The Epson EcoTank ET-2850 all-in-one printer offers a compelling alternative to traditional cartridge-based inkjets. With its large, refillable ink tanks, Epson promises a substantial reduction in both cost and waste. But does this innovative design deliver on its promise? We put the ET-2850 to the test to find out.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2850 boasts a compact design with visible ink reservoirs.
Design and Features
The ET-2850 sports a sleek, compact design available in both white and black, making it suitable for various home and office settings. Its most distinctive feature is the prominent front-facing ink reservoirs. These translucent panels allow for easy monitoring of ink levels, providing a visual reminder of the printer’s impressive capacity. Refilling is a straightforward process involving pouring ink from bottles directly into the designated tanks.
The printer features a 1.4-inch color display and physical buttons for navigation. While the display guides users through various tasks, the button symbols could be more intuitive. A touchscreen interface would have been a welcome addition. The rear paper tray holds up to 100 sheets, which is adequate for home use but might require more frequent refills for heavier printing demands.
The control panel features a small display and buttons.
Print Performance
While not the fastest printer on the market, the ET-2850 offers respectable print speeds for everyday tasks. Black-and-white documents print at approximately 10 pages per minute (ppm), while color printing is around 5 ppm. Photo printing on 4×6 inch paper is relatively quick, producing crisp and vibrant images with a resolution of 4800×1200 dpi. While we observed a slight blue tint in some initial photo prints, adjusting the paper type settings to “Photo Quality Ink Jet” resolved the issue.
Photo print quality is generally good, though some color adjustments might be needed.
Additional Functionality
Beyond printing, the ET-2850 functions as a scanner and copier. The flatbed scanner boasts a high resolution of 1200 dpi, capturing impressive detail. It also includes OCR (Optical Character Recognition) functionality, allowing scanned documents to be saved as searchable PDFs. While the OCR performance is generally good, it can struggle with older or lower-quality documents.
The ET-2850 includes a high-resolution flatbed scanner.
Software and Compatibility
The ET-2850 is compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices. While driver installation isn’t strictly required for Windows and Mac computers, downloading the latest software is recommended for optimal performance and access to all features. Mobile apps allow for remote printing and ink level monitoring. We encountered some initial difficulties connecting to the printer via the Epson SmartPanel app, but manual setup through the printer’s control panel proved successful. One minor inconvenience was the requirement to manually set the paper size on both the printer and the mobile app each time the paper type was changed. However, this warning can be disabled in the printer settings.
Refilling the ink tanks is a simple and mess-free process.
Cost and Value
The Epson EcoTank ET-2850 typically retails for around $350, but can often be found on sale for closer to $300. This initial investment is higher than many budget printers, but the included ink provides a substantial long-term cost saving. Epson claims the starter ink bottles can last for up to two years of printing, equivalent to 90 ink cartridges. Our testing, which included a variety of documents and photo prints, barely made a dent in the ink levels.
Even after extensive printing, the ink levels remain high.
Conclusion
The Epson EcoTank ET-2850 presents a compelling proposition for home users seeking a low-cost, low-waste printing solution. While the initial price is higher, the substantial ink capacity and ease of refilling offer significant long-term savings. While there are minor quirks with the software and interface, the overall performance is impressive, particularly for photo printing. If you’re looking for a hassle-free printing experience and want to minimize your environmental impact, the ET-2850 is a worthy contender.
