Epson Workforce WF2660 Review

• Pros
  Prints, faxes, scans, copies. High-quality output across the board. Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and NFC. Prints though the Cloud.
• Cons A little slow for the price. Low paper capacity.
• Bottom Line
  The Epson WorkForce WF-2660 inkjet multifunction printer (MFP)'s low paper capacity limits it to light-duty use, but it otherwise delivers lots of features and high-quality output.
  
  
  Meant primarily as a personal printer or as a shared printer for light-duty use in a micro office, the Epson WorkForce WF-2660 multifunction printer (MFP) is packed with features. It delivers above-average output quality for an inkjet across the board, both Ethernet and Wi-Fi for connecting to a network, and mobile support for printing directly from or scanning to a mobile device, as well as for printing through the cloud. If you need a compact MFP with lots of capability, it could easily be the printer you want.
  
  
  
  As attractive as the WF-2660$119.99 at Epson is, it doesn't offer quite as much as the Epson WorkForce WF-3520£74.99 at Amazon, our Editors' Choice MFP for heavier-duty printing. The key limitation for the WF-2660 is its 150-sheet paper capacity. That should be enough for most personal use, but it's a little meager for a shared printer. The WF-3520 offers a 250-sheet capacity plus a manual-feed tray.
  
  That said, the WF-2660 delivers better paper handling than you might expect from the low capacity, with a built-in duplexer (for two-sided printing). It also offers both a letter-size flatbed for scanning and a 30-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF) that can handle legal-size pages. The ADF doesn't duplex, but menu commands let you take advantage of the print duplexer to turn simplex (one-sided) originals into duplex copies.
  Basics and Setup
  Core MFP features for the WF-2660 include printing and faxing from, as well as scanning to, a PC and working as a standalone copier and fax machine. Additional features include mobile support for both printing and scanning.
  If you connect the WF-2660 to a network, using either Ethernet or Wi-Fi, you can print from or scan to your phone or tablet by connecting through an access point on your network. Assuming the network is connected to the Internet, you can also print through the cloud. If you connect the printer to a single PC via USB cable instead, you lose the ability to print through the cloud, but you can still connect to the printer directly, thanks to the WF-2660's Wi-Fi Direct, to print from or scan to your mobile device.
  If your phone or tablet supports NFC for printing and scanning (which still doesn't include iPhones), you can connect simply by touching your device to the NFC logo on the top left of the printer. In my tests with a Samsung Galaxy S5$1.00 at Amazon and Samsung Galaxy Note 4$269.99 at Amazon, however, the feature didn't work properly. As of this writing, Epson has confirmed that it has seen a problem with some devices and is working to fix it. If this is a key feature for your needs, you should check with Epson before buying the printer to confirm NFC works both with your specific phone or tablet and with the latest updates from your provider.
  
  
  
  Setup, Speed, and Output Quality
  Setup is standard fare. With the trays fully open, the WF-2660 measures 9.1 by 16.7 by 22 inches (HWD). But at just 14 pounds 10 ounces, and with a footprint of 16.7 by 14.2 inches (WD) for the printer body, it's easy for one person to move into place and small enough to share a desk with comfortably. For my tests, I connected it using its Ethernet port and installed the drivers and other software on a system running Windows Vista.
  
  
  
  
  The WF-2660's speed is best described as acceptable, but far from impressive. I clocked it on our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing, at an effective 3.7 pages per minute (ppm). That makes it a bit slower than the Epson WF-3520, at 4.4ppm, but faster than the similarly priced Canon Pixma MG6620 Wireless Photo All-In-One Printer$99.99 at Amazon, at 2.7ppm. The speed for photos is also in the acceptable range, averaging 1 minute 13 seconds for a 4 by 6.
  Output quality is a definitive strong point, with above-average text, graphics, and photos for an inkjet MFP. Text isn't quite as crisp as typical laser output, and it can smudge just a little if you get it wet, but it's a touch above par for an inkjet MFP, making it more than acceptable for most business use.
  Graphics and photos are even better relative to other inkjet MFPs, with both kinds of output a step above what most of the competition can manage. The graphics output in my tests was easily good enough for handing to a client or customer who you want to impress with a sense of your professionalism. The photo quality, using the Premium Presentation Paper Matte Epson recommends for photos, was better than you would expect from most drugstore prints. The only potential issue is that if you expect photos to have a glossy finish, you may not like the matte look.
  One final issue that takes a little of the shine off the printer is its high running cost. Based on the ink cartridge prices and Epson's claimed yields, the cost comes out to 6 cents for a black and white page and 17.3 cents for a color page. As a point of comparison, the Canon MG6220's claimed cost per page is 4.6 cents for black and white and 12.7 cents for color. The fewer pages you expect to print, however, the less of an issue the cost per page will be.
  If you need a printer for heavier-duty printing than the Epson WorkForce WF-2660 can handle conveniently, take a close look at the Editors' Choice Epson WF-3520. On the other hand, keep in mind that the WF-2660 delivers a few strong points of its own, most notably higher quality output and a slightly smaller size. If its 150-sheet paper capacity is enough for your needs, and particularly if space is tight, the WF-2660 could be both literally and figuratively the better fit.