Epson WorkForce WF-3540: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Epson WorkForce WF-3540 right for you?

The WF-3540 added a second 250-sheet cassette and a 3.5-inch touchscreen to the WF-3520, making it the two-tray office inkjet of choice in 2012-2014. The two trays let offices keep letterhead and plain paper loaded together. Survivors show the same waste pad and dried-black symptoms as the WF-3520, and the lower cassette pickup roller is a frequent jam source after years of use.

Best for: Offices that needed two paper trays in an inkjet

Setting up the Epson WorkForce WF-3540

Use Ethernet and install the archived driver from epson.com/support. Assign paper types to each cassette on the touchscreen so the driver can pick the right tray. Clean both cassette rollers with a damp cloth if feeding becomes unreliable.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the ink cartridges, and load paper in the tray.
2. Join your Wi-Fi. Keep the printer close to the router for setup. Most printers only connect to the 2.4GHz band, so if your router broadcasts one merged network name you may need to split the bands temporarily. See our Wi-Fi guide if it will not join.
3. Install the setup app. Use Epson's official app rather than a driver you found on a search result — third-party driver sites are the most common source of printer malware.
4. Add the printer. On Windows 11: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Add device. On macOS: System Settings › Printers & Scanners › Add Printer.
5. Print a test page and run a scan if this is an all-in-one, so you find any problem now rather than when you are in a hurry.

Ink, toner and supplies

The Epson WorkForce WF-3540 uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• Epson 126 / 127 (US)
• Epson 27 / 27XL (UK/EU)

High-yield (XL) versions almost always cost less per page if you print regularly. On third-party ink and toner, read our honest assessment first, and note that some manufacturers push firmware that rejects non-original chips.

Full specifications