Review: Epson EcoTank an inkjet printer without cartridges

To learn more about our range of Epson solutions, please complete a request form. Epson’s SureColor P900 produces exquisite photos and artwork on cut sheets and paper rolls up to 17 inches wide, making it an excellent choice for professional photographers and graphic artists. The Epson EcoTank Pro ET wide-format AIO prints well and inexpensively, and it comes with two years of unlimited free ink, making it an exceptional value for small businesses and workgroups.

I even added Comic Sans to the mix, because some people still think it’s a good idea to use it. The only downside is how small the ink cartridges are on this printer. I know ink is where companies make the most money, but replacing these tiny cartridges every few weeks or months will get old quick. Sublimation is the process of transferring ink from paper to another material like t-shirts, mugs and canvases. There are plenty of options if you are looking to convert a standard printer to use sublimation ink but if possible you should buy a dedicated printer for the job.

In our tests, text came out dark, and it was sharp and readable down to about 4 points in most fonts. And we saw minimal banding when printing full-page graphics on copy paper. The HP Smart software suite lets you check ink levels, order replacement ink, adjust settings remotely, and access the printer’s Embedded Web Server—a control panel designed for power users. In HP’s all-in-one approach, few functions are more than a click or two away. While Epson’s new EcoTank design is a fascinating new approach to the office printer, I felt that the company’s estimate of two years before having to purchase more ink (after using the included bottles) was a bit optimistic.

In isolation that’s a small difference in speed, but it can feel like an eternity when you’re working against a deadline and have dozens of pages to scan. In our tests the M283fdw printed clear, crisp text down to a font size of 3 points. Even the tiniest of subscripts in legal documents and footer text in charts will remain legible. Though most home offices don’t need this kind of upgrade, the M479fdw epson laser printer hits the sweet spot if you run a business with modest printing and paper-handling needs, or if you’ve grown exasperated with your inkjet AIO’s failings. The Brother MFC-J4335DW is the printer to get if you don’t have big productivity demands and need a cheap multifunction printer with affordable supply costs. This model produces crisp text and vibrant graphics, and it has a low operating cost.

Their EcoTank printers are successful, though, and are usually among the best for page yield. The M479fdw is expensive, but it still ranks among the most affordable color laser printers that offer all the same productivity features as our favorite inkjet model. It’s fast, reliable, and capable of producing beautiful documents, whether printing in color or in black only.

For those who print enough pages over the printer’s lifetime, the lower running cost can mean a lower total cost of ownership than less-expensive printers with more-expensive ink. The sub-brand choices for EcoTank printers are EcoTank, EcoTank Photo, EcoTank Pro, and EcoTank Mono. Expression Photo printers like the XP-8700 Wireless All-in-One epson photo printer are aimed at crafters and photo enthusiasts as well as home users in general, and they use six-color ink systems for even better photo quality. This sub-family includes both letter-size and tabloid-size (11-by-17-inch) three-function AIOs, plus one single-function printer, which prints at up to supertabloid size (13 by 19 inches).