Customer Reviews

Epson WorkForce 545 Color Inkjet Wireless All-In-One Printer and Copier with Fax (C11CB88201)

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Of the more than 20 or so printers I have owned this is the best yet. The printer arrived along with a power cord, a telephone cord, an instruction sheet with 8 clearly defined steps to set up the printer for use, 4 individually wrapped ink cartridges (Black, Cyan, Magenta & Yellow), a software disk, a quick guide manual, an instruction sheet for Apple users and a packet of paper samples consisting of 2 sheets of paper.

There are two options in setting up the printer. One option is a USB cable connection to the PC. The other option is a wireless setup. I chose the wireless option which has two options as well. One is to use the USB cable for the initial setup and then remove it for wireless operation. The other option is to setup wireless without the USB cord. I chose the latter. The instructions directed the insertion of the software disk. This began a clearly written series of instruction pages which ended with a completely setup printer whose features all worked to perfection. This was an experience which I never had with any other printer. No fuss, no muss just easy does it and everything worked as it should.

Kudos to Epson for not only a top notch printer but for a rarely seen set of instructions written in English with no misspellings and easy to use. Many vendors, such as Dewalt, for just one example, seem to thumb their noses at providing useful and readable manuals. Epson is at the head of the class with this printer.

I read the reviews on here and was surprised... someone said "hard to set up". All I can say is "Did you remember to turn it on?" I took it out of the box, plugged it into the wall, used the menu to attach to my wireless network. It said connected. I walked over to my iMac and added the printer (worked great). Then i took out my iPad and iPhone and printed to it using AirPrint technology. No hassle, no confusion. Maybe the last guy had a dud. Great printer!

I wanted to print wirelessly from my iPad using AirPrint, and directly via USB cable from my laptop. The standard installation software didn't work, and I spent three phone calls and nearly two hours with Epson support before we could figure it out. It's working now, so it can be done.

The printer itself is terrific! The feature set for the money can't be beat. It prints,scans, copies, faxes, prints double-sided, and has an automatic document feeder. Photo printing is not gallery quality, but 4x6 prints are just fine. And this machine is FAST, as it claims. The paper drawer,while large, must be completely removed to add or change paper and is a little finicky.

The installation and setup was very complex - hence the four stars instead of five. But for less than $100 at a Big Box store and given it's features and performance, I'm very pleased.

The Epson Workforce 545 Wireless Color Inkjet is an OUTSTANDING All-in-One printer! This EPSON Workforce INKJET will be retiring a BROTHER COLOR LASER printer that's been our standard workhorse printer for a number of years (gory details are in a side note below).

Straight out of the box several things to note:
This printer is labeled "World's Fastest All-in-One". The included power cord is JUST a power cord, say goodbye to the big bulky transformers!

Included in the box:
Printer, Power Cord, Phone Cord (no USB nor Ethernet cable - a temporary USB cable simplifies WIFI setup)
Full-sized ink cartridges (Black, Blue, Magenta, Cyan - with QR Codes on top!)
CD Rom, Start Here Guide, Quick Guide (Owner's Manual)

PROs:
OUTSTANDING PRINTER OVERALL !
All - in - One means ALL IN ONE - Prints, Copies, Faxes, Scans
Auto Document Feeder
Wired and Wireless network printing
EASY SETUP
EASY TO USE
VERY Economical consumables (4 separate ink cartridges)
FAST FAST FAST FAST FAST printing!! No waiting for a laser to warm up before printing!
No external transformer (after experiencing a recent small house fire from an overheated transformer on a biocube 14, this is a huge plus!)
Very well-packed yet very easy to open, assemble and setup.
Remote printing directly to the printer - need to sign a document? They can directly print on your printer by emailing it to your printer's email address! Then scan as a PDF and email it back to the office. IE Say goodbye to Fed-Ex for documents needing a signature. ;-)

CONs:
Auto Document Feeder holds 30 pages (minor issue, I would expect 50 pages)
Paper tray somewhat flimsy, I expect a sturdier paper tray.

INK: The Epson Workforce 545 uses either 126 - High Capacity Ink or 127 - Ultra High Capacity Ink.

High Capacity - 126 three color multipak = Epson Durabrite Ultra Ink, Color Multipack (T126520)
High Capacity - 126 Black = Epson Durabrite Ultra Ink, Black (T127120)
High Capacity - 126 Black - Dual Pack = EPSON DuraBrite Ultra High Capacity Ink Cartridge, Black Ink Dual Pack (T126120-D2)

Ultra High Capacity - 127 three color = Epson Durabrite Ultra Ink, Color Multipack (CMY) (T127520)
Ultra High Capacity - 127 Black = Epson Durabrite Ultra Ink, Black (T127120)
Ultra High Capacity - 127 Black - Dual Pack = EPSON DuraBrite Ultra Extra High Capacity Ink Cartridge, Black Ink Dual Pack (T127120-D2)

Overall I would recommend the EPSON WORKFORCE 545 for home or business, students and professionals alike! I will update this review as we get more experience using it on our home network and printing from a Droid cellphone and Xoom tablet (Android based)

SIDE NOTE on the COLOR LASER vs this WORKFORCE Inkjet - SAVES MONEY in multiple aspects!
The Color Laser is too harsh on the budget for color toner! Additionally the energy drain for a laser printer triggers the UPSs each time we print.. annoying to say the least! If the UPS battery is weak, the UPS trips and the computer crashes... so the print job cannot complete until the UPS battery is replaced... and that's only if the document was saved prior to the laser printer crashing the computer when the UPS fails. The Laser is NOT plugged into the UPS - not a recommended idea, so the laser printers draw down the household current to such a level the voltage drops to trigger the UPS on a different outlet... this just doesn't seem to be a safe idea on so many levels....) The color laser is a heat generator. If you need a small furnace in the room where your printer is, then by all means go with a laser printer for a two in one deal!

I have had a lot of Epson products going waaay back to their early printers. I have 2 Epson printers at this time, one of them a very high-end product and then this model 545 for everyday use. In general I like Epson products and service.

This is actually the second one of this particular model that I've had. The first one didn't last long at the hands of my young grandson, who bent the top back and forth until it broke. That's the thing about these newer models, they are rather cheaply made. The footprint is nice and small to fit in tight places, they are light enough to lift and move around without a problem, and they do an excellent job of copying and printing directly from my computer. The scan feature is adequate, as is the fax. I get the ink refills at a good price through 4inkjets.com, or through amazon, same company.

Since one rarely mistreats their computer and printing equipment to the extent my former printer was, I suppose the lightweight plastic that qualifies as a negative for me is far outweighed by the price of the printer, the ready availability of cheap replacement cartridges, as well as the fact that it does what it's supposed to with no problems I've encountered, other than what one would expect with age and constant use. I'll probably get another one just like it, but hopefully not for a few years yet.

This is the best printer I've ever owned. I purchased an HP printer recently and got multiple errors on instal, but it was a spur of the moment purchase. Print quality was also subpar. After the frustration of trying to get the HP to work, I did my research (and returned the HP) and found the Epson Workforce 545 and I'm so glad I did. It looks great, print quality is outstanding and setup/installation was a breeze! A must buy if you need a good quality printer. I've not used the fax function yet but it prints, copies and scans flawlessly and effortlessly. Setting up wifi from the printer itself was quick an easy and had no problem printing from my iPad 2.

Easy to set up for me...This is a second Epson printer for me. Wasn't sure if I could hook up two on the network but it worked. No USB cable was supplied.

The printer looks great and has that professional look. It's not one of those small cheap-looking printers, and I feel it's looks are an asset to any small office. Paper and everything is enclosed so dust stays out of the inside, which is always a plus for me.

Another thing I love is the control panel tilts up at an angle, so you don't have to bend down to press the keys...To me this is something you would expect on a more expensive printer, and in saying that I think Epson has once again returned to making quality products. I highly recommend this printer for all of your printing needs. I am extremely happy with it! Many functions on this printer to make your printing easier.

This printer would have received 5 stars had the installation CD and the instructions on how to install had two things: 1) the drivers needed for Windows 7 users and 2) directions not to use the enclosed CD if you have windows 7. The item is perfect right out of the box, ink is easy to install and the tilt control panel has all the bells and whistles. 3 modes for installation - wireless, usb or ethernet. During installation we were able to print - but I noticed that the scanning icon/ability did not 'install' due to drivers. A quick stop at Epson's support page gave us the answer: Windows 7 drivers have to be downloaded from the website. [the only warning not to use the CD was on the support page] Quick and painless, I went through their questions and had the drivers. Installation at this point does not happen automatically, rather I had to go back in and manually get it going - but it was a breeze after that! VERY happy with the product overall and now own 2!!

I work in an office and haven't had a working home printer for years. This one fits the bill. I am no techie, but I was able to get everything working without resorting to the help manual or online forums (having a LED screen with menus on the printer itself rather than looking at a computer screen was a confidence booster).

It has a multi-page scanner. What makes it cool is that the scanner is under the hood until you pull it open during use. With a flush top, it is that much easier to keep from getting dusty.

The letter tray is a big step up from the vertical feed slot of an old school home printer. True wifi means that the printer isn't tethered to my router with a USB. Being able to print directly from a memory card means that if I have my camera but no laptop I can still make prints without running off to the drugstore photo counter.

I find the print quality is on par with what you would get printing stuff out on an office machine. Speed is acceptable if you are printing out directions, recipes, short articles, correspondences and forms.

All in all, it is a pretty good bang for the buck and you could do a lot worse.

The Epson WorkForce 545 Color Inkjet Wireless All-In-One Printer and Copier with Fax is a great printer in a very affordable package. It has all the bells and whistles you could possibly want in a printer where it prints, copies, faxes and scans in one convenient configuration. Plus it is wireless so you can configure it in your home or office network. The WorkForce series in the Epson line of printers are primarily geared for business but works great for home use too, as in my case. Note that the WorkForce 545 is much bigger and bulkier than conventional home printers. Since this was meant for business, the configuration was made to accomodate the demanding needs of the workplace.

Out of the box, the printer is attractive and easy to handle. It can be held by its side to be placed on your desired location. Although big, it is not so much heavy. The WorkForce 545 comes with everything (but not the USB cable) to get you started: 4 different colored high capacity ink cartridges, the instruction manual, CD-ROM drivers/software, phone cord (for faxing) and the power cable. This printer is also ENERGY STAR qualified, meaning it is an electrical equipment that meets energy efficiency standards set by the federal government.

Setting it up poses no problem. I already have a wireless network at home so this is my default connection. Initial set up though requires you to connect the printer to your pc via USB to "configure" the printer so that your network will recognize the printer. It is smooth sailing from then on.

The quality and speed of prints you get from the WorkForce 545 is simply amazing. At the indicated speeds of 15 ppm for black and 7 ppm for colored, this is one fast printer that will certainly meet your demanding business needs. I tried printing several pages of a PDF file and it was done in less than 3 minutes. It has a 2.5-inch colored LCD screen telling you the status of printing. It also serves as a monitor when you are trying to print pictures from your memory card. It handles a variety of flash media that are widely used today by different electronic brands and equipment. You are pretty much covered whether it is SDHC, xD, compact flash or memory stick. With adapters, can even handle a micro-SD.

This is a great overall printer that is more than capable of meeting your expectations without spending a hefty sum. Very highly recommeded!