Advent AWP10 review

Is this ultra-cheap multifunction printer a false economy?

Advent AWP10
The Advent AWP10 has very expensive inks...

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Over time, the quality of home printers and multifunction devices has increased while the price has fallen. Although not best suited for heavy-duty or specialist use, an entry-level, low-cost printer such as the Advent AWP10 gives surprisingly good results. It can be connected through Wi-Fi or USB, and has a reader for the most commonly-used memory cards.

We liked

Although its print quality won't win any awards, it's more than good enough for the casual user. You won't be embarrassed to print a letter to your bank manager, or send a photo to your gran. It's quick enough for a low-needs user, too. You wouldn't want to network it in a small office, but for the family PC, it's fine.

We disliked

A full set of inks (one black and one tri-colour) costs almost half as much as the printer. Although the Advent AWP10 is cheap to buy, its total cost of ownership is simply unacceptable. There are wireless multifunction printers costing only a little more off the shelf that soon work out cheaper when you replace the inks.

Build quality is merely average, and it's noisy in operation.

Verdict

Despite an agreeable performance, we can't recommend the Advent AWP10. Although arguably the cheapest wireless multifunction device to buy, it certainly isn't cheap to run. In fact, it's an excellent example of why you should always check the price of consumables when buying a printer.

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