The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 is an all-in-one photo inkjet printer that uses a six-cartridge system with Epson 279 ink cartridges. It connects via USB, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Direct, and it supports both Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service. You can also print and view photos directly from SD cards or external USB devices, too. Two mobile apps round out the experience: Epson Smart Panel handles regular printing and maintenance tasks, while Epson Creative Print focuses on photo and design-based projects.
Our Verdict
The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 is decent for home use. While it prints very high-quality documents and photos, its page yield is only okay, and it has a high risk of clogging if you leave it sitting without printing for a long time. The built-in scanner is remarkably good, but it lacks an automatic document feeder. It offers numerous connectivity options, enabling every household member to access the printer easily, and is compatible with Epson's mobile app, allowing you to print directly from your smartphone. The printer is also quite compact overall, so it's easy to find space for it.
Prints detailed and colorful photos
Prints high-quality documents.
Produces high-quality scans.
Can print borderless photos up to 13" x 19".
No automatic document feeder.
Page yields are just okay.
Can clog if it's left unused.
Very slow printing speed.
The Epson XP-980 is mediocre for small offices. While it prints high-quality, good-looking documents, it prints very slowly and has just okay page yields. It has a scanner but lacks an automatic document feeder, which isn't ideal for offices that often scan long, multi-page documents. That said, you can connect to it in many different ways, including over Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
Prints high-quality documents.
Produces high-quality scans.
No automatic document feeder.
Page yields are just okay.
Can clog if it's left unused.
Very slow printing speed.
The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 isn't a great option if you only print occasionally and need it to work on demand. Like any inkjet, it can clog after sitting idle too long, and running maintenance tasks to fix it eats through ink fast, given the cartridges' low volume. The printheads are also not user-replaceable, which gives you little recourse if the maintenance tasks can't unclog the printer. The low ink volume also means page yields are only okay, so you'll need to change cartridges often if you print a lot.
Page yields are just okay.
Can clog if it's left unused.
Very slow printing speed.
The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 is an excellent photo printer. It prints very detailed, colorful pictures and supports borderless printing up to 8.5" x 11". The only real weakness is that its color accuracy is just okay.
Prints detailed and colorful photos
Can print borderless photos up to 13" x 19".
Can clog if it's left unused.
The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 has just okay page yields. It can print around 250 black-and-white pages and 210 color pages before you have to replace the ink cartridges. Higher-yield cartridges are available.
The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 prints very slowly. It takes a while to start printing, and it pauses printing to buffer every few pages.
Can clog if it's left unused.
Very slow printing speed.
The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 has excellent document quality. Text is clear, and fine details are present. However, some very minor vertical lines appear when printing in Standard Quality mode. Using Best Quality mode resolves this issue, but it requires more ink.
The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 has remarkable scan quality. Text looks sharp, and all the fine details are present. The image processing boosts the contrast and makes colors look more saturated, which is helpful when scanning documents. Still, it might not be ideal if you want to digitize photos and expect them to look exactly like the originals. However, this printer has mediocre scanner features. Its lack of an ADF means you'll have to scan each page manually, which can be a chore if you often scan long, multi-page documents. However, its flatbed hinges are adjustable to accommodate larger items, such as textbooks or magazines.
Produces high-quality scans.
No automatic document feeder.
Performance Usages
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Epson Expression Photo XP-980. There are no other variants; here's our unit's label.
Popular Printer Comparisons
The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 is an all-in-one inkjet photo printer. It prints particularly nice-looking photos and documents, in line with other photo printers in the mid-range price bracket, but isn't quite as color accurate as high-end photo printers like the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310. It's not a great all-in-one home printer option because its page yields are just okay, and it's prone to clogging if you don't use it often enough. The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is a better pick if you're looking for something with better page yields.
For other options, see our recommendations for the best photo printers, the best home printers, and the best inkjet printers.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 and the Epson Expression Photo XP-980 are all-in-one inkjet printers. The main difference between the two is that the former uses a supertank refillable cartridge system while the latter has a conventional cartridge system. As a result, the EcoTank ET-2980 has a much higher page yield, so you can get far more prints out of a tank before needing to refill. On the other hand, the Expression Photo XP-980 prints better-looking photos and has a better-quality scanner.
The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 and the Epson EcoTank ET-3950 are all-in-one inkjet printers. The biggest difference between the two is that the ET-3950 uses a refillable supertank cartridge system and has a much higher page yield as a result. The ET-3950 also prints documents faster and has an automatic document feeder for its scanner. The XP-980, on the other hand, prints better-looking photos.
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is better than the Epson Expression Photo XP-980. They're both all-in-one inkjet printers, but the ET-8550 has a refillable supertank system with significantly better page yields, prints documents faster, and prints better-looking photos.
The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 and the Canon PIXMA TR8620a are all-in-one inkjet photo printers. They have similar feature sets and performance overall, but the Epson prints slightly better-looking photos and takes better-looking scans.
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