PRINTING. The Epson Workforce ET-4500 prints using inkjet technology, which sprays liquid ink onto the paper from a moving head. It prints photos on glossy paper that are fine for casual users, but not as good as most inkjet printers. Unlike most color printers, it can't print borderless photos. Text printing is not a strong point, with noticeably fuzzy edges on letters. Text printing was reasonably fast, 8.1 pages per minute, costing 0.3 cents per page. It prints color graphics with some obvious defects, but OK for casual use, at 2.4 pages per minute, costing 1.3 cents per page.
SCANNING and COPYING. Scanning performance was Good, but had a few noticeable flaws. It can scan or copy an area up to 11.3 x 8.3 inches (letter size). Copying performance was Very Good, suitable for most purposes. It has an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for easily scanning/copying a stack of pages.
CONTROLS and DISPLAY. The printer has a medium-size 2.3-inch display screen.
CONNECTIVITY and NETWORKING. You can connect directly to a PC with a USB cable, or to your network router either wirelessly with WiFi or with an Ethernet cable. There's a WiFi Auto-connect feature that makes it easy to link to your wireless router. Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print are built-in, to print wirelessly from smartphones, tablets and PCs. You can also install Epson's app on your smart phone or tablet, as another option for printing over your WiFi network. You can also print an email remotely by forwarding it directly to this printer. This model has built-in faxing, can store incoming faxes if the paper runs out, and can send faxes from an attached PC.
COST OF OWNERSHIP AND INK. When this section was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $355, very expensive for an all-in-one inkjet printer. Printing uses up ink. Over time, as you print, the costs add up. This printer uses 4 tanks. When the ink runs low, you refill the tanks. The inks are sold in bottles. The Epson ink bottles used in testing were the T6641, T6642, T6643 and T6644. At the time, their prices were all $13 each. We estimate the ink bottles to last an extraordinarily long time -- around 30 months -- following a typical printing schedule. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate the total cost to be $377, typical for an inkjet. The estimated yearly cost is $11, low for this printer type. So the 3-, 4- and 5-year estimates are $388, $399 and $411 respectively.
NOTE. The printer takes up a lot of space and might be more suitable for an office than a small desktop.
PRINTER FIRMWARE. Firmware is software that exists inside the printer. All models are evaluated using the latest firmware version available at the time of testing. The firmware version of the Epson Workforce ET-4500 was BF22FA.
SOFTWARE. The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual, (and for all-in-ones:) scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a Windows 10 PC using the latest version of printer driver and printer support apps available at the time of testing. The software version was 2.41.0.0.
ABOUT THE INK BOTTLES, SOFTWARE AND FIRMWARE. Our test results are valid only for the Epson-brand ink bottles, and the software and firmware versions indicated. If your printer's software or firmware differ from the ones shown you either have an older or a newer version of these. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the printer's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware updates are downloadable directly to your printer via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable). You can check your printer's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware by either (1) running the Epson printer-update app installed on the PC, or (2) accessing the "Settings" section of the printer menu and navigating to the firmware update option. Consult the user manual or Epson's website for further guidance. Try searching online.
