Epson WorkForce WF-7210DTW vs HP DeskJet 2630: two top printers compared

If you're trying to choose from the best printers on the market right now, you might well end up comparing the Epson WorkForce WF-7210DTW and the HP DeskJet 2630 – they've both got a lot to offer, but which is the right one to add to your home or office setup?

While there are some similarities here, there are also some key differences you need to know about, and we'll cover all the key features and functions below. If you've got a lot of printing to get through, then you want a printer that's going to be able to meet your needs.

Both these printers are similarly priced at the moment – check the widgets embedded on this page for the most up-to-date deals – so choosing between them isn't necessarily easy. Here's the full rundown on the Epson WorkForce WF-7210DTW vs the HP DeskJet 2630.

Epson WorkForce WF-7210DTW vs HP DeskJet 2630: design

You're not necessarily going to be choosing a printer for its aesthetics, but the design choices made by manufacturers can still be important. The Epson WorkForce WF-210DTW has a look that's very much in line with what you would expect from a traditional printer, with a lot of black plastic and a boxy shape. There's a small LCD display on it, and the buttons are all easily accessible on the front.

This is an A3 printer, so it has to be big enough to fit paper that size: you'll need 567‎ mm x 424 mm x 304 mm (that's 22.3 inches x 16.7 inches x 12 inches) of room to fit this on your desk, so plan accordingly. Paper can be loaded from the top of the printer or via a tray at the bottom, so you have a certain amount of flexibility here. Overall, it's a rather standard-looking printer.

The HP DeskJet 2630, on the other hand, adds a few more flourishes in terms of its style – there's the eye-catching blue and white colour scheme for a start, which gives the unit a more modern feel. You don't get a full LCD display with this particular printer though, just a column of control buttons down the left-hand side on the top.

This is an A4 printer, which means it's more compact than the Epson one, and you're going to be able to fit it into tighter spaces. HP gives the product dimensions as 548 mm x 425 mm x 249 mm (21.6 inches x 16.7 inches x 9.8 inches), but it's worth bearing in mind that that's with the input and output trays fully extended. Paper is loaded from the back of the printer at the top. We'd say it's a slightly nicer design than the Epson model, but aesthetics are quite a subjective judgement.

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Epson WorkForce WF-7210DTW vs HP DeskJet 2630: features

As we've already alluded to, you can print A3 sheets (and anything smaller) with the Epson WorkForce WF-7210DTW, whereas the HP DeskJet 2630 maxes out at A4 size. It's also worth mentioning that the Epson model supports full duplex (double-sided) printing, whereas the HP device can only print on one side of paper at a time – if that's functionality that you think you're going to need, consider going with the Epson option.

The Epson WorkForce WF-7210DTW doesn't have all the advantages though – one of the reasons you might want to pick the HP DeskJet 2630 instead is that it's an all-in-one device that also scans documents as well as printing them. That means you can use the HP model as a photocopier of sorts (though it won't be as fast or efficient), as well as using it to digitise paper documents you'd like to store on your computer.

Both printers here make use of inkjet technology, so you're going to have to factor in the cost of cartridges when it comes to weighing up which model might be for you: both manufacturers have ink subscription plans you can sign up for (Instant Ink with HP and ReadyPrint with Epson), which gives you an alternative to picking up cartridges in the normal way as and when you need them.

The Epson WorkForce WF-7210DTW works over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, with a maximum printing resolution of 4,800 x 2,400 DPI and a top printing speed of 18 pages per minute for monochrome and 10 pages per minute for colour. The HP DeskJet 2630 works over Wi-Fi only, giving you a maximum printing resolution of 4,800 x 1,200 DPI and speeds of up to 20 pages per minute in monochrome and up to 16 pages per minute for colour.

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Epson WorkForce WF-7210DTW vs HP DeskJet 2630: verdict

As we said at the start, the Epson WorkForce WF-7210DTW and the HP DeskJet 2630 are both excellent printers that we'd happy to recommend – they both feature on our best printers list, after all. Coming from two well-known printer manufacturers in Epson and HP, you know that you're going to get many years of reliable printing out of these models, and in that respect you don't have to worry about which one to go for.

The Epson WorkForce WF-7210DTW impresses in most areas: it has multiple paper trays, it prints at A3 size as well as A4, and it can do double-sided printing as well. It has business-style looks, and it's a business-style printer, the sort of unit you install in the corner of an office (or home office) to get through some serious printing tasks – from legal documents to posters.

On the other hand, the HP DeskJet 2630 is a little faster and a little more compact – and it has the added bonus of including a built-in scanner for getting copies of documents or importing them into a program on your computer. If those are the features you need rather than the extra flexibility you get with A3 printing, then maybe it's the HP model that you should be looking to pick up.

Both printers are simple to set up and well supported by their respective manufacturers, so it's really a question of which features actually matter to you, and how much space you've got available on your desk. As always, pricing is crucial when it comes to weighing up your purchasing choices, and you should be able to check the latest prices on the web via the widgets embedded in this page.

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