INTRODUCTION

   Although my job has allowed me to test and review well over 700 products from both the general electronics industry and of course the computer hardware industry during these last 5 years i can't really say i am an expert in everything related with those two so there are quite a few product categories in the industry which unfortunately i haven't mastered since they haven't really passed through my crosshairs, at least not yet. One such category is printers, scanners, fax machines and of course all-in-one systems which can not only replace everything mentioned prior but will also require much less space on your desk and will probably cost less as well. EPSON is one of the oldest and most recognized manufacturers worldwide and although their product lines are not only limited to printers, fax machines and scanners still todays review is focused on one of their latest all-in-one units, the Stylus SX535WD.

   Since its inception, Epson has passed down and expanded on its traditional strengths as a manufacturing company. Refining the company's super-microprocessing and precision processing technologies in the development of its watches and then expanding those technologies into other fields led to rapid progress. The breakthrough came with the launch of the EP-101 (Electronic Printer), a popular and groundbreaking product that opened up new markets. It was in the hope of sending future "sons" of this EP out into the world that the Epson brand was founded in 1975. Ever since then, high quality, high-value-added "sons" have been introduced to the market to wide acclaim.

   Back in the days of high school many of my friends owned EPSON printers and scanners but i was mostly an Hewlett & Packard guy since back then i used to judge such machines mostly on how they looked and how fast they were (even had SCSI units). That changed a few years later when i had my first encounter with a Canon multifunction unit which not only stunned me with its colors, detail and speed but also impressed me with its build quality and finish, features we can still see with their products. EPSON entered my life just recently in comparison when i started using one of their Stylus Photo printers but unfortunately because multifunction machines can be used for more tasks i stopped using it shortly afterwards (although i was very satisfied with it). However with the arrival of the Stylus SX535WD and after working with it for almost 20 days i can say with certainty that it will be my primary machine with everything related to printing, scanning and copying documents/photographs, why that is you can easily see by reading this review.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Just like with every printer, scanner and all-in-one unit out there the SX535WD arrived inside a large cardboard box with a large product image at the both sides, its features listed in 3 languages and several icons showcasing them.

The same icons are also present at the left side, however this time they are pointed out on a picture of the unit.

At the right side we see the system requirements and the genuine available ink and paper recommended by EPSON.

As expected there are two thick Styrofoam spacers and a plastic bag in place to protect the Stylus SX535WD during transport.

Aside the SX535WD all-in-one unit the box also contains the 4 different inks, software CD, several user manuals and installation guides (multiple languages), warranty booklet, information paper and the AC power cable. I still haven't figured out why manufacturers chose to stop bundling the usual USB cable with their printers, scanners and all-in-one units a while back. I know most of us already have a USB cable and i know that it's also a matter of cost but really how much would a USB cable increase the cost, it simply makes no sense.

THE STYLUS SX535WD

The hard plastic chassis of the Stylus SX535WD comes in black matte color and has only a few glossy/polished parts. This AIO unit features a printing resolution of up to 5760x1400 optimized dpi using EPSONs Resolution Performance Management technology.

A nice multi-card slot with an activity LED is present at the front left but unfortunately although it features support for the most popular flash cards (MS, MSPRO, SD, SDHC, xD) used by 9 out of 10 cameras still it doesn't support the larger Compact Flash cards.

The control panel features the On/Off button, the Wi-Fi connection activity LED, a 2.5" color LCD Screen, the menu navigation arrows, several command buttons and the company logo.

At the far front right we see two small stickers pointing out that the unit is Energy Star compliant (3.4W Sleep Mode) and uses DURAbrite Ultra Ink cartridges (for superior image quality).

In case you install the Stylus SX535WD in a very low place the front control panel can face upwards at an angle of 60 degrees.

Much like most entry/mid-level multifunction units out there the SX535WD supports pretty much every paper size up to A4 (A4, letter, legal, 13x20cm, 13x18cm, 10x15cm, 9x13cm, A5, A6, B5, 16:9 wide size, No. 10 envelopes, DL, C6) so unless you require larger printing area it has you covered. The bottom tray is capable of holding up to 150 regular A4 sheets (75g/m²).

Both the 10/100Mbps LAN port and the USB port are placed at the left side of the unit.

There's nothing really exciting at the rear of the SX535WD, just the usual removable compartment which allows you to clean the paper feeder (if required) and also remove jammed paper (if that ever occurs).

The EPSON logo is also present on the scanner cover which features a carbon-fiber look.

The flatbed scanner features a CIS sensor capable of scanning documents and pictures with a resolution of up to 2400x2400dpi.

A4 compatible scanners are always able to scan a slightly larger area than the exact A4 dimensions and the flatbed scanner of the SX535WD is no exception.

To install all 4 ink cartridges (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) you need to open the top end of the SX535WD as seen above, of course after you plug it into the power socket.

USING THE STYLUS SX535WD

The entire installation procedure is performed via the 2.5" color LCD screen which walks you through the 3 very easy steps you need to take prior to using the unit.

Once you finish installing the cartridges you can setup the wireless or wired LAN, check the ink levels, perform maintenance tasks, set the screen saver and also change the language in case you made a mistake during installation.

One of the things i really like with AIO units is that you can scan and print/copy without using a computer and as you can see from the above pictures EPSON has covered pretty much every option available.

SOFTWARE

For computer use i suggest heading over to the official EPSON support page and grab all the latest updates.

A very convenient automatic software update tracks, downloads and installs available firmware updates.

The control software is quite easy to use even if you are not much into computers (although in some weird way it just seems a bit too colorless for my taste).

CONCLUSION

   The Stylus SX535WD All-In-One is not the most high end multi-purpose machine by EPSON but it's well balanced for home and office use since it combines very good image quality (colors/detail), fast printing and scanning, plenty of features and a rather small size (and weight compared) to similar products. Perhaps the only serious downside i noticed with the SX535WD is the build quality and finish of its exterior since although it's quite sturdy and looks very nice it's nowhere near to what CANON offers with their latest Pixma MG5350 multifunction series. Certainly the price tag is something that always plays a significant part in everything from quality to features and the Stylus SX535WD does cost almost 40% less than the Pixma MG5350 so i can justify some compromise regarding the build quality and finish of the unit’s exterior. Two smaller drawbacks (may be insignificant to most people) is the lack of a Bluetooth connection and the lack of an compact flash card port. True the available Wi-Fi connection should be more than enough for most people (if used at all) while the available SD/XD/MSPro card slots are far more popular than Compact Flash (although i do use it) but still I’d like to see those two features as well.

   Perhaps the strongest card of the Stylus SX535WD All-In-One Wi-Fi Printer by EPSON is its quite aggressive retail price tag (compared to the competition) which is currently set at around USD120 in the USA (Stylus NX625) and 90Euros inside the EU. Of course if the SX535WD doesn’t come with the features you need to cover your needs (Bluetooth, fax, and larger print/scan area) EPSON has a wide range of available models (especially in the EU) for you to choose from. However for casual home and office users the Stylus SX535WD is an impressive cost-effective All-In-One unit well worth of our Golden award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- AIO Printer/Scanner/Copier
- Print & Scan Quality/Speed
- Double-Sided Printing
- Wi-Fi Support
- 100Mbps Ethernet Port
- Card Reader (MS/SD/XD)
- Control Panel Upwards Rotation
- 2.5" Color LCD
- User Friendly Control Panel
- Price 

CONS

- Exterior Build Quality and Finish Could Be Better
- No Bluetooth Support
- Lacks Support For Printing on Optical Media