- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is a versatile all-in-one inkjet printer. It has outstanding connectivity options, and it's compatible with the Epson Smart Center app that lets you print, scan, and perform maintenance tasks directly from your mobile device. It has impressive scanner features, including a flatbed and an automatic document feeder, but unfortunately, it doesn't perform duplex scanning. The page yield for black documents is poor, so you'll likely need to replace the ink cartridge often, but they aren't too expensive which helps to keep its cost-per-print quite low. Also, high-capacity cartridges are available for purchase if you want to replace them less often.
Our Verdict
The Epson WF-3820 is a very good family printer. Its black and color printing costs are affordable, and it has great scanner features if you want to digitize family photos. Unfortunately, its photo printing quality is only decent, since photos come out quite grainy.
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Very low cost-per-print.
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Lots of connectivity options.
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Decent photo printing quality and color accuracy.
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Disappointing black page yield.
The Epson WF-3820 is a decent printer for a home or small office. It has an efficient design that makes accessing paper jams and ink cartridges easy, and it prints black-only documents very quickly. Although its cost-per-print for black documents is great, its black page yield is poor, which isn't ideal for frequent and large print jobs.
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Very low cost-per-print.
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Good color page yield.
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Lots of connectivity options.
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No duplex scanning.
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Disappointing black page yield.
The Epson WF-3820 is a great printer for students. Although the first page takes some time to come out, the rest of your document should be in your hand pretty quickly. It has outstanding connectivity options and great scanner features. However, the black page yield is quite low, so might need to replace the black cartridge frequently if you print large documents often, but at least the cost-per-print is low.
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Very low cost-per-print.
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Good color page yield.
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Lots of connectivity options.
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No duplex scanning.
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Disappointing black page yield.
The Epson WF-3820 is a good printer for black and white printing. It has a great cost-per-print for black-only documents, and black-only text documents come out quite fast. Unfortunately, the black page yield is poor, but high-capacity cartridges are available for purchase, and these should last longer.
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Lots of connectivity options.
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Quick printing speed for black-only documents.
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Very low cost-per-print for black-only documents.
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No duplex scanning.
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Disappointing black page yield.
The Epson WF-3820 is a good printer for casual photos. Its photo printing cost is quite low, so you won't be paying much per print. The photo printing quality and color accuracy are decent, but pictures are a bit grainy and have some banding in dark areas. The printer accepts most photo paper sizes, but it doesn't print in 2x3.
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Very low cost-per-print.
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Decent photo printing quality and color accuracy.
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Can't print 2" x 3" photos.
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Disappointing black page yield.
- 7.6 Family
- 6.8 Small/Home Office
- 8.1 Student
- 7.4 Black & White
- 7.2 Photo
- Updated May 27, 2022: This model can print custom sizes. This lets you print on A5 paper, even if that size isn't in the presets, so we changed the A5 result in Printing Size from 'No' to 'Yes'.
- Updated Feb 23, 2022: Reshot and updated the 'In Use Picture'.
- Updated Feb 18, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Oct 30, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Oct 26, 2020: Early access published.
Test Results
The Epson WF-3820 is well-designed. It's made of sturdy, durable-feeling plastic, and the scan lid and paper trays feel solid. The scan lid stays fully open on its own, although its hinges can't be raised enough to fit a textbook under the closed lid. The output tray can be lifted to see how much paper is left in the input tray without disturbing the print job. Paper jams can be reached by removing a cover at the back, and ink cartridges are easily accessed by lifting the flatbed scanner. Also, the right rear corner houses a removable maintenance box that stores ink flushed during the print head cleaning. Once the maintenance box is full, it needs to be replaced.
Unfortunately, there's only one input tray, and you can't have both regular paper and photo paper loaded at once. If you want to use a different type of paper, you need to manually unload and reload the tray with the right type of paper each time. Also, the printer needs to be on to replace the ink cartridges.
Update 02/23/2022: The In Use photo was reshot because the initial one didn't have the input tray fully extended.
The Epson WorkForce WF-3820 is fairly compact. Since it's a bit tall, you'll need some clearance above it to properly open the scanner lid. Otherwise, it should fit well in most spaces.
The Epson WF-3820 has a good LCD screen. Although it has good visibility whether you're sitting or standing, you can tilt the display panel vertically to help you see the screen better. It has a crisp background with touch-sensitive buttons around the display border. The touch screen is easy to navigate, and if you're confused about how to do something, how-to diagrams are available by pressing the Help button.
The Epson WF-3820 's inkjet cartridge system is only okay. The black page yield is pretty low, so you'll have to replace the black cartridge often. On the other hand, the color page yield is good and should last you longer. There are three different color cartridges, so you can change the empty ones without needing to replace them all at once. When the black ink runs out, it must be replaced to continue printing as you can't print with color cartridges only. On the upside, there are high-capacity versions that should last longer, although we didn't test these. We couldn't find any third-party ink available.
If you're looking for a similarly priced color inkjet printer with superior page yields, check out the Brother MFC-J4335DW.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 has great scanner features. The flatbed scanner has a good maximum scan resolution and color depth. It has a sheetfed scanner with an automatic document feeder (ADF) for scanning multiple pages at a time. The scan lid can stay open on its own, although its hinges can't be lifted high enough to fit a thick document or textbook under the closed lid. Unfortunately, there's no duplex scanning, so you'll have to manually flip over every page if you're scanning a two-sided document.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 can print on most common paper formats. Along with the preset sizes, you can also set a custom size for paper between 3.5" to 47.2" in length. This also lets you print on A5-sized paper if you set the measurements manually. Unfortunately, the input tray can only hold one format of paper at a time, which is bothersome if you switch between regular paper and photo paper often.
- User manual
- Installation CD
- Power cable
- Epson T822 starter cartridges
- 1x T822-I Black
- 1x T822-I Cyan
- 1x T822-I Magenta
- 1x T822-I Yellow
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 has a great cost-per-print. While you have to buy three cartridges to replace all colors, this means that you use every drop of ink that you pay for, and you aren't throwing away half-full cartridges just because one color runs out.
The printing speed of the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is very good. Although the first page takes some time to come out, the subsequent pages get faster after that, especially for black-only documents. Photos print out decently quickly. If you'd like a printer with a higher input tray capacity, check out the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7840.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 has decent photo printing quality. Pictures look a little grainy, and banding is noticeable in dark areas. Black areas aren't very deep, but colors look distinct from each other. The scanned images provided above are for reference only, and they look a bit worse than the actual physical photos due to the scanning and uploading process. The score is based on the actual physical photos.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 has decent color accuracy. It struggles most with blues, greens, and blacks, but all other colors look pretty good.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 has exceptional connectivity options. You can set it up with your home's Wi-Fi router either wirelessly or via Ethernet, or you can connect straight to the printer via Wi-Fi Direct. Although it doesn't support Bluetooth, mobile printing is still easy with Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print. You can also print directly off a USB flash drive.
The Epson Smart Panel app lets you print, scan, and copy directly from your mobile device. It also lets you check ink levels, perform maintenance tasks like firmware updates, nozzle checks, printhead cleaning, and order new cartridges right from the app. You can print most file types on both Android and iOS, but some don't work on iOS. When printing a Microsoft Office document from the app, the document's format isn't converted properly, meaning the result is a mobile version of the print. Also, TXT files aren't supported by the iOS version of the app. That said, you can still print both file types using Apple AirPrint.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 doesn't have any variants. You can see our unit's label here.
Compared To Other Printers
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is a versatile inkjet printer. It has very good color accuracy and its photo quality should be decent enough for school assignments and reports. The scanner features are great, especially if you want to digitize old photos. However, its cartridge system isn't the best, and there are other printers with much higher page yields.
For other options, check out our recommendations for the best home printers, the best office printers, and the best inkjet printers.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4830 is a slightly better printer than the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820. The WF-4830 feels better built, and it has outstanding scanning features, and its automatic document feeder can automatically scan double-sided sheets. It also produces higher quality photos and has a much larger input capacity since it has two trays.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 and the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e are all-in-one color inkjet printers, but the HP performs better overall. The HP has much better page yields, a lower cost-per-print, faster color document, and photo printing speed, and its automatic document feeder supports dual-pass duplex scanning. It also comes with six free months of HP's Instant Ink subscription. On the other hand, the Epson prints black text documents faster.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is an overall better all-in-one color inkjet printer than the Epson WorkForce WF-2860. The 3820's page yields and cost-per-print are superior, and it prints faster, and it can also print directly from USB flash drives.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 and the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 are both color inkjets, but the ET-2800 uses a supertank ink system, while the WF-3820 uses a traditional cartridge system. The ET-2800 is better for photo printing and students, as it yields a far superior number of pages before the ink needs refilling. Additionally, it produces much better-detailed photos with deeper blacks. The WF-3820 is better for small or home business use as has an ADF that duplex scans, it has built-in fax, and it prints significantly faster. Also, it supports automatic duplex printing to make it easier to print double-sided documents, and it has an Ethernet port and can print directly from USB flash drives.
The Epson WorkForce WF-2830 and the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 are both all-in-one color inkjet printers with flatbed scanners, automatic document feeders, and faxing capabilities. They both produce photos of decent quality. However, the WF-3820 is a much better printer overall, with a superior page yield and cost-per-print, much faster printing speed, and much more accurate produced colors. It also has more connectivity options like an Ethernet port, and can print directly from USB flash drives.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is an overall better all-in-one color inkjet printer than the HP OfficeJet Pro 8025e. The Epson's black page yield and black-only document cost-per-print are better, and it prints documents faster. Also, it can print directly from USB flash drives, and its companion app is much better. On the other hand, the HP has a slightly better color page yield and color cost-per-print.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 and the Canon PIXMA TR8620 are all-in-one color inkjet printers that are good for families and students, but the Canon is better for photo printing. The Canon produces much better-looking photos with good detail and vibrant colors, and it has a higher color page yield and a lower photo cost-per-print. On the other hand, the Epson is better for small or home offices, with a better black page yield and black-only document cost-per-print, and it prints much faster.
The HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 and the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 are inkjet printers designed for home offices, but the Epson performs better overall. It can print more pages before its cartridges run out, saving you more money in the long term. Also, it prints much faster, even if you're just printing out one page. On the other hand, the HP's ADF can automatically scan double-sided sheets in two passes.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7840 is better than the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820. The WF-7840's cartridge system yields slightly more color pages and the cost-per-print is a bit lower. Also, it has three input trays, whereas the WF-3820 only has one. On the other hand, the WF-3820 is more compact and will fit better in tight spaces.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 and the Epson WorkForce WF-2850 are very similar printers, but the WF-3820 is better overall. It has a larger touchscreen display that's easier to navigate, scans much faster, and prints much faster. If you print many pages, the WF-2830 has a higher page yield, which gives it a lower cost per print even though its cartridges are more expensive.
The HP OfficeJet Pro 8025 and the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 are both all-in-one inkjet printers, but the Epson is a better printer overall. The Epson has better page yields at a lower cost-per-print, its ADF scans much faster, and it can print directly from external storage devices.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 and the Brother MFC-J4535DW are all-in-one inkjet printers. The Brother is a better choice for a home office, thanks to its much higher page yield and lower cost-per-print. It has an extra input tray, meaning it holds almost double the number of pages. On the other hand, the Epson prints slightly nicer photos since its colors don't look nearly as washed out.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3720 and the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 are both very good printers from Epson's WorkForce series, with similar performance and no significant feature differences. The 3820's black page yield and black-only cost-per-print are somewhat better. On the other hand, the 3720 has a slightly better color page yield and better-detailed photos, but it warms up much faster to print out the first page.
The HP OfficeJet Pro 9015 and the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 are all-in-one color inkjet printers, but the HP is a better printer overall. The HP has a much higher page yield and much lower cost-per-print, it prints color documents more quickly, and it makes much better-looking photos. Its automatic document feeder also supports duplex scanning. On the other hand, the Epson prints black text documents faster and produces much more accurate colors.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is overall a better family printer than the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3730. The WF-3820 has a higher black page yield and a lower cost-per-print. However, the WF-3730 has a quicker printing speed and its two input trays, whereas the WF-3820 has only one.
The Brother MFC-L2750DW is a better printer than the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820. This better-built printer has a much higher page yield, a lower cost-per-print, and it's faster at printing pages. However, the Brother is monochrome-only, so the Epson is better if you need to print pictures or documents containing color.
The Epson WorkForce ST-M1000 is a monochrome supertank printer, while the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is an all-in-one inkjet model. If you frequently print a large number of pages in black and white, the ST-M1000 is a better choice since it has a much higher black page yield at a significantly lower cost-per-print. Also, it takes less time to warm up to print out its first page. On the other hand, if you need to scan documents and print in color, the WF-3820 is a better choice. It has much better photo printing quality, a fax feature, and support for printing directly off a USB flash drive. Also, while its warm-up time is slower than the ET-M1000, its subsequent pages print out quicker.
The Epson WorkForce WF-7720 is a better printer than the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 for office purposes. The WF-7720 has duplex scanning, two paper trays, and it has better photo printing quality. On the other hand, the WF-3820 has a lower cost-per-print and its printing speed is significantly faster.
The Brother MFC-J805DW INKvestment Tank and the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 are both all-in-one color inkjet printers with flatbed scanners, automatic document feeders, and decent-quality produced photos. However, the Brother uses Brother's INKvestment Tank system for far superior page yields and cost-per-print. On the other hand, the Epson prints much faster, produces much more accurate colors, has an Ethernet port, and can print directly from USB flash drives.
The HP OfficeJet Pro 9025 is a better printer than the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 thanks to its significantly higher page yield and lower cost-per-print. The HP can scan double-sided sheets with its ADF, and it has two input trays, so it holds more paper.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 and the Canon PIXMA TR4520 are both all-in-one printers, but the Epson performs much better overall. It has a much lower cost-per-print, much higher page yield for both black and color documents, and a significantly faster print speed. It has a responsive touch screen and great connectivity options including Wi-Fi Direct printing. Conversely, the Canon produces higher-quality photos.
The Canon PIXMA TR8520 is a better printer overall than the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820. The Canon's photo printing quality and color accuracy are significantly better. Its color page yield is higher, and the cost-per-print is lower. On the other hand, the Epson has a quicker printing speed, and the input tray can hold double the amount the Canon can.