Product Review: The New Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4530 Multifunction Machine

I have owned a good many printers since I purchased a small HP inkjet to use with my first desktop over 20 years ago. The move to multifunction machines was a natural as I discovered that I had need for copying, faxing and scanning in my home office. Of the four I have owned and heavily used, this new WorkForce Pro 4530 from Epson is, by far, the most powerful, productive and user friendly multifunction machines I have used.

The fact that the WP-4530 is wireless is nothing particularly remarkable these days, but it is a nice touch with a machine that can put out about 2,400 black printed pages and over 1,200 full color ones without changing the cartridges. It's duty cycle is rated at 20,000 pages. Based on my current usage, I expect to be replacing ink cartridges only once every 9 - 12 months! Its production capacities are clearly impressive but are only one of the features worth mentioning.

But I must start at the beginning of my experience with this multifunction inkjet printer, fax, copy and scanning machine. From the moment I took it out of the box and removed the (many) pieces of blue tape that help it securely for transit until I tried and tested each of the functions, I have been nothing but impressed with the technology and genuine utility of this machine. If you need more than a standard inkjet printer, the cost of this Epson WP-4530 will be retrieved quickly through its overall economy and immediate productivity.

The Epson WP-4530 is larger than my old multifunction machines (the footprint is approximately 18" X 18" X 10"). The larger size is primarily attributable to the paper storage capacity and larger cartridges. The paper tray holds 330 sheets of paper!

Setup

The complete setup took me about 45 minutes. The Quick Setup Guide is explicit and there were no glitches for any of the functions. There is a 'Priming' phase for the ink cartridges that takes about 15 minutes during which it is best to walk away from the machine rather than sitting watching waiting for the 'water to boil.'

Connected to a computer with the software loaded, the directions are clear. It would be difficult to make a mistake but, just in case, the process is a forgiving one with a simple 'Back' option at each step to allow for necessary changes or corrections. I was especially pleased to discover that while the Guide recommends setting up the connection initially as a hard-wired one (using a USB cable), I set mine directly as a wireless connection without a problem. My Linksys wireless 'N' adapter found the machine immediately and added it to my network.

The specifications for the WP-4530 are impressive and can be found on the sites of any retailer or at the Epson website so will not be repetitively detailed here.

Here are a few comments about each of the specific functions as I have experienced them:

Printer

In addition to the high-volume capacity of the printer, there are other characteristics which recommend it. The print quality is quite precise and clear and the ink used in the cartridges is a special, proprietary formulation (DURAbright Ultra Ink) that dries on contact and is highly resistant to smudging - a common bane of those of us who use colors and sometimes put a lot of ink on a piece of paper. Automatic two-sided copying is an option and can save a great deal of paper.

The printer is not silent but is less noisy than many smaller and slower machines on the market. It is quick and prints at a rate of about 16 ppm (black) and 11 ppm (color.) In addition to the major, large paper tray that loads in front, there is a back feed capacity that is useful for photos, envelopes, etc..

The WP-4530 takes four high-yield Type 676XL cartridges (Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow) that can be replaced individually as needed. They are large and not inexpensive BUT last a very long time. The economy of printing has been rated at about half the cost of laser printing the same pages and compares quite favorably to other 'economy' inkjet printers currently on the market. The black cartridge retails for about $38. and the colors, for about $25. each. Discounted multi-packs are not yet available.

Copier

The copier, like the scanner or fax, can feed multiple pages from either a simple flat-bed tray or a motorized document feeder. The copies are as crisp and quickly produced as are simple printing jobs.

Date can also be read from or copied to a thumb drive via a built-in USB port that is placed, conveniently, on the front of the machine rather than on the back where these things are often hidden and difficult to access.

Fax

The fax can be used either through the keypad on the 4530 itself, or via a computer interface. The computer interface also includes a quick cover page easy-send option that works simply and perfectly.

The fax operates at a standard 33.3 Kbps speed over any plugged-in telephone line. There are plug ports for two separate phone lines and the fax works equally smoothly for both inbound and outbound transmissions.

The built-in speed-dialing feature makes faxing to regular numbers expecially easy.

Scanner

The scan feature is especially smooth, easy to navigate and comes with versatile and useful software. The scans can be saved as PDF or Word documents and are easy to edit and save. When it comes to maintaining business documents, less paper is better and a scanner has become, increasingly, a necessary piece of office equipment. This one does the job quite nicely.

The WP-4530 can also be configured for mobile access so you can actually utilize it from a mobile device!

All-in-all

Taking initial cost, ink replacement and overall productivity into account, the Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4530 is a nice addition to a home office, small business or to the moderate-heavy personal user. It is clean, quick and economical. Epson's new line of WorkForce Pro machines is well worth considering.

It is Energy Star rated and draws considerably less power than my old, smaller and slower multifunction machine when not in use.

The only caveat I can think of is that of cautioning people considering this machine to evaluate their own needs carefully. For people who do only occasional printing at home, the WP-4530 is probably overkill. Its size and capacities are best appreciated by users who really can take advantage of the many features this multifunction machine offers. There are perfectly adequate multifunction machines available for less than one-half the cost of this one. The Epson WP-4530 retails for its list price of $299.

Uniquely, this multi-function machine actually has its own internet address to which photos and documents can be sent directly to it from anywhere you happen to be on line!

For the user who needs fast and frequent copying along with clear and reliable faxing, copying and scanning capacities, this may be just the machine for you. It sure is for me!

I recommend it highly.