How to find an apprenticeship?

We provide an official service to search through available apprenticeships. To get started, create an account here, specify the desired region, and your preferences. You will be able to search through all officially registered open apprenticeships.

You can contact the apprenticeship office through our official phone hotline above, or with the web-form below. We generally respond to written requests within 7-10 days.

I have taken up a new interest in baking and keep running across directions in ounces and pounds. I have to translate between them and was wondering how many ounces are in a pound?

1 pound (lb) is equal to 16 ounces (oz).

Are you looking for ounces or fluid ounces? If you are looking for fluid ounces there are 15.34 fluid ounces in a pound of water.

I can't remember exactly, but I think 18 ounces in a lb. You might want to double check that.

Epson WorkForce Pro EC-4040 — A Complete 1,500-Word Review: Features, Specs, Performance & Business Use

The Epson WorkForce Pro EC-4040 is a multifunction color inkjet printer tailored for small to medium-sized businesses that want fast performance, versatile paper handling, and professional-quality prints without the high operational costs of laser printers. Positioned as part of Epson’s WorkForce Pro family, the EC-4040 blends Epson’s PrecisionCore® technology, high-yield cartridges, robust connectivity, and efficient duplexing to deliver an all-in-one solution that balances productivity and cost-effectiveness.

In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at the EC-4040’s design, specifications, performance, software ecosystem, and real-world suitability for business environments.

Design and Build

At first glance, the Epson WorkForce Pro EC-4040 has a clean, business-ready aesthetic with a sturdy, practical design. Its compact size makes it suitable for both desks and small office corners, yet it doesn’t compromise on capacity.

Key physical design aspects include:

Dimensions: ~13 × 16.7 × 19.8 inches (H × W × D)
Weight: ~37 pounds
Control Panel: A 4.3-inch color touchscreen that provides easy navigation for printing, scanning, copying, and faxing tasks.
Dual Paper Trays: Two 250-sheet front-loading paper trays (totaling 500 sheets), plus a rear feed slot for specialty media such as card stock or envelopes.
Automatic Document Feeder (ADF): 50-sheet ADF that supports single-pass duplex scanning and copying.

The build quality feels solid, aimed at businesses that expect consistent use. Its design prioritizes both productivity and durability.

Core Specifications

Here are the essential technical specifications that define the EC-4040:

Print Technology: Epson PrecisionCore 4S printhead (advanced piezoelectric inkjet system).
Print Speed: Up to 24 ISO pages per minute (ppm) in black and 22 ISO ppm in color (ISO/IEC 24734 standard).
First Page Out: Around 6 seconds.
Print Resolution: Up to 4,800 × 1,200 optimized dpi.
Duplex Printing: Automatic two-sided printing, scanning, copying, and faxing.
Paper Capacity:
- 2 × 250-sheet input trays
- 80-sheet output tray
- Rear feed for specialty media
ADF Capacity: 50 sheets, supporting duplex scanning.
Monthly Duty Cycle: Up to 30,000 pages per month; recommended monthly volume: 1,500 pages.
Connectivity:
- USB 2.0
- Ethernet
- Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) and Wi-Fi Direct
- NFC (tap-to-print from mobile devices)
Mobile Printing: Epson Connect (Email Print, Remote Print Driver, iPrint App), Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Mopria Print Service.
Cartridges/Yield: Uses Epson 802 standard or 802XL high-capacity cartridges.
- Black (802XL): ~2,600 pages
- Color (802XL): ~1,900 pages each (cyan, magenta, yellow).

These specifications highlight its balance between speed, high-quality output, and heavy-duty office usage.

Print Quality

The EC-4040 delivers laser-like text quality with Epson’s PrecisionCore technology. Text is sharp and professional, even at small font sizes, making it well-suited for contracts, reports, and official correspondence.

For graphics and images, the EC-4040 produces vivid colors with consistent gradients, making it an excellent option for businesses that print presentations, flyers, and marketing material in-house.

On photo paper, it produces rich colors and decent detail, though as a business-focused device it’s not optimized for fine-art photography.

Speed and Productivity

Speed is one of the printer’s standout features. With ISO speeds of 24 ppm black and 22 ppm color, it rivals or even outpaces many entry-level color laser printers. Duplex printing is also efficient, allowing businesses to save paper without significantly slowing print jobs.

The first-page-out time of about 6 seconds ensures quick turnarounds for short jobs, which is crucial in fast-paced office environments.

Combined with the dual paper trays and a 50-sheet ADF, the EC-4040 is designed to minimize user intervention and maximize uptime.

Scanning, Copying, and Faxing

Being an all-in-one device, the EC-4040 supports scanning, copying, and faxing:

Scanning:
- Single-pass duplex scanning
- Optical resolution: up to 1200 × 2400 dpi
- File types: JPEG, PDF, TIFF
- Scan-to-email, network folder, cloud services
Copying:
- Up to 99 copies at a time
- Copy speed: ~16 ipm black, ~11 ipm color
- Scaling options from 25%–400%
Faxing:
- 33.6 Kbps modem
- Up to 550 pages memory
- 200 speed dials

For businesses, the ability to scan to cloud (Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, OneDrive) and email directly from the device streamlines document management.

Ink Economy and Running Costs

Ink costs are always a major factor for business printers. The EC-4040 uses Epson’s 802 and 802XL cartridges, with XL cartridges offering much better cost-per-page.

Cost-per-page (CPP):
- Black: ~2.6 cents per page
- Color: ~8.2 cents per page

While not as low as EcoTank refillable systems, these figures are still competitive compared to many color laser printers. Businesses that don’t need extremely high-volume printing but want quality and convenience will find the EC-4040’s cost balance attractive.

Connectivity and Software Ecosystem

Connectivity is robust, covering almost every modern workflow need:

Ethernet and Wi-Fi for office networks
Wi-Fi Direct for peer-to-peer printing without a router
NFC (Near Field Communication) for tap-to-print convenience
Mobile Printing: Works seamlessly with Epson Connect, Apple AirPrint, Mopria, and Google Cloud Print

The printer integrates with Epson’s software suite:

Epson iPrint App: Mobile printing and scanning.
Epson Scan 2: Advanced scan settings and file management.
Remote Print Driver: Print from anywhere via the cloud.
Epson Email Print: Assigns the printer its own email address for easy document delivery.

This makes the EC-4040 well-suited to modern hybrid offices where documents may originate from desktops, laptops, tablets, or smartphones.

Security and Management Features

For business deployment, the EC-4040 includes features to help IT admins manage and secure print operations:

Admin Control Panel Access (with password protection)
Role-based access for networked environments
Firmware updates for ongoing security patches
SNMP support for fleet monitoring
Print usage logs for tracking employee print volumes

While it doesn’t have enterprise-grade security like some high-end laser devices, it covers the basics needed in small to mid-sized offices.

Reliability and Duty Cycle

The 30,000-page maximum monthly duty cycle signals durability, though Epson recommends around 1,500 pages per month for best performance and longevity. For businesses with steady print volumes in that range, the EC-4040 can run reliably with minimal downtime.

Maintenance is also simple: just replace ink cartridges when low, clear occasional jams, and update firmware. Epson’s PrecisionCore printhead is designed to last the lifetime of the printer, reducing service needs.

Business Use Cases

The EC-4040 is tailored for small and medium-sized business environments. Some examples include:

Accounting/Finance Firms: Printing invoices, contracts, tax documents with sharp text.
Legal Offices: Quick printing of legal briefs, duplex contracts, and secure scanning to cloud storage.
Marketing Departments: Producing vibrant flyers, presentations, and in-house color proofs.
Education: Schools and training centers needing affordable color printing and scan-to-email features.
Remote/Hybrid Offices: Staff can print directly via email or Epson Connect.

Its mix of print quality, speed, and connectivity makes it a strong replacement for entry-level color lasers or older inkjets.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Fast ISO print speeds (24 ppm black / 22 ppm color)
Excellent text quality and vivid color graphics
Duplex printing, scanning, copying, and faxing
Large paper capacity (500 sheets + specialty rear feed)
4.3-inch color touchscreen for easy control
Strong mobile printing and cloud integration
Lower energy consumption compared to lasers

Cons:

Not as cheap per page as Epson EcoTank series
Heavier and bulkier than some SOHO printers
Color accuracy is good but not professional-photo grade
Recommended volume is mid-range; heavy-duty offices may outgrow it

Final Verdict

The Epson WorkForce Pro EC-4040 strikes a balance between speed, quality, and cost-efficiency that makes it highly attractive for small to mid-sized businesses. It offers many of the benefits of a laser-class printer—fast text output, large paper capacity, duplexing, and durability—while keeping ink costs reasonable with high-yield cartridges.

Its versatility (AIO with scanning, copying, faxing), broad connectivity (Ethernet, Wi-Fi, NFC, mobile print), and easy-to-use touchscreen interface make it an excellent office workhorse.

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For businesses looking for an affordable yet capable alternative to laser printers, the EC-4040 is a smart choice that blends Epson’s inkjet innovation with office-ready productivity.