PRINTING. The Epson Workforce ET-4550 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. It prints text very well, nearly as good as a laser printer. Text printing was very quick, 11.1 pages per minute, costing 0.3 cents per page. Its color graphics printing is Very Good for reports, newsletters and web pages, at 3.2 pages per minute, costing 1.1 cents per page. It has auto-duplex printing to print both on sides of the page, with no loss of quality. The capacity of the main paper tray is 150 sheets, a typical size.
SCANNING and COPYING. Scanning performance was Good, but had a few noticeable flaws. It can scan or copy an area up to 11.4 x 8.2 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 2.2-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. Google Cloud Print is built in, to print wirelessly from smart devices via the internet. 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 $200, typical 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 T7741, T6642, T6643 and T6644. At the time, their prices were $20 for black and $13 (each) for the other three. We estimate the ink bottles to last an extraordinarily long time -- around 29 months -- following a typical printing schedule. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate the total cost to be $223, very low for an inkjet. The estimated yearly cost is $12, low for this printer type. So the 3-, 4- and 5-year estimates are $235, $246 and $258 respectively.
NOTE. This printer was noisier than most while printing, so you might want to locate it away from sleeping areas.
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-4550 was DC17F8.
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.
