I obtained this printer to replace my
Canon PIXMA MP460 All-In-One Photo Printer (1449B002), which worked well enough, but didn't have faxing capabilities or other advanced features (such as networking).
Networking:
The WorkForce 845 is a solid all-in-one device. Not only can it network (give multiple computers the ability to connect to it at the same time), but there are two different ways to do so. Ethernet (plugs directly into your router), and Wi-Fi (can wireless connect to the router to avoid lengthy/messy cords)--there is also the traditional USB option (which is generally used to hookup one computer). In an office environment, the capability to network is invaluable.
Ink vs. Toner alternatives:
Speaking of an office environment, EPSON boasts that this printer is a great alternative to laser printers. At the time of this review, it looks like ink replacements will cost around $70 (color and black). On a
HP Laserjet CM1415FNW, the full toner kit currently costs $254.99. I did come across a third-party toner set for $84.90 (Remanufactured, I believe) which is closer to the price range of the WorkForce 845's inkjet cartridges. Though met with mixed reviews, the cheaper toner for the HP boasts 2,000 pages for black and 1,300 for color. Whereas the black cartridge for the WorkForce reports a maximum yield of 940 pages with each color cartridge lasting up to 755 pages. Doing the math, the cheaper toner goes further than the inkjet, so the 40% printing savings could be considered a bit skewed when comparing all options. It also means you need to replace the cartridges sooner, which, in a larger office environment, can be a pain.
Something else to consider is that ink smudges when wet, toner does not.
In line with annoyances are inkjet printer heads. One of the reasons I previously bought the Canon Pixma MP460 was because the heads were built into the ink cartridges. That way, if they went bad, I just needed to replace the ink. As a former IT Professional (at a 50+ employee office), I replaced way too many EPSONs because the heads went bad. Unfortunately, like them, the WorkForce 845 has the heads built into the printer, not the cartridges, so the life of the printer is a slight concern for me (with the current cost of printers, it's not worth paying to have them repaired).
Paper handling:
There are two paper trays. They hold a combined 500 sheets--way more than my old Canon Pixma MP460. You can see how much paper is in each tray without opening them, which is nice.
The size paper that the top tray can hold is LTR, A4, 8x10", A5, 5x7", 4x6" (Photo Paper), 3.5x5", and No.10 & C6 (Envelopes). The bottom tray (tray 2) can only hold LTR, A4, and B5. There's no manual feed for printer paper, but there's a manual feed for faxing, copying, and scanning. The size paper allowed for the feed is A4 and LTR/LGL. I like how the feed flap can be closed to keep the dust out when not in use (and it makes the printer look sharp, too).
Printing Photos:
There was no photo printing software included on the install CD (like the Canon Pixma MP460 had). With Microsoft Window's default picture viewer being very limited [when it comes to printing options], a third-party program is a must (particularly when printing a 4x6 borderless photograph). After hitting up Google, I found where to download EPSON's "Easy Photo Print" software and installed it (for free--though, it would have been nice for them to have included this on the CD). Unfortunately, after installing, I was only given the option to print in A4 and Letter on the WorkForce 845, not 4x6. So I gave up on that software and went to Photoshop.
Photoshop allowed me to select the first tray (which is the only tray that can hold 4x6 photo paper--I set tray 2 as the default and loaded it with standard 8.5x11 so that my normal printing wouldn't conflict with my photo printing) and I was able to print borderless without any hiccups. That said, doing one image at a time in Photoshop is way too tedious (and not everyone has a copy of the $700 program. I'm sure there are other free software options out there that would work (like, perhaps, Picasa), but by this time I was done installing programs).
Plugging in devices to the printer:
That, and, I found an even easier way to print photos to the WorkForce 845. Taking a chance, I plugged in my MyTouch 4G phone directly to the USB port [on the printer] thinking that it was long shot for the two devices to speak the same language. Surprisingly, they did! The WorkForce 845 detected the photos on my phone right away. From there it let me select which ones I wanted to print (it actually showed me the full, color photo on the printer screen, too), as well as provided me with some proofing options such as fix red-eye, sharpness, saturation, contrast and brightness. Once I had the image how I wanted it, I simply clicked the print button and presto, it printed on the Photo Paper.
By bypassing the PC, it saved the need for extra software. You can also plug in a Digital Camera, Flash Drive or SD card. Pretty slick. (There are options for xD, MS PRO, and CF too.)
Included Software:
It comes with the drivers (of course), and ABBY FineReader for quick scanning and saving to Word, PDF, Excel, direct to email, etc., which also has an OCR feature (for converting images/scans to editable type). There's also a FAX utility, Event Manager, and software for quick and easy scanning. You will, however, want another program for printing photos from a computer (as mentioned above).
Conclusion:
Overall, I'm quite happy with this printer. It has all the features I want and looks good too. I particularly like how the display is touch sensitive and can swivel up for ease of use. Installing the software was fairly simple and it even checks the Internet to see if there's a new firmware update (which there was in my case, and it installed it for me). I do worry about the longevity (as mentioned due to the printer heads), but the price is low enough that I can just replace it if need be (technically, it's the price of ink, not hardware, that ultimately defines overall cost). I'm not entirely convinced that an inkjet alternative is better than using a toner-based printer, but, that said, I do think this printer is a great option for home offices (or very small business). Midsized to large business should really look into something higher-end.