
Epson Stylus CX9300F
Pros
- Automatic document feeder, four individual ink cartridges, memory card reader and PictBridge, can print and scan simultaneously
Cons
- Scans can't be initiated from the multifunction device, slow print performance, scans were a little too red
Bottom Line
Suitable for the small or home office, this unit will print, copy, scan and fax, and it also has handy camera photo printing features. Its output was a little dull, even on glossy paper, but nevertheless adequate for typical business use.
-
Price
$ 249.00 (AUD)
While the CX9300F is a capable photo printer, Epson is aiming the multifunction device at the business end of the market. This is why it also comes equipped with fax, as well as scan and copy functions. Even so, it's not a typical looking business device; it has a memory card reader and glossy trim that will look more at home in... well, a home environment than an office.
As a printer and copier, the CX9300F is fairly efficient. Four cartridges are required for printing -- cyan, magenta, yellow and black -- and these cost about $16 each. When printing typical office documents -- letters and pages with black text, highlighted text and colour graphs -- ISO tests have determined that the colour cartridges will yield 335 pages, while the black will yield 245. Of course, if you throw in the odd photo and graphics-rich PDF document, this will change the numbers dramatically. When one colour runs out, you won't be able to continue printing until that colour has been replaced, so for productivity's sake, spare cartridges should be kept in the office at all times.
Print quality was sharp on our photo prints, but looked a little duller than expected on Epson's 4x6in glossy paper. At the highest quality setting, 4x6in prints were also sluggish (we waited about 4min for each print), but since this unit isn't designed to be used as a regular photo printer that's nothing to worry about. Its document print speed won't reach the lofty heights of a laser printer, but we measured its output at four pages per minute (the first page out took 18sec), using the printer's 'text' mode, which is a little slow.
On plain paper, the printer's text quality looked a little 'feathery', but was dark and easy to read. Text with highlights was reproduced cleanly on plain paper, and looked sharp when printed on glossy paper, but some purple fringing was noticeable around black lettering. As for colour, we found red, blue and green to be slightly subdued, which made many prints, especially on plain paper, look a little dull. For most business documents, this shouldn't be a problem.
Photocopies can be made using either the flatbed or the automatic document feeder, and up to 99 copies can be made in one hit. Copying from the flatbed is quicker than copying from the feeder, so only use the feeder for multi-page documents.
Scans can only be initiated from a PC, unfortunately -- there is no shortcut button on the unit itself for starting a scan, so there is also no option to scan documents directly to a memory card. Coloured scans at 300dpi will take about 29sec to complete and minute details in images will be captured. We did find scanned colours to be a little redder than our original document, even when we printed them. Conveniently, if a long print job is underway, the scanner can still be used.
The unit has an Energy Star logo for environmental friendliness, which was earned due to its power rating and ability to print on both sides of the paper (albeit manually). We measured its power consumption at 9.6W of electricity when printing (10W when printing and scanning simultaneously), and less then 4W when idle or when in sleep mode.
The unit ships with a USB cable and the automatic document feeder is standard. It can print on both sides of the paper, although this has to be accomplished manually by flipping the pages, and it will accommodate memory cards as well as PictBridge cameras. While its paper handling is modest compared to a laser printer, this is a capable and affordable unit for any office that requires fax, colour copy and print functions.
Brand Post

Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Asus TUF Gaming VG28UQL1A review: This 4K monitor plays nice with consoles
- 2 Firewalla Gold review: Powerful home network security in a tiny box
- 3 Alienware AW3423DW review: Quantum dot OLED renders rival monitors obsolete
- 4 Acer Aspire 5 review: An affordable laptop that’s enjoyable to use
- 5 Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 review: This gaming laptop oozes luxurious power
Latest News Articles
- Canon ink is freaking out after shipping without crucial chips. Here’s how to fix it
- Epson RapidReceipt RR-600W scanner released for home offices
- Epson announces heat-free EcoTank printers
- Canon’s Pixma Endurance has a new name
- Brother pitch themselves at SMBs with new 'Inkvestment' options
Resources
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers

Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world

Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles

PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D

The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G

Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65

This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76

It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Best Unlimited Internet Deals in 2022
- Microsoft’s universal ‘One Outlook’ client just leaked out
- Liquid Retina vs. Liquid Retina XDR: Which display is better?
- Which flagship TV is best? Sony 4K HDR Bravia 2016 versus LG 4K HDR OLED 2016
- 10 Blu-ray movies / Best looking Blu-ray movies