7 ms·

I gotta say, switching to an Epson EcoTank printer was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It has ink reservoirs rather than cartridges, and small, perma

I gotta say, switching to an Epson EcoTank printer was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It has ink reservoirs rather than cartridges, and small, permanently plumbed tubes that go from the reservoirs to the print head. Not only does that mean there's no way it can tell what kind of ink I'm putting in it, it also means the tanks are fucking massive. It's so nice being able to go O(years) without refilling. It cost about twice what a comparable, cartridge-based printer cost at the time. To this day I still consider it one of the best purchases I've ever made.

mcpherrinm 2y ago
Is there any mechanism to ensure you use "genuine" ink, or can you just dump whatever in?
- jdiff 2y ago
  > Not only does that mean there's no way it can tell what kind of ink I'm putting in it
- javawizard 2y ago
  Nope! As long as you've got a bottle or a syringe with an opening small enough to fit in the refilling ports, you're golden.
dataflow 2y ago
Do you have a recommendation for a particular color model? Preferably with a scanner (but it's fine if not)?
- javawizard 2y ago
  Yes - mine is an Epson EcoTank 8550. It has a flatbed scanner and can print up to 13x19. They also make one that can only print 8.5x11 but that has a document feeder on the scanner. It's otherwise the same printer. I'd recommend either one, depending on how useful a document feeder would be for you and whether you need the larger print size of the one I have.
  - dataflow 2y ago
    Ah thank you!
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
john01dav 2y ago
With traditional cartridges the ink can dry out and clog the cartridge if you don't print regularly. My print work loads are very bursty, like I had to print 100 resumes to go to a career fair one time but this was after like 6 months of nothing. For this reason, I prefer laser printers. Furthermore, with permanently plumbed pipes, it sounds like it could ruin the whole printer instead of just a cartridge.
- j45 2y ago
  Fair point, laser is great. Color laser is preferable, but not always comparable to what some inkjets can do. Also possible to schedule/automate a test print every so often with the low cost of printing on the large tank printers to keep the print heads happy.
  - alsoforgotmypwd 2y ago
    5 year or more year old used HP enterprise workgroup printer only or mopier with low page count are ideal for personal use. In general, the more expensive the initial purchase price of laser printers, the more repairable and durable and lower cost per page they are. (I worked in a large university department in the 00's where they had zillions of network enterprise HP printers of all sizes.) I have an HP LaserJet Pro M402dw because I don't have a particular need for color.
    - j45 2y ago
      Lots of great black and white options in laser printing. Even Laser LED printers (okidata, etc) are good bang for the buck.
- javawizard 2y ago
  It's a good point. My workloads are similarly bursty. I've had no problems so far; the worst I've had to deal with is splotchy printing after it's been sitting for O(months), and a quick print head clean fixes that right up. Laser printers are great if you're doing all or mostly documents though, I can't argue with that. About half of my printing is stickers and high quality photo prints, both of which benefit from inkjet printing. (My specific model of printer is an Epson EcoTank ET-8550)
pjdesno 2y ago
I’ve been pretty happy with my EcoTank, but my favorite is still the HP PageWide I have at work. (I typically have to print ~100 5-10 page exams twice a semester) I’m very sad they discontinued them.
userbinator 2y ago
It cost about twice what a comparable, cartridge-based printer cost at the time. CIS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_ink_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_ink_system ) were around for a long time, and a popular mod amongst high-volume printers, especially Epsons, after the cartridge chip DRM was defeated[1]. They definitely cost less than the printer. I suppose Epson eventually found it profitable to do it themselves and sell with a warranty, that third-party CIS often didn't have. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25054177 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25054177
rickyc091 2y ago
Are you using wifi? I have the 4850 and the wifi would sporadically drop out after a few hours and I wouldn't be able to reconnect without a full factory reset. It was the most frustrating thing. I was about to return it then moved it to another location and connected it via ethernet. It's been fine since, but a $350 printer that doesn't have a reliable wifi module is terrible. After searching on reddit, it seems it's a common issue.
gradschool 2y ago
Something to keep in mind when selecting a printer with refillable liquid ink tanks is that they all have an internal waste ink repository, which is a sponge that soaks up unused ink that apparently accrues slowly through normal use, or quicker any time you do an ink purge [1]. On very high end photo printers it's replaceable, and might be described as a maintenance cartridge in the specs. If it fills up and can't be replaced, the printer is dead. When I was shopping around, the only brand I could find that had replaceable waste ink repositories even at the low end was Canon, and being too cheap even to have a network interface also saved me the trouble of firewalling it. It's true that ink tank printers need to be used regularly or else the print heads dry out like a felt tip pen. Since the ink costs next to nothing per page, I print a full page family photo once a week and hang it up somewhere around the house if I haven't used the printer for anything else, which still works out cheaper than any alternatives. The walls look like instagram, but being reminded of loved ones might not be such a bad thing. [1] https://youtu.be/6HUazpXWRYo https://youtu.be/6HUazpXWRYo
- username190 2y ago
  EcoTank printers are particularly hostile with this. Despite that the waste ink pass on most models are user-servicable behind 1-2 screws, and can be purchased on Amazon for $10, the printer displays a message that you must ship the printer to Epson for a full replacement. In order to bypass the warning, you’ve traditionally needed to use a program like WIC[0], which costs $10 per use(!) - I recommend epson_print_conf[1], which is a little more tailored to the HN crowd, but does not extract a bribe every time you use it. [0] https://inkchip.net/wic/ https://inkchip.net/wic/ [1] https://github.com/Ircama/epson_print_conf https://github.com/Ircama/epson_print_conf
thanatos519 2y ago
My EcoTank didn't notice the day glo and invisible fluorescent inks I put through it. Amazing device.
mystified5016 2y ago
While this is a good recommendation, inkjet is a poor technology for most people's needs. You want inkjet if you print a lot, at least a few pages every two weeks. If you only need to print once every three months, you are going to hate inkjet, even with refillable tanks. Especially with refillable tanks. Disuse clogs up the head, which takes a lot of ink to clear. Inkjet is only worth it if you use the hell out of it. You should only get a tank printer if you expect to actually use that much ink in less than a year. If you want a printer that does nothing other than print your resume and tax returns- and you want it to just work every time- you want laser. You can even refill the toner if you really want. You shouldn't but you can.
SwtCyber 2y ago
The one downside is that if something goes wrong with the print head, it's a bigger hassle to fix than just swapping out a cartridge

mcpherrinm 2y ago

Is there any mechanism to ensure you use "genuine" ink, or can you just dump whatever in?

jdiff 2y ago
> Not only does that mean there's no way it can tell what kind of ink I'm putting in it
javawizard 2y ago
Nope! As long as you've got a bottle or a syringe with an opening small enough to fit in the refilling ports, you're golden.

dataflow 2y ago

Do you have a recommendation for a particular color model? Preferably with a scanner (but it's fine if not)?

javawizard 2y ago
Yes - mine is an Epson EcoTank 8550. It has a flatbed scanner and can print up to 13x19. They also make one that can only print 8.5x11 but that has a document feeder on the scanner. It's otherwise the same printer. I'd recommend either one, depending on how useful a document feeder would be for you and whether you need the larger print size of the one I have.
- dataflow 2y ago
  Ah thank you!
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

john01dav 2y ago

With traditional cartridges the ink can dry out and clog the cartridge if you don't print regularly. My print work loads are very bursty, like I had to print 100 resumes to go to a career fair one time but this was after like 6 months of nothing. For this reason, I prefer laser printers. Furthermore, with permanently plumbed pipes, it sounds like it could ruin the whole printer instead of just a cartridge.

j45 2y ago
Fair point, laser is great. Color laser is preferable, but not always comparable to what some inkjets can do. Also possible to schedule/automate a test print every so often with the low cost of printing on the large tank printers to keep the print heads happy.
- alsoforgotmypwd 2y ago
  5 year or more year old used HP enterprise workgroup printer only or mopier with low page count are ideal for personal use. In general, the more expensive the initial purchase price of laser printers, the more repairable and durable and lower cost per page they are. (I worked in a large university department in the 00's where they had zillions of network enterprise HP printers of all sizes.) I have an HP LaserJet Pro M402dw because I don't have a particular need for color.
  - j45 2y ago
    Lots of great black and white options in laser printing. Even Laser LED printers (okidata, etc) are good bang for the buck.
javawizard 2y ago
It's a good point. My workloads are similarly bursty. I've had no problems so far; the worst I've had to deal with is splotchy printing after it's been sitting for O(months), and a quick print head clean fixes that right up. Laser printers are great if you're doing all or mostly documents though, I can't argue with that. About half of my printing is stickers and high quality photo prints, both of which benefit from inkjet printing. (My specific model of printer is an Epson EcoTank ET-8550)

pjdesno 2y ago

I’ve been pretty happy with my EcoTank, but my favorite is still the HP PageWide I have at work. (I typically have to print ~100 5-10 page exams twice a semester) I’m very sad they discontinued them.

userbinator 2y ago

It cost about twice what a comparable, cartridge-based printer cost at the time. CIS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_ink_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_ink_system ) were around for a long time, and a popular mod amongst high-volume printers, especially Epsons, after the cartridge chip DRM was defeated[1]. They definitely cost less than the printer. I suppose Epson eventually found it profitable to do it themselves and sell with a warranty, that third-party CIS often didn't have. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25054177 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25054177

rickyc091 2y ago

Are you using wifi? I have the 4850 and the wifi would sporadically drop out after a few hours and I wouldn't be able to reconnect without a full factory reset. It was the most frustrating thing. I was about to return it then moved it to another location and connected it via ethernet. It's been fine since, but a $350 printer that doesn't have a reliable wifi module is terrible. After searching on reddit, it seems it's a common issue.

gradschool 2y ago

Something to keep in mind when selecting a printer with refillable liquid ink tanks is that they all have an internal waste ink repository, which is a sponge that soaks up unused ink that apparently accrues slowly through normal use, or quicker any time you do an ink purge [1]. On very high end photo printers it's replaceable, and might be described as a maintenance cartridge in the specs. If it fills up and can't be replaced, the printer is dead. When I was shopping around, the only brand I could find that had replaceable waste ink repositories even at the low end was Canon, and being too cheap even to have a network interface also saved me the trouble of firewalling it. It's true that ink tank printers need to be used regularly or else the print heads dry out like a felt tip pen. Since the ink costs next to nothing per page, I print a full page family photo once a week and hang it up somewhere around the house if I haven't used the printer for anything else, which still works out cheaper than any alternatives. The walls look like instagram, but being reminded of loved ones might not be such a bad thing. [1] https://youtu.be/6HUazpXWRYo https://youtu.be/6HUazpXWRYo

username190 2y ago
EcoTank printers are particularly hostile with this. Despite that the waste ink pass on most models are user-servicable behind 1-2 screws, and can be purchased on Amazon for $10, the printer displays a message that you must ship the printer to Epson for a full replacement. In order to bypass the warning, you’ve traditionally needed to use a program like WIC[0], which costs $10 per use(!) - I recommend epson_print_conf[1], which is a little more tailored to the HN crowd, but does not extract a bribe every time you use it. [0] https://inkchip.net/wic/ https://inkchip.net/wic/ [1] https://github.com/Ircama/epson_print_conf https://github.com/Ircama/epson_print_conf

thanatos519 2y ago

My EcoTank didn't notice the day glo and invisible fluorescent inks I put through it. Amazing device.

mystified5016 2y ago

While this is a good recommendation, inkjet is a poor technology for most people's needs. You want inkjet if you print a lot, at least a few pages every two weeks. If you only need to print once every three months, you are going to hate inkjet, even with refillable tanks. Especially with refillable tanks. Disuse clogs up the head, which takes a lot of ink to clear. Inkjet is only worth it if you use the hell out of it. You should only get a tank printer if you expect to actually use that much ink in less than a year. If you want a printer that does nothing other than print your resume and tax returns- and you want it to just work every time- you want laser. You can even refill the toner if you really want. You shouldn't but you can.

SwtCyber 2y ago

The one downside is that if something goes wrong with the print head, it's a bigger hassle to fix than just swapping out a cartridge