Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7820 Cost Per Page: Rivals Match It, a Tank Doesn't
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7820 is an inkjet all-in-one that prints, copies, scans and faxes, with auto-duplexing, Wi-Fi and a touchscreen. It sells for $330. Its black cost per page is $3.95 per 100 pages — set by the EP-812XXL-BK cartridge, an $87 unit good for 2,200 pages — against $14.04 per 100 pages for color.
Within Epson's WorkForce Pro line, the $200 WF-3820 keeps the same four functions and touchscreen but runs pricier, at $4.36 black and $14.45 color per 100 pages, on a machine that tops out at 21 ppm. The $280 WF-7310 sheds copy, scan, fax and the touchscreen down to print-only, at a rate tying the WF-7820 for 4th of 31 inkjet printers on black cost per page and, again, for 3rd of 31 on color.
Outside Epson, the Canon MAXIFY MB2720 holds the color running-cost floor among inkjet printers at $13.16 per 100 pages, below the WF-7820's $14.04. Black cost per page is essentially even between the two, $3.95 against the Canon's $4.17 per 100 pages. The Canon sells for $216, matches the WF-7820's functions, duplex, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and touchscreen, and prints at 24 ppm.
HP's OfficeJet Pro 9125e and 9135e both cost $3.80 per 100 black pages, essentially even with the WF-7820's own rate, and $15.25 in color, pricier than its color rate. The 9125e costs $310, near the Epson's sticker; the 9135e costs $430.
The tank-based Canon PIXMA G3270 runs far cheaper — $0.38 in black, $0.97 in color, per 100 pages — refilled from ink bottles rather than cartridges. It sells for $249, less than the WF-7820's price, but drops fax, auto-duplex, the touchscreen and Ethernet, leaving only Wi-Fi; its 11 ppm top speed trails the Epson's 25 ppm by a wide margin.