4 ms·

Epson EcoTank Pro Printers

18 points by peter_d_sherman 4y ago

throwayyy479087 4y ago
What are our thoughts here? Seems like a good competitor for Brother, but Epson has a bad reputation.
- Lio 4y ago
  My experiences with Epson over the years have been nothing but a pain in the arse. It doesn't say on the webpage but a big part of what makes Epson so lame is the proprietary drivers. With a Brother laser printer I don't need drivers at all. I use it with Linux, macOS, iOS and Windows and it works perfectly with all of them. Epson (or Canon) inkjet printers always require massive driver downloads that takes over the printing process with their weird UI and refuse to print black and white without a brand new cyan cartridge. They might have made the ink situation better but if the rest of it functions like any Epson I've owned I'll still give it a swerve. In 2023 any office printer that doesn't work with just CUPS is ridiculous. Never again.
  - InTheArena 4y ago
    Running a inktank from Epson. No out-of-box drivers are needed for printers or scanners.
moepstar 4y ago
Yes.
samstave 4y ago
Uh "Saves $14K on printing costs for ~25,000 pages. Does not mention a damn thing about ink cost, printer model comparison types. Typical cost of printing 25K of pages. How many pages of full color can one expect to print on a full load? What / Where is the data of the most typically consumed color, I assume blK - but I dont give a shit about marketing, where are the consumables number stats??? FFS this is why I dont even own a printer any longer.
xiaomai 4y ago
After using one of these at my public library, I picked one of these up at Costco (they sell the ET-2850). I love the idea of the concept of the ink-tank printer and I'm happy w/ the print output. It's _far_ slower than my B&W laser printer (which I expected). I'm not sure how to use the scanner over the network in Linux (is it even possible? My Brother laser-printer/scanner works great). For my purposes, I don't think there is a better color printer.
- InTheArena 4y ago
  Works right out of the box for me. Just tested it.
ValentineC 4y ago
It looks like the Pro series isn't new. We have one of the entry-level Epson models (L455 [1]) at our hackerspace. Pros: - Prints are really cheap Cons: - It doesn't print photos well - It makes a huge mess if one isn't careful while refilling (I'd even wear disposable gloves these days) - The heads clog often since we don't use it frequently enough to keep the ink flowing Still, so far so good. We've had it for almost 8 years and it looks like it'll keep chugging along for a couple more. [1] https://www.epson.com.sg/Ink-Tank-Printers/L-Series/Epson-L455/s/SPT_C11CE24501 https://www.epson.com.sg/Ink-Tank-Printers/L-Series/Epson-L4...
- rstuart4133 4y ago
  The link is an ad, but it's not an ad for the product you are describing. I've owned colour lasers, a cheap printer and one a couple of these. On each of your points: - EcoTank printers are not cheap upfront. But they generally come with enough ink to print 6,000 or even 12,000 in the box. If you print that much their per page cost is the cheapest I've found for a colour printer. - You right in saying photo's aren't great. But they are better than the colour laser I replaced. - I have no idea how you could make a mess when refilling them. The refill bottle design is amazing. For example, if you remove the lid and hold the bottle upside down, nothing comes out. They only empty while attached to the printer tank. - The heads have never clogged, despite mine going months between print jobs. I suspect you may have to leave them powered though. Everything you say is true for the printers priced on the "ink refills cost more than the printer" model. But EcoTank's use a different pricing model. You have to be a little brave to pay the upfront cost of the first one. It worked out for me - not only are the long term costs lower, you get a better printer all round. Mine has never jammed. Ever.
  - ValentineC 4y ago
    > I have no idea how you could make a mess when refilling them. The refill bottle design is amazing. For example, if you remove the lid and hold the bottle upside down, nothing comes out. They only empty while attached to the printer tank. I just looked at the design of a newer EcoTank printer [1] and yes, it looks like you're right that the design has improved over the years. The L455 model I mentioned in my comment has an older design [2]. It's also a 6-7 year old model at this point. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh_GcP6oLhc&t=333s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh_GcP6oLhc&t=333s [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFdjla9Kmvo&t=103s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFdjla9Kmvo&t=103s
SHAKEDECADE 4y ago
This submission comes across as an ad. No ground breaking new tech here. Just a company claiming to be one of the good guys.. for a price.
vondur 4y ago
I have one of these. So far so good. It works with Linux as a printer just fine. I'll have to see if I can scan over the network with it. (the ET-2850) They are more than other printers up front, but I suppose that's to offset the cheaper ink.
molszanski 4y ago
Oh, consumers have figured out that we will charge them hefty for ink. Well, we have to find another way. How about every year mandatory ink sponge cleanup for $100 and we software lock it? Or some other hook like that?
- TonyTrapp 4y ago
  I have an EcoTank (not the pro variant). There are absolutely no strings attached. No subscriptions. No lockout. I have been using it for five years now. The "other way" they found is apparently "selling the printer hardware at its real cost instead of subsidizing it through ink cartridges".
  - molszanski 4y ago
    I also have an eco tank. L3160. google "epson ecotank reset `waste ink pad` counter". And see how much those software keys to unlock your printer cost. I don't say it is as bad as ink scam, but still a way to go
whalesalad 4y ago
My Epson inkjet the worst printing quality I have ever encountered in my entire life. I swore off inkjets a while ago in favor of laserjet, but recently I needed one in a pinch and didn't want to spend a ton of cash. Next time I will definitely opt for the laser.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
codazoda 4y ago
Inkjets seem to have come a long way in the two decades I’ve been using lasers (non of which have needed replacement). I picked one up because I wanted to experiment with various artistic prints. The print quality on my 4-ink model is a little better than the lasers, so it was a good choice for the work I’m wanting to do. I didn’t purchase one of the high quality 6 or 8 ink models that the real art pros use. I’m about 6 months in now and it doesn’t seem like I’m going to have print head cleaning issues like I remember. I’d still recommend lasers for most things.
- throwaway426079 4y ago
  As a non pro photographer, when I want to print my pictures I send the digital files to a professional art print company. I never want to bother about optimizing my ink use!
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
pcurve 4y ago
My main issue with inkjet was ink spray nozzle that gets clocked and you'd end up with thin white lines. Head cleaning helps a bit, but the only way to get rid of them completely was to get a new cartridge. Is this not an issue anymore?
- InTheArena 4y ago
  I've had to run the clean routine a few times, but has not been a issue for me.
InTheArena 4y ago
I love my EcoTank and I love it. I will say that the GUI is awful on these printers. The MFT displays (not touch) are like going back a decade in user experience. That said, it's more than made up for by how awesome not having crappy ink experience. I don't print more, but I have easily covered 3x cartridge refills, each of which is as expensive as a new printer.
modularellipse 4y ago
The problem is poor repairability along with a comparatively high price. I had a 2-year old ET-5850 stop working completely because of some issue with its scanner unit. It would not even print. Epson has no authorized repair center in NYC for this product (https://epson.com/servicelocator?productCode=SPT_C11CJ29201 https://epson.com/servicelocator?productCode=SPT_C11CJ29201). The only options were shops that service larger offices and charge $150/hr. I spent the $150+tax to be told that repairing it would result in part+labor charges that exceed the cost of a new unit. Their nearest authorized service centers were 40-50 miles away on Long Island. I spent $250 and half a day renting and driving in peak traffic. The guy there was honest - he charged me $30 for diagnostics, confirmed repairs would cost almost as much as a new machine, and disposed of it for me for free. I learnt my lesson and bought a Cannon G7020, a much smaller, cheaper and slower tank printer. If it stops working, I can carry it out with little regret, and put it on the sidewalk without breaking my back or my bank account.
zabzonk 4y ago
lots of problems have been reported with the eco tanks, for example: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25047231 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25047231 personally, unless i needed something like printing very high quality, professional photographs, i would never use an inkjet again
rektide 4y ago
These things are a disaster. There's an Ink Waste Tank (or Ink Waste Pad in some models) that leftover ink on the head goes into after printing. There's no user serviceability intended. There's a print counter inside the printer keeping track of the printer, and it will just say "End of Service Life" some day, & your printer is toast. These printers are incredibly & shamefully disposable; they are some of the most eco-cidal consumer products out there. There are some options. There's software to hack your printer like Inkchip which can go meddle with the firmware- for now, assuming Epson doesn't seal up the vulnerabilities these programs rely on. This lets you perform a Ink Counter Reset, that will keep the printer from printing at all. But you still have a non-user-replaceable Ink Waste Tank/Pad on the printer that's full of old ink! Some folks mod their printer to go build external tanks that they can actually clean out. This has been going on for a long time now. I'd once been super tempted to find these products. And there's lot of glowing new product & 1 year reviews. But these printers seem 100% designed to fail, and to have to be thrown out (you can send them back to Epson, but supposedly they charge an arm and a leg & you're paying for shipping both ways). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QusB6GCtft8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QusB6GCtft8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoicIB5pbPY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoicIB5pbPY
dingleberry 4y ago
epson printer has print qty counter where once you hit a threshold, the epson printer stops working (called blinking in the printer parlanche) you need to send the printer to service center or download pirated epson counter resetter (windows only)

throwayyy479087 4y ago

What are our thoughts here? Seems like a good competitor for Brother, but Epson has a bad reputation.

Lio 4y ago
My experiences with Epson over the years have been nothing but a pain in the arse. It doesn't say on the webpage but a big part of what makes Epson so lame is the proprietary drivers. With a Brother laser printer I don't need drivers at all. I use it with Linux, macOS, iOS and Windows and it works perfectly with all of them. Epson (or Canon) inkjet printers always require massive driver downloads that takes over the printing process with their weird UI and refuse to print black and white without a brand new cyan cartridge. They might have made the ink situation better but if the rest of it functions like any Epson I've owned I'll still give it a swerve. In 2023 any office printer that doesn't work with just CUPS is ridiculous. Never again.
- InTheArena 4y ago
  Running a inktank from Epson. No out-of-box drivers are needed for printers or scanners.

moepstar 4y ago

Yes.

samstave 4y ago

Uh "Saves $14K on printing costs for ~25,000 pages. Does not mention a damn thing about ink cost, printer model comparison types. Typical cost of printing 25K of pages. How many pages of full color can one expect to print on a full load? What / Where is the data of the most typically consumed color, I assume blK - but I dont give a shit about marketing, where are the consumables number stats??? FFS this is why I dont even own a printer any longer.

xiaomai 4y ago

After using one of these at my public library, I picked one of these up at Costco (they sell the ET-2850). I love the idea of the concept of the ink-tank printer and I'm happy w/ the print output. It's _far_ slower than my B&W laser printer (which I expected). I'm not sure how to use the scanner over the network in Linux (is it even possible? My Brother laser-printer/scanner works great). For my purposes, I don't think there is a better color printer.

InTheArena 4y ago
Works right out of the box for me. Just tested it.

ValentineC 4y ago

It looks like the Pro series isn't new. We have one of the entry-level Epson models (L455 [1]) at our hackerspace. Pros: - Prints are really cheap Cons: - It doesn't print photos well - It makes a huge mess if one isn't careful while refilling (I'd even wear disposable gloves these days) - The heads clog often since we don't use it frequently enough to keep the ink flowing Still, so far so good. We've had it for almost 8 years and it looks like it'll keep chugging along for a couple more. [1] https://www.epson.com.sg/Ink-Tank-Printers/L-Series/Epson-L455/s/SPT_C11CE24501 https://www.epson.com.sg/Ink-Tank-Printers/L-Series/Epson-L4...

rstuart4133 4y ago
The link is an ad, but it's not an ad for the product you are describing. I've owned colour lasers, a cheap printer and one a couple of these. On each of your points: - EcoTank printers are not cheap upfront. But they generally come with enough ink to print 6,000 or even 12,000 in the box. If you print that much their per page cost is the cheapest I've found for a colour printer. - You right in saying photo's aren't great. But they are better than the colour laser I replaced. - I have no idea how you could make a mess when refilling them. The refill bottle design is amazing. For example, if you remove the lid and hold the bottle upside down, nothing comes out. They only empty while attached to the printer tank. - The heads have never clogged, despite mine going months between print jobs. I suspect you may have to leave them powered though. Everything you say is true for the printers priced on the "ink refills cost more than the printer" model. But EcoTank's use a different pricing model. You have to be a little brave to pay the upfront cost of the first one. It worked out for me - not only are the long term costs lower, you get a better printer all round. Mine has never jammed. Ever.
- ValentineC 4y ago
  > I have no idea how you could make a mess when refilling them. The refill bottle design is amazing. For example, if you remove the lid and hold the bottle upside down, nothing comes out. They only empty while attached to the printer tank. I just looked at the design of a newer EcoTank printer [1] and yes, it looks like you're right that the design has improved over the years. The L455 model I mentioned in my comment has an older design [2]. It's also a 6-7 year old model at this point. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh_GcP6oLhc&t=333s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh_GcP6oLhc&t=333s [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFdjla9Kmvo&t=103s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFdjla9Kmvo&t=103s

SHAKEDECADE 4y ago

This submission comes across as an ad. No ground breaking new tech here. Just a company claiming to be one of the good guys.. for a price.

vondur 4y ago

I have one of these. So far so good. It works with Linux as a printer just fine. I'll have to see if I can scan over the network with it. (the ET-2850) They are more than other printers up front, but I suppose that's to offset the cheaper ink.

molszanski 4y ago

Oh, consumers have figured out that we will charge them hefty for ink. Well, we have to find another way. How about every year mandatory ink sponge cleanup for $100 and we software lock it? Or some other hook like that?

TonyTrapp 4y ago
I have an EcoTank (not the pro variant). There are absolutely no strings attached. No subscriptions. No lockout. I have been using it for five years now. The "other way" they found is apparently "selling the printer hardware at its real cost instead of subsidizing it through ink cartridges".
- molszanski 4y ago
  I also have an eco tank. L3160. google "epson ecotank reset `waste ink pad` counter". And see how much those software keys to unlock your printer cost. I don't say it is as bad as ink scam, but still a way to go

whalesalad 4y ago

My Epson inkjet the worst printing quality I have ever encountered in my entire life. I swore off inkjets a while ago in favor of laserjet, but recently I needed one in a pinch and didn't want to spend a ton of cash. Next time I will definitely opt for the laser.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

codazoda 4y ago

Inkjets seem to have come a long way in the two decades I’ve been using lasers (non of which have needed replacement). I picked one up because I wanted to experiment with various artistic prints. The print quality on my 4-ink model is a little better than the lasers, so it was a good choice for the work I’m wanting to do. I didn’t purchase one of the high quality 6 or 8 ink models that the real art pros use. I’m about 6 months in now and it doesn’t seem like I’m going to have print head cleaning issues like I remember. I’d still recommend lasers for most things.

throwaway426079 4y ago
As a non pro photographer, when I want to print my pictures I send the digital files to a professional art print company. I never want to bother about optimizing my ink use!

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

pcurve 4y ago

My main issue with inkjet was ink spray nozzle that gets clocked and you'd end up with thin white lines. Head cleaning helps a bit, but the only way to get rid of them completely was to get a new cartridge. Is this not an issue anymore?

InTheArena 4y ago
I've had to run the clean routine a few times, but has not been a issue for me.

InTheArena 4y ago

I love my EcoTank and I love it. I will say that the GUI is awful on these printers. The MFT displays (not touch) are like going back a decade in user experience. That said, it's more than made up for by how awesome not having crappy ink experience. I don't print more, but I have easily covered 3x cartridge refills, each of which is as expensive as a new printer.

modularellipse 4y ago

The problem is poor repairability along with a comparatively high price. I had a 2-year old ET-5850 stop working completely because of some issue with its scanner unit. It would not even print. Epson has no authorized repair center in NYC for this product (https://epson.com/servicelocator?productCode=SPT_C11CJ29201 https://epson.com/servicelocator?productCode=SPT_C11CJ29201). The only options were shops that service larger offices and charge $150/hr. I spent the $150+tax to be told that repairing it would result in part+labor charges that exceed the cost of a new unit. Their nearest authorized service centers were 40-50 miles away on Long Island. I spent $250 and half a day renting and driving in peak traffic. The guy there was honest - he charged me $30 for diagnostics, confirmed repairs would cost almost as much as a new machine, and disposed of it for me for free. I learnt my lesson and bought a Cannon G7020, a much smaller, cheaper and slower tank printer. If it stops working, I can carry it out with little regret, and put it on the sidewalk without breaking my back or my bank account.

zabzonk 4y ago

lots of problems have been reported with the eco tanks, for example: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25047231 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25047231 personally, unless i needed something like printing very high quality, professional photographs, i would never use an inkjet again

rektide 4y ago

These things are a disaster. There's an Ink Waste Tank (or Ink Waste Pad in some models) that leftover ink on the head goes into after printing. There's no user serviceability intended. There's a print counter inside the printer keeping track of the printer, and it will just say "End of Service Life" some day, & your printer is toast. These printers are incredibly & shamefully disposable; they are some of the most eco-cidal consumer products out there. There are some options. There's software to hack your printer like Inkchip which can go meddle with the firmware- for now, assuming Epson doesn't seal up the vulnerabilities these programs rely on. This lets you perform a Ink Counter Reset, that will keep the printer from printing at all. But you still have a non-user-replaceable Ink Waste Tank/Pad on the printer that's full of old ink! Some folks mod their printer to go build external tanks that they can actually clean out. This has been going on for a long time now. I'd once been super tempted to find these products. And there's lot of glowing new product & 1 year reviews. But these printers seem 100% designed to fail, and to have to be thrown out (you can send them back to Epson, but supposedly they charge an arm and a leg & you're paying for shipping both ways). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QusB6GCtft8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QusB6GCtft8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoicIB5pbPY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoicIB5pbPY

dingleberry 4y ago

epson printer has print qty counter where once you hit a threshold, the epson printer stops working (called blinking in the printer parlanche) you need to send the printer to service center or download pirated epson counter resetter (windows only)