In this EPSON EcoTank ET-2850 Printer review, we’ll discuss the update to EPSON’s ET-2750, the EcoTank ET-2850 printer.
There aren’t really any drastic changes made to this new printer. Like its predecessor, the EcoTank ET-2850 is a multifunction printer.
It works as a copier and scanner that stores ink in tanks refilled via bottles.
Plus, it also doesn’t utilise any disposable plastic cartridges. This results in a product that’s extremely affordable to use and has adequate ink to print thousands of pages.
If the EcoTank ET-2850 sounds fitting for your needs, you’re in the right place. Our EPSON EcoTank ET-2850 Printer review will discuss all the essentials you need to know about the product.
EPSON EcoTank ET-2850 Printer Packaging
We’ll first look into the packaging and contents of the printer. When it arrived for our review, it came in a chunky-looking box that had a lot going on on it.
The front showcases an image of the printer that’s accompanied by EPSON’s branding and the product’s name. Its key features, as well as what the product mainly does, can be found here.
On the box’s rear, you’ll find an image of EPSON’s ink bottles. Plus, it notifies that the package should be handled with care.
Looking inside, you’ll find the printer along with two bottles of black ink. Then, there’s a bottle each for cyan, yellow, and magenta.
The supplied black ink is adequate for 14,000 pages. For the coloured ones, these are enough for printing 5,200 pages each. That means, it’ll take some time before you need to purchase new ink.
Next, our EPSON EcoTank ET-2850 Printer review will focus on the design and functions of the printer.
EPSON EcoTank ET-2850 Printer Review – Design and Functionality
After unboxing, we realised that it’s a fairly compact product that’s 375 x 347 x 187mm. In front, there’s an output tray that you’ll need to make space for pulling it out. Also, additional space is necessary along its rear since the scanner lid hinges on this area.
The good thing is, it can be positioned in an almost vertical manner when necessary.
Its control panel in front sports a single 1.5″ colour screen controlled via numerous buttons on its right. Then, the whole panel is hinged at the top so it can be tugged out to your preferred viewing angle.
Further studying its build and design for this EPSON EcoTank ET-2850 Printer review gave us more reasons to like it. Its prints are produced at a max of 5,760 x 1,440 dpi. Then, the scanner can handle up to 1,200 x 2,400 ppi.
Do note that it only has one paper tray and it’s the 100-sheet capacity slot on its rear. Despite that, the product can print on both sides of the sheet to instantly keep wasted paper to a minimum.
Key Features of the EPSON EcoTank ET-2850 Printer
This time, our EPSON EcoTank ET-2850 Printer review will check out all the printer’s key features. What makes it better than its competitors around? Let’s find out.
Printing Freedom
The EcoTank ET-2850 has an integrated high-capacity ink tank system. In the box, it has enough ink to print 5,200 coloured pages and 6,500 black & white pages. So upon purchasing, you won’t have to worry about ink replacement and costs.
High Volume Ink Bottles
You can purchase additional low-cost ink in convenient high-volume bottles. These have drip-free nozzles and resealable caps for easy refilling and storage.
Also, EPSON redesigned their ink bottles to give these a unique key system. The company keyed each bottle so these can only fit into the corresponding ink tank on your printer. This system prevents spilling and mis-filling your ink tanks.
Replacement bottles hold enough ink for 6,000 coloured pages and 7,500 black & white pages.
Heat-free Technology
The Epson Micro Piezo with Heat-Free Technology powers the EcoTank ET-2850. This technology uses piezo crystals that pulse when the printer sends them electrical signals. It produces consistent droplets, resulting in clear and sharp prints.
EPSON Smart Panel
The EPSON Smart Panel app turns your Android or iOS into an intuitive control centre for your EcoTank ET-2850. This app makes setting up, monitoring, printing, and scanning easier since you can do it via your smartphone.
Quick configuration features offer easy product setup via wireless network and allow automatic printer detection. Plus, you can customise the app based on your requirements and preferences.
Easy Navigation
The 1.44” colour LCD and user-friendly control panel buttons allow for easy navigation on the printer menu. This makes printing of reports, documents, invoices, and presentations easier.
Simple Wireless Connectivity
The EcoTank ET-2850 supports 802.11 b/g/n, the latest wireless connectivity standard, and comes with WiFi Direct. With that, you can enjoy greater coverage and faster speeds even without a router. Also, you can use this printer anywhere in your home and share it with multiple computers.
Print from your Apple Products
The EcoTank ET-2850 features Apple Airprint. This technology makes printing emails, presentations, documents, and web pages easier straight from your Apple devices. You won’t need to download software, install drivers, and connect cables since your iOS device automatically connects to the printer.
Two-year Warranty
All EcoTank printers from EPSON come with a two-year Return-to-Base warranty. This includes a one-year standard warranty and another year upon registering your product. To do this, you will need to visit EPSON’s registration page.
Specifications
The specifications of this product are vital for our EPSON EcoTank ET-2850 Printer review. This section will give you a better idea of what the printer
Printing and Ink Specifications
The printer uses four-colour (CMYK) and MicroPiezo inkjet printing technologies. Then, it has a maximum print resolution of 5,760 x 1,440 dpi.
For its ISO print speed, these are 10.5 ISO ppm1 for black and 5 ISO ppm1 for colour. The auto two-sided ISO print speeds are 6 ISO ppm1 for black and 4 ISO ppm1 for colour.
This printer uses EcoTank Ink bottles wherein the minimum droplet size is as small as three picolitres. Its ink palette consists of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black and its configuration features four individual ink bottles.
General Specifications
The EcoTank ET-2850 works with numerous operating systems. These include Windows 10, 8, 8.1, 7, and Vista. For Mac, the printer works with MacOS X 10.6.8 up to 10.15.x3 versions.
The printer’s dimensions are 375 x 567 x 259 (W x D x H) when printing and weighs 5.5kg.
Copy and Scan
For black, its ISO copy speed is 7.7 ISO ppm5 while colour is at 3.8 ISO ppm5. Then, the quantity of its copy is a total of 99 (PC-free), while max copy size is A4.
Additionally, it has borderless copy and features reduction plus enlargement ranging from 25 to 400%.
Continuing our EPSON EcoTank ET-2850 Printer review, the printer has a colour flatbed and colour CIS line sensor. It has a 2,400 dpi optical resolution and hardware resolution of 1,200 x 2,400 dpi.
Maximum resolution of the printer is 9,600 dpi interpolated. Then, it has a colour bit depth of 48-bit colour input/24-bit colour output.
Hands-on with the EPSON EcoTank ET-2850 Printer
This time, our EPSON EcoTank ET-2850 Printer review will get hands-on with the product. Let’s see if its performance is up to par with your needs.
The first thing we’ll look at is the setup process of the printer. If you have a smartphone around, it’s best to use it to access EPSON’s Smart Panel app. It will help and guide you through the setup process.
This app directly links to the printer, making it easier to connect the printer to the WiFi network. It also guarantees that you’re doing the setup process in the right order. These include filling ink tanks before switching it on, and the like.
These instructions are laid out in a conversational manner, and it’s like having a remote session with a support assistant. Another great aspect is that you can easily scroll back and forth throughout the instructions whenever necessary.
When it comes to filling the printer with ink, it’s basically a foolproof method. That’s because the necks of each bottle are moulded to perfectly fit the correct tanks.
These bottles don’t begin emptying until these have been clicked right into place. Plus, these do not require any further squeezing to get all the ink out.
Once the setup process was done, we tested the EcoTank ET-2850’s wireless connectivity with numerous devices.
Although there was some lag when printing large images, we had no issues with the overall wireless printing process. Despite the lag, it was still quick and it didn’t affect the output quality. Also, all our devices were able to quickly detect the printer.
We printed numerous images to see its output quality. Our prints had exceptional quality with extremely clear and sharp texts. The images were vibrant, thanks to the piezo technology that delivered significantly better image quality than outputs of other printers. This feature makes this printer on par with colour laser printers with 4,800 x 1,200 pixels maximum resolution.
EPSON EcoTank ET-2850 Printer Review Summary
The EPSON Ecotank ET-2850 is an exceptional printer that offers a great value for money. It’s truly multifunctional since it offers printing, scanning, copying, as well as seamless WiFi connectivity. Plus, it comes with a handy mobile application that’s easy to use.
Although it costs quite high for a printer, it’s excellently priced for several reasons. Aside from it being multifunctional, it has a cartridge-free technology that’s eco-friendly while helping you save more. Most importantly, it delivers excellent performance and great printing, scanning, and copying quality.
Overall, we were impressed and satisfied with the EcoTank ET-2850 and we highly recommend it. If you’re looking for an all-in-one printer that helps cut the cost of consumables, this product is best for you.
The EcoTank ET-2850 can be purchased online from EPSON’s official website.
