- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100, also sold as the Epson XP-4105, is a passable inkjet printer. While it has a few decent features, like wireless connectivity options and photo printing quality, it falls short in other important aspects. Among other things, it yields a very low number of black and color pages and has mediocre printing speed. It also has unremarkable scanning features and bad color accuracy. On the plus side, the cartridges aren't too expensive, so the overall cost-per-print stays reasonable. It also has outstanding mobile app support, allowing you to easily print many different types of files.
Our Verdict
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is an okay family printer. It does a good job printing photos, and it 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 adds up quickly since the cartridges don't last long.
-
Decent connectivity options.
-
Decent photo printing quality.
-
Outstanding mobile app.
-
Terrible black page yield.
-
Bad color accuracy.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is a bad printer for small offices. Its black page yield is terrible, so you need to change the cartridges quite often. It also has a very slow printing speed, so it remains a poor choice even if you end up getting the high-yield cartridges. Additionally, it lacks an automatic document feeder, meaning you can only scan one document at a time.
-
Compact and lightweight.
-
Slow print speed.
-
Terrible black page yield.
-
No automatic document feeder.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is alright for students. This printer is quite compact and lightweight, making it suitable for a dorm room, and it has a decent amount of connectivity options. That said, it has a few important downsides. For one thing, you may have to replace the ink cartridges quite often because it has a very low page yield. Also, it prints very slowly and has mediocre scanner features.
-
Decent connectivity options.
-
Outstanding mobile app.
-
Compact and lightweight.
-
Slow print speed.
-
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.
-
Reasonable cost-per-print.
-
Slow print speed.
-
Terrible black page yield.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is only okay for printing photos. Even though it has decent photo printing quality, its color accuracy is quite bad. It also takes well over a minute to print just one 4" x 6" photo, and the cost-per-print is higher than many other options we've tested. On the plus side, it allows you to print on glossy photo paper and supports most photo paper sizes.
-
Decent photo printing quality.
-
Bad color accuracy.
- 6.5 Family
- 3.8 Small/Home Office
- 6.7 Student
- 5.3 Black & White
- 6.6 Casual Photo
- Updated Mar 08, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Dec 04, 2020: Replaced mobile app and changed Text File support to 'Yes'.
- Updated Jun 08, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.1.
Test Results
This printer 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.
This printer has an adequate display screen. The buttons around the screen are used 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 viewing 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. Its page yield is quite bad, and the printer stops printing entirely if 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, it has multiple color cartridges, meaning you don't have to replace colors you don't use as often, and there are high-yield cartridges available.
This printer accepts third-party cartridges, but using them may void the warranty.
This printer 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 should be high enough for most uses. If you prefer 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. Also, 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 want a printer with a lower cost-per-print, check out the Canon PIXMA TS8220.
The printing speed is passable. While the first page of a black-only document doesn't take too long, it can still take a few minutes to print longer documents since the following pages don't come out much faster. The color printing speed is even worse, 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 from time-to-time for personal use, it keeps professional documents like business reports from looking their best. If color accuracy is important for you, check out the HP ENVY 5014 instead.
The Epson XP-4100 has decent photo printing quality. Details are good, and there isn't too much banding. However, colors have a flat, blue-ish tone, and the black contrast could be better. 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. You can also print directly from your mobile device through AirPrint or Mopria. Unfortunately, it doesn't support Bluetooth. If that's something you need, check out the Canon PIXMA TS5320 instead.
When we tried to connect the Epson EX-4100 to the Epson iPrint app, our device prompted us to use the Epson Smart Panel app instead. This app is outstanding. It allows you to print many file types and scan documents 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, which is quite convenient. Take note that while it doesn't print .txt files natively, it automatically converts them to a PDF to print.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Epson Expression Home XP-4100, which is also sold as the Epson Expression Home XP-4105 at certain retailers. There aren't any variants of this printer that we know of.
Compared To Other Printers
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is an okay home printer, but it falls short when compared to similarly-priced printers, such as the Canon PIXMA TR7520. The XP-4100 has a lower page yield, it lacks an automatic document feeder, and it has a 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 TS3520 and the Epson Expression Home XP-4100 are both all-in-one color inkjet printers. The Canon is significantly better for printing photos, while the Epson is better for students and families. The Canon has a better color document and photo cost-per-print, and it prints photos faster, with better quality and more accurate colors. On the other hand, the Epson has a much better page yield and cost-per-print for black text documents, and it prints documents much faster.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 and the Brother HL-L2390DW are very different printers. The Brother is a laser printer that only prints in black and white. It's faster, yields significantly more black pages, and is a lot more cost-effective for high-volume printing. On the other hand, the Epson is more versatile and prints higher quality photos, considering that the Brother doesn't print in color.
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. That said, the HP has a sheetfed scanner and significantly better color accuracy.
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, has more connectivity options, and prints much better-looking photos.
The Epson Expression ET-2750 performs 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 has more connectivity options. That said, the XP-4100 is slightly smaller and lighter, which some people may prefer.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 and the HP OfficeJet 250 are two all-in-one printers that perform similarly overall. Both have unremarkable designs with passable scanners. However, the Epson comes with an outstanding mobile app that allows you to print more types of files. On the other hand, the HP has much better color accuracy and allows you to print photos directly from a memory card.
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. It's also faster, prints higher quality photos, and has more connectivity options.
The Canon PIXMA TR7020 performs slightly better for most uses than the Epson Expression Home XP-4100. The Canon has a sheetfed scanner, better color accuracy, much better photo printing quality, and supports Bluetooth. On the other hand, the Epson prints faster, yields more pages, and has a better display screen.
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 higher page yield, allowing you to print more pages before changing cartridges. It's also better built, and the Epson Smart Panel app allows you to print more types of files. However, the HP is better for printing photos because it has much better color accuracy.