- Top Pick: Epson EcoTank ET-2800 Wireless Color All-in-One Supertank Printer – Black | Cartridge-free print, scan, copy; up to 10 ppm, borderless photo printing; ideal for home and everyday use
- Best Value: Epson EcoTank ET-2900 Wireless All-in-One Color Supertank Printer with up to 3 Years of Ink, Refillable Tanks, Perfect for Home, 11 PPM, 1.44" Color Screen, Built-in Scanner – White
- Premium Choice: Epson EcoTank ET-4800 Wireless Color All-in-One Supertank Printer | Cartridge-free print, scan, copy, fax; up to 10 ppm, ADF, Ethernet; ideal for home and small offices
For most people the best Epson is an EcoTank refillable printer: the ET-2850 for a budget household, the ET-4850 for a home office that needs a document feeder and fax, and the ET-8550 for photo prints up to 13 by 19 inches. Epson’s cartridge-based Expression and Workforce lines exist too, but the EcoTank range is where reviewers focus when they talk about low running cost.
- How Epson’s home printers are organized
- At a glance: Epson printers compared
- Best Epson printers for home use
- Best Epson photo printers
- Epson inkjet printers: tanks versus cartridges
- What running cost looks like
- Setup and compatibility
- Pick X if you…
- Which Epson to choose: a short framework
- Space and everyday habits
- Alternatives
- Frequently Asked Questions
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How Epson’s home printers are organized
EcoTank printers have built-in ink tanks that you fill from bottles, replacing cartridges. Epson says one bottle set equals about 80 individual cartridges and that models like the ET-2850 ship with ink for up to two years of typical use. The range runs from basic three-in-ones to Photo models with extra ink colors. Most current models support Apple AirPrint and the Mopria Print Service, and the Epson Smart Panel app handles setup, scanning and status on phones and tablets. A third-party buyer’s guide says the ET-2850 works with iPhone, Android and Chromebook out of the box, but that is not an Epson statement, so Epson’s support page is the place to confirm ChromeOS support.
At a glance: Epson printers compared
| Model | Type | Best for | Stated specs | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoTank ET-2850 | Tank, 3-in-1 | Budget home printing | Epson lists 7,500 black and 6,000 color pages; 10.5 ppm black, 5 ppm color; 4800 x 1200 dpi; automatic duplex | No feeder, no front tray, no Ethernet |
| EcoTank ET-4850 | Tank, 4-in-1 | Home office | Duplex, 30-sheet feeder, fax, 250-sheet tray (TechRadar) | Bigger and costlier than the ET-2850 |
| EcoTank Photo ET-8550 | Six-color tank, wide format | Photographers and crafters | Borderless up to 13 x 19 inches, 552-series bottles, high page yield (RTINGS) | No document feeder, high upfront cost |
Best Epson printers for home use
ET-2850: the budget pick
TechRadar calls the ET-2800, sold as the ET-2850 in some regions, a budget all-in-one with an unbeatable cost per page, and notes it has no front input tray or Ethernet port. The ET-2850 adds automatic duplex and a slightly higher black yield over the ET-2800. In the box you get one 127 mL black bottle and three 70 mL color bottles of the 502 series. Epson rates the set at 7,500 black pages and 6,000 color pages under ISO test conditions, and says it covers about two years at roughly 150 pages a month. A third-party review site estimates running cost at around 0.3 cents per black page and 1.2 cents per color page. Black uses pigment ink while the color inks are dye-based, according to a third-party source, which means documents stay crisp while colors are bright.
The downsides are practical. Speed is modest at 10.5 pages per minute black and 5 color, the display is small, and scanning is flatbed only, so copying a ten-page form is a manual job. For a household that prints a few dozen pages a week, none of that matters much.
ET-4850: the all-round home and home-office model
TechRadar’s reviewer names the ET-4850 their favorite home printer and the Epson they would suggest to most people. It steps up with automatic two-sided printing, a 30-sheet document feeder, fax and a 250-sheet paper tray, and its PrecisionCore print head has more nozzles per color than the ET-2850’s, which the reviewer links to better print quality. Monochrome and color documents were excellent in that review, while photos on photo paper were described as a little disappointing. That review is a few years old, so Epson’s current model page is the place to look for any refresh.
Best Epson photo printers
The EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is the model photographers look to. RTINGS says it stands out for photo quality and exceptionally high page yield, prints borderless up to 13 by 19 inches, and uses refillable 552-series bottles. TechRadar describes the upfront cost as rather high but the running cost as refreshingly low. It has no document feeder, so scanning is one sheet at a time on the flatbed. If you print photos occasionally and mostly documents, the ET-4850 plus a few lab prints may be more sensible than a wide-format machine.
Epson inkjet printers: tanks versus cartridges
If you search for Epson inkjets you will see both tank and cartridge models. Cartridge printers cost less to buy but more to run, and cartridges can dry or clog if you print rarely. Tank printers cost more at purchase and are generally forgiving of long idle gaps, although all inkjets benefit from occasional use. Regardless of type, follow Epson’s manual for refilling: bottles are keyed to prevent filling the wrong color, but you should fill on a level surface and cap bottles after use.
What running cost looks like
Tank printers lead on cost per page, and Epson makes the point that one bottle set replaces dozens of cartridges. Third-party figures cited above put the ET-2850 at fractions of a cent per page, and retailers list replacement bottles at modest amounts relative to cartridge multipacks. The trade-off is upfront cost, which is higher than for a cartridge printer. As a rule of thumb, if you print under about 50 pages a month, the savings take years to pay back the difference; if you print hundreds, the tank model wins quickly.
Setup and compatibility
- Install the Epson Smart Panel app and follow the on-screen Wi-Fi setup, then fill the tanks as the manual directs.
- AirPrint covers iPhone, iPad and Mac, and the Mopria Print Service covers Android.
- Windows and Mac drivers are available from Epson, and driverless printing can work on Linux through IPP.
- The ET-2850 has no Ethernet port, so it relies on Wi-Fi or USB; check this if your office wires its printers.
- Ink bottle series matter: the ET-2850 uses the 502 series, while the ET-8550 uses the 552 series.
Pick X if you…
| If you… | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Print at home on a tight budget | ET-2850 | Low cost per page, duplex, ink in the box |
| Need a feeder and fax | ET-4850 | 30-sheet feeder, 250-sheet tray |
| Print large photos | ET-8550 | 13 x 19 inch borderless, six colors |
| Print very rarely | A mono laser instead | No ink to dry out |
Which Epson to choose: a short framework
Start with what you scan and copy. If the answer is almost never, the ET-2850 covers the basics at the lowest outlay. If you handle forms, receipts or school paperwork in stacks, the ET-4850 feeder saves real time. If photos or craft prints matter, the ET-8550 is a different class of machine, with six colors and wide paper, and it is physically large, so measure your desk or shelf. Then think about connection: the ET-2850 has no Ethernet, so a shared office may prefer a model with a wired port. Finally consider the ink type. Pigment black is generally associated with sharper, more water-resistant text, while dye colors give vivid results on photo paper, which is why documents and photos are both reasonable uses of a mixed-ink tank printer.
A word on maintenance: all inkjets, tanks included, run cleaning cycles that use some ink, and leaving a printer off for months can lead to nozzle problems. Printing a color test page every few weeks, and following the maker’s manual for head cleaning, is the standard advice in review roundups.
Space and everyday habits
Because the tanks are built into the body, EcoTank printers are bulkier than cartridge models, and the ET-8550 in particular needs a generous shelf. Keep the bottles upright and capped, fill slowly, and wipe any drips right away as the manual advises. Place the printer within good Wi-Fi range, since weak signal is a common source of dropped print jobs. If you share the printer across several devices, giving it a reserved address in the router makes it easier for computers to find it again after a restart.
Alternatives
- Canon MegaTank G3270 or G620: tank rivals, the G620 aimed at photos.
- HP Smart Tank 7001: TechRadar’s best overall tank pick.
- Brother INKvestment MFC-T780DW: ranked first by Tom’s Guide, with a 20-sheet feeder.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the ET-2850 and the ET-4850?
The ET-4850 adds a 30-sheet feeder, fax, a bigger paper tray and a print head with more nozzles. The ET-2850 is cheaper and simpler, with duplex but no feeder.
How long does the ink in the box last?
Epson says the ET-2850 includes ink for up to two years based on about 150 pages a month. Heavier use will use it faster.
Are Epson EcoTank printers good for photos?
The ET-8550 is the photo model, with six colors and borderless output up to 13 by 19 inches. The ET-4850 handles everyday photos but a reviewer found photo paper output a little disappointing.
Do Epson printers work with iPhone and Android?
Yes, models like the ET-2850 are listed with AirPrint and Mopria, plus the Epson Smart Panel app. Chromebook users should confirm support for their exact model on Epson’s support site.
Can I use third-party ink in an EcoTank?
Epson recommends its own bottles and its manual describes the warranty terms. Other inks can change print quality and may affect warranty coverage, so read the manual first.
Is an EcoTank worth it if I print rarely?
The savings come from volume. For very light use, a mono laser or a cheap cartridge printer can be the lower total cost, though tanks tend to handle idle periods better than cartridges.
