- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Compared to others
- Discussions
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is an ordinary inkjet printer. Its black page yield is terrible, and while it has independent color cartridges, they don't last very long. Fortunately, the cartridges aren't too expensive, so the overall cost-per-print isn't too high, but this printer does end up costing more in the long run. It also doesn't have a sheetfed scanner, so you can't scan multiple documents at a time. That said, the flatbed scanner has high enough resolution and color depth to meet most needs and it can print wirelessly from most devices.
Our Verdict
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is an ordinary family printer. It does a good job printing photos and has a flatbed scanner with high enough resolution and color depth to scan and copy all kinds of documents. However, its color accuracy is quite bad and the cost of ink tends to add up quickly since the cartridges don't last long.
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Decent connectivity options.
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Decent photo printing quality.
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Outstanding mobile app.
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Terrible black page yield.
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Bad color accuracy.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is a bad printer for home or small offices. Its regular black page yield is terrible, so you will need to change the cartridges often. It also prints very slowly, so even if you get the high-yield cartridges, it's still a poor choice for document printing. It lacks an automatic document feeder, so you can only scan one document at a time.
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Slow print speed.
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Terrible black page yield.
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No automatic document feeder.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is a mediocre student printer. While it has a decent amount of connectivity options for mobile printing, it's not the most affordable printer to use if you print a lot. It's not bad if you only print a slideshow presentation every now and then. However, it'll end up costing you more in the long run if you regularly print more lengthy reports.
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Decent connectivity options.
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Outstanding mobile app.
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Slow print speed.
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Terrible black page yield.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is inadequate for black and white printing. While the black cartridge doesn't cost too much to replace, its page yield is terrible, so you'll likely have to change it quite often. Black and white documents also take quite a long time to print.
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Slow print speed.
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Terrible black page yield.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is an okay printer for printing photos. Although its color accuracy is poor, it prints decent quality photos. It can print on glossy photo paper and supports most photo paper sizes. However, its color page yield is low, so it can get pretty expensive if you print a lot.
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Decent photo printing quality.
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Bad color accuracy.
- 6.5 Family
- 3.8 Small/Home Office
- 6.7 Student
- 5.3 Black & White
- 6.6 Casual Photo
- Update 6/8/2020: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.1.
Test Results
The Epson XP-4100 has a passable design. The body is made of plastic that feels nice, but the output tray and extender are quite flimsy. The rear paper input also doesn't keep dust from accumulating on your paper. While the scanner lid can stay open on its own, the hinges don't extend to let you scan thicker documents on the flatbed. The printer also needs to be turned on to access the ink cartridges. On the upside, the power cable is replaceable.
The Epson XP-4100 is a compact multipurpose printer that's quite lightweight. This makes it suitable for use in a dorm room or small home office.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 has an okay display. You use the buttons around the screen to navigate within the menu and the home button provides a quick exit back to the main display. The buttons are pretty flush on the panel but aren't touch-sensitive, so they need to be pressed. The screen is responsive and easy-to-read when you're looking straight at it. The display panel can swivel up and down for better visibility at different vertical angles; however, it's harder to see clearly when viewing from the sides.
- User manual
- Epson 212 starter cartridges
- 1x 212-I Black
- 1x 212-I Cyan
- 1x 212-I Magenta
- 1x 212-I Yellow
- Installation CD
- Power cable
The Epson XP-4100 has a poor inkjet cartridge system. It has multiple color cartridges, which is good since you don't have to replace colors you don't use as often. However, the page yield is quite bad, and the printer will stop printing entirely if even just one color cartridge runs out. The black page yield is especially terrible, so you'll likely need to change the black cartridge fairly often. On the upside, there are high-yield cartridges available that last longer.
This printer will accept third-party cartridges, but they could void its warranty.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 has mediocre scanner features. Since it doesn't have a sheetfed scanner, you can only scan one side of a single document at a time. On the upside, the scan resolution and color depth are more than high enough for most uses.
If you need a sheetfed scanner to process multi-page documents quickly, check out the Brother MFC-J895DW.
The Epson XP-4100's cost-per-print is alright. The cartridges don't last very long, but they're also not too expensive, which helps keep the cost-per-print fairly reasonable. That said, the more you print, the more you'll end up spending in total.
Keep in mind that even if you print only in black, most inkjet printers continue using their color cartridges for servicing tasks, so they'll likely need replacing at some point as well.
If you need a printer with a lower cost-per-print, check out the Canon PIXMA TS8220.
This printer's printing speed is passable. While the first page of a black and white document doesn't take too long, it can still take a few minutes to print a longer document since the following pages don't come out much faster. The color printing speed is especially bad, and you can expect to wait well over a minute for a single 4" x 6" photo. The input tray is also quite small, holding only 100 sheets of paper.
The Epson XP-4100 has bad color accuracy. While it's unlikely to be a problem if you just print documents off the web from time-to-time for personal use, it keeps professional documents like business reports from looking their best. If color accuracy is important to you, check out the HP ENVY 5014.
The Epson XP-4100 has decent photo printing quality. The detail is good and little banding is present. However, colors have a flat, blue-ish tone and the black contrast could be higher. The Epson Expression Premium XP-7100's photos are grainier, but have more vibrant colors.
This printer has a paper input in the back with an adjustable slider to accommodate different paper sizes.
The Epson XP-4100 has decent connectivity options. You can connect to it wirelessly either via Wi-Fi Direct or by setting it up with your home's wireless router. It doesn't support Bluetooth, but if you have an iPhone or an Android device with Mopria installed and are on the same Wi-Fi network, you can still print from your mobile device.
If you want a printer that has Bluetooth support, check out the Canon PIXMA TS5320.
The Epson iPrint app is quite good. It allows you to print most file types and scan directly to your phone. You can also check the printer's ink levels, initiate routine maintenance tasks like print-head cleaning, and order more ink from your mobile device, which is quite convenient.
Compared to other printers
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is an okay home printer, but compared to a similarly-priced printer, such as the Canon PIXMA TR7520, it falls short. The XP-4100 has a lower page yield, it lacks an automatic document feeder, and it has slower printing speed. For other options, check out our recommendations for the best all-in-one printers, the best home printers, and the best printers under $100.
The Canon PIXMA TS8220 is a significantly better printer than the Epson Expression Home XP-4100. The Canon has a better display screen, its cartridge system can yield a lot more pages, and it has much better color accuracy. Additionally, the Canon prints faster overall, it has wider connectivity options, and it prints much better-looking photos.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is better for most uses than the HP DeskJet Plus 4155. The Epson is better-built, it has a much better display screen, and its page yield is higher. However, the HP has a sheetfed scanner and it has significantly better color accuracy.
The Brother MFC-J995DW is significantly better than the Epson Expression Home XP-4100. The Brother has a better display screen, more scanning features, and it can yield a lot more black and color pages, making it more cost-effective in the long run. The Brother prints faster, it prints higher quality photos, and it has more connectivity options.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is better for most uses than the HP ENVY 5014. The Expression uses a four-cartridge ink system that has a much higher page yield, allowing you to print more pages before changing cartridges. It's also better built and the Epson iPrint app allows you to print more types of files. However, the HP is better for printing photos because it has much better color accuracy.
The Epson Expression ET-2750 is much better than the Epson Expression Home XP-4100. The ET-2750 is an EcoTank printer with refillable ink tanks that can yield significantly more black and color pages, making it extremely cost-effective. Also, the ET-2750 prints slightly faster and it has more connectivity options.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 and the Brother HL-L2390DW are very different printers. The Epson is a color inkjet printer while the Brother is a monochrome laser printer. The Brother has a significantly higher black page yield and is a lot more cost-effective for high-volume printing. It also prints faster, but the Epson prints much higher quality photos.
Epson Expression Home XP-4100 Price
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