add up over time. This printer uses 4 cartridges. The Epson ink cartridges used in testing were the 202XL BK, 202XL C, 202XL M and 202XL Y. At the time, their prices were $35 for black and $17.50 (each) for the other three. We estimate the ink cartridges to last a very short time—5 months—following a typical printing schedule of 264 text and 96 color graphics pages per year. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate the total equivalent cost to be $457, very low for an inkjet. The estimated yearly cost is $173, which is generally very low—and also for this printer type, very low. The theoretical total cost after 5 years is $977.
Note This printer was noisier than most while printing, so you might want to locate it away from sleeping areas.
Printer Firmware Firmware is software that exists inside the printer. All models are evaluated using the latest firmware version available at the time of testing. The firmware version of the Epson Expression Home XP-5100 was LR2012.
Software The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual, (and for all-in-ones:) scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a Windows 10 PC using the latest version of printer driver and printer support apps available at the time of testing. The software version was 6.3.9600.17415.
About the Ink cartridges, Software and Firmware Our test results are valid only for the Epson-brand ink cartridges, and the software and firmware versions indicated. If your printer's software or firmware differ from the ones shown you either have an older or a newer version of these. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the printer's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware updates are downloadable directly to your printer via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable). You can check your printer's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware by either (1) running the Epson printer-update app installed on the PC, or (2) accessing the "Settings" section of the printer menu and navigating to the firmware update option. Consult the user manual or Epson's website for further guidance. Try searching online.
