Epson today introduced the EcoTank ET-2400, an affordable addition to its popular line of tank-based printers. The company has been pioneering ink cartridge-free printing for years, helping consumers save money on constant cartridge replacement. Epson has long been on a quest to find the magic price point that will lure consumers away from ultra-cheap printers with cartridges.
The printer features a proprietary Micro Piezo Heat-Free print head for crisp text and accurate color reproduction on a variety of paper types. It’s also a multifunction printer with an integrated scanner bed and copier. It has Bluetooth for wireless printing and a built-in microphone for entering simple voice commands. Like most Epson printers, this model integrates with the company’s Smart Panel app to print from smart devices and create unique designs and templates.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]The ET-2400 comes with a tank and enough ink for two years of regular printing. According to Epson, a single tank is equivalent to 90 ink cartridges. At an average price of $15 per ink cartridge, the savings certainly add up, but that’s common for all printers with a tank.
With its new EcoTank inkjet printer series, Epson is trying to rewrite printer history. Instead of small, pre-filled ink cartridges that need to be replaced frequently, Epson’s new printers use permanent tanks that hold large amounts of ink. When ink runs low, you don’t have to buy and plug in new ink cartridges; you can simply fill new cartridges.
There are currently five models in the EcoTank line: two printers for home users, two all-in-one printers for businesses, and the $1,200 WorkForce Pro WF-R4640 for the high-end. Overall, these printers are more expensive than their traditional counterparts – an inkjet all-in-one printer like the HP Officejet Pro 8620.
The idea is that while EcoTank printers and ink cost more initially, users save money in the long run.
Under a hinged cover on the right side, the ET4550 has four ink tanks, each with a plastic window that shows the ink level. The printer initially comes with two bottles each of black, cyan, magenta and yellow ink; each black ink bottle holds 4.7 ounces, and each colored ink bottle holds 2.35 ounces. One bottle is enough to fill each individual container, which is then sealed with a rubber stopper.