Epson EcoTank ET-2800
MSRP $280.00
“The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 produces nice picture prints and scans at high-resolution, making this an excellent household printer.”
Professionals
- Nice picture print high quality
- Excessive-resolution 1200 dpi scans
- Nice cell app
- Small footprint
Cons
- Print velocity is gradual
- No full-page borderless choice
Epson’s EcoTank ET-2800 is an all-in-one printer with refillable ink reservoirs that final a very long time and prevent cash. It’s not a brand new concept, and Epson makes a number of different EcoTank fashions, however that is presently essentially the most inexpensive mannequin. The query is whether or not it’s the most effective printers out there.
I like the worth, however needed to confirm the worth of the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 to ensure it offers sufficient high quality and efficiency on your wants. I’ll check out the design, print high quality and velocity, multifunction options, and ease of use to find out whether or not that is the best printer for you.
Design
The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 stands out as a remarkably tiny all-in-one printer. Spanning simply 14.75 inches in width, it’s one of many smallest I’ve examined. Depth is a extra customary 22.8 inches with the paper tray and output bin open, and it’s solely 11 inches tall with paper within the tray. As anticipated, it’s gentle, weighing 8.8 kilos.
Regardless of the diminutive measurement, the design is eye-catching, with the ink tanks extending over 2 inches past the entrance panel. The management panel tilts upward for simple viewing. I examined the matte white mannequin, nevertheless it’s additionally out there in matte black.
A small, 1.44-inch shade show with massive buttons on both facet offers entry to printing and settings. The cell app proved dependable and full-featured sufficient in my testing.
A 100-sheet paper tray is on the again, however is well accessible. Paper guides are clearly marked and could be adjusted to carry media as small as 4×6 picture sheets and No. 10 envelopes.
Epson takes a little bit of artistic license within the product images, exhibiting the black, yellow, magenta, and cyan ink tanks in shade. I may see the ink ranges via the translucent tanks, however the colours weren’t seen.
Printing efficiency
Epson’s EcoTank ET-2800 offers nice image high quality on picture paper. Shiny, semigloss, and matte picture paper prints have been crisp and vibrant with no shade solid. A devoted picture printer, just like the five-color Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 or the six-color EcoTank ET-8500, provides better dynamic vary, however normally prices extra.
The EcoTank ET-2800 can print on all customary paper varieties and sizes. It handles No. 10 envelopes with no issues, even from the cell app.
Distinction is low when printing on plain paper since blacks seem darkish grey and whites are duller. That’s commonplace, however some printers, just like the Brother MFC-J1205W, deal with plain paper images a lot better.
Quick printers value extra, and the EcoTank ET-2800 is a funds mannequin. At simply 10 pages per minute (ppm) for monochrome and 5 ppm for shade, I needed to wait a bit of longer than regular for paperwork and labels to complete. That may not be a deal-breaker in case you aren’t in a rush.
Epson saved a bit on paper-handling prices by limiting the EcoTank ET-2800 to single-sided printing. Duplex printing on either side of the paper is essential for some companies, in order that trade-off is value contemplating.
Particular options
Epson is beneficiant with scan high quality for its all-in-one printers. Like a number of different fashions, the EcoTank ET-2800 helps as much as 1200 dots per inch (dpi) for high-resolution scanning from a pc after putting in Epson’s Scan 2 utility. That’s pretty much as good as some devoted scanners.
The Epson Good Panel app for iOS and Android permits as much as 600 dpi. That’s spectacular since many printers are restricted to 300 dpi when utilizing the cell app.
There’s no computerized doc feeder, however the flatbed scanner makes good shade copies, saving me a visit to an workplace retailer.
Scan and duplicate speeds are comparatively gradual, however present good high quality with good element.
Software program and compatibility
Set up is straightforward with the Epson Good Panel app for iOS or Android. The app guided me step-by-step, making the method easy. Put aside at the least a half hour, although. You should fill the tanks (about 4 minutes), cost the ink system (about 11 minutes), print the alignment web page, and recalibrate.
In my case, the printhead alignment was excellent on the primary print. The entire setup took about 20 minutes. That’s actually not unhealthy and solely must be accomplished whenever you print sufficient to empty a number of ink tanks, which final a really very long time.
Epson’s Good Panel is a well-designed cell app that allows you to arrange, print, scan, copy, and carry out upkeep out of your telephone. One situation arose, however I discovered an answer. In case you get bored with paper mismatch warnings that require selecting the dimensions and kind on each the printer and within the app, you possibly can change that warning off in settings.
Home windows and Mac computer systems help the EcoTank ET-2800 with out the necessity to obtain something. Like most main producers, Epson provides a number of utilities and artistic instruments that will help you get extra out of the printer.
Save now and later
Epson’s EcoTank ET-2800 retails for $280 however could be discovered for as little as $200. That makes it one of the crucial inexpensive tank printers.
The financial savings don’t cease there. Epson estimates you’ll get 7,500 shade pages and 4,500 black-and-white pages from the included ink bottles. That might last as long as two years.
The associated fee per web page for shade paperwork is about six-tenths of a cent whether or not you purchase particular person bottles or the multi-color three-pack. To be exact, the three-pack prices two cents much less at $41.95 than three separate bottles at $13.99. The per-bottle worth is identical for black ink, and the associated fee per web page is three-tenths of a cent.
Conventional inkjet printers like Epson’s WorkForce WF-2930 can solely print a couple of hundred pages earlier than it’s time to switch the cartridges. With an ongoing want for extra ink, your working prices add up rapidly.
You’ll pay a bit of extra to purchase a tank printer, however given the big quantity of ink included and the continued financial savings, it’s definitely worth the funding. The EcoTank ET-2800 has a lot decrease long-term prices, wastes much less ink, and minimizes plastic waste.
Is that this the printer for you?
Epson’s EcoTank ET-2800 falls simply in need of making our listing of the most effective inkjet printers, however for a household printer on a funds, it’s nonetheless a fantastic deal and positively value contemplating. There are a couple of trade-offs to contemplate earlier than making a purchase order. In case you print regularly, the gradual velocity may turn into annoying. For residence use, the low value and top quality may be value ready a couple of extra seconds for output.
Enterprise customers may miss duplex printing and an computerized doc feeder for multipage copies. they could wish to test our information to the most effective workplace printers.
Epson intends this to be a hassle-free household printer, a necessity it serves properly. The EcoTank ET-2800 is straightforward to hook up with any machine, and all features can be found from the cell app. Photograph prints look nice on 4×6 paper, whereas monochrome paperwork and labels have crisp textual content and graphics.
For picture fanatics, there are a couple of cautions. Like most inkjets, you get the highest quality from picture paper. Coloration laser printers, like HP’s Coloration LaserJet Professional 4301fdw, preserve distinction and vibrancy even on plain paper.
In case you want full-page images, bear in mind the EcoTank ET-2800 can’t print letter-sized borderless pictures. A straight-edge paper cutter can take away the white edges rapidly, nevertheless it requires further effort.