Epson WorkForce 845 Pro Reviews

We can't help it—we liked everything about the WorkForce 845. The print quality, across the board, was excellent. The feature set was complete. It copied and scanned our test documents on par with every AIO we've tested, including some that cost significantly more. We would have really liked to give this model our Editors' Choice nod, but one big caveat hung us up: We can't get past the high operational cost. The WorkForce 845 is, after all, designed to be a high-volume AIO printer. Too many competing models perform about as well, but don't clean out your wallet when you buy replacement cartridges. Unfortunately, even competitors that cost $50 to $100 more are, over the long haul, better bargains. As we said about last year's WorkForce 840, the high CPP renders this otherwise great little workhorse just a bit too expensive to operate for a budget-conscious business. But if you can find it discounted a bit, and won't need to rely on it for heavy daily output, this printer can still be an excellent buy.

The Epson WorkForce 845 is a great choice for users who are looking for a reliable inkjet with a big touch panel, and speedy black and white printing and scanning. It's also incredibly energy efficient, meaning it won't cost you much to use it over time. Another upside is that the standard ink cartridges last a while for an inkjet, so you won't be buying new toner for a while. In our tests, we printed 501 quality pages before having to replace the first ink cartridge. While the WorkForce 845 has many features that make it a great inkjet, it does have two downsides. Firstly, its color photo printing isn't the best in today's market when compared to other inkjets in its class. Contrast is lacking, and so the color in the photos will appear a little washed out. Secondly, Epson did away with including the photo printing software; unless the software is downloaded, users can't edit photos before printing (or create calendars/flyers/albums, etc).

The Epson WorkForce 845's annoyances pale in comparison with its strengths: speed, capacity, high-quality output, and affordability. It's a bargain for a small-office MFP. Just make sure to deal with the wireless push-scanning issue at setup time so that you can confirm early on whether the unit will work in your environment. If you'd prefer an alternative, another model worth considering in this price range is the Canon Pixma MX882, which has comparable features but is somewhat more compact.

The Epson WorkForce WF-845 provides a solid set of all-in-one functions and superior paper capacity for a small-office MFP, at a good price.

Though slightly more expensive than competing inkjet workhorses, we recommend the Epson WorkForce 845 for its refined design and Epson's Connect cloud-printing portfolio.