Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4820DWF Review
Epson's WorkForce Pro line of multifunction (print, copy, scan, and fax) printers includes the WorkForce Pro WF-4820 All-in-One Printer, an entry- to midrange model designed for use in small offices and home offices.
A replacement for 2017's WF-4720, the WF-4820 comes with some significant updates, including a larger touch control panel, faster print speeds, and a higher month-to-month volume rating.
Nevertheless, it faces a crowded field of capable competitors — including its closest sibling, the WF-4830, which boasts double the paper capacity from 2 input sources and a larger, auto-duplexing automated document feeder (ADF).
These beneficial time-saving features come at an unbelievable $20 over the WF-4820's list price. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the WF-4820, yet at anything it can do, the WF-4830 does it far better.
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| Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4820DWF - epson.com |
Small and Sturdy
The WF-4820 is among 5 WorkForce Pro AIOs Epson updated in 2020. In the WorkForce Pro pecking order, it is second from the bottom, an action above the somewhat smaller and lighter WF-3820.
The WF-4820 is 5 web pages per min (ppm) faster than the WF-3820, and its month-to-month quantity score is significantly higher. Then comes the WF-4830, complemented by the wide-format WF-7820 and WF-7840.
Measuring 10.9 by 16.7 by 19.8 inches (HWD) and weighing 22.5 extra pounds, the WF-4820 is an inch taller and 2.4 extra pounds heavier than its WF-4720 precursor, and a pair of inches shorter and around 4 pounds lighter than its WF-4830 sibling, whose added height and girth come from a 2nd paper cassette and a slightly larger ADF with a duplexing device.
The many rivals for the WF-4820 include HP's OfficeJet Pro 9015 (an Editors' Choice winner) and OfficeJet Pro Premier, Canon's Pixma G4210 (a bulk-ink MegaTank device) and Pixma TR8620, Brother's MFC-J5845DW, and the Editors' Choice-winning Epson WF-C5790 (also a bulk-ink AIO).
Some of these are larger and more expensive to obtain, but comparability is about determining which devices offer similar features while delivering the best overall value. A $400 bulk-ink printer, for instance, often provides much better value in the long run than a $150 maker that uses extra conventional ink cartridges.
The majority of these need similar workdesk space and evaluate about the same as the WF-4820. Providing better capacity and volume at a higher acquisition cost, the Brother MFC-J5845DW and the Epson WF-C5790 are dramatically larger and heftier: 38.6 and 41.2 pounds, respectively.
The WF-4820's built-in scanner is fed by a 35-page manual-duplex ADF. If you're checking a pile of two-sided pages, you'll need to wait for one side to be scanned, then turn the stack over so the maker can review the opposite side. The WF-4830, on the other hand, includes a 50-sheet auto-duplexing ADF that scans both sides of two-sided web pages on its own while you're off fetching coffee.
Other Post: Canon PIXMA TR150 Review
Of the various other printers pointed out here, both OfficeJet Pro AIOs include auto-duplexing 35-sheet document feeders, and Epson's WF-C5790 includes a 50-page single-pass auto-duplexing ADF, meaning it has 2 sensors, one for each side of the page, allowing it to check both sides at the same time. The rest are manual-duplexing.
Paper handling on the WF-4820 includes one 250-sheet cassette that you can set up to hold up to 50 sheets of cost-effective photo paper or 10 #10 envelopes. The WF-4830 has a significant advantage: two 250-sheet cassettes you can load with your daily paper or use for other media, such as firm letterhead or photo paper. This enhanced capability and versatility can greatly increase the time between journeys to refill or transform the paper.
The majority of the competing equipment has only one paper drawer. Yet, the Epson WF-C5790 and Brother MFC-J5845DW have 250-sheet paper cassettes plus 80- and 100-sheet multi-purpose trays, respectively, for printing envelopes, tags, or images without opening or reconfiguring the main paper cabinet and disrupting everyone else's process.
Canon's TR8620 also has 2 paper resources: a 100-sheet cassette in advance and a 100-sheet tray that pulls out from the back of the framework. The G4210's single paper cabinet holds only a meager 100 sheets. Both HP OfficeJets have single 250-sheet cassettes.
For both the WF-4820 and the WF-4830, the maximum month-to-month responsibility cycle is 33,000 pages with a 1,600-page advised monthly web page volume. Both OfficeJets come with maximum task cycles and advised page quantities of 25,000 and 1,500 prints.
Epson's WF-C5790 has a task cycle of 45,000 web pages per month, and its suggested print volume is 2,500, which is higher than that of the WF-4820. The MFC-J5845DW's rankings are comparable to those of the WF-4820. Canon no longer releases these ratings for consumer-grade machines.
