The Creality Ender-3 V3 SE has refined what a 3D printer for beginners should be, packing all the essentials needed to get straight into 3D printing. The entry-level machine boasts a straightforward feature set, including an easy-to-use interface, a direct drive extruder, and a screen that guides you through filament loading and initial setup. 

Even if you're completely new to 3D printing, you can transition from unboxing to printing in under thirty minutes. Having tested out many of the best 3D printers, we can say the Ender-3 V3 SE itself is nice and simple, and this is complemented by Creality's intuitive print software, which easily handles files downloaded from the internet or, if you have the skill, those that you have designed yourself.

While it may lack advanced features like filament run-out detection and built-in camera capabilities, its low price makes it an attractive choice for beginners. However, with the market teeming with exceptional and innovative printers at not a great deal more, is straight, tried and tested design reliability enough even for a beginner?

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE: Design

The Creality Ender-3 V3 SE 3D Printer adopts the popular bed-slinger design, where the print platform dynamically moves back and forth during the printing process. Many budget-friendly 3D printers favour this approach, which is also employed in premium models by brands like PRUSA and Lulzbot. As is common with this style of printer, the open-frame design offers a clear view of its internal print workings. This transparency is particularly beneficial if you're a beginner, as it will enable you to have a better understanding of how these machines work. 

If you're a beginner, then this hands-on and visible design is invaluable. It makes identifying issues like loose belts straightforward, and witnessing misprints as they happen can be an educational experience in troubleshooting. 

Assembly of the Creality Ender-3 V3 SE is remarkably easy as the printer arrives almost fully assembled, requiring only the attachment of the vertical frame and some simple wiring to be plugged in. The process is quick, taking no more than 30 minutes, with everything you need to know covered in the manual.

When it comes to loading files and printing, the printer uses an SD card for file loading, with selections made via an LCD screen controlled by a dial rather than a touch screen. This interface, while somewhat retro, is apt for the printer's straightforward design ethos.

In terms of physical dimensions, the Ender-3 V3 SE measures 365 x 345 x 458 mm and weighs 6.5 kg, making it relatively compact and portable. The filament is mounted on top of the machine, necessitating some vertical space but contributing to its small footprint. Overall, the design of the Ender-3 V3 SE combines simplicity, accessibility, and practicality, making it an ideal choice for those new to the 3D printing world.

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE: Features

The Creality Ender-3 V3 SE 3D Printer stands out in the entry-level market, not just for its affordability but also for its array of features that enhance the 3D printing experience. One of the key attributes of this printer is its impressive speed, which is capable of reaching up to 250mm/s. This performance is powered by a high-power processor, ensuring that speed does not compromise the quality of the prints.

Auto-levelling is a standout feature, thanks to the CR Touch sensor, that simplifies achieving a perfect first layer. This feature, along with the strain sensor for auto Z offset, ensures precision and ease in print setup, making it a hassle-free experience for users regardless of expertise level.

The Ender-3 V3 SE's 'Sprite' direct extruder is capable of handling a variety of filament types, including the flexible TPU, which significantly expands print options. Additionally, the printer is supported by Y-axis dual linear shafts, ensuring steady and accurate motion of the build platform. The UI on the printer's display provides a comprehensive view of the auto-levelling process, including the numerics of difference, which is fascinating, and other essential printing parameters.

When it comes to transferring files to the printer, this can be done using either an SD card or directly through a USB Type-C connection. The printer also features a stable dual Z-axis and a compact, elegant design that cleverly integrates all its components without compromising on its build volume of 220x220x250mm.

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE: Performance

The 3D printer's performance in our tests was impressive, especially considering its position as an entry-level printer. Achieving a high score of 26.5 out of 30 in our tests, it stands out in its price range for its exceptional performance, a testament to its simple design augmented with advanced features.

The printer excelled in dimensional accuracy, a crucial aspect of precision in 3D printing. With an average error of just 0.054mm, it demonstrates an ability to reproduce dimensions accurately. This precision makes it suitable for detailed models and prototypes where exact measurements are essential.

The Ender-3 V3 SE scored highly in overhangs and bridging, both receiving a perfect score. This indicates the printer's robust capability to handle complex geometries and structures without support. However, it scored lower in fine flow control and XY resonance, suggesting some limitations in handling extremely intricate details and potential vibrations during high-speed prints.

A standout feature is the printer's highly accurate auto-bed levelling system, which ensured that every file that was run through the system was printed.

Proper filament management is crucial for this printer. Using a filament dryer, as recommended, can notably enhance print quality. However, the lack of a filament run-out sensor means users should be vigilant, especially when undertaking larger prints.

Noise levels are moderate and not particularly disruptive, making the printer suitable for office or workshop settings. When it comes to print speed, while there is a noticeable decline in quality at maximum speeds, the prints remain acceptable. This flexibility is beneficial for rapid prototyping or test prints before committing to longer, more detailed print sessions.

The Creality unit is a highly capable entry-level 3D printer. Its blend of simplicity, essential advanced features, and reliable performance make it an excellent choice for beginners and those looking for an affordable yet capable 3D printer. 

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE: Print quality

Dimensional accuracy - score of 4 

Target 25 = X: 25mm / 0mm Error | Y: 24.90mm / 0.10mm Error 

Target 20 = X: 20.09mm / 0.09mm Error | Y: 20mm / 0mm Error

Target 15 = X: 15mm / 0mm Error | Y: 14.99mm / 0.01mm Error 

Target 10 = X: 10.05mm / 0.05mm Error | Y: 9.99mm / 0.01mm Error

Target 5 = X: 4.88mm / 0.12mm Error | Y: 4.84mm / 0.16mm Error

X Error Average = 0.052

Y Error Average = 0.056

X&Y Error Average = 0.054

Fine Flow Control - score of 2.5

Fine Negative Features - score of 4

Overhangs - score of 5

Bridging - score of 5 

XY resonance - score of 2.5

Z-axis alignment - score of 2.5

Adding up the totals gives a final score of 26.5 out of 30.

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE: Verdict

The Creality Ender-3 V3 SE 3D Printer is a superb entry-level printer, particularly when you consider its price point and the market segment it targets. With a performance score of 26.5 out of 30, it stands out for delivering quality that exceeds expectations for its class. This printer combines the simplicity of design with a few advanced features, striking a balance that makes it an ideal choice for beginners and those looking for a no-fuss, reliable printing experience.

A key factor contributing to its high score is the exceptionally accurate auto-bed levelling system, which consistently ensures reliable and high-quality prints. This feature, coupled with the machine's straightforward setup and operation, makes it an attractive option for those new to 3D printing. The printer's ability to handle various filaments with ease, further boosted by the recommended use of a filament dryer, enhances its versatility.

While the printer lacks some advanced features like filament run-out sensors, its basic functionality doesn't detract from its overall use. The printer operates with a moderate noise level, which, while noticeable, is not overly disruptive, making it suitable for home or small office environments. The printing speed is another plus, with the printer capable of maintaining a reasonable quality even at higher speeds, which is ideal for testing or iterating designs before committing to final prints.

The Creality Ender-3 V3 SE 3D Printer is an excellent choice for those venturing into 3D printing. It offers a perfect blend of ease of use, reliable performance, and affordability, really this printer for the price is as good as it gets, before you do take that next step-up to the next generation machines. 

• Best 3D modeling software: Tested, reviewed, rated

The Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex has long been topping our round-up of the best Bluetooth headsets. So, we jumped at the chance to get our hands on the kit to test it out ourselves. But even with an impressively lightweight design, ANC, built-in microphone, and an excellent sound profile, is this high-end headset ready for business?  

Jabra Evolve 2 65 Flex: Pricing & availability

The Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex retails for $329 from the company’s official site, but it is available elsewhere (we saw it selling for about $250 over on Amazon). You can pick between USB-A and USB-C connectivity, and whether it’s optimized for Microsoft Teams or UC. Add in the wireless charging stand and the cost rises to $389. Whichever configuration you choose, those numbers put the headset in the premium price-bracket.  

Jabra Evolve 2 65 Flex: Unboxing & first impressions

Influenced by the Apple school of packaging design, unboxing the Evolve2 65 Flex is an experience. Simple, streamlined, effective. 

Easing off the cardboard sleeve reveals a plain black cardboard box with the message ‘It’s what’s inside that counts (that’s why we’ve reduced our packaging).’ We cracked open the lid to find a fabric charcoal case nestled beneath a single instruction card. No room here for bulky manuals destined for the recycling bin or left unread in the kitchen drawer.

Now, this case is so light, you’d be forgiven for thinking Jabra had forgotten to package anything at all. But there is a 136g Bluetooth headset in here with a pocket for the Bluetooth adapter - another neat example of using the least amount of packaging in the most effective way. In the well of the box, there’s also a charging cable and a wireless charging pad. 

Jabra Evolve 2 65 Flex: Design & features

It’s difficult to reinvent the wheel when it comes to professional headsets - and who would want to? So yes, the 65 Flex looks exactly as a set of business headphones should look, complete with on-ear cups that extend, swivel, and fold for storage. 

The overall design is a lot slimmer than the Jabra Evolve 2 65 that we reviewed. The memory foam earphones are noticeably thinner and smaller, featuring Jabra AirComfort Fit. Gone is the fully cushioned headband, with a single strip of padding now moved to the top. The wireless charger has been reduced from a stand to a pad. The built-in noise-canceling microphone is now only inches long, stowed within the right ear-cup where it can be flipped up or down to automatically mute or unmute. The plastic mic does feel a bit flimsy here - it’s an issue with the headset as a whole really - but we chalk that up more to maintaining the impressively feather-light build rather than cost-cutting. 

Button are located to the rear of both cups  These include pairing mode, a mute/voice assistant, play/pause, and volume/next track controls. On the right outer-ear is a button for answering and ending calls - and in our model, this also gave us Microsoft Teams control. On the left-side is the wireless charging zone. LED lights to the top of both ears display headset status. 

As with any of the best noise canceling headphones, the Evolve2 65 Flex boasts advanced Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which washes away unwanted background sounds. There’s also HearThrough technology, which Jabra says “lets you hear your surroundings and conversations”. Personally, this worked a treat while sharing an office. Coupled with the lightweight design, makes it oh-so-easy to forget you’re even wearing them.  

Jabra Evolve 2 65 Flex: Performance

Overall, we found performance to be exceptional across the board. Sound quality is very crisp and clear. There’s no tinniness or artificiality to the audio, with outstanding stereo performance. And the microphone, with its noise-canceling tech, worked well - although less so when taking calls out and about. But then, this is a headset for the hybrid worker, best-suited to offices and home offices. 

Although our Evolve2 65 Flex was “certified for Microsoft Teams'', we experienced no issues using Google Meet and Zoom. Not that we expected any problems. Fundamentally, this is still a standard Bluetooth headset, and for over a month we used this for work calls on a Microsoft Surface Laptop Go, music on our phone, and gaming on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox Cloud. 

Very occasionally we encountered a problem with the microphone showing as muted (sometimes it really was muted, other times, it just appeared to be). We suspect this was a conflict between the built-in microphone’s auto-mute/unmute feature and the conferencing platform’s own mute controls. By opening up the mic’s Device Properties on the computer, we could manually unmute the unit, but we shouldn’t even need to be looking for a solution for a basic function. The large-fingered among us may also find the buttons, small and cute, a mite too small - even we of the average-hand sometimes fumbled to hit the correct one without stroking the ear-cup with our thumbs a good few times. 

Elsewhere, we had no issues. Admittedly, we were a bit worried about an on-ear headset with ANC. We’re more used to the snug isolation of the over-ear Anker Soundcore Q20 for day-to-day listening, but the 65 Flex is surprisingly excellent at blocking out background noise. If you work in a busy office (or just want to concentrate) and don’t want an all-encompassing over-ear model, this is a top choice. 

You can switch between ANC and HearThrough using the Jabra Sound+ app. It’s here where we optimized audio and updated the firmware. There’s also a music equalizer and music presets, which offer options like a bass boost for music or a speech mode for podcasts. If you’re anything like us, you might enjoy ambient noise when focusing on work - we listen to so much, it featured in our Spotify Wrapped - so we especially liked the Soundscape mode. No more searching for playlists, you can quickly switch between the likes of white noise, ocean waves, and birdsong. The app is certainly worth investigating. We found the interface is nice and simple, and even if you’re not traditionally an audiophile, it’s very straightforward to enhance your listening experience. 

Jabra Evolve 2 65 Flex: Final verdict

The Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex is one of the best headsets for working from home and the office. Designed with the hybrid worker in mind, it’s lightweight with ANC, built-in microphone, and an excellent sound profile that can be customized in a welcoming companion app. But it is expensive, and it’s not the most rugged option out there. 

It’s not a budget option by any means, although you can hear those extra dollars in the audio. It’s delightfully light, with cushioned pads as soft as clouds. Not too tight but never threatening to tumble off the head - although we wouldn’t recommend anything more active than swiveling in your office chair. However, that lightweight design means the build quality does feel less than robust. The Evolve2 65 Flex lacks the sense it would survive the crunch of a turbulent commute. In that case, you’ll absolutely want to upgrade the soft fabric case to a hard-shell. 

It’s not perfect - mind you, show us a headset that is. Whether the issues are deal-breakers will depend on what you want from a wireless business headset. If you want a cheap headset for the occasional meeting that could’ve been an email, or you’re working out in the field, there are better options out there. If you’re looking for a model that’s comfortable, professional, and svelte, it’s one of the best you can get. 

• ^ Back to top

After moving to the countryside and experiencing repeated issues with traditional broadband, we decided to give Starlink's residential service a try. Here’s what we learned about how Starlink's residential service works and if it delivers on its promise of high-speed internet.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has been in the news frequently of late - and the service is improving all the time. The 'portability' feature makes it possible to deploy satellite internet elsewhere for a small monthly fee, plus Starlink hopes to provide an off-grid cellular service in the next few years. Still, Starlink is best known for offering a solution to people living in areas outside the scope of high-speed broadband or fibre optic internet. True, such people can rely on a mobile data (4G or 5G) connection but this is usually very costly and not very reliable.

But does it deliver everything it promises? Or is it pie-in-the-sky stuff? We put Starlink to the test. 

Starlink: Pricing & coverage

One of the big caveats of using Starlink is that it's not yet available in every area of every country. Fortunately, the main website immediately prompts you to enter your address, to check if coverage is in place or planned for your area, then lists various subscription plans. 

• Starlink subscriptions

Given the huge cost of launching satellites it's hardly surprising that the cost of a basic subscription has risen in recent years: currently it's $120 per month for a 'standard' plan which offers 'unlimited data'.

There is a caveat here however, in that 'Standard' data usage is subject to a 'fair use' policy. Full details of expected performance for various plans are available on the main site but in brief these are a download speed of 25 - 100 Mbps, an upload speed of 5-10 Mbps and a latency of 25-60ms. 

If you find this too restrictive you can also pay for a certain amount of 'Priority' data. For instance paying an extra $20 per month ($140) will net you 40GB of 'Priority' speeds. While latency is no different, the expected performance of 'Priority' data is much greater with download speeds of 40-220 Mbps and upload speeds of 8-25 Mbps. If you’re looking for the best small business router and ISP, Starlink for Businesses offers separate subscription plans.

• Unlimited data

Starlink warns that it tries to allocate data for its Standard Plan in a 'fair and equitable manner', and if you're found to be exceeding this they may seek to restrict your network speed. The examples given in the fair use policy include streaming, video calls or online gaming, though puzzlingly enough the same policy also promises to treat all traffic neutrally.

After one month and nearly 400GB of data, we experienced no issues with this policy, although this may be because we use the best VPN on all devices, encrypting traffic so Starlink can't distinguish specific content like streaming video. 

• Hardware

The other caveat when signing up for Starlink is hardware costs. Traditionally, this has required you to pay in order to sign up but Starlink has clearly responded to customer feedback. There are special promotions in place. For instance, users in rural Canada can currently benefit from over 70% off hardware prices. Customers in certain countries can also choose to rent the hardware instead of buying. This is the route your reviewer went down, which required payment of a small activation fee of around $50 then an extra $10 per month. 

When placing your order, you can also choose to purchase an Ethernet adapter for an extra $40. This is because the supplied Starlink Router has no Ethernet port of its own. Do this if you want to connect devices directly to it via Ethernet or if you wish to attach an alternative router. Starlink subscriptions come with a 30-day free trial. You can cancel your subscription at any time. This also applies to any hardware you're renting, though we assume in that case it would need to be returned to SpaceX. 

Starlink: Unboxing

When we placed our order for Starlink, the package took only around a week to arrive - though due to a small addressing error it was picked up at the local post office. Even for a standard residential connection everything you need to get up and running is in the box, including: 

• A rectangular Starlink satellite 'dish'
• Small plastic stand for said dish
• 75ft connecting cable
• Starlink Wi-Fi router
• 10ft power cable for the router

To make things even simpler, setup is handled by a free smartphone app that walks you through the process.

This is one area where Starlink truly shines, though we were luckier than most as we had an outside power socket and an open lawn. The dish slots into the stand effortlessly and after that, like any of the best Wi-Fi routers, it's a simple matter to connect the cable to the device. We would warn users though, to check that the white LED at the base of the router is illuminated to make sure that it's powered on.

When it comes to placing the dish, we recommend using the Starlink app's built in 'obstructions' tool, which can scan the sky to check if there's anything in the way of the dish receiving signals from SpaceX's "low earth orbit" satellites.

When the dish first powers in, the app warns that it may take around 15 minutes to establish a reliable signal. We found it did this much sooner (around 5 minutes) and used the helpful interface to create a custom Wi-Fi network for other devices to connect.

Starlink: Placement

It only took us less than ten minutes between unboxing the Starlink hardware to going online. Still, there's a catch.

Placing Starlink's standard rectangular dish on a front lawn as we did with cables snaking from it onto your porch simply isn't sustainable. In the first case it can lead to obstructions, as in our case given that the house was directly between the dish and the satellites. Putting the cable and dish on the ground also exposes the hardware to the elements. Ideally the dish should be fixed permanently in a location with an unobstructed view of the sky.

The Starlink website can come to the rescue here. Aside from selling more advanced satellite dishes, you can also buy a standalone 'pipe mount' or various wall/roof mounting kits. In our case, this was unnecessary as there was already a vacant satellite mount on our roof where the dish could be slotted in. Not every subscriber will be so lucky.

The other issue of course is that of the router. It's very difficult to store outside safely, so unless you're very comfortable with DIY, you'll need to do as we did and shell out to have a man come and drill holes in the wall to stow the router safely inside whilst still connected to the dish.

Starlink: Speed test

The Starlink website warns that connection speeds can vary depending on many factors like the placement of your dish, the number of other people using the service at the same time and your chosen activity.

One particular concern for us when putting Starlink through its paces is that most speed tests can't account for the latency between a device and the wireless router. Fortunately this isn't an issue for Starlink's ever-useful mobile app, as it delineates clearly between Wi-Fi and Starlink speed, if you choose to run an 'Advanced Speed Test'.

In order to avoid the issue of network congestion we ran our tests around 23:00 at night using the Starlink app running on an iPhone 14 Max Pro. The 'Starlink Speed' for downloads was 71 Mbps and the upload was 15 Mbps. This was entirely consistent for the promised speeds for a 'Standard' plan of  25 - 100 Mbps (downloads) and 5-10 Mbps (uploads). 

Starlink: Final verdict

After spending some time with Starlink, we can say we’re absolutely delighted with the residential plan. In many cases it works out to be more cost effective than using mobile broadband. Advanced speed testing also shows the download speeds compare very favorably to fixed-line internet in his particular rural area, though you'll need to do your own research to discover if this is true where you live. 

The introduction of hardware rental is particularly welcome, as previously the upfront cost of buying the dish, mount and router was a major criticism of Starlink's service.

The only warning we'd offer before you sign up today, is that you'll probably need some additional hardware and expertise to install the satellite dish permanently. 

During our research, we did find users who found very inventive workarounds such as using zip cables to attach the dish to the top of a tree. Still, you'll probably gain the best signal from purchasing a roof mount, as well as enough cabling to fix the dish there safely. 

Printing in color, especially on A3+ paper, was always the fastest way to burn through your ink budget, but the cartridge-free Epson EcoTank ET-14100 promises full color prints with a knockout 90% cost saving. Vying to be one of the best small business printers, this print-only inkjet is aimed at the small office where its low-profile form-factor makes most of the best A3 printers we’ve tested look decidedly clumsy. In this pared back design, there’s no paper drawer, no touchscreen display and no auto duplex mode, but any office or home worker who needs to produce quality color printouts on large format paper should read this review. 

Epson EcoTank ET-14100: Design & build

For an A3 office printer, the Epson EcoTank ET-14100 looks quite stylish in its black and grey livery. It’s certainly a vast improvement on the clunky ET-14000, which housed its five ink reservoirs in a compartment that bulged out of the side. The new model has a double-sized tank for black, instead of two separate ones and the four tanks are now seamlessly integrated. And to keep things sleek and minimal, there’s no paper drawer at the front, just the rear paper in-tray, no USB Host port, no Ethernet port and no LCD. This is a simple print-only device with no scanner bed or ADF, so there’s no real need for a touchscreen interface. Instead, there are just four buttons on the front panel and one port at the rear for a USB data cable. By stripping back to the bare essentials, you’re left with a low and lightweight printer with a flat top that’s ideal for inspecting your printed documents.  

Epson EcoTank ET-14100: Features & specifications

The main attraction of the Epson EcoTank ET-14100 is its ability to print on any size paper up to A3+ or Ledger and, of course, its cartridge-free credentials. Swapping cartridges for bottled ink makes a saving of 90% and ensures this Epson will trounce any inkjet or laser when it comes to cost per color page. You also get plenty of inbox ink. A standard 104 EcoTank bottle contains 65ml and yields 4,500 black and white pages. There two bottles of BK and one each of CMY, yielding a total of 9,000 black and 7,500 color pages. This being the first installation, some of that ink is needed to prime the pipes between the tanks and the printheads so those numbers drop to 6,400 and 5,600, but that’s still a lot of printing before you have to refill. It’s this high capacity for ink that makes this the best printer for an office with a high-volume workload. 

Epson describes the ET-14100 as ‘feature-rich’ in the brochure, but I’d call it decidedly feature-lite. There’s the inbuilt wi-fi and a rear tray that can hold 100 sheets of paper and that’s it. There’s no LCD, no NFC, no front USB or Ethernet ports and no front paper tray. It can’t even auto duplex, meaning you have to turn the paper over yourself to print the other side. However, I do appreciate this printer’s focus on quality high-volume printing. With 400 black nozzles and 128 color, tiny dye ink droplets measuring 3.3pl (picoliter) are used to make up images with a resolution of 4,800 x 1,200. That’s sharp enough for a good photo. It prints quickly too, with a claimed print speed of 30ppm (pages per minute) for simplex black and white A4 prints.

Epson EcoTank ET-14100: Setup & operation

The Epson EcoTank ET-14100 comes with clear printed quick start instructions, but it’s much easier to download the companion app for iOS/Android and follow those step-by-step prompts instead. The Epson Smart Panel app helps you join your new printer with your existing Wi-Fi and also tells you when and how to fill the ink tanks. With key-lock ink bottles, it’s impossible to fill the wrong tank. We’ve tested a number of the best ink tank printers, and we can say that this system is so well designed, it’s hard to spill any ink. The black ink tank is larger than the others and takes two standard 65ml bottles to fill. 

The lack of a touchscreen display, which has become a common feature among office printers, didn’t make the Epson EcoTank ET-14100 any harder to operate. There’s no need to set the paper type at the printer because this can be done on the computer and you can check the remaining ink levels via the app. The lack of a front paper tray proved more inconvenient, because it means you can’t load up a stack of fresh paper and forget about it. The exposed rear tray isn’t a great place to store paper and it can only hold up to 100 sheets. 

Epson EcoTank ET-14100: Performance

The Epson EcoTank ET-14100 passed all of our tests and printed quite quickly in some cases too. In draft mode this printer claims to turn out simplex monochrome pages at a staggering 30ppm, while the FPOT (first print out time) is given as a fairly prompt 8 seconds. However, our speed test revealed a figure closer to 15ppm and I wouldn’t describe this as a particularly fast printer. Photo printing on coated paper takes much longer (around 8ppm), but I won’t mark it down for that because the image quality is well worth waiting for.

Black text on plain white paper looks acceptable. Each character is imprinted well enough, but the black dye-based ink seems to soak into the paper leaving softer edges than you would get with a pigment based black. Office printers more often use soluble dye only for the CMY inks and pigment for BK because ink droplets in suspension tend to give you bolder and more durable text. In other words, the Epson EcoTank ET-14100 is okay at churning monochrome documents in simplex mode, but that’s not its strong point.

Color documents, and especially photographs, are where the Epson EcoTank ET-14100 excels. Any of the best inkjet printers can print a photo on photo paper, but for anyone searching for the best photo printers, this Epson manages a significantly sharper image than most. The small ink droplet size and high resolution combined with the four dye-based inks manage to produce pleasingly lifelike photos on glossy paper. The EcoTank 104 inks are not necessarily the brightest colors we’ve seen, but the fine detail achieved here ensures a superior print quality to rival A3 inkjets such as the Brother MFC-J6540DW.    

Epson EcoTank ET-14100: Final verdict

There’s a lot to like about this office-oriented A3 inkjet. Firstly, the minimal design means it will fit into a small workspace, while handling large format paper with ease. Secondly, it’s an EcoTank which means cheap ink. Thirdly, it prints great quality color photos. What it’s not so good at is running out monochrome text documents because the black dye ink doesn’t look as sharp as printers that use a pigment black.

It’s also a little too light on features. I don’t need a display, or a front USB port, or an Ethernet port, but the absence of a front-loading paper tray is an inconvenience. With only a 100-sheet rear tray, you have to keep refilling, and switching paper stock, while the lack of an auto-duplex mode is definitely a saving too far. All of these issues are addressed in one of the best Epson printers out there - the EcoTank ET-18100, so I would recommend taking a look at that six-color printer before pulling the trigger on this one. Alternatively, if you already have a decent auto-duplexing A4 printer in the office, then the Epson EcoTank ET-14100 would make an excellent addition.