Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer

We have looked a many Epson Scanners in the past, due in large part to our preference to de-clutter our office and get rid of as much paper as possible. But no matter how much scanning you do, there are bound to be situations where you need to have a physical hard copy.  Whether it’s documents, photos or even CDs, if you are looking for a great general-purpose combination printer/scanner, check out the Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer.

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Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer – Unboxing

In the box you will find the Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer, a power cord, a Set-up and Instruction manual, five (5) Claria® ink cartridges including, Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Photo Black. and a CD containing software and drivers.

While our 2017 MacBook Pro does not have a CD drive, we do have the external Super Drive made by Apple.

But we always prefer to download installation software and drivers to ensure we are getting the most up-to-date versions. Fortunately, Epson makes this very easy by going to the Epson XP-6000 support page here. There you will also find FAQs, manuals and helpful videos.

Epson refers to the XP-6000 as a “Small-in-One” printer to indicate that despite it being a multi-function unit, it will not take up a lot of room in your small business or home office. The printer measures 13.7” wide x 19.8” deep x 5.6” high and weighs just 14.6 lbs. The smaller size is due, in part, to the fact that the unit only has a flat-bed style scanner.  Without the ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) used on many All-in-One units, the Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer is much more compact.

Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer – Set-up

With everything out of the box, the first step was to remove all the packing and tape used to secure the printer during shipping.

With the latest software downloaded from the Epson site, we started the install process, which basically took care of itself.  As we have said in the past, Epson has made great improvement in their set-up process over the past years and some of the frustrations we use to experience connecting Epson wireless products to our Airport network are gone.  While it takes a few minutes for the process to complete, the software steps the user through the process and completed the connection on the first try.  You do need to be patient as more than once, we thought the process had stalled and was tempted to close it down and try again but left alone, it did what it needed to do.  It really could not have been easier.

Installation of the free iOS Epson iPrint app as well as setting up the XP-6000 for remote printing was also straight-forward.  The Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer supports Apple AirPrint.

Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer – Specifications

At 13.7” wide, the Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer is only slightly wider than a regular piece of paper.  The front of the printer has a split panel with a small LCD display screen and all of the control buttons embedded into the top section.

The bottom section of the cover folds down to reveal the main paper tray, which is attached to the lower cover, as well as the second paper tray used for photo paper and CD printing as well as a slide-out paper output tray.

While the design is compact, we were disappointed to find out that the lower portion of the front panel cannot be closed while the output tray is extended.  We were able to close the top half of the front cover with the tray extended but it’s not clear if Epson intends the user to do that. If you were doing a large print job, we could see the paper getting caught by the lower edge of the top cover.  For that reason, it’s probable best to leave it open.

That’s certainly not a major issue but we do find that we are constantly opening and closing the front covers when we are done using the printer just because we need to extend or return the output tray.

We usually try to not get bogged down in all the numbers associated with today’s hardware, but we think it makes sense to share some of the specifications for the XP-6000.

Printer

The Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer will print up to Legal size (11” x 14”) paper in both single and double-sided prints in color and black & white and is rated for the following print speeds.

The printer will also print photos as large as 8 x 10 and printable CDs and DVDs.  The printer offers a variety of photo options including classic border and borderless prints, picture pages, Photo IDs, 2-up, 4-up, 8-up and 20-up.  In addition to CDs and DVD, the printer will print jewel case covers.

Epson has also included several preset print formats like music lines paper and graph paper.

Copy

The XP-6000 will copy in color and black & white, as well as text, text & images and photos.  The copy function will support up to 99 copies at a time and includes the ability to reduce or enlarge the copy (25% – 400%), fit the original to the page as well as scanning directly to a SD card or USB Flash drive using the built-in ports.

Scanner

The scanner has an optical resolution of 2,400 dpi and a maximum resolution of 9,600 x 9,600 interpolated with a maximum scan bed size of 8.5” x 11.7”.  That means that while the Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer can print on 11” x 14” paper, it cannot scan that size in a single pass.

Here’s a brief overview video provided by Epson.

Epson also recently introduced voice assisted printing powered by Siri.  Using the Epson iPrint app, you can ask Siri to “Print the last photo I took”, scan a document, run the Document Capture app, show ink levels and print one of the custom paper styles built into the printer.  Over time, you can expect more actions to be included.

Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer – Test Results

We have personally used many of inkjet printer brands over the years and have always been happy with the results that comes from Epson.  The Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer is no exception.

Although the time for first print output can sometimes be long because the printer is going through a maintenance routine, subsequent prints are very fast.

We have printed a variety of documents and posters and photos during our testing and found them all to be of high quality.  The ink was dry to the touch almost immediately and we did not experience and smudges.

Color output was very accurate, and the printed document matched the image on the screen or the original document in the case of a copy.

The Epson Scan2 application is the same software we have seen for other Epson scanners and it performed as expected.  While the Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer does not have an ADF, the software gives complete control and scanning a multi-page document, while slower, turned out just as well as dedicated scanners we have used.

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises was how quiet the Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer is.  While not silent, the printing function is extremely quiet and the scanning function was so quiet, we had to check it in the beginning to make sure it was actually scanning our document.

The network connection between our MacBook Pro, iPhone and iPad was rock solid and we had no issued with remote printing on our network.

The Bottom Line

In the early days of computers, almost every computer had its own printer.  As network and wireless technology developed and improved, the ability to centralize printing, even on a home network became more popular.

For a small office or for a home environment with several computers, the Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer is a great addition to meet multiple needs.

The ability to print wirelessly from a Mac or an iOS product is a great option and the compact Small-in-One design makes it easy to find a spot for the device, that will not overtake your workspace.

The Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer has an MSRP of $149.99 and at that price, it would be well worth it. But the printer is available for a deep discount and you can pick it up on Amazon for $59.99.  That’s a savings of 60% off the MSRP and it’s available with free 2-Day shipping for Amazon Prime members.

At that price, there is no reason not to have this great printer/scanner combination in your home or office.

Epson states that the printer is designed to work only with Epson cartridges and ink.  In our experience, while third party replacement cartridges are available, you will get best results using the OEM ink.

Replacement ink cartridges for the XP-6000 (Ink Model # 302) are available individually for around $12.99 each in standard capacity or $18.99 for XL capacity which provides about twice the printing volume.  You can also purchase ink in combination packs for extra savings.

The Epson Expression XP-6000 Printer comes with a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty.

We would like to thank the folks at Epson for proving an XP-6000 printer for our testing and review.

What is your favorite printer brand?  Why not join the conversation and leave a comment below?

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