Epson created the affordable all-in-one inkjet printer Expression Home XP-4200 for domestic usage. It is intended to replace the Epson Expression Home XP-4100. It uses separate Epson 232 and high-yield 232 XL cartridges (note that the 232 XL cartridges are only available for black ink) but otherwise has the same features as its predecessor.
The printer’s flatbed scanner lacks fax and automated feeding features. It has USB and Wi-Fi connections, is compatible with Epson’s Smart Panel mobile software, and supports Mopria Print Service and Apple AirPrint. There is a Walmart and Target-only version of this printer, known as the Epson Expression Home XP-4205, that is mechanically similar.
Domestic use
For family use, the Epson XP-4200/XP-4205 is a good printer. It prints documents of excellent quality, and even if the ink cartridges it uses run out quickly, maintaining it doesn’t cost much because they are inexpensive. Although the colours aren’t extremely precise, it can generate very fine details and a wide spectrum of colours for photo printing.
Sadly, it prints really slowly, which could be problematic if you share the printer with others. Although it doesn’t have an automatic feeder to handle multi-page documents, the scanner can catch fine details.
Office use
For use in an office, the Epson XP-4200/XP-4205 is a mediocre printer. It prints at a very slow pace—eight black or four colour pages per minute—and takes a long time to initialize and print a single page, despite producing high-quality papers.
Because the input tray can only handle 100 sheets of paper and the ink cartridges run out quickly, it also requires a lot of maintenance. The scanner is incredibly precise and sharp, but it doesn’t have an automatic feeder, thus scanning multiple pages of documents can take a long time.
For students
For students, the Epson XP-4200/XP-4205 is a decent option because it prints documents with a sharp appearance, is easy to connect and use from a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, and supports both Mopria Print Service and Apple AirPrint.
The only drawback is that it prints documents very slowly, so it’s not the best option if you need to print a lengthy essay at the last minute. Fortunately, even though the ink cartridges run out quickly, the printer doesn’t cost a lot to maintain because the cartridges are inexpensive.
Black and white printing
When printing papers in black and white, the Epson XP-4200/XP-4205 performs mediocrely. Although it produces excellent black-and-white print quality, its slow printing speed and high maintenance needs are caused by the fact that its ink cartridges quickly run out and the paper tray can only accommodate 100 sheets of paper. You will have to manually scan everything because, regrettably, it just has a flatbed scanner and neither an automatic feeder nor duplex scanning.
Photo printing
While printing photos, the Epson XP-4200/XP-4205 works fairly well. It prints finely detailed images and allows for borderless printing on a large range of paper sizes. Even with the rather low colour accuracy, printed images still appear rather realistic, thus printing family photos on occasion is appropriate. The primary drawback is that its ink cartridges run out very quickly, requiring constant maintenance. Thankfully, they’re cheap, so maintenance expenditures are very low.