Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Feb 2nd, 2014 - In the fall of 2012, my ole Canon printer stopped working, and I was pretty bummed to have to go researching printers online as so many of the manufacturers promise the moon but deliver only ink eating turkeys. So, I headed here to Amazon and started searching. Out of all the lower cost printers, one Brother monochrome laser jet and the Epson 845 Workforce stood out, when only Amazon Verified Purchase reviews were counted. I need the ability to print in color from time to time plus scanning so the 845 spiked my interest. Checking the Epson website, I discovered the WF 3540 which is the 845 rebuilt for 2012/2013. So with much trepidation, I ordered it from Amazon. Below is how I would rate it in several general aspects: Appearance - With its rounded edges and black facade, it sure looks nice, was my first general impression. Would fit right in with any upscale office setting or custom made home. The touchscreen is also large, bright and easy to read (and dims when not in use). As printers go, this would be a 9 or 10 out of 10. Instruction Manuals - When you open the WF 3540 box, you will see a Quick Guide booklet and an Immediate Start pamphlet. This will get you up copying, printing and basic scanning in less than 15 minutes. However, both mention that if you go online to Epson's site, you can download the full 333 page User's Manual. That manual in turn, is very detailed and answers most of the problems that I see many of the one star reviews for this printer encountered. Can't recommend it enough before trying to call for phone support. 10 out of 10 for the manuals. General Functionality - For myself, I run Windows 7 64 bit from two computers and Debian/Mint/Ubuntu on the other three. I ditched the included CDs, downloaded the latest drivers from the official Epson website and then set it up in Windows 7 first where it printed fine, copied fine, faxed fine and scanned fine. (did not test the fax until much later but it worked perfectly) (As for Mac operating systems, I only tested with iOS 6 on our iPad (it worked just fine) and did not test with Snow Leopard or Mountain Lion, as I only use that code at work) To my surprise it even worked well with all three Linux variants despite Epson stating on their website that it may not work. I did have to use a bit of terminal in Debian to get past a scanning problem, but overall, count me happy. The print speed is very close to its ISO rating of 15 pages per minute for black and white and about 9.3 for color. The automatic document feeder worked fine for me as well as the rear paper loading slot for photo paper. This printer also has two paper trays and will hold about 500 sheets if you fill it up. Which is very nice since you don't need to fool with reloading that often. So, for functionality, 10 out of 10. Wireless Functionality - Worked fine with my Windows 7 64 bit systems. To my even greater surprise it also worked with my Linux computers, even my laptop that runs Mint. Also got it to work fine from my Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone and my wife's iPad. All three mobile print options (Epson Connect, Google Cloud and Air Print) worked just fine for me. For me personally, I found the wireless setup to be extremely easy, a 10 out of 10, but for someone who is not a tech enthusiast, perhaps a 7 out of 10. (I will say, the number one problem many have with the 3540 is getting wireless set up. Reading install directions and setting up drivers is paramount, especially if you want wireless printing to work. With Windows 7, you must head to control panel -> network and sharing center -> change advanced sharing settings, and then make sure that network discovery, file sharing and printer sharing are turned on, and that your home network (and ideally, homegroup) are set up correctly. If not, your wireless laptop is not going to see the Epson WF 3540 (whether it is stand alone or connected to your desktop by USB cable). There is also a correct install order to the print drivers and if you install the Epson Connect after the main lump driver package, it will over write the previous registry values in the kernel and you will have to redo the Wi-Fi setup wizard on the printer touchscreen. Likewise, Linux and Mac operating systems have their own preferred setups for wireless, and you have to be a bit careful or you wont see the WF 3540 in your network.) Software - The software packages that I tried, including WebPrint, Epson Connect, Event Manager and Download Manager all worked as promised. (from Windows 7). Unfortunately, these software programs are not available for Linux users, but I knew this from reading the product details online. Got to say, aside from the few Linux lapses, I was fairly surprised by this point. The iPrint software did work fine from my Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone. Over the 2012 Thanksgiving holiday, I tested Google Cloud Print, and it works just fine. You can also sync the software to Google Drive (online cloud storage). One positive and negative about the WF 3540 is the amount of software. The good news is that each program actually does a needed function and is coded correctly, and works in Windows 7 64 bit. The bad news is that the total software suite is very large (almost 750 MB installed) and you are left with about twelve entries under My Programs. You can choose which ones to install thankfully and several (like Epson WebPrint, Epson Connect, the Fax stuff and the online stuff) are not really essential if your main mission is just printing, copying and scanning. 9 out of 10 for me personally. Ink Usage - This Epson 3540 has four ink tanks for standard pigment based ink (not dye based), and the ability to install extra high capacity tanks as well (these are the T127 versions in comparison to the smaller T126 tanks). I have a bit over one year of use on this 3540 and have about 70% left on my first black tank replacement, while all three color tanks are at about 15%. If you purchase official Epson ink in the regular (T126) cartridge size, it costs $61 here on Amazon to refill all four colors or $73 if using the larger T127 tanks. In comparison to other major manufacturers, those prices are slightly higher than average. However, if you check InkToneram here at Amazon, you can find replacement ink that would normally cost $273 for official Epson ink for $18 (and that passes ISO standards). I ordered some myself and tested it to find it works just fine. That is simply too massive a savings to pass up. On May 20th of 2013, Epson released firmware file FWD395TL (version # 13.45 CJ15D4) which some printer gurus on the internet say is designed to prevent third party after market ink cartridges from working. I did update to this firmware and retried my InkToneram cartridges to find they are still compatible, but thought I would mention it here for consideration. In early August, I learned that Epson appears to be working behind the scenes to automatically update printer firmware (this is the default driver configuration when connected to the internet) and shut out 3rd party ink retailers (which are much cheaper than official Epson ink). If this is actually true, then my high marks for this printer will be adjusted downward. You can prevent this by reinstalling the main drivers and choosing 'Do not automatically update the firmware'. You can also deny your printer internet access from network properties. Also, with my prior Canon printers, thanks to their firmware coding, all tanks were used even for greyscale printing, resulting in frequent expensive ink purchases and loud tirades. With this Epson 3540, when you check the tab under printer properties for greyscale printing, the Epson WF 3540 does indeed print only from the black tank (or, if it is using the color tanks, it is doing so at an incredibly slow rate). Thank you Epson for not shafting me on the greyscale printing. About 4 out of 10 if you buy the official Epson ink and 10 out of 10 if you buy quality unofficial ink. Print Quality - I also find the print and photo reproduction quality to be just fine, but I am not a photography specialist. The few photos I have printed out on photo paper seem to me to be crisp, bright and with excellent definition. If you are really in to high quality photo printing you may want a seven ink tank printer. This is the category I feel the least able to give good judgement on. For the average Joe, 9 out of 10. For a photography specialist, perhaps 6 or 7 out of 10. Durability - It has been fifteen months so far and no erratic behavior, so that bodes well. Most cheaper printers work well for the first few months and then start failing, so I will try to update this review about once a month. I can say that this printer, despite the WorkForce name is not intended for office type use. If your environment requires printing more than 300 to 500 pages a month (roughly speaking), I would begin looking at either heavier duty or commercial printers. Since this printer has worked correctly in all of its functions for one year, I have upgraded this review to five stars. However, if it turns out to be true that Epson is trying to update firmware versions behind the scenes to block out third party ink suppliers, I will downgrade this review accordingly. Overall Impression - For the $159 I paid, this is so far (fingers crossed) turning out to be the most positive experience I have had with a home printer, .... ever. The Epson 3540 is like the Swiss Army Knife of printers. Since my printer has made it more than a full year without any loss of function and because it still supports my third party Inktoneram cartridges, I feel it deserves the fifth star. I hope it continues to work this well for many more years. (Readers may want to check the comments section to learn more about the Amazon Vine Program, which is very different from Amazon Verified Purchase, and was used by Amazon to help generate many of the early reviews for this Epson 3540 model.)