Congratulations Epson I don't hate you anymore.
I have had Epson inkjet printers for about 30 years. For my work as an artist I usually buy this size wide carriage 13x19. However I have never ever advised that anyone else I know buy a color inkjet printer unless they absolutely need one. I have two black and white laser printers that I adore because they just work, lightning fast, the toner is cheap, the print quality is excellent. My parents for instance have against my advice had a couple of color inkjets because they very occasionally want to print in color. Misery. The ink cartridges are always empty the heads are always clogged and the thing just refuses to print in black and white even though the black cartridge is full but one of the color cartridges is empty. My old Epson r2880 has eight tiny little cartridges and one or two of them are ALWAYS low or empty and they are crazy expensive. The cartridges are also chipped so that you can't use anyone else's aftermarket cartridges, and there's a whole industry dedicated to getting around these issues. In my opinion it's a terrible business model for a printer company because you make your customers hate you, go to great lengths to buy cheaper ink from other companies, and it all discourages them from using the printer and doing a lot of printing and buying your other supplies like paper.
Well I read an awful lot about these new tank style printers and how they could potentially solve most of these issues. And I have to say I think they have nailed it. This printer is an absolute joy to use and you just look for excuses to print anything. The gloss prints on Epson ultra premium paper are simply the finest gloss prints I've ever seen. The ink tanks are huge and transparent so you can tell how much ink is in them and the ink lasts a way long time and it's really not that expensive. The ink bottles are actually kind of brilliant you can't put the wrong ink in the wrong tank cuz the nozzles are different shapes and they don't drip ink at all or anything. You can top them up at any time it's beautiful. Turns out you really don't need 8 or 10 colors to print gorgeous luminous prints. I am happy to buy Epson brand ink under these conditions. I mean I could still buy a different company's ink and put it in these tanks but why would you?I've always liked Epson photo paper and use it almost exclusively. I actually tell my kids to go and use the printer all they want. My neighbors too. If there's a print you think you might like print it for goodness sake! Print it larger! Now see Epson: THAT is a business model.
I had trepidations as this is a die ink printer. Everyone says artists should "use pigment inks for archival longevity". I've decided I just don't care. Pigment inks tend to clog. They actually don't look that good on glossy paper did anyone ever tell you that? They need a special varnish coat in order for the gloss to pop. If one of these dye prints fades in 20 years you know what it's digital files, I'll just go print the darn thing again it's not that expensive on a printer like this.
I even kind of like the Epson print layout software, even though it looks like it was designed in the Windows XP era, and the scanner and it's software work quite well. I've had Epson flatbed scanners also for years and this one being built directly into the printer is just very useful. The touch screen also works well and you can quickly run off a copy which I've never really been able to do before, because I've had a separate printer and scanner and it's just too much of a pain to fire them both up and get on the computer. Also the wireless print function is really great. I can print a 4x6 from my phone in a few clicks, or a PDF from my tablet, what have you. There's even a special paper slot just to hold 4x6s in addition to other paper, gloss full sheets in the rear feed, plain paper in the bottom tray. They really have kind of thought of everything with this printer.
If I need to do some serious black and white printing of text I will still use the laser. On cheap copy paper the inkjet looks a little fuzzy and is actually not waterproof. But if I didn't have a laser I wouldn't go out and buy one because one printer is better than two. Just use inkjet plain paper and you'll be set
This is a printer I can happily recommend to basically anyone, and I have never been able to say that about a color ink jet before.
Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Wireless Wide-Format All-in-One Supertank Printer with Scanner, Copier, Ethernet and 4.3-inch Col
4.4 | 1,362 ratings
Price: 668.99
Last update: 09-04-2024
About this item
Cartridge-free printing for lab-quality photos, graphics and creative projects — get vibrant colors and sharp text with Epson's high-accuracy printhead and Claria ET Premium 6-color inks; print a 4 x 6" photo in as fast as 15 seconds (4).Product protection you can count on — 2-year limited warranty with registration (10). | Genuine Epson Ink for Genuine Epson Quality― Epson strongly recommends the use of genuine ink to ensure optimal print quality and performance. Use of non-genuine ink could cause damage not covered under the printer’s ltd. warranty.
Extraordinary media support, including borderless photos up to 13" x 19" — accommodates cardstock, CD/DVDs and other specialty media up to 1.3 mm thick; auto 2-sided printing
Amazing value — save a ridiculous amount on photos (1) and creative projects with affordable in-house photo printing; print 4" x 6" photos for about 4 cents each vs. 40 cents with traditional ink cartridges (1)
Save up to 80% with low-cost replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges (3) — that's about Dollar-2000 on each set (3), enough ink to print up to 6,200 pages color (5)
Print up to 2 years (2) — with each included and replacement ink bottle set
Zero-cartridge waste — with high-yield ink bottles; each replacement ink bottle set is equivalent to about 100 individual ink cartridges (6)
Print, scan and more from your mobile device (7) with Epson Smart Panel app (8) — set up, monitor and operate your printer directly from your mobile device; supports iOS and Android
Intuitive touch display and wireless connectivity — 4.3" color display, voice-activated printing (9) and more for fast, easy performance
Exclusive EcoFit ink bottle design — uniquely keyed for easy filling of each color
Product protection you can count on — 2-year limited warranty with registration (10). | Genuine Epson Ink for Genuine Epson Quality― Epson strongly recommends the use of genuine ink to ensure optimal print quality and performance. Use of non-genuine ink could cause damage not covered under the printer’s ltd. warranty.
Extraordinary media support, including borderless photos up to 13" x 19" — accommodates cardstock, CD/DVDs and other specialty media up to 1.3 mm thick; auto 2-sided printing
Amazing value — save a ridiculous amount on photos (1) and creative projects with affordable in-house photo printing; print 4" x 6" photos for about 4 cents each vs. 40 cents with traditional ink cartridges (1)
Save up to 80% with low-cost replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges (3) — that's about Dollar-2000 on each set (3), enough ink to print up to 6,200 pages color (5)
Print up to 2 years (2) — with each included and replacement ink bottle set
Zero-cartridge waste — with high-yield ink bottles; each replacement ink bottle set is equivalent to about 100 individual ink cartridges (6)
Print, scan and more from your mobile device (7) with Epson Smart Panel app (8) — set up, monitor and operate your printer directly from your mobile device; supports iOS and Android
Intuitive touch display and wireless connectivity — 4.3" color display, voice-activated printing (9) and more for fast, easy performance
Exclusive EcoFit ink bottle design — uniquely keyed for easy filling of each color
Product protection you can count on — 2-year limited warranty with registration (10). | Genuine Epson Ink for Genuine Epson Quality― Epson strongly recommends the use of genuine ink to ensure optimal print quality and performance. Use of non-genuine ink could cause damage not covered under the printer’s ltd. warranty.
Product information
| Product Dimensions | 29.8"D x 20.6"W x 16.9"H |
|---|---|
| Controller Type | iOS, Android |
| Printer Media Size Maximum | 13 x 19 inch |
| Power Consumption | 150 Watts |
| Included Components | EcoTank Photo ET-8550 all-in-one, Quick Setup Guide, Power Cable, CD-ROM (User Guide, software), 1 bottle of 552 Photo Black (70 mL), 1 bottle of 552 Black (70 mL) and 1 bottle each of 552 Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Gray (70 mL) (4) |
| Print media | Glossy photo paper |
| Scanner Type | Photo |
| Max Input Sheet Capacity | 100 |
| Compatible Devices | Smartphones, PC |
| Sheet Size | 13" x 19" (A3+), 11" x 17", A3, Legal, Letter, A4, Executive, 8" x 10", 5" x 7", 4" x 6", 3.5" x 5", A6, Half Letter, #10 Envelope, User Defined (2.2" x 3.4" to 13" x 78.7") |
| Warranty Type | Limited Warranty |
| Duplex | Automatic |
| Hardware Interface | USB |
| Resolution | 5760 x 1440 |
| Additional Printer functions | Copy, Scan |
| Control Method | App, Touch |
| Model Series | ET |
| UPC | 010343952492 |
| Item Weight | 24.5 pounds |
| ASIN | B08R5M2HDH |
| Item model number | ET-8550 |
| Customer Reviews |
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars
1,293 ratings
4.4 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #7,252 in Office Products (See Top 100 in Office Products) #30 in Ink Tank Printers |
| Date First Available | December 21, 2020 |
| Manufacturer | Epson |
Top reviews from the United States
Count Orloff
Epson finally did inkjet printing right
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2024Edward C. Rogers
An overall EXCELLENT value!!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2023
Edward C. Rogers
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2023
I've been relying on Keith Cooper on YouTube, for printing advice. It's paying huge dividends. His take on this? It's fantastic, if you use the right paper and right settings for your taste. Paper choice is crucial...and most printers these days are extremely good at what they do, regardless of cost.
I received my printer 3 full days earlier than originally predicted. The setup was simple. Most of the time was spent charging the tanks with ink and doing the alignment check. The alignment check was a bit weird, in that there were several correct possible choices for me to make. I did my best and didn't worry about it.
This printer is a compromise, in that most of the inks are dye-based. If you're not a professional printer, especially if you're not going to sell your prints, you can varnish them, after the ink dries on the paper. They'll last 100+ years.
The output is extremely good, although I've only had the stock photo paper to test and one card stock greeting card thus far. I will be testing out a lot of different papers, smaller sizes, to find what works for me.
I scanned an old black & white photo, yellowed with age, in a color setting. The resulting image is missing the exact tone, though. I don't know how I feel about that. I can fix it in post editing if I want...
Printing text on regular bright white paper is adequate and swift. The Duplexer worked fine. Note: If you plan to print on poster board, you'll need to remove the duplexer so the poster board can pass through the rear bottom of the unit. The card stock card I printed was perfect.
My one issue is that since it prints large prints, it requires more real estate than my old printer did. It's well worth the trade-off, however. Recommended.
Images in this review
Gary Scharg
Good quality color printer/scanner for price, economical to use
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2024