The Epson WorkForce 610 is a subtle refresh of last year’s Epson WorkForce 600. We don’t have a review for its predecessor, but the 610 is almost the same printer with the exception of an updated onscreen menu layout. For $200, you get a versatile mix of features such as an auto-document feeder on top of the printer for hands-free copying, scanning, or faxing of up to 30 sheets of paper, wireless and wired networking, and a comprehensive control panel that offers one-touch access to some of the printer’s most popular features. While we continue to applaud Epson for its consistently fast-paced output speeds and easy printer setup, we are disappointed that the 610 lacks an auto-duplexer, an extra hardware add-on that can print on both sides of a sheet of paper. The omission surely isn’t a deal breaker, but it’s something we expect to come included with a $200 printer. (Source: CNET)

If you own this printer, let me know what you think about it. Thanks!

— CNET Rating: 3.5 Stars —

The good: Rapidly prints graphical and text documents; includes Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking; attractive design despite its bulk; easy to set up.

The bad: Slow to print photos; large footprint; lacks automatic duplexer.

The bottom line: The Epson WorkForce 610 meets the needs of both businesses and home offices that are shopping for a competent, dependable all-in-one device. Whether it’s printing, faxing, copying, or scanning, this Epson is a cut above the competition. (Read the full CNET review)

— PCWORLD Rating:  —

No Review Provided

— Consumer Ratings: 4 Stars —

A positive comment from Amazon.com:

Recommended Home/Office General Purpose Printer & Scanner

I replaced an older Dell All-In-One printer with the Epson WorkForce 610. I have owned multiple HP all-in-one home/office printers that originally cost $300+. By far, this Epson WorkForce 610 is the best of the bunch.

Setup was easy. I downloaded and installed the latest Epson software from their website. It installed on my Windows 7 laptops very easily. One laptop directly connected to the printer and the other has a wireless connection. In both cases the install, printer discovery, and test prints/scans went well. The software takes longer than expected to install but there were no scary questions or screens so it was just patience.

Setting up the printer to work on my WEP enabled wireless network was easy to do from the printer’s front panel. There were front panel diagnostics that allowed me to check if the printer had an IP address so that i could make sure I had the right security keys installed.

The scanner and auto-document feeder work well and are much faster than my more expensive Dell or HP printers. Both a TWAIN and WIA scanner are exposed so it works well with lots of software. For me, interop with Paperport 12 was a must and this has been flawless – much better than the Dell or HP all-in-one printers. I tend to scan 8×10 and legal sizes stuff in the document feeder and that works fine. The adjustment guide only supports A4 & LTR/LGL sized paper so narrower paper may skew when being fed into the auto document feeder.

The paper feed mechanism is on the back of the printer and only holds 100 or so sheets. So good for lighter home / office use versus heavy use. I can easily insert an envelope over the paper to quickly print an occasional envelope. If I were printing multiple envelopes, i would remove the paper, adjust the paper guide to envelope size, and it holds 10 or so envelopes.

Making scans (to PDF, a File, or Email) from the front panel also works well.

I didn’t spend much time with the fax as that wasn’t important to me.

All in all, the best printer I have owned so far.

A negative comment from Amazon.com:

3 strikes and Epson’s out

After reading all of the reviews for all-in-one devices, this seemed to be the one to get. Setup for wireless use was very easy: I had it set up on 3 pc’s and one mac with no issues at all. The first unit I had developed a clog in the printer head which Epson diagnosed over the phone, after repeated attempts at cleaning, and so they had to send out a completely new unit. I received the second printer and had to go through the setup on all 4 computers again. One week later, the same issue occurred on the print head. Epson sent out a third unit: guess what…….. same problem. I was impressed with Epson’s customer service, but on the other hand it seemed too easy, like they know there is a problem with these units. I really wanted this thing to work, because it was very easy to setup (much easier than any HP I have owned). My other complaint is how loud the unit was, crazy loud at printing and scanning. Today I received a canon MX860 from Amazon. That unit was equally as easy to setup, but the big distinction is that the Canon has replaceable printer heads; so if it gets clogged, I don’t have to send back the entire unit. (Read all Amazon.com user reviews)