Epson Expression Home XP-245 Printer Review

Printer technology has moved on and Epson has added many new features over the years, keeping up with social trends. With people living in increasingly small spaces, printers are also getting smaller. Potential buyers often have limited desk space or clearance below a shelf, and the XP-245 from the small-in-one range ticks the compact size box.

Among the features that are becoming standard equipment with most inkjet printers is mobile printing.  More and more people use smartphones for organizing their lives, so it is useful to have a printer to connect to if you need to print an invoice, holiday tickets, or photographs.  The XP245 offers built-in applications such as Epson Connect mobile and cloud printing services.

Being a new product there is very little customer feedback available, however, two customers on the Epson website have reported a difficulty with setting up the WiFi connection.  One customer was trying to connect a nearby laptop, and another connecting to a Mac Sierra.  In addition, they reported no installation documentation in the box and impossible to find on-line?  We have to stress that there are only two reviews listed so far so this feedback may not be accurate.  

The Epson Expression Home XP-245 looks very similar and supersedes the XP-235 and XP-225 models.  We were impressed with the print quality of the XP-225 when we tested it and we expect a similar performance with this model.  This machine is in no way heavy duty, but it should be capable of producing some pleasing documents and decent photographs.  Dedicated photographic printers will not worry about the new competition, but the XP-245 should be capable of printing some nice holiday snaps. 

The XP245 uses 4x Strawberry 29 / 29xl series ink cartridges containing Claria home ink, the same cartridges as used in the XP-235 printers.  Compatible Non-OEM ink has been very slow to arrive from China this time, and when it did it was more expensive than usual.  Chinese microchip manufacturers have struggled to emulate the Epson smart chip technology.  Prices were high when they eventually launched their compatible chip.  One year later prices are starting to lower significantly, however, at around £17 for a set of replacement Epson Strawberry 29 cartridges, prices remain higher than expected.  Interestingly there are still no refillable / reusable cartridges, or CISS products available?   So owners must chose between the Epson Multipack 4-Colours 29 Claria Home Ink (£30), or compatible pre-filled cartridges for £17.

The new Epson Expression Home XP-245 looks almost identical to the older XP-235 model, and we expect a similar performance.  The XP-235 typically scored 4 out of 5 stars, a decent review for an inkjet printer.  So for under £50, the XP-245 looks like a safe purchase, however, we recommend you also take a look at the Canon Pixma MG5750 printer which offers similar features.

Compatible Cartridge to replace Strawberry 29 / 29xl.

All brand names and trademarks are the property of their respective holders and are used for descriptive purposes only.  The above are Non-OEM products. (No made by Epson)