Kodak, a company synonymous with photography, seemed to struggle grasping the digital era: its compact cameras offered relatively low quality and its inkjet photo papers were poor. Now, out of the blue, comes inkjet technology which leapfrogs many of the established players while reversing the oft-bemoaned model of dirt-cheap printers and sky-high consumable costs. The EasyShare 5300 costs a hefty $265, but a set of ink cartridges costs just $40. Kodak claims users will recoup that in no time thanks to 6 x 4in prints for just 20c each!

Surprisingly, the firm’s calculations aren’t as wildly optimistic as they first look. This 20c figure is based on a value pack containing a five-colour cartridge – cyan, magenta, yellow and a dedicated photo black, along with a tank of clear gloss – and 180 sheets of Kodak’s 3-star photo paper. With packs costing around $36, it shouldn’t take long for the 5300 to pay for itself if you print a lot of photos. Note however, the 20c figure comes from using the thinner Photo Value Pack paper. For better quality, use the Premium Photo Value Pack which costs $40, comes with 135 sheets and costs 30c per print. It’s still way cheaper than anything else we’ve tested.

What’s more, the ink is both pigment based and glossy – similar to Epson’s excellent UltraChrome as seen on the high-end R800 (web ID 18301). This means photos are far more resilient to fading, scratching and smudging. The pigment sits atop the paper rather than being absorbed in – hence the need for gloss to coat ‘un-inked’ areas to avoid ridges where ink meets paper.

The Kodak EasyShare 5300 is an intelligently designed printer, with a 3in screen that makes it a doddle to print photos from a memory card. You can select 6 x 4in paper by simply pushing in the photo tray, and on the front you’ll find two USB ports, effectively turning your printer into a hub as well.

We’re not huge fans of Kodak’s rather basic driver options, but the quality of its results was impressive. The scanner is the weakest link, with all of our test images appearing oversaturated and tinged with yellow. This didn’t affect the copier, though, with clear text and vivid graphics putting it top of the home devices. Finally, print quality wasn’t quite up there with either Canon, but certainly topped the rest of the group for detail and sharpness.