Kodak Hero 3.1 Ink Cartridges

Kodak 3.1 Printer Review

The Kodak Hero 3.1 offers flexible connection options and the ability to print, copy and scan documents. The device also performed well against speed tests compared to other units in its price range, printing up to 7 pages per minute for monochrome documents and 4 pages per minute for color. Inexpensive color Hero 3.1 printer ink replacements are also a benefit to owning this inkjet printer, but features such as spotty output and a limited set of multifunction features make it better suited for home use than a small office.

Measuring at just 6x16x12 inches and weighing only 11 pounds, the 3.1 is compact and light enough to pick up and print wherever convenient. This limits the unit's design somewhat, which includes a very simplistic control panel that has a small color LCD for previewing documents, and only a handful of buttons for access to basic features. The unit also has a minimal paper supply that includes a single 100-sheet capacity input tray for light-duty use.

Additional common elements left out include an automatic duplexer, fax capabilities and an automatic document feeder for continuous scanning. What help makes this unit more worthwhile is its photo-centric features, which include a media-card reader that can support direct printing from popular SD cards and the provided Pic Flick software application for editing photos. The device performed well against photo output tests, printing on par with a resolution of 9600 dpi using color Kodak 3.1 ink. Text and graphic documents didn't fare so well, printing below par with a resolution of 1200x1200 dpi using black and color Hero 3.1 ink.

The 3.1 has built-in support for Google Cloud Print and Kodak Email Print technology, which will allow users to send a document or photo from any device to a unique email address and have it start printing automatically. The device can also connect via Wi-Fi or through the office network with its ethernet interface.

This unit uses two Kodak 3.1 ink cartridges: one tricolor that combines cyan, magenta and yellow printer ink and one black supply. Each color supply can print up to 550 pages and the black Kodak 3.1 ink cartridge has a capacity of 670 pages, which will be better for low printing volumes.

The 3.1's ample connection options and output speeds are its best feature, with its other bundle of elements being limited by its low asking price. This inkjet printer has enough robustness to support home users, but its poor text and graphics output quality cause it to lag behind the top models in its class.