PRINTING. The Primera Trio prints using inkjet technology, which sprays liquid ink onto the paper from a moving head. It prints Very Good photos on glossy paper that most people would be happy with. Photo printing speed is typical, about 2.9 minutes for a 4x6, costing 30 cents. Unlike most color printers, it can't print borderless photos. It prints barely-acceptable text, so look to other models for that purpose. It prints text very slowly, about 2.2 pages per minute, costing 13.8 cents per page. It prints color graphics with some obvious defects, but OK for casual use, at 1.2 pages per minute, costing 33.7 cents per page. The multi-color ink cartridge must be replaced when a single color runs out.
SCANNING and COPYING. Scanning was only Fair in performance, not as good as most all-in-ones. It can scan or copy an area up to 13.3 x 8.5 inches (legal size). Copying was only Fair in performance, not as good as most all-in-ones.
CONTROLS and DISPLAY. The printer has no display screen.
CONNECTIVITY and NETWORKING. There is no networking capability, only direct USB connection.
COST OF OWNERSHIP AND INK. When this section was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $400, very expensive for an all-in-one inkjet printer. Printing uses up ink. Over time, as you print, the costs add up. This printer uses 2 cartridges. The Primera ink cartridges used in testing were the 53377 and 53376. At the time, their prices were $50 and $55 respectively. We estimate the cartridges to last an extremely short time: around 2.5 months. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate the total cost to be $664, very high for an inkjet. The estimated yearly cost is $132, typical for this printer type. So the 3-, 4- and 5-year estimates are $796, $927 and $1059 respectively.
NOTE. You can print from a camera or laptop away from an AC power source using a special battery (optional). 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 Primera Trio was 1.3706/19/2015 (22).
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 1.0.2.0.
