Review: Epson Workforce Pro WF-4630 Multi Function Printer
The Epson Workforce Pro WF-4630 is a multifunction printer offering laser quality speed but with the higher quality of printing that inkjet provides. Can it replace the Laser in your office or home?
The Workforce Pro is a good looking machine, a fact that a lot of manufacturers seem to forget in their quest to be there cheapest out there. It has a touchscreen User Interface that is simple enough for the standard user, yet has advanced options for the more technical user. Setup is simple, with a range of options including Google Cloud Print and Apple AirPrint services.
Normally with an inkjet, the print speed suffers. Laser printers in a busy office are normally the best as they’re always ready to go. But with fewer printer jobs occurring, and those jobs that are printed usually presentation documents, a laser printer that is not being continually used can require a little time to heat up first.
The Epson on the other hand is near instantaneous, I was surprised by the speed at which they flew out. With a range of print quality options, the Epson ticks all the boxes for the modern office. It makes a mockery of the big MFPs with its swift & silent integration into the work environment. This is down to its PrecisionCore technology. PrecisionCore has a single printhead with multiple print chips. Each of these print chips has multiple nozzles, meaning it can print more at once. The Workforce Pro has 4 of these chips combined, so is blazingly quick at printing.
It’s not without its quirks - I had initial issues setting up a Mac with it, so I dropped down to using the printer’s IP address - but registering the printer on the network was simple and flawless.
With its external printing service, users can print on the go from anywhere. Handy if you have sales staff on the road, and want documents printing back at the office.
Its scanning capabilities also excel. It can scan to a number of options, including network, USB or even directly to your favourite cloud service such as Evernote, Dropbox and Google Drive.
The negative side to ink jets have always been the cost of ink, and Epson historically have been the manufacturers that have bucked this trend. I’m really pleased to see their announcement of migrating to refillable ink tanks, and this will undoubtedly be a boon for Epson.
The Epson Workforce Pro WF-4630 is a good machine and with its range of capabilities, it’ll be a great addition to any office. It might be making an appearance long term in mine.
