The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4630 is a multifunctional all-in-one inkjet printer(opens in new tab) that offers exceptional value and generates affordable color and black-and-white prints.
Epson claims that their PrecisionCore inkjet technology, which costs less than comparable laser-based competitors, actually delivers better prints.
Design
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4630 isn’t gigantic, weighing 31.3 pounds (14.20kg), measuring 18.1 inches wide by 25.8 inches deep, and 15.1 inches tall (46.0 x 65.5 x 38.4cm), but it’s big enough that you’d want to set it up on a dedicated printer stand or table for usage in a shared workgroup. But, as a personal printer, its bulky, functional form eats up valuable work space and could seem overpowering on smaller desks.
The WF-4630, like many Epson printers, has a simple style that fits very well in professional settings. It features a matte black plastic body and glossy black accents. The touchscreen display of the 3.5-inch WF-5630 will be used for the majority of your interactions with it. Luckily, the touchscreen has simple menus and is straightforward to operate.
Hardware buttons for the fax dial pad and rapid copy buttons for color or black-and-white copies are also located on the user control panel at the top of the device.
The WorkForce Pro WF-4630 quickly feels like an office tool in comparison to the touchscreen-driven interface of the rival HP OfficeJet Pro X series because to the inclusion of physical buttons on the Epson.
Although the WF-4630 lacks an SD card slot, it has a handy USB connector on the front for straight USB printing and storing scanned data to a flash drive. Moreover, printing and scanning via Wi-Fi from a PC, Mac, or smartphone running Android or iOS is supported by the printer.
A 35-sheet automated document feeder, which can be used for duplex scanning and copying and saves you time by eliminating the need to manually scan either side of a page, is located at the top of the printer. Two-sided, multi-page originals can be printed, copied, and faxed using this function. The automated document feeder may be be raised to show a flatbed scanner for additional human control.
The WF-4630 features one 250-sheet document tray on the bottom and an 80-sheet rear, top-feed tray on the back. The printer can hold 330 pages at its full capacity if you fill both trays to capacity.
With my arrangement, letter-sized paper is in the document tray, and the back feed is utilized for specialized, one-time print tasks, such as envelopes, labels, or special picture jobs that call for more expensive photo paper.
Customers who want two document trays might consider the WF-4640, a printer with two document trays and a rear feeder for a maximum paper capacity of 580 sheets. It is based on the WF-4630.
8.5 x 14-inch sheets are the largest paper size that the WF-4630 document tray can accommodate. The printer can handle prints on 8.5 x 47.2-inch paper when using the back feed.
Epson’s PrecisionCore boosts print speed and quality by increasing the density of the print nozzles, much as HP’s PageWide print technology competition. 600 nozzles per inch, or around 800 nozzles per chip, make up the PrecisionCore print chip of the WF-4630.
The size of each printed ink dot is likewise reduced by PrecisionCore, and the printhead is also made wider by Epson. According to Epson, this enables the print head to give improved ink flow management, increased dot density for higher print quality, and quicker print times.
Users open the printer’s front hatch to install the four distinct ink cartridges for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink into its left side. Standard-sized cartridges are included with the WF-4630.
The first setup procedure seemed to be rather straightforward to me. The WF-4630’s touchscreen display provides real-time information on the printer’s location.
I needed roughly 20 minutes to start the WorkForce Pro WF-4630 in total. The printer uses the majority of such time to calibrate the printhead. You won’t need to intervene much until the calibration is finished, and I noticed that the WF-4630 made a variety of noises as it was calibrating.
In less than 10 minutes, I was able to start printing and scanning wirelessly after finishing the calibration. I did this by downloading the necessary software and drivers to both my Mac and my PC from Epson’s website. On both a Mac and a PC, the program installation process was comparable.
Although the complete setup is time-consuming, you only need to do it once. The WF-4630 will provide you access to its IP address once connected to a router or modem, and you can even transmit files wirelessly to the printer even if your device isn’t connected to the same home network.
This Remote Print function will be useful for corporate leaders since it allows for on-the-go information study and printing.
I used to peruse emails and papers over lunchtime, making mental notes about things I needed print later, only to forget when I got back to my desk. With the help of the IP-connected Remote Print feature, this is no longer necessary because I can now examine and print business papers while I’m out and about and have them waiting for me when I get back to the office.
Printing pictures
With the WF-4630, print speeds for photos are less outstanding, which is not surprising considering that Epson designed the printer for business tasks. I discovered that the WF-4630 can print a 4 x 6 in as little as 30 seconds.
For minor tasks as well as for domestic and casual use, photo quality will be enough. Photographers who are meticulous and those who want prints larger than 8.5 x 11 inches should probably use a picture or studio printer.
Prints from the WF-4630 have a maximum resolution of 4,800 x 1,200 dpi. Photo experts might not be able to get the great dynamic range for color prints they need at this resolution.
The Canon Pixma MG7520 ($130, £85, AU$165), which has a dpi of 9,600 x 2,400, and the consumer-grade Epson XP-420 ($79, £52, AU$100), which has a dpi of 5,760 x 1,440, are both higher resolution printers available today. The WF-4630’s dpi output will be more than enough for small workplaces, and those users will probably prefer the versatility of a multifunction network printer than an extraordinarily high dpi.
If you’re thrilled with the final picture quality, you’ll be relieved to learn that Epson’s DURABrite Ultra pigment inks are classified as smudge, fade, and water resistant for your prints. According to claims, the prints can last up to 118 years before fading.
Scanning and copying
The WF-4630 offers a lot of versatility in terms of where you save and save scanned photos. I was able to select where I wanted my scans to be saved using the touchscreen controller. I could save them on a USB drive hooked into the front USB port, on my Mac or PC that is connected to my Wi-Fi network, on an iPhone or Android smartphone, or in the cloud using Epson Connect.
It is simple to wirelessly scan to a device connected to the same Wi-Fi network. You should choose the Document Capture Pro option on the touchscreen before selecting one of the network’s PCs to send your files to.
Another option is to insert a flash drive and scan to a memory device.
Also, using the software you obtained from Epson’s website and the WF-4630 as a personal printer, you may start a scan from a nearby laptop or PC. With this technique, you may either use USB to connect your printer to your computer or the same Wi-Fi network.
Epson Connect scanning is an additional choice. Epson Connect handles scans, with choices for emails to preset email addresses or uploads to cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, or Evernote. This is similar to how Remote Print lets people outside of their Wi-Fi network to send print jobs to the printer.
When an executive needs papers scanned while they are away from the office, they may instruct their team, colleagues, or assistant to utilize Epson Connect to scan, upload, or email the documents straight from the printer without a PC. Compared to needing to email the files to a PC and then upload them from a computer, this saves time and involves fewer steps.
Epson Connect is comparable to HP’s ePrint service and Canon’s Maxify Cloud Connection. With its Maxify range of business multifunction printers, Canon now provides connection with the same cloud storage services as Epson Connect does.
You must download the software to your PC or Mac in order to utilize Epson Connect. Your computer and printer must initially be connected to the same Wi-Fi network once they have been installed. To control the printer, you’ll also need to enter your email address and make a password. The entire procedure seemed simple to me.
When the program is installed, you may add email addresses and cloud service accounts by connecting into the online portal on a browser. Once you’ve done that, you may scan documents to the cloud by selecting these accounts from a list of options on the printer.
I used Google Drive and Gmail to test Epson Connect’s remote scanning capabilities. I had no issues using either technique; the scanned digital files were sent as an email attachment to my Gmail inbox or automatically transferred from the printer to my Google Drive storage.
The hardware resolution of the scanner is 2,100 x 2,400 dpi, giving it a resolution of 2400 dpi. The scanner can create files with a 24-bit color depth and a 48-bit color depth.
The pace for copying is around 19 pages per minute. I averaged 17 to 18 pages per minute for single-sided copies during my tests. I was able to select several copy choices using the touchscreen, such as single-sided or double-sided inputs and outputs, and copies eliminated the appearance of punched holes and shadows. Also, I have the ability to preview copies, change the size, and select an option that optimizes ID card copies.
On or off the Wi-Fi network in your business, the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4630 produces reasonably priced and dependable color and black-and-white prints. Epson’s boast that it offers value “beyond laser” is supported by print prices as low as 1.6 cents for black-and-white prints and 8.6 cents for color prints when using XL print cartridges.
We favored
The WorkForce Pro WF-4630 produces high-quality prints at reasonable prices very quickly. This multifunction printer offers excellent office print task management and print quality that rivals color laser printers.
In addition to the front-loading 250-sheet tray, the automated document feeder can handle double-sided scans and copies, and a specialized rear paper bin adds convenience.
When you’re not connected to the business Wi-Fi network, Epson Connect is a helpful feature for remote printing and scanning, and the touchscreen provides simple menus and control. The WF-3630 contains hardware buttons to easily generate color and black-and-white copies without having to go into the touchscreen menus, despite the fact that the inclusion of a physical dial pad for the fax machine makes the device appear outdated in comparison to HP’s all-touch controls.
