Updated 27/07/2018
Should you buy an Epson EcoTank printer?
If you’ve seen the Epson EcoTank range, then you’ll know about the new type of inkjet printer that doesn’t use regular ink cartridges but bottles of ink that are squeezed into a compartment on the printer.
In this post, I’m going to look at some common questions and help you to make your own decision on the question, is the Epson EcoTank worth it?
Here’s what I’ll go over:
- What is Epson EcoTank / why developed?
- Is it messy?
- Watch out for / test prints…Craft Test Dummies
- Range of products
- Overall cost comparison to other brands of printer
- Caution – page coverage!
Looking for Ecotank ink?
Before we start if you are looking for Epson EcoTank ink and accidentally stumbled upon our page that looks at the different versions and direct comparisons of EcoTank printers, you can find ink by clicking the button below:
What is an Epson EcoTank?
The EcoTank range of inkjet printers, developed by Printer Manufacturer Epson, was first introduced in 2015 and offered users who were frustrated by buying new printers and needing to purchase expensive ink cartridges shortly after (sometimes even more expensive than the printer), a printer that holds its ink in refillable tanks rather than replaceable ink cartridges.
This means that there is less waste when you must throw empty cartridges away or struggle to recycle them, you can print for longer without the need to buy new ink and ink bottles can be sold at a much cheaper price than equivalent inkjet cartridges.
All good so far? Yes, in theory, this sounds fantastic and EcoTank printers have many positive features that benefit lots of users, but they aren’t without their cons which we’ll discuss later, and they don’t suit every need so we’ll try to help you identify whether it’s the right choice for you and your circumstances.
Why was it developed?
You might be wondering why the technology was developed, or more to the point, why was this not the standard for printers in the first place? And that’s a great question.
If you ask a salesperson or an Epson representative then I’m sure that the answer you’d get is that Epson wanted to help customers by removing the frustrations listed above and whilst that is largely true and a great way to disrupt the market for printers, there are a few other reasons too!
Printer manufacturers don’t make much if any money selling printers, they make money selling printer cartridges. That’s why printers are often cheap, but cartridges are often more expensive.
So, to combat that, customers frequently opt for compatible or remanufactured cartridges but this is not good for businesses like Epson or other manufacturers because if you aren’t buying their inks, they aren’t making any money. It’s something all printer manufacturers have tried to combat for years.
This is another big reason the EcoTank was developed. The printers start at high prices and come packaged with ‘up to 2 years of ink’ so that they make money on the initial sale.
Also, the technology is likely patented which means it will be difficult or maybe even impossible to get compatible inks for an EcoTank.
Is an Epson EcoTank messy?
Owning an EcoTank printer means that you will need to pour or squirt ink into the chambers found on the right-hand side of the machine and that can be potentially messy. Epson’s advice is to wear rubber gloves and place scrap paper under the tanks.
Make sure you wear gloves on both hands! Getting ink on your skin will prove difficult to clean. Saying this, it’s not complex to refill the tanks so if you are careful and take your time. You won’t spill anything!
Does Epson EcoTank ink dry out?
According to Epson, Ecotank ink is different from regular ink cartridges that carry 2-year expiration dates because the ink in a regular cartridge is soaked into a sponge which can dry out. Ecotank ink is squirted into a chamber where it remains until it is used. For it to dry out, it would have to evaporate, so it’s unlikely.
However, the print heads could still dry out or clog and dry. According to Epson, the print heads are specially coated to prevent drying and clogging but this would require you to keep the printer powered up regularly so that the maintenance / cleaning routine runs each time the printer is switched on. If you were to leave it switched off for extended periods of time, you would most likely run into issues.
Common Epson EcoTank Print Problems
A print test created on Youtube by Jenny Barnett Rohrs pointed out a common issue when printing photographs.
If you are intending to print photos on glossy paper (the best paper to use is Epson paper), then make sure that you select the correct paper type in the print window before you click print.
If you don’t do that, and you print photos but choose standard paper in the print prompt for example, then your printout will easily smudge and leave black ink all over your hands.
You can watch the full video from Craft Test Dummies here:
Epson EcoTank 2018 Product Comparison
Brand new Epson Ecotank machines became available for 2018, including specific photo printers capable of printing up to A3 and business inkjet EcoTank machines for those who want the benefit of cheaper ink costs but high usage. These are not intended for busy offices, but more for personal desktops or 2 – 4 users.
Take a look at the comparison of models below, and select different tabs for different types of printers:
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| Model | ET-2500 | ET-2600 | ET-2700 | ET-2750 |
| Black ink | 4000 | 4500 | 7500 | 7500 |
| Colour ink | 6500 | 7500 | 6000 | 6000 |
| RRP | £199.99 | £229.99 | £249.99 | £349.99 |
| Ink cost set | £31 | £33.96 | £32 | £33.96 |
| Ink cost each | £7.74 / £7.74 | £8.49 | £11 / £7 | £8.49 |
| Ink cartridges | SEE INK > | SEE INK > | SEE INK > | SEE INK > |
| Resolution | 5760 x 1440 | 5760 x 1440 | 5760 x 1440 | 5760 x 1440 |
| PPM Black | 9 | 10 | 33 | 15 |
| PPM colour | 4 | 5 | 15 | 10.5 |
| Duplex? | Manual | Manual | Manual | Auto |
| Tray size | 100 sheets | 100 Sheets | 100 Sheets | 100 sheets / 20 photo |
| Connection | WIFI / USB | WIFI / USB | WIFI / USB | WIFI / USB |
| Max paper size | A4 | A4 | A4 | A4 |
| Product code | C11CE92401 | C11CF46401 | C11CG24401 | C11CG22401 |
| Functions | Print / Scan / Copy | Print / Copy / Scan | Print / Copy / Scan | Print / Copy / Scan / Fax |
| Max monthly output | Approx. 270 pages | Approx. 270 pages | Approx. 310 pages | Approx. 390 pages |
| Compatibles? | N | N | N | N |
| Cost to run / year | £199.99 | £229.99 | £249.99 | £349.99 |
| Cost / page | 0.004p | 0.004p | 0.004p | 0.004p |
| In the box | Full ink set | Starter ink (lower capacity) | Starter ink (lower capacity) | Extra ink (higher capacity) |
| Included ink Black / Colour | 4000 / 6500 pages | 4000 / 6500 pages | 6500 / 5200 pages | 14000 / 5200 pages |
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| Model | ET-3600 | ET-4500 | ET-3750 | ET-4750 |
| Black ink | 6000 | 4500 | 7500 | 7500 |
| Colour ink | 6500 | 7500 | 6000 | 6000 |
| RRP | £399.99 | £349.99 | £449.99 | £479.99 |
| Ink cost set | £31 | £31 | £31 | £31 |
| Ink cost each | £8.49 / £12.99 | £8.49 | £11 / £7 | £11 / £7 |
| Ink cartridges | SEE INK > | SEE INK > | SEE INK > | SEE INK > |
| Resolution | 4800 x 1200 | 5760 x 1440 | 4800 x 1200 | 4800 x 1200 |
| Use | Home / Office | Home / Office | Home / Office | Home / Office |
| PPM Black | 13.7 | 9.2 | 15 | 15 |
| PPM colour | 7.3 | 4.5 | 8 | 8 |
| Duplex? | Auto | Auto | Auto | Yes |
| Paper thickness | N/A | N/A | Up to 300gsm | Up to 300gsm |
| Tray size | 150 Sheets | 150 sheets | 150 sheets | 250 Sheets |
| Connection | WIFI / Ethernet | WIFI / Ethernet | WIFI / Ethernet | WIFI / Ethernet |
| Max paper size | A4 | A4 | A4 | A4 |
| Sku | C11CF73401CA | C11CE90401 | C11CG20401CA | C11CF46401 |
| Functions | Print / Copy / Scan | Print / Copy / Scan / Fax | Print / Scan / Copy | Print / Copy / Scan / Fax |
| Max monthly output | Approx. 400 pages | Approx. 270 pages | Approx. 450 pages | Approx. 450 pages |
| Compatibles? | N | N | N | N |
| Cost to run / year | £399.99 | £349.99 | £449.99 | £479.99 |
| Cost / page | 0.004p | 0.004p | 0.004p | 0.004p |
| Included ink Black / Colour | 11000 / 11000 | 4000 / 6500 | 14000 / 11200 | 14000 / 11200 |
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| Model | ET-7700 | ET-7750 |
| Black ink | 7500 | 7500 |
| Colour ink | 6000 | 6000 |
| RRP | £549.99 | £699.99 |
| Ink cost set | £31 | £31 |
| Ink cost each | £10 / £10 | £10 / £10 |
| Ink cartridges | SEE INK > | SEE INK > |
| Resolution | 5760 x 1440 | 5760 x 1440 |
| Use | Photo / borderless | Photo / borderless |
| PPM Black | 13 | 13 |
| PPM colour | 10 | 10 |
| Duplex? | Auto | Auto |
| Paper thickness | Up to 300gsm | Up to 300gsm |
| Tray size | 100 sheets | 100 Sheets |
| Connection | WIFI / Ethernet / USB | WIFI / Ethernet / USB |
| Max paper size | A3 photo | A3 photo |
| Sku | C11CG15401CE | C11CG16401CE |
| Functions | Print / Scan / Copy | Print / Scan / Copy |
| Max monthly output | N/A | N/A |
| Compatibles? | N | N |
| Cost to run / year | £549.99 | £699.99 |
| Cost / page | 0.005p | 0.005p |
| Included ink Black / Colour | 3400 / 3400 pages | 3400 / 3400 pages |
Is an Ecotank Printer worth the cost?
You might be wondering if an Ecotank printer is worth the initial cost? It’s clear that it’s a very attractive proposition to have a printer that you possibly won’t need to refill for a year or two but let’s do a sense check here.
Looking at the initial costs of Ecotank printers versus other comparable inkjet machines, Ecotank printers are very expensive to buy. The reason for this is that you are paying for the initial ‘free’ ink that you get with the new machine and big brand companies have to charge such high prices because lets face it, we all know that they only make money when they sell ink rather than a printer. So where you might pay £150 ($196) for a comparable printer, an Epson Ecotank printer will likely cost you at least £250 ($327) and anything up to £700 ($916). This is clearly a huge difference in price.
Lastly, when you first start to use your printer, you won’t see any cost benefit because you’re paying for the ink up front instead of paying for it over a number of years so it’s much more of an investment. What if you never need to use all of the ink, or for some reason your Ecotank breaks down? Epson printers aren’t always the most reliable and you won’t see the benefit of the higher initial cost. Definitely something to think about.
Pro’s
Here are a few of the things that I like about the EcoTank range:
- Great print quality, especially with photos.
- Scanners are wide and can fit large documents
- Plenty of ink in the box when you purchase the printer
- Environmentally friendly
- Very low cost per page
- Built in WIFI
- Auto Duplex in the 3 higher priced models
Things to consider…
Here are a few things you should consider before buying an Epson EcoTank printer…
- Initial price – EcoTank printers are initially more expensive because you are paying for the ink in advance.
- It’s unlikely you will ever be able to buy compatible ink, though Epson ink is relatively cheap.
- They aren’t the fastest printers so if that frustrates you, you may want to stay away.
- There’s a 20 – 25-minute ink charging period before printing.
- You will need to run very regular ink maintenance / cleaning to prevent ink from drying up and stopping print-outs having lines across them.
- Not ideal printers for high monthly print volumes so not great for offices that print frequently and lots.
- Photo printing and scanning is very slow. Almost taking six minutes to print and A4 photo.
Caution! Page coverage.
One big word of warning here…The EcoTank range is promoted as coming packaged with up to 2 years of ink. The Key word being ‘up to’.
Standard ISO print coverage means an A4 piece of paper with 5% covered in ink which is equal to printing one standard page. That only looks like 5 paragraphs of text when the ink is spread out. If you print bold colours, blocks of shading, pictures or photos then the ink will run out much, much quicker.
You’re more likely to print at 15% – 20%-page coverage so you’re more likely to get 1 quarter the amount of prints. eg – 6 months, which is still pretty good!
Conclusion
Hopefully this has helped you to make a more informed decision. Think about what you need to print, how much you normally print per day or month and decide based on your own opinion.
We’ve also had some fantastic comments below from people who own or have previously owned Epson EcoTank printers. Some of that feedback is good and some not so good, but take a look and let us know what you think of the EcoTank if you own one, or let us know your general opinion!
About Stuart DeavallI have been working in the printing industry with TonerGiant for over 16 years, and I'm the resident technical printer expert, helping people fix their printer problems for over 14 years. I have taken part in many training courses with HP, Samsung, Brother, Canon and Xerox to further my knowledge, and I'm also the Digital Marketing Manager at TonerGiant.co.uk (degree qualified).
have one – bought 10 months ago – great printing – easy set up – would recommend – also prints wireless
My eco prints the test page but when I start to print something it comes out blank. Any ideas?
I so appreciate this even through it is many years old by now. I know nothing about printers and you have helped me out! Thanks.
Considering this as a replacement for my laser color OKI MC352dn (also quiet good on cost/page for BW outputs), once a duplex printing and duplex (reverse) ADF with eco tank will hit a price about 400 EUR/USD, it’ll be my next buy.
shame there is place for sd card for photos.
You forgot this advice. A fountain pen enthusiast ‘s advice for refilling the inkchambers; invest in an ink syringe (blunt tip needle syringe) and just syringe out the ink into the corresponding ink chambers. No mess. You can buy the syringe at your local daiso or check out Goulet Pens or jetpens or your local pharmacy.
Hi,
My Epson Et-4700 is great except that the black ink tank is not refilling. I’ve tried leaving it for refilling several times for half an hour. I cant find any advice anywhere.
Please help
It sounds like one of the tubes or the print head might be blocked for the black. I believe you can buy cleaning cartridges / fluids that would flush it out but I’ve never done that myself so I can’t really advise.
If you use compatible ink cartridges the cost of printing is much reduced on regular printers I have a canon pixma mp640 that I bought back in 2011 for £150 and it is very cheap to operate and has more functions than the ET-2600 model shown hear such as display screen, automatic duplex printing,card slots,USB connection and much more I would only consider buying if the ET-2650 or ET-2750 models became available at a reasonable price (below £200) once bought you are a prisoner of Epson as compatible ink products may never become available for this range of printers.
So for the time being I will stick with what I have which is actually pretty good.
I’ve had nothing but problems with the ET-2550 model. Had the chronic problem of very poor print quality – parts of letters missing in lines across the page. I called them numerous times and they eventually said the printer had a “hardware failure.” Because it was under warranty they sent me a “new” one that was actually refurbished and they specifically stated “no warranty” but gave me no other option even when I requested a different, less expensive model. I haven’t had the replacement long, only printed 40 pages and now the exact same problem has happened. I called them today, I repeated head cleanings as they instructed which didn’t work and they declared it “hardware failure.” So disappointed and frustrated in Epson!
Check most countries that have consumers act you cannot contract out.
Same one ET 2550 is a POS. . . Same problems. Won’t even print out anything. . . SAD
ET 4500 Nothing but trouble the worse printer that I have ever owned
replaced by epsom free of charge, the same problem the thing shows
Paper Jam when there is no paper in the machine , Switching off and resorting does not help, Just off the phone to Epsom support they cannot clear the problem. Once again they are going to replace the machine if they cannot sort out the problem. I think that Epsom have serious problems with this printer series
Maybe you should have purchased Epson printer, Epsom make salts.
Why does it say paper jam when there IS NO paper jam???
Usually when a printer says paper jam and there is no jam, it means that either the paper pickup is not working correctly or possibly the print head rail is dirty (the rail that the print head moves across during the printing process). Unplug your printer and with a very lightly damp cloth try cleaning the rail. Be as gentle as possible. Let it dry and then plug back in and try again.
Mike that is funny
Yes! EPSON is POS!!! No warranty! No way to fix it. They just keep ripping people off.
ET2750
Agreed. Junk. And customer service is awful. I bought because I liked the idea of ink tanks instead of cartridges. But didnt take long till nozzles needed cleaning, and even after cleaning repeatedly, still doesn’t print.
Hi
Can the eco be used in other Epson printers ?
Hi, I’m not sure what you mean by Eco? Do you mean ink?
I have the ET-2850. A couple of months after purchase it started making black blobs on the edges of the paper and white lines across the page. I googled and found people who said to use a purge sheet which I downloaded. The printer used about 1/10 of the ink container but solved the problem. This is the very worst printer I ever had (and I’ve had quite a few including other makes) . Connecting over wifi can be troublesome, sometimes not. I love the ink tank idea just not the quality of the unit or the software. Purge sheet is a good tip.
Are this printers suitable to refill with compatible ink? Or only the Epson ink can be used?
Hi Jack, as far as I’m aware, the ink is a special type that doesn’t dry out and no compatible ink is available yet (we definitely don’t sell it). Stu
I have had a 2550 for nearly two years and have not had a problem. Reading some of the remarks it would possibly be down to incorrect set up?? Compatible ink IS AVAILABLE from a number of ink suppliers. I purchased a set of ink bottles for just over £20 for four. They work ok and photos seem the same quality or even better?
I bought an L355 3 years ago, and its not been any trouble at all. On my 2nd bottle of Blsck, but still have original colour bottles left with about 25% left in them. Picture quality superb.
Which paper do you print photographs on for the best results?
I have has several Epson printers over the last 20 years which have been far superior to the L355 for printing photographs (cartridges included ins as well as ‘light’ inks. I cannot seem to get a good colourful print with this L355 Ecotank. The prints are dark and dull.I’m thinking that paper maybe the problem. Any advice? Thank you.
Really helpful review. Thanks
I’ve bought an Epson 2550 had it a year and half no probs but lately it won’t print anything!
Done all the checks and filled with Epson ink and I can’t find the reason !
Do I get rid of it because it don’t work? Do printers last for a period of time?
Hi there, printers have a life span of around 4-5 years so it shouldn’t be having issues after a year and a half. Are there any specific error messages?
We print infrequently with our present HP Photosmart Premium (with SD capacities).Yesterday had occasion to print a flyer but cartridges had dried, rather than ran out. Time sensitive so very frustrating.
Would the Eco Tank be the answer?
Did M Myers mean there are NO SD slots? Is this something Epson is looking to rectify with future models?
That’s a shame and a bit of a pain for you. Dried up ink is quite old school in printers now, they have functionality that makes the printer run an auto cleaning process to prevent inks from drying up but you must leave your printer switched on. This feature is available in most new printers these days rather than just EcoTanks. With regards to SD slots, they are generally being fazed out of printers as more and more people are using mobile phones to take photographs so internet connectivity and blue tooth replace that technology.
Hi, I am looking to buy one of these to print out various size flyers. Do you know if the ink is waterproof please?
Hi Lucy,
As far as I’m aware the Ecotank ink isn’t water proof but Epson durabright ink claims to be water resistant, basically meaning very slight spills would not cause issues if wiped away quickly but immersion in water would cause issues.
Hi there,
I’m seriously considering buying an Epson ET 2650 All-in-One Printer. I’ve always had Epson printers as I personally think they’re the best, but the ‘400’ series – 405: 412: 415: 425 etc, are no longer made which prompts me to consider another type of Epson. I usually print 300 – 400 mainly Black and white, but some colour copies each month for 10months. I do 10 copies per year of our Church magazine. Would I be justified in changing to an ET 2650 in future?
Hi Malcolm,
thank you for your comment.
I think the Epson Ecotank range of printers would certainly work for your needs. The only think I’m not absolutely sure on, is the print quality. I’ve only seen online videos but not experienced it first hand.
Thanks
Stu
My present printer is an Epson XP-750 Photo printer. The other day, I got the message that the ink pads were nearing their end of life. I just clicked cancel, and the printer is still working okay(don’t know how long for though!). Would it be advantageous for to go with this type of printer, are they okay for printing photos? Also some don’t seem to have memory card slots.
Hi Martin, there is a way of putting a printer into maintenance mode and resetting the counter on the ink pads (they do tend to say they’re full before they are full). Ecotank printers as you’ve pointed out don’t have memory card slots but can connect to the web. I think that’s why they’ve been removed to keep things simple. The print resolution is pretty good on some of the Ecotank models, so it could be advantageous depending on the quality of print you need.
As an owner of an of Epson XP-700 ;
with a good CISS that seems to cause not much problems;
the next problem I ran up against was this ‘end -of-service-life’ message.
Three conclusions:
1/ if you are determined it is worth replacing the built-in limited capacity waste-ink tank with an external empty-able one (if you are really thrifty you can use the waste ink as black !)
2/ These printers need to print every week , preferably every day !; to stop the ink drying and blocking the heads.
3/ DON”T use the built in head head cleaning system as it increments the waste ink-counter; instead just make up an A4 sheet with dense characters on a color image;
and make a copy every day at boot time !
“There’s a 20 – 25-minute ink charging period before printing.”
This is only before first use?
I would like to buy the epson ET-7750 mostly for photo printing. But i use my printer not so often. Sometimes i don’t use the printer for 3-4 weeks. Is that a problem with ecotanks? especially with the black pigment ink of the ET-7750?
Actually i use a canon ip4500. Is the maintenance and dry out camparible to this model?
Thanks phil
Hi Phil,
the printers will automatically trigger a maintenance clean every so often to make sure the ink doesn’t dry out. Most modern inkjet printers do that nowadays. So to answer your question, this isn’t just the first initial use, but the ink charging time should come down significantly on use after setup.
Stu
Thanks really useful information.
Have a et 2600 and fing it is a great printer purchased it six months ago and printed on vinyl too, great for business and scan to print works well too.
the ink level has not moved? how is it printing so many without the ink going down? well i will keep and eye on the ink and see how we go, it prints slow on a4 vinyl but the print quality is fantastic, I sell the vinyl prints on ebay and have covered my cost of the printer on these alone. May buy another soon and double my output, hope this helps.
Purchased ET-3750 last month everything good until I tried to print on waterslide decal paper. Prints are streaked and not at all as sharp as I was getting on my previous Canon printer. The prints are unusable. Tried all printer settings and different programs to print from with the same result every time. Will try a different brand of paper.
Contacted Epson several times and found the customer support to be completely useless. Finally was told the the ink for the eco tank was a different formula and was not compatible with the type of paper and was not covered under warranty.
Has anyone else had a similar experience with this?
Thanks for your comment Bob, this is very useful feedback for anyone thinking of buying an Ecotank printer.
I’m having the same problem with waterslide paper. I know that many people are using the Ecotanks. I have gotten the ink not to smear but I get 2-4 lines of tiny dots. Very disappointing. I contacted support and they are no help because they only guarantee Epson paper. This is my first Epson, I usually use HP. I guess I now know why.
Hi I am looking to get the eco tank 2700 , i only need low volume printing, on my kids school work. Meaning the printer might be switched off for a month before next use, I was told eco tank would need regular cleaning and ink might dry up in the printer head if not in use on regular basis and switched off mode.
Does the et 2700 also takes up to 25mins for ink charging time everytime it turns on?
Would that be the printer be for low volume printing user, with printer off maybe 1 month at a time?
Hi there, the printer does routinely clean itself to stop ink from drying up and for that reason should be kept powered on and in sleep mode when not in use. If you do switch it off, it would likely take 25 minutes each time you switch it back on so may not be ideal for you.
My 4550 Eco tank has been very good but has just decided it does not want to print enveoopes any more. Tried a different envelope but it still would not pick it up. No problem printing on A4 but for some reason, envelopes cause it to jam. Typically, one year warranty ran out in February. Concerned about the cost of non warranty repair and reluctant to buy the £96 extended three year warranty – not sure if you have to do that when you buy the printer or not. Any suggestions. Tried paper guide cleaning option but no different
Hi Anthony, that’s very frustrating! The only thing you can try is to clean all the internal rollers as sometimes muck con offset things. I think you can buy extended warranties at any time as far as I’m aware.
Epson Inks including the ones in the eco tank printers are rubbish! There is no way on earth that they can produce a good quality red on any porous paper… (That’s most papers they produce brown not red.) Strangely, they manage to do it on glossy photo paper.
I’ve been running an ET14000 for the last three years. The first one we bought we used Epson ink…. Sent the damned thing back as a result. The one we have now has NEVER had Epson ink in it The compatible ink is made in the UK by JetTec This has been no problem and prints fine with less clogging than the Epson rubbish. Also I’m not sure where you get the idea that the Epson Ink is different, proprietary or copyight in some way It’s not.
As for the chap not getting it to feed envelopes, you need to clean the feed roller, very regularly.. even the slightest amount of paper dust causes misfeeds. Also check that the spring on the bottom roller in the feed tray is also still working and applying pressure, they’re a known weak point in the design and can break and cause misfeeds as well.
One defect in the design, is the waste ink pad… epson eco printers have a felt pad in the bottom that absorbs the waste ink from cleaning. Eco Tank printers clean themselves a lot. The waste ink counter on ours ran out after a year. The printer then refuses to print… Even if the waste pad is not full. The secret to this is that you divert the pipe that runs to the waste pad, to an external tank… (small plastic bottle) using a bit of aquarium hose. Then the pad never gets any ink in it. And use a utility available free on the web to reset the waste ink counter. You do have to buy a key code, every time you want to do a reset on that counter, but at about £8 once a year, consider it a consumable.
For the reset utility, and the the key code, and pre made kits for the waste ink tanks try googling “Printer Potty”.
All the above then makes the eco tanks about as close to perfect as they can get. Especially for high volume printing.
Just in case you’re wondering I have no connection with any of the above companies… or products.. just use them and they are the solutions you’re looking for.
All the Best,
Bob.
Hi Bob, some great feedback and advice there, thanks for your comment.
Also just so you’re aware, the compatibles that are manufactured for us are made for us by the same company here in the UK who manufacture Jet Tec inks and toners. so these are the same product that you have used in the past.
Hi,
The eco tank ET-4500 is showing the inkpad error, this printer has a little more than a year of be in use,
What is the maximum number of the inkpad counter on this model?
Regards,
Hi there, it looks like Epson removed the software that would allow you to bypass this problem and they now advice calling them for a service which isn’t helpful at all. Unfortunately there isn’t any other way around the problem. You can find more info about this on the Epson website here: https://epson.com/Support/wa00369
Actually Stuart the Printer Potty kit or DIY waste kit mentioned by Bob (above) is able to help resolve the “inkpad error” (assuming it’s the “waste ink pad in your printer has reached end of service life” one).
Epson are charging upwards of £100 for a waste pad replacement and reset when the reality is that the issue can be resolved using a utility like WICReset and any of the solutions Bob mentioned in his reply for the ET14000.
Note: We develop and sell Printer Potty kits ourselves so I’m stating a vested interest but wanted to clarify that there are solutions regardless of what Epson state officially or otherwise.
Thanks Martin,
I wasn’t aware of this. FYI, I’ve had to remove your link as we sell similar products.
Stu
I bought the epson ecotank et-7750. My only issue is you can not add your own Colour Management for different paper types. I do different types of crafts that use different types of paper. This isn’t unique to Epson, just about all the brands do this. I’m currently printing a pdf book on Silk paper as none of the Epson paper is book quality, it is either too glossy or not durable enough. However I can’t get it to print with quality as it is non epson paper.
I’m boggled at all the positive comments other than that printing is quite economical. I purchased the now-discontinued 4500 and it took me two years to run out of ink! But the print quality is mediocre to miserable even on highest quality settings. And if you leave it set for a week in this arid environ that is Arizona, print heads (?) – well, something seems to dry up and require repeated nozzle cleanings and more maintenance than have ever had to perform on any other printer. Scanner and software seem to work adequately (if slow). The Epson ink refills are wonderfully modestly priced, but the ink will run at the slightest dampness on paper even months after printing. Have never attempted to print photos on photo paper, but hard to conceive the colors wouldn’t run. I’ll try to brave that at least once before I inflicted this thing on some poor unsuspecting charity and go back to a cheap refurb laser or spring for a higher costing color laser. I would most definitely not repeat the purchase or recommend my particular Ecotank. Hopefully major improvements have been made since mine was new, but this one has certainly been a major disappointment at a not inconsiderable cost.
Does Epson Make high quality permanent Pro Inks (i.e. k2,k3 ultrachrome ink refills- bottled ink) that are compatible with the eco tank printers.
Hi Hammy, no I don’t believe you can get Ultrachrome versions of Ecotank ink (that I’m aware of).
Does every model on the eco tank system allow for scanning?
Will it allow for multiple follow on pages?
Hi Chris, I’m not sure about every Ecotank model but certainly all the models in the comparison that we looked at had a scanning facility but not had an auto sheet feeder so can only do one scan at a time.
Please tell me the difference between epson L6190 vs Et 4750. Which is better for business purpose with high productivity and rich in features??
There is basically no difference at all between the two. The ET4750 is a newer model and probably the only one you can still buy.
Can you tell me how long it takes to print an A4 photo please?
Hi there, the photo printing is slow compared to most inkjet printers and can take up to around 6 minutes for one A4 photo.
I’m torn between Epson Ecotank 2650, Ecotank 2750 and HP 8720. I have a family reunion coming up and it’s cheaper for me to print fliers myself. I just don’t know which one I should get. Hope you can help.
Hi Trina, it really depends on how frequently you use your printer. The ET-2750 is a better all round machine than the ET-2650 and prints quicker / comes with more ink that will last longer however the initial cost is expensive and it only becomes worthwhile if you use your printer most days.
Overall the HP printer is a much better machine and will be cheaper to buy initially but would become expensive if you print lots / quite often you’ll need to replace the ink cartridges a lot. So to be a bit clearer if you print near enough every day, and you don’t mind the upfront cost then get the Epson ET-2750. If you don’t print quite as often, opt for the HP printer. If it were me, I would pick the HP as I’m not a massive fan of Epson printers and the ecotank aren’t great at printing photos based on the video on this page. I have an Epson workforce printer myself and it’s very buggy but I’ve never owned an Ecotank so not sure how good they are.
Stu
I had an older Epson printer that quit printing on me. I was told that I would have to replace the whole printer, because there is no way to replace the printing head. Do these new printers have the issue?
The newer models will be more efficient but unfortunately there aren’t many inkjet printers available that you can replace the print head separately any more. Ecotank printers are the same, there is no replaceable print head.
I now have an Epson ET2250. When my old Epson printer died I had several cartridges left over (because I bought them in bulk). Can I siphon out the ink with a syringe and add it to the tanks? Is it the same ink or will that cause problems
Hi there, that’s a very good question. I’ve never actually attempted to do that so can’t give you a good answer but I wouldn’t advise trying it! You definitely can’t use ink from a non-ecotank printer in an ecotank as the ink is actually within a sponge in normal cartridges and very different in consistency because the technology is completely different.
Stu
Do this printers accommodate different types of paper, like cardstock, vellum etc.?
Hi Peggy, no they can’t handle card stock or other materials like vellum. The most you would get would be a heavy weight paper or envelopes.
My ET-2550, which I bought about two years ago for home use, is the most frustrating thing I have ever owned. It scans and copies okay, but frequently it won’t print.
I use my ET-2550 with MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops, and an old Dell desktop. It prints reliably in wifi mode with the Dell.
However, the ET-2550 has had continual problems with both MacBooks, whether in wifi mode or hardwired. Mostly the problem has been with printing files, but this week it wouldn’t print a boarding pass from an airline website.
The problem is that periodically the printer won’t print unless I either unplug the printer or, when that doesn’t work, delete and then add the printer. I have worked with tech support many times, spending up to an hour trying different things. The printer will then work for days or several weeks.
Sometimes I get a message “Printing – Sending data to printer,” but it never prints, sometimes it gets stuck trying to locate a printer even though its hardwired. Sometimes I get a print after many minutes.
Grrr
Just bought the ET-3750. It says it can do A5 and can do auto double sided. True, but it cannot do auto double sided on A5, only on A4.
I had to resort to printing 12 of page 1 of an A5 document, return them to the tray and print 12 of page 2.
Also it does not automatically recognise a change of paper, I have to enter the size on the screen. This is a faff when all I’m doing is changing the colour of the paper.
Nevertheless I like the concept of the EcoTank and the speed of printing.
I used Epson L555 more than 2 year and printed almost 40K pages.
I also used Epson L800 too.
– It is worth to use Ecotank especially in high volume printing due to low running cost.
– The ink bottle cost about 50% of ink cartridge but had 8 – 10X of ink quantity.
– Color printing speed is slow but B&W is quite fast.
– There are some ink clog even I always use Epson ink.
– 6 color printing head is not reliable as 4 color print head.
– The printer need ink charging for about 7-10 minute after filling the ink in first time.
– Refill ink is not too messy and you will never get your hand dirty on refilling ink for latest Ecotank series due to new refilling system.
Hi, Stu.
I came across this article when searching for advice on buying EcoTank printers, and it’s a great article when it comes to pros and cons and the use of Eco Tank printers in general.
There are 2 issues that arise from the article itself and from the comments section:
* A 20-25 minute ink charging period before printing. Is it each and every time before printing or just after initial setup and refilling of ink tanks?
* The article mentions that in order for the printer not to dry out you need a regular maintenance interval, but in the comments section you say that all modern printers today have an automatic maintenance procedure to avoid ink running dry (or the nozzles). Does this mean that you don’t have to think about cleaning nozzles etc. by yourself or do I still have to maintain a regular nozzles cleaning interval?
Again, thanks for a great article!
Hi there,
thanks for your comment. I don’t own one myself but from my research I believe that the ink charging period is when you first switch the printer on and anytime after switching the printer off for a period of time and back on again, then attempting to print. If you keep the printer switched on, the charging period would be much shorter as the maintenance period runs every so often and it’s that process that keeps the printer running smoothly, however there is still a ‘nozzle check’ option in the setup menu and suggestion that the print head may become blocked so the maintenance process isn’t guaranteed to stop nozzles from clogging up and you would still need to routinely clean them or run the cleaning process.
ET-2650 was a great printer until the new software update sabotaged the colors. All 3 colors immediately went streaky than completely dry even on full tanks. Now printer is useless and it is impossible to reload a working older driver
Hi
I had a Epson FT-3600, Had it 2.5 years and its stop printing, done head cleaning and each time the print just prints out black pages.
Iv read all over the net to many head cleanings can in the end make the printer stop printing as the tank is full.
This would then need you to sent it to epson for a service? And have the counter reset? Is this ture?
I have only printed 4404 pages, the printer cost me a bomb.
I have tried the head cleaning kits you can buy this has not helped, which makes me think it is a service reset needed?
Thanks you any infomation you can give me.
Hi Alan, when it comes to Ecotank printers I haven’t got a great deal of experience but I found the following video (another ecotank model but I think the same might apply) which shows how to unclog a printhead:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDQAHqA-ssE
It’s up to you if you try it or not as I’ve never done it myself and don’t know if it will work or not.
I bought an Epson ET-4750 and it is the most frustrating equipment ever. It stops working constantly “to check if it is connected to a computer”, which means having to go to the beginning each time and reload all the settings I need for scans, it won’t print colour photos – stops about 1/2 inch from the start of the photo, it scans photographs much darker that the original, it won’t print a colour document of more than 4 pages and sometimes has to be done only one page at a time. And to think it was recommended by the computer shop, well I won’t be going back there again.
I would not recommend any Epson printer. We pay through our noses for electrical products. When they fail after trying over & over its time to get rid of it. Research the web for a brand that will satisfy you and your needs. Time is important to us when we
buy simple ink refills and the printer still doesn’t work.
My ET-2650 is almost exactly 2 years old ( bought June 2017). Love it. I have used up about 900 pages of paper so far, not counting 50 or 60 pages of Glossy Photo paper, and a few pages of heavy card stock (for greeting cards). I have no complaints so far.
Some tips:
Try printing at a higher quality level than ‘standard’. The difference is amazing, even on just a page of black printed text.
For photos – be sure and let the ink dry for a while before handling. Some papers require more dry time than others.
The ink is NOT waterproof, like all Ink Jet printers that I know of. For anything I want to keep for a long time, and for ALL photos, I let the ink dry thoroughly, then spray it lightly with Krylon ColorMaster gloss crystal clear. I usually spray both sides of the paper – lightly. Don’t soak it. I have some notes on my desk that I printed over a year ago on regular paper that have survived minor water splashes, coffee cup rings, etc. and still look almost new. (Sorry, I have a VERY messy desk.) USE THE SPRAY PAINT OUTSIDE – TRUST ME ON THIS!
The ink is easy to refill and not messy if you are careful and don’t hurry.
Scanner on printer – I don’t use it. Never have, since I have an Epson V550 Photo scanner I use instead (which I also LOVE and have had zero problems with.) I have probably scanned over 1,000 documents and photos with it.
this printer requires too much cleaning – always dried up
poor quality
do not recommend
i have an ecotank printer for 3 years. never had a problem. aside from i have to extensive head cleaning after not running and collecting dust for a month. still working properly and printing very crisp photos. never regret buying it.
i am using inkjet printer with improvised ink tank for 8 years before buying our current ecotank printer. drying print head is just normal for inkjet printer and very easy to deal with.
I would like to ask:
1. Can possibly particles sized around <50 Microns get through the ecotank system ink nozzles as I want to add a photoluminescent powder for the glow in the dark effect.
2. Would it be better to purchase pigment-based-only type of a printer rather than allowing both types of ink – dye and pigment based?
Hi there, the ecotank printers print at a droplet size of 1.5 picoliter and 1 picoliter is equivalent to 1 trillionth of a litre (microscopic in size) and 1 micron is 0.001 millimetres, so I’m afraid the powder would never get through the print head and you’d damage the printer. Many other printers print at around 2 – 4 picoliters so they’re basically all microscopic. I’m not sure of an answer for your second question as I don’t know.
Stuart Deavall – Thank You for the answer!
Best Regards.
Have 3 Ecotank printer and 1 x WF3640 (not Ecotank). The WF3640 is a lifesaver as the Ecotanks clog up and dry. Me thinks eBay is the the next stop for the Eco tanks
Hi Stuart, thank you for this very helpful information.
I print a lot on matt paper and need to cleean the feed rollers often.
Are the feed rollers on the ET2600 or ET-2710 easily accessible?
If not are there any EcoTank models that are?
Thanks,
Roy
Hi Roy, The rollers don’t seem to be very accessible on the two models that you mentioned. The paper loads on the back of the printer and whilst you can open the printer to access the print head, the rollers are hidden right at the back of the mechanisms. The only thing you can do is use Epson cleaning paper with adhesive sides that’s meant to clean them for you. It would be easier to access the rollers on most of the higher priced office models where the paper loads through the feeder on the top of the printer rather than the back.
Stuart, Many thanks for your help – I’m feeling lost here not knowing what to do – your advice is greatly appreciated.
I have three L355s here at the moment – I’m printing on Permajet Double Sided Matt 250gsm paper. I clean the roller (it’s just about accessible) and then I get about five prints before I have to clean the roller again. The printers are three years old and are going to die soon – not sure what to replace them with.
Is the paper feed space at the back of ET2600 the same as the ET2750. I have just had an ET2750 delivered – it’s impossible to reach the roller, so will be returned.
You mentioned “higher priced office models” – which in particular – and will they handle the 250 gsm paper?
Any other suggestions?
Thanks
Roy
Currently the cheapest of the top loading ecotank range is the ET-4700 which is currently priced at around £249.99. I have to say that I haven’t actually seen inside the printer so can’t confirm whether the rollers will be easily accessed or not, but as the paper is top loading there’s a good chance that the rollers are easier to get to. The best thing to do is try and visit a retail outlet that sells them and have a look before you buy.
If you need one to handle 250gsm, the only ones that seem to do it are the ET-3750 and ET-4750 which are closer to £400 each.
Morning Roy, I am a teacher and my printer, the Epson workforce ecotank 3600, sat idle for the eight weeks of summer break. Now the blue ink won’t print…I need help. I really can’t afford to go out an buy a new color printer. I bought it on sale just before they released the new printer, it’s slow but has been a life /money saver for me. Please help!!
Hi Maria, if you go to the printer LCD menu and in the maintenance section, select nozzle check. A test print will show if there are issues with the cyan nozzles, if there are it will ask you on the screen and will let you select clean print heads. Try to do that and see if it fixes your issue.
Only buy the 2650 if you do not need peace and quiet to work. Paper feed and print is noisy and intermittent. The real pain is the high pitched whine it emits in-between each burst of printing on a longer document. Will drive you demented in a quiet office.
I had a Brother inkjet printer for about 15 years without any problems until finally the paper feed wore out. I liked the idea of a an Epson eco-tank 2750 and so bought one. After about six months blank vertical lines started to appear which was not too bad with text but ruinous for pictures. Told to take it back to the supplier, Currys PCWorld who returned it to Epson for repair because it was still under warranty. I was told that Epson had agreed to issue me with a new replacement printer. Unfortunately, it started to develop the old problem of blank stripes which no amount of printer head realignment or cleaning could solve plus I noticed that the ink tanks were getting empty. The next problem was that I could not fill the tanks. The Epson 102 bottles had been part used so I bought a new set. The printer would not let these bottles empty!
I returned it to Currys PCWorld but was later informed that Epson would not collect the printer because it was now out of the original warranty although the printer I had now was supposedly a new one and if it was not, I now could not fill the ink tanks making the printer useless.
Currys PCWorld were so incensed by Epson’s attitude the offered me a free replacement printer of my choice. I still liked the idea of cartridge free printing and so stupidly decided on a new Epson ET 2750 printer. They say lightning doesn’t strike in the same place twice – but it does. The new 2750 has the same blank stripes problem, admittedly far less then my old 2750 printer, but no amount of printer head realignment or cleaning could solve.
I am very impressed by Currys PCWorld and grateful for the help they have given but certainly not with Epson or their products.
What should I do to resolve the problem?
Hi Peter, it sounds like you’ve had a really tough time with your Epson printers! I wrote an article about lines down the page and how to fix the issue that you can find here, but I’m not sure this will help you as your issue is missing horizontal lines which might well be caused by a print head error or software error. I honestly think based on your experience that this could be a common design flaw with the Ecotank printers that may not be easily fixed. Hopefully the link I gave you will help.
But is it possible to use it 100% mobile, without any installation on mac or pc ?
we have at home only iphones and ipad
thanks
Hi
You shouldn’t need to install the machine on a deskop pc. Printing only from phones and tables should be fine, depending on the software versions on the devices. More detail on printing from tablets and smartphones can be found here.
Thanx a lot. Very pertinent points brought out by you. Has helped a lot.
Be aware your printer has an artificially limited lifespan. After X pages it will show a message your printer is end of life, the waste ink-pads are full and will STOP printing.
Err No…the ET7750 that i have has a plug in maintenance box that you replace when it’s full , they cost about £8 each.They do last quite a long time.
Hello friends.
I have this fantastic printer for almost 2 months. And it was connected via wifi to my local network. But this morning, I noticed that two light for wifi aren’t working, So I tried to print. And I cant find printer on my local network. Sooo then i turned it off and on again. Still nothing. I got the instructions and tried to enable wifi with wifi key and the one for network. Still nothing. And after about 3 hours of trying different key combination to get it to turn on wifi or basically do anything it still does nothing.
I connected it to the pc. And as it turns out, it does not register itself as this model. Its showing et-2710. But I could print from windows and that print is just awful.
Does it have maybe some reset button that wont void warranty?
or maybe some other suggestions?
The printer is now useless, is there maybe a way to force software update for the right model inside. Since I think the automatic update brick it.
H there, it sounds like a firmware or driver issue. Search the manufacturer website for ‘[your printer model] driver’ and install the latest driver for your PC software version and see if that corrects the issues.
lessoned learned.
I purchased a Canon color scanner/printer when starting a web site sales concern eight years ago. The cartridges had to be replaced quite often so then I got a Brother Color laser copier, scanner, printer, being that the toner cartridges would last longer.
The Brother laser printed great, however it broke down one week after the warranty expired, I figured I pushed it to hard by printing a lot of card stock so I purchased another same type, with extended warrantee, I just used it to print letters with pictures and drawings in color and envelopes (it was great for envelopes having a second feed) being that the cost of their tonners was so high $60 to $75 ea (this model used 5 toners) I opted to buy a off brand that claimed can be used in Brothers.
So a half the price I started using the off brand toners and the printer started to turn the whole paper sheet a light pink color. I called Brothers service and was told “I must use only Brothers tonners because they have a pin or gismo that the printer must have to print correctly and any other maker of toner cartridges Will not have this.
So other than dumping every off brand toner cartage and then buying 5 new Brothers Cartridges creating a total cost of (5 off brands + 5 new Brothers) about $600.00 I purchase a Epson ET 3750 for less than the cost of the Brothers toners.
So far so good, envelopes are a pain due to switching paper to envelops than back again, but for the reduced cost it’s worth the trouble.
It seems every color printer is made to blink people out of money one way or another, If I ever need to purchase another one, I’m going to go with black print period. For colored photos or sales brochures Staples or Walmart, it will end up costing less and save tome and aggravation.
I feel your pain. Brother are typically trained to say that a when you call them. It’s illegal for a printer manufacturer to prevent the customers using a compatible or remanufactured cartridge in the printer but if you have extended warranties, they say all kinds of things. I’m not sure how retailer work in the US but here in the UK, if you use one of our off-brand cartridges and it causes a printer issue, we’ll fix or replace the printer. Glad you’re having better results with your Epson printer.
First, ink for printing really does cost one-tenth (1/10) that of an ink cartridge!!! Print everything you want without risking bankruptcy. Print forever (almost) without being shut down in the middle of a project deadline. Very ingenious bottle top design that is spill-proof and mistake-proof. Super quality photos – never a problem with my EcoTank printer. THANK YOU EPSON for this incredible product that saves big bucks and eliminates the waste of millions of cartridges!
I am thinking of purchasing an ET-2750 to print vinyl stickers for my business. Would this be a good printer for that? I am worried about the higher initial cost and my lack of knowledge of the Epson brand and quality as well as the ability to use off brand ink refills.
I spoke to someone previously who was also printing vinyl stickers with an ecotank printer though I think it was one of the higher end machines. I can’t say it would work or not personally as I’ve never printed vinyl stickers.
I got given an Epson 2750 eco tank for my birthday. For a while I’ve been wanting one. I’m glad I got it. Had to setup with a you tube video and this was easy as I heard it was complicated to setup. The quality is impressive. And not as loud as I thought. I have not print out photos yet. It has been a very positive experience so far. Love 5e fact that prints out double sided.
HI just bought my eco tank, waiting for delilvery and wondering if it will take cardstock, anything up to 260 gsm.
Sorry have just spotted the same question about cardstock so no need to answer thanks
Hi. Could you help me?
I’m a missionary in Mexico. I homeschool my kids so I print A LOT of books for them.
I have an HP but the inks are so expensive! I was going to buy an ecotank but it’s $300 here.
I can get one cheaper in the US. I want a wireless model that prints double sided automatically and good color, accepts thicker paper for workbooks.
My question is, would an American epson accept ink bottles I buy here in Mexico? They are Epson ecotank bottles.
I ask bc my hp doesn’t accept Mexican cartridges, only from the US. It’s dumb.
My second question is, besides the ecotank, which do you recommend for my needs? Would a canon mega tank be good too? What about the ink issue?
Thanks!!!
Hi Ana, you’ve asked some very good questions. You are right, printers / inks are regionally encoded and so can’t be used in printers from a different region. Sometimes printers between differing regions can also use completely different cartridge models.Unfortunately because I’m based in the UK, I can’t get much information about US / Mexico printers and inks to give you a good answer. One thing I will say is that if you’re printing a lot as it sounds like you are, the ecotank and mega tank printers may not be the best option. They’re really a gimmick and not ideal for anyone who prints large amounts. You might find it more cost effective to use a laser printer or HP business inkjet or pagewide printers (these printers are intended for large volumes of printing so cartridges last much longer and the printers can print more efficiently). Unfortunately I’m unsure which models would be available for you in Mexico.
Hello,
Thank you very much for your article and your kind feedbacks.
I’ve read all the comments and I didn’t find any answer to my question. I’m currently printing large volumes of photo-quality brochures on matte paper with an old Epson Xp-860. I am using refillable ink cartridges and usually buy liter-sized refill bottles.
I am overall pretty ok with this printer performance, especially considering that I’m definetly over-using it. I’m thinking about upgrading to an eco-tank printer to reduce time spent in refilling cartridges. How is the print quality of the photo-level ecotank printers? Are you 100% sure I shouldn’t use the refill liquid bottles I have for the xp-860 on a future eco-tank? What are the risks involved? Afterall the whole ecotank print system should not be too different from the current one I’m using, no?
Thank you very very much
The ecotank photo printers (ET-7700 and ET-7750) have a resolution of 5,760 x 1,440 DPI so the photo quality is very good though I’m unsure how that compares to your XP-860. With regards to usingthe ink you currently have. That would likely break the printer as the ecotank ink is a completely different formula. It would probably damage the print heads and block the printer up.
Hi Stuart,
I bought a ET 3750 (04.08.2018) with the two years of ink. Worked fine — including good quality photos on glossy paper — until 09.01.2020. I refilled the tanks and the color was off — too my cyan. Ran the maintenance cycles. No improvement. Took it to the service center. They cleaned the heads. Color still not true. Talked with Epson tech support. They said –“Run the maintenance cycles” and were no help. I paid $300 for the unit. I have now spent $60 for service. The authorized Epson service says for $150 they can get it to work. Question: Should I just write this unit off?
hi there, it sounds like you’ve had a very tough time with Epson services! I guess if they guarantee that they will fix the printer and won’t charge you if they don’t fix it it would likely still be cheaper than buying a new printer, but my hunch says it’s likely the printer will continue to have issues going forwards and buy paying an additional $150 you’d have a very expensive experience!
I print often, a mix of text with a couple of (low quality) pics usually. Like a newspaper….
I bought it for the comments about ink usage. And I have to say after 3 months the black is empty and colours 1/2 empty….and only 1334 pages. Not on high quality printing, not even medium actually. Standard paper, no photo paper or the like. So…a fault or are they like all printer manufacturers utter liars? Unimpressed.
I doubt it’s a fault I’m afraid. They’re all stated on averages so the amount of pages can come down if it’s classed as above 5% coverage.
Bought Epson ET-4700. Had for a month then stopped working. Thankfully Epson is sending me a new one since it’s still under warranty. I just hope this was a defective printer and my new one won’t give out after a month.
As a former teacher I own 3 Epson ET printers…2750, 3750. I loved them as they were reliable, easy to use and the quality of the print was great. Having since retired, they do not get used nearly as much as they used to. I use them with ipads, iphones, a mac desktop and a macbook air. Printing was never an issue until a month ago. Now none of them work. They are always offline. Nothing has helped. Turning them off, unplugging the router, and even resetting and reinstalling them are useless. They will only print once after reinstalling and then they are offline once again. Isn’t it strange that they all stopped working at the same time! At what point does one give up and just purchase a new printer? I have recommended these printers to so many teachers as I truly was very happy with their performance. Now…not so happy! 🙁
Hi there, it sounds like a printer firmware / software issue. Search the EPson website for update firmware for the models you have and try to install the firmware. Sometimes that can fix these issues.
My et4550 will not clear the clogs on the printhead. Ive run the nozzle clean process at least 20 times only to see many variations of results. Sometimes better, sometimes worse, but never completely cured. I bought a cleaning kit with syringe and flushed the head 4-5 times, still not cured. So my next thought is I’d replace the printhead. UNBELIEVABLY YOU CANNOT BUY REPLACEMENT PRINTHEADS FOR EPSON ECO TANK PRINTERS. Refurbished ones can be obtained from China with long, long shipping times. But nothing new. Who would make an inkjet printer with a non replaceable printhead?
Must be near 20 years ago I bought an Epson Stylus SX425W and after the original cartridges ran out I bought empty cartridge tanks on line. Read a lot online about inks and why I should use Epson Durabright inks at the risk of the warranty being lost and the machine clogging up. I was in effect filling small eco tanks with a syringe for the past twenty years using non-approved ink. The most inconvenient problem I had initially was the cartridge not being recognised. Once I devised a very simple technique of turning the power off by pulling the power plug for a few minutes so that the printer lost its memory, inserting the refilled cartridge tanks and that was my printer back in service.
Finally last week my SX425W persisted in not recognising my 20 year old cartridge tank and I thought I deserved a new printer so I started my research and read all the same dire warnings about using non approved inks etc. I decided to move on to the eco tanks for more convenience. I intend to use non epson inks and I hope to have the same service from my new ET2710 which I bought for £179.99.
We are very disappointed with the Epson EcoTank ET-2750. Have done head cleanings galore. Followed directions for manual cleaning and did it. This printer just suck donkey dumps. Always has gaps in the print. At UPS store they couldn’t scan a bar code, because of missing sections. I would stay away from these.
I have an ET-3600 and it’s been fine until a couple days ago. It’s dead as a door nail!
Somehow it has completely lost power. I’ve unplugged and replugged into other viable sockets and get nothing. I’ve tried the instruction of pushing and holding the power button for 5 seconds and more but no result. What could be the problem? Up to this point it has functioned fine daily.
Joan
Hi Joan, I’m afraid I’m not sure what may have caused your printer to stop powering up but it sounds like an internal fault. The only thing you could try is a new power cord. Hopefully its just the cord and nothing internal to the actual printer.
The ET-2720 eco-tank is a piece of garbage. Had this for about a year and used it maybe 20 times, mostly to scan documents and print photos. A nightmare to set up ; online support is tardy and unhelpful.
Print quality is very average and photo printing should not be attempted. This machine cannot recognise paper size; colours are saturated,; cannopt get rid of horizontal print lines despite cleaning ad nauseum and despite vigorous re-setting in a variety of photo-editing programmes.
It’s flimsy and noisy. The microscopic screen is all but unreadable and the buttons do not reliably respond.
It’s also a myth that this printer can output xxxxx photos on a full tank. Not so at all, or anywhere near.
Suggest going for the Canon version [which I have now done] even though more expensive.
I am planning on destroying this piece of junk and uploading a You-tube video about my unfortunate purchase. Please look out for this in the next week or so.
I bought an Epson ET-2650 Eco-Tank printer about 3 years ago and recently it stopped printing displaying a message that ink tank reached the end of its life and to see an authorised repair shop to fix the problem. I did and they reset the counter but that did not make the printer work again. I even tried removing the ink sponges and cleaned, dried AND REPLACED them but still didn’t print. Guess I’ll have to get another printer. Very disappointed to say the least.
I THINK THIS KIND OF EVENT IS CALLED PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE WHERE MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS ARE MADE TO STOP WORKING AFTER A TIME TO MAINTAIN PRODUCTION AND CREATE MORE BUSINESS.
i HOPE OTHER MAKES DO NOT FUNCTION THE SAME WAY WITH LIMITED LIFESPANS.
Got an 2720 Epson Ecotank and very disappointed. Have to do cleaning cycle every time I want to print. I got roped into the idea of getting rid of expensive cartriges like I had on my old Epson, but at least with that I was not cleaning heads each time. Rethink your purchase as I read that HP amd Cannon cartidge units have ink heads in the cartridge so one replaces the head automatically when you put in new cartridge. I will suffer and curse with my purchase. Lucky I got the cheapest model. Go with HP/Cannon!! Trust me.
I had an ET-2550 until this morning when I trashed it. Why? Because it came to the end of its life. Apparently, after so many pages (about 6000) the Ink Pads are considered full and the machine won’t work anymore. I watched a video on utube and was able to clean the ink pads. They weren’t dirty by the way. Then I had to purchase a Key to reset the counter. $9.95. Thought I had it licked but after a hundred pages or so it stopped again. There is no way to reset the counter to 0 and I’m not interested in paying $9.95 every 100 pages. I didn’t take it to the repair shop as that tends to be very expensive. Now I’m searching for a new printer. I really like the Eco Tank rather than cartridges. Guess that means another Epson. Ugh!!!
You all talk about how good the printer is BUT no comments on the stupidly small size of the display screen. Unless you are very young you cannot read the instructions. Also it has no SD slot. For a market leader the design team should look at their specifications and get into the real world..
10 out of 10 Would NOT RECOMMEND! Mainly because I am having to clean the printer heads every use (at least once if not twice), otherwise the print quality is missing lines and very, very subpar. Even with cleaning and realignment etc, it may print fine or be missing a line through the words every 6 or 8 lines across the page. I have never had a printer that took so much babying and constant maintenance. Also when printing two-sided, it doesn’t always print two-sided. The high quality print takes minutes and is still low quality overall. It can’t handle cardstock of even the lightest weight. The display screen is stupidly small and such low resolution, that even with my young eyes, it’s stressful. Yes, the ink lasts forever and it’s cost effective to fill, but the print quality isn’t worth it.
Thanks for your article on Epson Eco-Tanks; I’m thinking of buying one. Question: I leave my house from Jan. through April each year, and during that time, my printer sits unused. Is that a problem for Eco-Tanks? Should I consider buying a regular inkjet (cartridge) printer instead?
Hi Dan, unfortunately, that tends to be an issue for most brands of inkjet printer. We had an HP one in our office and left it for around 6 months during lockdown and came back to a broken printer. Inkjet printers aren’t very robust but I would say epson tend to be one of the better inkjet brands.
Inkjets, especially Epsons, need to be run at least once a week or more to avoid head clogging. If you live in an arid environment then even more often. Once there is a head clog they can be painfully difficult to clear and professionally cleaning may cost you up to half the cost of a new printer, depending on the model you have. I worked with Epsons for 20 years, taking care of more than 40 of them in a school in Philadelphia, refilling their cartridges. Letting them sit packaged in trash bags with a wet sponge was a normal routine to keep the heads from drying out. That usually worked. But once the head became clogged was the end for them half the time. That was 15 years ago before wireless printing. From what I’m reading now Epsons seem even more delicate.
If you don’t print a lot it’s not really a good choice. The ink heads get clogged and it is very difficult to impossible to get them back in working order. We have one but haven’t printed much, and now it is virtually useless – I’ve tried three or four times to follow the steps to get it printing again, injecting ink onto the print head, wiping with a cloth, etc., but nothing really works, we still get lines and missing bits whenever we print or try to copy anything.
If you print on a regular basis, or remember to print a few pages every few days, it’s probably a really good buy, but you need to be aware that there is a threshold that must be met or the printer will deteriorate quickly.
I owned a printer from the HP 8600 series. It actually was a great printer for our needs, but I got tired of spending the extra for the cartridges. However, the last straw was that I could find the cartridge where I was certain it wasn’t expired. It was very streaky in how my family used this printer. It was virtually always on, but there were plenty of periods that we wouldn’t use the printer for months. Never had a problem printing when we needed it. Sure there would be times it would take a little bit before it finally printed a page, and it seemed to drink those cartridges. So now we bought an ecotank pro. It was my understanding it should be similar to my previous inkjet printer, that it just needed to be powered on and there may be some maintenance things that happen prior to use. I am surprised about this charging period that could be 20/25 minutes and could need as many as 3??? Hope that’s not correct. Would appreciate any info asap. We haven’t opened the box of the printer to set it up yet. Thanks in advance for any help anyone could provide, we appreciate it greatly!!!
I haven’t actually used an ecotank printer yet but from people I’ve spoken to or what I’ve read, you’re meant to leave them switched on most of the time so it maintains itself / cleans itself and works quicker when you need to use it. Not ideal to be honest but I’ve heard of people having problems when they’ve been switched off for long periods.
Hi there.. I bought my first epson et-2710 some weeks ago and I want to know how many photos can I print with it ..
I know it’s not like the 7,500 prints they’re talking about because that’s ridiculous and it’s stupid for anyone to think that more than a hundred photos can be printed with one set of ink.
If anyone knows how many photos can be printed, please tell me
Hi, I’ve previously written a guide with a tool that should give you a better idea here https://www.tonergiant.co.uk/blog/2014/08/how-many-pages-will-my-cartridge-print-before-it-runs-out/
I have an Epson eco tank printer and it will make a copy but I can’t print anything. It says to check your ink levels even though I just filled them. I’ve reset the ink levels on the printer under maintenance but it still says that.
Hi, I believe this is a common issue with ecotank printers and that the sensors are damaged / not working correctly. All you can try is to drain the ink out and switch the printer off and try to refill again. Sometimes that works and others it will continue to give the same error message.
It’s a sha me when you get to 17,000 pages they disable your printer and tell you need to get them to replace the ink pads at a cost of £45 plus you have to organise the courier both ways yourself
Not bad since these are being sold in the buisness printing section of pc world
Et-2750