The HP LaserJet Enterprise M577dn and the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C5790 multifunction printers offer fast full color print along with other functions like copying, scanning, and faxing. They have a lot in common along with a couple of minor differences — and a hefty price difference. What makes the HP LaserJet Enterprise M577dn cost so much more than the Epson WF-C5790, and is it worth it?

HP LaserJet M577dn @ $1299.99 USD

The HP LaserJet Enterprise M577dn is a laser-based color multifunction printer that uses four individual color toner cartridges (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) with an ISO page yield of up to about 9,500 pages. Because it is laser based, the HP LaserJet Enterprise M577dn must warm up before it begins printing. The warmup time results in a first page out time as fast as 5.5 seconds for black and 6.8 seconds for color.

The HP LaserJet Enterprise M577dn prints, scans, copies, and faxes. It offers auto duplex printing and scanning, mobile and cloud printing, advanced security features, and support for multiple print languages, and a wide range of advanced security features. The HP LaserJet Enterprise M577dn has a print resolution of up to 3,600 dpi.

An 8-inch color touchscreen puts the printers controls at your fingertips while a 100-sheet auto document feeder makes scanning or copying multi-page documents a simple matter. With a print speed of up to 40 ISO pages per minute, the HP LaserJet Enterprise M577dn is quite fast. This printer is ideal for printing between 2,000 and 7,500 pages per month.

Epson WF-C5790 @  $299.99 USD

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C5790 is an inkjet-based color multifunction printer available with either Replaceable Ink Pack System (RIPS) ink packs or as a “supertank” printer. Both options help make color printing affordable. Page yields on RIPS ink packs are as high as 10,000 pages. The Supertank version comes with two years of ink in the box. Both models use Epson DuraBrite Ultra pigment inks that dry instantly. The Epson WF-C5790 multifunction printer is recommended for printing up to 2,500 pages per month.

With four-in-one functionality, the Epson WF-C5790 prints, scans, copies, and faxes. Epson Connect tools take it even further with support for remote and mobile printing and seamless integration with enterprise applications. The Epson WF-C5790 supports PCL and PostScript and has numerous security features. It also has an intuitive 4.3-inch color display touchscreen.

Because the Epson WF-C5790 is based on Epson PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology, it doesn’t need to warm up like the HP LaserJet Enterprise M577dn does before printing.Thus, it has a fast first page out and low energy costs. Its ISO print speed goes up to 24 pages per minute for both black and color documents.

The lack of warmup time makes a big difference when comparing the print speed differences between the Epson WF-C5790 and the HP LaserJet Enterprise M577dn. While the LaserJet is still warming up, the Epson is already printing. This gives it a big head start. In fact, when printing a typical 4-page document, the print speed differences between the two printers is negligible as you’ll see in the video below: