File the Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4540 All-in-One Printer ($399.99 direct) under exceedingly capable. If you're looking for an inkjet multi-function printer (MFP), it's probably more printer than you had in mind. If you thought you wanted a color laser MFP, however, it may change your mind about which technology you want. In fact, it beats similarly priced color lasers at what lasers are supposed to do best, with faster speed and a lower running cost. That can easily be enough to make it a better choice than a laser for your micro and small office.

If three examples indicate a trend, the WP-4540 ($399.99 direct) may be that third example. Or maybe not. It's certainly the third inkjet printer I've reviewed recently that has more in common with lasers than inkjets, but one of those was the Editor's Choice Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4020 ($149.99 direct, 4.5 stars). You could argue that the WP-4540 is simply the MFP variation of the same printer.

On the other hand, it's certainly at least the second example of this new class of inkjet. The first was the directly competitive Editors' Choice HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus e-All-in-One ($299.99 direct, 4.5 stars).

Despite the $100 difference in price, the two printers are closely matched, with most of the price difference disappearing if you add the second paper tray to the HP model. The second tray also erases most of the difference in paper capacity between the two printers. In both cases, there aren't many features you might want that you won't find.

The Basics
The WP-4540 can print, scan, and fax, including over a network, work as a standalone copier and fax machine, and also let you scan to a USB key. It connects to a network by WiFi or Ethernet, and, if it's connected to Internet, it can print through the cloud with Epson Connect Email Print. Simply register the printer to give it an email address, and you can print a document and email cover letter from any device by sending an email.

In addition, the WP-4540 supports Apple AirPrint, for printing from iOS devices over WiFI, and Google Cloud Print, for printing though the cloud. However Epson doesn't provide the instructions for using either option with the printer. To find them, you have to go to Epson's Web site.

The printer's paper handling goes well beyond most inkjets, and even most color laser MFPs in this price range. It offers two 250-sheet drawers plus an 80-sheet tray for a total 580 sheet input capacity, plus a built-in duplexer for printing on both sides of a page. If that's more than you need, you can save some money by getting the Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4530 instead. According to Epson the two printers are essentially identical in capability, except that the WP-4530 doesn't include the second 250-sheet tray. 

For scanning, the WP-4540 includes a 30-page automatic document feeder (ADF) to supplement the letter-size flatbed for multi-page documents and legal size pages. One particularly nice touch is that the ADF also duplexes, so you can copy both single- and double-sided originals to your choice of single- or double-sided copies. Choosing the duplexing copy setting is particularly easy, thanks to the well-designed menus and 5.8-inch touch screen control panel. (The touch screen is the one other advantage that the WP-4540 has over the WP-4530).

Setup and Speed
As you might guess from the relatively heavy-duty paper handling, the WP-4540 is big and heavy for an inkjet, at 16.5 by 18.1 by 16.5 inches (HWD) and a hefty 36.4 pounds. That's a little bigger than you would probably want in a home office or to share a desk with, but it's no bigger than comparable color lasers, and shouldn't be too hard to find room for in a typical micro or small office. Assuming you have room, setup is standard fare. Speed, on the other hand, is anything but standard.

For my tests, I connected the WP-4540 to a wired network and printed from a Windows Vista system. On our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing), I clocked it at an effective 5.6 pages per minute (ppm). Not too surprisingly, considering that it uses the same printer engine, that essentially ties it with the WP-4020. It's also tied with the HP Officejet Pro 8600.

What's surprising, not to mention impressive, is that the WP-4540— along with the WP-4020 and HP Officejet Pro 8600— is faster than any number of color laser MFPs in the same price class. The Editors' Choice Dell 1355cnw Multifunction Color Printer ($419.99 direct, 4 stars), for example, managed only 4.5 ppm. Photo speed was less impressive, but well within an acceptable range, at 1 minute 12 seconds for a 4 by 6.

Output Quality and Other Issues
The WP-4540's text output quality is absolutely par for an inkjet MFP. Unless you have an unusual need for small fonts, you shouldn't have any complaints about it. Graphics output is a touch below par, thanks to some banding in the default mode. However, it's easily good enough for any internal business need. Just as important as the quality is that both text and graphics on plain paper are far more water resistant than you'd expect for an inkjet. In my tests, the output withstood water almost as well as laser output.

Photo output is also par for an inkjet MFP, which translates to true photo quality. That's better than most businesses need, but it also makes the printer that much more attractive to businesses such as real estate offices that can take advantage of it.

One last important feature is the low cost per page. Epson doesn't make any cost per page claims, but if you calculate the cost from the claimed yields and cartridge prices, it comes out to 1.6 cents for a monochrome page and 7.7 cents for a color page. That's not only a lower running cost than most inkjets, it's lower than most lasers in this price range, which means the WP-4540 can save you money on running costs compared with a similarly priced color laser.

There's not quite enough here to replace the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus as Editors' Choice, because of the 8600 Plus's additional features, like a legal size flatbed, combined with its slightly lower cost. However, the Epson printer has some advantages too, including the third paper tray, and you might consider that important. In any case, the Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4540 delivers an impressive balance of speed, output quality, paper handling, MFP features, and running costs. If you need a laser class MFP for your micro or small office, it's a strong contender, and it should be on your short list.

More Multi-function Printer Reviews: