As the idea of the workplace becomes increasingly fluid, we look towards portability and efficient design in our tools of productivity. While everything becomes smaller, lighter and thinner, printers and scanners seem to be left behind in the trend. Epson, a known leader in office machines, aims to remedy that with printers like the L4150.
Design 4.5/5
Like it says on the tin, the Epson L4150 is more compact than most office printer-scanners in the market today. With the overall size being approximately two shoe boxes, give or take, the L4150 can fit pretty much on any office desk or even on top of file cabinets if your office is really trying to save on space. The integrated tank design and the back-to-front paper feed make sure that the printer takes even less space, plus the size and lightness are perfect for lugging around for fieldwork or any similar necessity.
Out of the box, there is no additional assembly required—just take out the tape, fill up the tank with ink (spill-free, by the way), plug it in and you’re pretty much good to go.
Hardware 4/5
Given the ultra-portable design, one has to give a little leeway when it comes to the hardware included. Having said that, Epson’s L4150 has pretty much everything one would require from a standard printer and scanner. It’s got high-resolution printing with up to 5760 dpi output, high-speed printing of up to 33 pages per minute for drafts, a clear flatbed scanner with 1200 x 2400 dpi optical resolution, and it has wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi, Mopria, Google Cloud Print, and Epson’s proprietary mobile printing solutions.
However, with a smaller-sized printer, users would only be allowed to print on up to about
letter size paper in terms of width (8.5 inches),
and the same goes for scanning. This could be a deal-breaker for professionals who would need larger-sized copies.
User Experience 4/5
What I love about Epson’s printers is how easy they are to setup and install the necessary drivers and software. As long as you have a decent internet connection, you could get the latest Epson printer software, update all the drivers and start printing in maybe 30 minutes after unpacking and plugging in. Or, one could opt for the plug and play option which isn’t recommended, but is totally doable. The manual is easy to understand, and has vivid illustrations for cavemen like myself.
For such a small printer, I was surprised by the quality of prints that it produced. But then again why should I be surprised when Epson’s ink has rarely disappointed. Images and text come out vivid, with well-defined lines even on lower gsm draft-quality paper.
Yes, features are quite limited compared to other models, but if your priority is portability, then this printer will not disappoint.
Value: 3.5/5
At PHP 10,795, the L4150’s price is a bit steep considering the lack of extra features and the limited paper size. But, like its name-brand brethren, the L4150 has quality written all over it.
Bottomline:
The L4150 is a solid printer that will not stick out like a sore thumb in the modern workspace. But with the size difference comes a few functional limitations.
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE February 2018 Issue.
Reviewed by Robby Vaflor