Epson Expression Photo XP-980: Specs, Features, Pros & Cons
This review measures the Epson Expression Photo XP-980 against the full 24-spec sheet we track for printers, comparing it like for like with the 54 other models in our database. It earns a VS Score of 43 out of 100 — the weighted result of every verified specification measured against the class average.
On the spec sheet it is strongest in design and weakest in scanning & copying. Its clearest single advantage over the class average: a higher print resolution — 5,760 dpi vs 4,048.82 dpi (avg). None of our retail partners currently lists the Epson Expression Photo XP-980, so availability may be limited; a missing price never affects the VS Score.
Category strengths
Where the Epson Expression Photo XP-980 beats the average
- Has automatic duplex printing ?
- Has touchscreen display ?
- Has ethernet ?
- A higher print resolution ?5,760 dpi vs 4,048.82 dpi (avg)
- Has color printing ?
- Has all-in-one ?
- Has Wi-Fi Direct ?
- Has Apple AirPrint ?
- Has Wi-Fi ?
- A slightly lighter build ?8.8 kg vs 9.03 kg (avg)
Where the Epson Expression Photo XP-980 trails the average
- A much lower print speed (black) ?8.5 ppm vs 16.97 ppm (avg)
- No automatic document feeder ?
- A much lower input tray capacity ?100 sheets vs 182.87 sheets (avg)
- A lower print speed (color) ?8 ppm vs 12.19 ppm (avg)
- No supertank / refillable ink ?
- A much lower output tray capacity ?30 sheets vs 67.4 sheets (avg)
- No duplex scanning ?
- No fax ?
Editor’s note
The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 is a photo printer first and an all-in-one second, and every interesting number on its sheet points at the first job. It prints borderless up to 11 x 17 inches – genuine wide-format wall-art territory – using six individual Claria Photo HD cartridges (the usual four plus light cyan and light magenta) at a maximum resolution of 5760 x 1440 optimised dpi. A 4×6 photo takes as little as 11 seconds, and droplets go down as small as 1.5 picolitres, which is what smooth skin tones and gradient skies actually require. Document speeds, by contrast, are 8.5 ppm black and 8 ppm colour – pedestrian, and a clear signal about what this machine is for.
Paper handling is photo-oriented too: a 100-sheet plain tray, a dedicated 20-sheet photo tray, a rear feed for specialty stock, direct CD/DVD printing, and even SD and CompactFlash card slots for computer-free printing on the 4.3-inch touchscreen. Auto duplex covers plain-paper documents. The scanner is a 4800 dpi flatbed – there is no ADF and no fax, so multi-page office scanning is manual page-flipping. Connectivity is current: Wi-Fi 5, Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi Direct, AirPrint and Epson's Smart Panel app.
Running costs deserve honest accounting. Six cartridges at photo-printer yields (around 500 black / 740 colour pages with XL tanks) make this an expensive machine for everyday documents – an EcoTank owner would wince. But that comparison misses the point: dedicated photo output up to tabloid size with this colour depth normally means a bulkier, pricier machine.
For scrapbookers, photographers proofing at home, and anyone who wants frame-worthy prints without a lab, the XP-980 is the small-footprint way to get there. As a family document workhorse it is the wrong tool.
Specifications
Quality bars are generated automatically against 54 other printers.
Printing
Laser prints crisp text fast; inkjet handles photos and colour better.
Prints in colour, not just black and white.
Black-and-white pages per minute; higher is faster.
Colour pages per minute; higher is faster.
A higher dot density produces sharper prints.
Prints both sides of the page without manual flipping.
Refillable ink tanks cut the cost per page dramatically.
The maximum recommended pages per month.
Scanning & copying
Scans and copies as well as prints.
Feeds multi-page documents through the scanner unattended.
How many pages the document feeder holds at once.
Scans both sides of a page automatically.
Sends and receives faxes.
Paper handling
A larger tray needs refilling less often.
How many printed pages the output tray holds.
The largest paper format supported (e.g. Letter, Legal, A3).
Connectivity
Print wirelessly over the home network.
Connect devices directly without a router.
A wired network port for reliable office use.
A direct USB connection to a computer.
Print from iPhone, iPad and Mac without extra drivers.
Print and manage the printer from a phone app.
Design
An onboard touchscreen makes standalone tasks easier.
A lighter printer is easier to place and move.
How the VS Score works — and what it can’t tell you
Every measurable spec is scored against the average of all the printers we track: matching the class average scores 50, clearly beating it climbs towards 100, and each spec counts according to an editorial weight that reflects real-world impact — a battery-capacity gap moves the score far more than a colour-options list. The quality bars on the spec cards above show where this model sits inside the full range for its class, and the overall VS Score rolls every weighted result into one number.
Unknown values are never estimated. A spec this product doesn’t report simply drops out of its scoring — it isn’t penalised with a guess — but a thinner spec sheet does mean a score built on fewer data points, which is why completeness is disclosed under About this data.
Most importantly: a spec-sheet lead is not the same as a better product. Megapixels, gigahertz and benchmark points describe capacity, not experience — image processing, software optimisation, thermals, haptics and ergonomics decide how a device actually feels, and no table captures reliability or long-term support quality. Treat the VS Score as a structured summary of what can be measured, not a substitute for your own priorities.
About this data
- Specifications are compiled from each manufacturer’s official spec sheet, cross-checked against trusted specification databases, and normalised into one schema so identical things are compared identically.
- Specifications last verified August 24, 2026.
- Data completeness: 22 of the 24 specs in this category are verified (92%). Anything we could not verify is shown as Unknown — never estimated — and is excluded from the score.
- Prices and availability come from live retailer feeds via our shopping partners and refresh throughout the day; a missing price means no partner currently lists the product, not that it is discontinued.
- Want the full picture? Our editorial guidelines explain how we research products, weight the scores and stay independent.
- Spotted an error in a spec? Tell us and we will correct the sheet.
Printers with similar specs to the Epson Expression Photo XP-980
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The bottom line
The Epson Expression Photo XP-980 earns a VS Score of 43, trailing most of the 55 printers we compare here, at least on the spec sheet.
- Who it’s for
- Photo enthusiasts who want borderless prints up to 11 x 17 with six-ink colour depth from a desk-sized machine.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Document-heavy households – 8.5 ppm, no ADF, no fax and photo-printer ink costs make it a poor office workhorse.
- The trade-off that matters
- Exceptional photo output in exchange for high cost per page on everyday documents.
- The main alternative
- Canon PIXMA TR7120
The VS Score is generated automatically from the weighted specifications above, measured against all other printers in our database. Treat it as a shortlisting guide — not a substitute for your own priorities.
