Printing The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 prints using inkjet technology, which sprays liquid ink onto the paper from a moving head. It has very good text quality, though not quite as good as the best printers. It prints text very slowly, 5 pages took 57 seconds, costing 19 cents per page. Its color graphics printing is very good for reports, newsletters and web pages, costing 54.5 cents per page. It prints very good photos on glossy paper that most people would be happy with. It has auto-duplex printing to print both on sides of the page. Individual cartridges for each color let you change only the ones that are empty. This printer is a wide format model that can print on 11x17 paper, giving you the ability to create large photographs or spreadsheets. The capacity of the main paper tray is 100 sheets, a typical amount. There's a second single-sheet input tray for full-size paper, in case you just need a printout on letterhead, for instance.
Scanning and Copying This is a multi-function printer. Scanning performance was very good, fine for general-purpose scanning. It can scan or copy paper up to letter size.
Controls and Display The printer has a color display screen with a 4.3-inch diagonal size, touch-input capability, and can be tilted.
Connectivity and Networking It can print documents via USB, USB thumb drive, Ethernet, WiFi and an SD memory card. We found it relatively easy to setup the WiFi connection on this printer.
Costs and Ink When this page was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $300, high for a all-in-one cartridge inkjet printer. Printing uses up ink and the costs add up over time. This printer uses six (6) cartridges. When the ink runs low, you replace the empty cartridge. The inks we used in testing were the Epson 279 BK, 279 C, 279 M, 279 Y, 279 LC, and 279 LM cartridges—at the time, the prices were all $13.20 each. According to our tests, one cartridge will print approximately 227 pages of black text, a very low yield—but being an inkjet its actual yield could be noticeably less because of maintenance. We estimate each cartridge of ink to last at least 1 year—a short time—following a typical monthly printing amount of 19 text and 8 graphic pages. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate your total equivalent cost to be $492—high for a inkjet. The estimated yearly cost is $96, which is very high for a inkjet type of printer. The theoretical total cost after 5 years is $779.
Notes The printer uses up very little space.
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 Photo XP-980 was PG26Q2.
Software The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual and scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a PC and the Windows operating system, using the latest version of printer software (driver) and printer support apps available at the time of testing. The software version was 3.80.0.0.
About the ink, software and firmware Our test results are valid only for the Epson-brand ink, 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: Either (1) run the Epson printer-update app on the PC, or (2) access 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.
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