Great printer so far... I received the printer quickly from Amazon in great shape. I read quite a few reviews and I just don't understand the negative input. I was able to buy the printer during an "Epson Sale for 20% less" making the value even better. The printer setup was a snap. Some of the documentation with photos and no words are a laughable, but you need some entertainment while the ink is charging. The printer operation is intelligent. I tried regular paper and double sided 5x7 photo ready paper. My intention is to use the printer for small batch marketing brochures/cards and reports. The default setting on the printer for regular paper produces a slightly light page. I can see how the ink will last two years on that setting. I also tried the setting for best output on regular paper. The printing was a lot slower, but the results were very acceptable. The duplex printing on standard paper worked great. I then moved on to printing on 5x7 semigloss double sided photo paper for some marketing cards. The output on the cards were great with clean crisp lines and good saturation in the solid colors. The borderless setting worked great. Photos on my card were good enough for marketing purposes, but I don't think this is a good printer option for high resolution photos.
Every time you open the printer paper drawer, it asks you to verify the size and type of paper. I liked that as I may be changing paper types often and I don't have to search through the menu for options.
The setup included a wireless wizard to find my network. I have a dual band router with 5ghz and 2.4ghz bands. The printer instantly saw the 2.4ghz band and I entered in a password. The printer then updated it's firmware without a hitch.
Adding ink and charging the system was easy and clean enough. I was expecting the bottles to drip a little on retrieval, but not a drop was shed.
I use a MacBook pro. My Mac found the printer on the network, grabbed the drivers automatically and set up the printer with no complaints. I printed from MS word and Photoshop directly. I noticed that the default printing setup was duplex printing. It worked great and turing it off is just a matter or unchecking a box in the printer preferences.
What could be a little better... As some people have mentioned.. A slightly larger LCD would be nice, but that is not a show stopper. The paper output tray could be a little stronger, but so far that has not been an issue.
So far, I anticipate the printer to do hold up to the use... Just in case I did get the Square additional warranty.. it was only $10 per year for an additional four years. I doubt I will have the printer that long, but as some people have mentioned there is no telling what will happen to the printer head in two years. I had the same concern with my Epson 4880 printer. The concept is similar.. large ink cartridges and the printer head never changes. After 5 years and thousands of large photo prints on my 4880, it keeps working like new... If Epson applied any of that older tech in this printer, it should be just fine.
I will post an updates..
Update.. March 4, 2018: I have had the printer since Nov 2017 and I am down to about 50% of the first set of ink. At my current pace, the original ink should last more than a year. I use the printer for basic printing and 10 mil double sided 5x7 and 8x18 photo paper printing. The results are good and I have had no issues after making many full color images. I would recommend this printer again.
Update.. September 2018: The printer is still working great. I have received numerous updates to the software for the printer. Each loads without a problem. For all those that complain about wifi drop outs, setup issue, etc. etc. I have not seen any of those problems.
If I could, I would rate this printer 4.5 stars (I virtually always find the 5 point scale inadequate to rate things accurately). The print quality is not as good as the printer we are replacing it (the epson workforce WF-7610 Epson WorkForce WF-7610 Wireless Color All-in-One Inkjet Printer with Scanner and Copier I would post a photo for comparison if I could, but the reason I got this printer is that we can not get the other to work. After several years of faithful service the print heads became clogged and the software prevents it from running. We have tried to clean it, using directions from Epson's site to no avail. The reason I rated this printer 5 stars nonetheless is that the cost of ink is more reasonable than most currently available printers,a huge issue for us, and I imagine, for many others.
I believe I have tried near every printer on the market in the past couple of years,, and we have at least a dozen in our house now, but have not been able to print for months. Some are broken, some we can no longer get ink for, and one has policies so reprehensible that I will not put it on our home network. (having tested it, I will not touch anything made by HP, and likely never will again, a shame as they used to make very good printers).
Time was the single most important thing (to me) about a printer was print quality. Because printer ink refills now often cost more than the printer, what ought to be the most important consideration has been tempered some. The factors I consider when shopping for a printer are: print quality, functionality (inclusion of scanner fax, ability to make 2 sided copies, etc), ease of use and compatibility, cost of use and ease of maintenance, durability/ build quality, flexibility (options to use it wired or wireless,, remote print, compatibility across device type,) footprint, and finally, cost of the printer. It was so much simpler 20 years ago (when ink cost $5-10 and electronics were not treated as disposable).
I am trying to write this review in such a way that those with different priorities can make an informed decision. If I miss an area of concern or you have a question, please feel free to ask. I will answer \as best I can. Note: I have NO Apple products and can not answer questions about compatibility etc. We do have just about everything else in our household, to include a few flavors of linux. This is, however, primarily being used with Windows desktops (and laptops) and android mobile devices. (and questions about various versions of linux and arduino may not be answered until my son is home for christmas break, my own linux {actually, unix} tablet being so old, that I have kept it merely for nostalgia).
As noted above, this printer replaces an earlier Epson workforce printer. The first thing I noticed (and it is hard to miss) is that this printer is significantly smaller, perhaps 2/3 the size. It is still larger than most home printers, but the workforce line are office machines. Our prior workforce made that obvious. It was huge. This one is large, but most of that bulk is height. The footprint is roughly average for a printer which has a full size scanner bed and which accepts letter and legal paper. The build also does not appear as solid, but it may well be a visual trick, the frosted/ matte finish making it appear less industrial. I believe the paper hopper is smaller too (but will have to look those numbers up not recalling accurately the capacity of our old machine) which accounts for the difference in height. The 4750 holds 250 sheets (vs 150 on other models)..
Set up was easy, though time consuming. This is one of very few printers I have used which is not plug and play (on windows systems). Before installing the software (drivers, etc.) from Epson's site, I could not use the printer at all, despite my husband having set it up on the network. It was not even picked up by windows on the list of printers (I must have 5 or 6 in my drop-down list, mostly legacy). allow at least half an hour for set up because Epson checks for and installs updates, offering additional software (cloud print, pdf, and evaluative/ feedback) during the install. It also offers the option to register the machine at the same time). This all takes some time but requires little in the way of input (though you do need to be present to confirm or deny permissions, click next...) it can not be done as an unattended install.
The install went smoothly and the printer picked up a document I had queued, printing it after the test page.
I would rate it 4.5 for ease of install. If it were plug and play I would have rated it 5 stars in this area, but you do not have to be terribly sophisticated to install it. Those who consider themselves novices, or even technophobes, should not be put off. All that is required is going to the address on the set-up page, downloading the software, and Epson autodetects most of what needs to be filled in. It also has ink tanks which need to be filled, as opposed to cartridges. That also takes a bit of extra time, but only a bit, and was also easy.
In terms of ease of use, it is as easy as any printer I have ever used. The amount of time spent on maintenance will be determined by use. (refilling paper, and ink cartridges will vary considerably from one person to another. I would rate it 5 stars for ease of use.
I would also rate it 5 stars for functionality. It is an all in one printer: prints, scan, copy, fax. It does 2 sided and borderless copies. It can print both from wired and wireless devices over wifi or networked machines. It can also do remoter printing or cloud printing (available from Epson and Google print). This goes to flexibility as well, as noted above, I can not coment on compatibility with apple devices.
Print quality is where it falls down a little. Again, I would rate it 4.5 if I could. I am surprised to not see the dpi listed, which is something I usually consider when purchasing a printer, and comment on for comparison's sake in reviews. Iill see if I can find that information on Epson's site, and will update my review accordingly. The print is very crisp and precise (indicating a high dpi) but the colors are not as saturated or rich as they were on our old Epson workforce, or a couple of Canon printers. I expect this to be less good for photos for that reason.
Economy of use: 5 stars. The printer comes with bvottles of ink which should last the average user 1-2 years. They are rated for 11,000-14,000 prints (color vs black and white). The sole issue I have with the system is that if 1 ink cartridge is empty you can not print at all Out of yelloow, you can not make a black and white print. That might have killed it in comparison to printers of yore,, but at the current time it is the most economical printer I know of, despite the ijntital outllay being somewhat higher than average. Personally I like that, and find it a good deal more honest. Obviously it will be a better deal for those who do a lot of printing than those who make the occasional print, but I imagine those poeople are not looking for an office machine.
In sum:
5 stars for build quality
5 stars for ease of use
4.5 stars for set up/ install (easy but a bit more time consuing)
5 stars for maintenance (large ink tanks need refilling rarely, large paper hopper, both easily filled)
4.5 stars for print quality. Crisp clear print but depth of color not as good as some
5 stars for functionality: print, copy, fax, scan, remote and cloud printing, 2 sided prints. It is a very full featured machine
5 stars fpor flexibility: print wired, wrireless via ethernet cable or wifi
It also is very compact for an office machine, while retaining capacity for bulk printing.
The machine that we have used the most over the last 10 years was our old Epsn workforce, and it looks like this is a very good replacement for our old machine. Not only would I recommend it, but just sent my son (currently a student at Cal Tech) an Epson printer.
Wi-Fi Setup:
The Wi-Fi setup was fairly easy for the printer and adding the ink was also surprisingly simple. Although I was able to get it to connect to our 2.4 GHz network, it WILL NOT connect to our 5GHz network as it is not supported. This is told to you in the software, but it is not mentioned in the documentation or the item description. We run two networks, a 2.4 GHz and a 5.0 GHz VPN. We do everything on the 5GHz network and so for us to print we have to disconnect from one network and to the other. With that being the case, we will probably hardwire the printer to a system on the 5GHz network and then share out the printer from that system, which is really annoying and comes with it's own set of challenges. 5GHz is the newest Wi-Fi standard for the home so it's quite unacceptable that this printer is not able to connect to the newest standard.
Ink:
It does come with liquid ink that you put into the printer, and I'll admit, I was a bit hesitant about that aspect. However, not one drop was spilled as the system to transfer the ink into the printer works perfectly. They say it ships with 2 years of ink, but since we don't print that much, I have no idea how long it will really last, much longer than 2 years for our use. The ink comes in two sets (4 bottles for each set, Black/Yellow/Cyan/Magenta), so you add one set now and keep the other on the side for when you run out. What I'm really curious to know is, how often do I need to print to ensure that it all keeps printing perfectly, and that answer is not in the manual. After installing the ink, the printer takes about 10 minutes to "charge", but that too is fairly painless. After installing the software on our Mac's, we were able to successfully print from 2 computers. After a few calibration test sheets that the printer does automatically after the initial setup, you can print whatever you like. I'm hopeful that due to the replacement system of the ink that it will not be so expensive to refill as that is where most companies make their money on their printers, through proprietary ink refills that are even computer-chipped to force you into buying their product. We will see in the future if there are generic products to be used as ink refills, since they will no-doubt be less-expensive than the Epson brand. I have no problem buying the Epson brand ink refills, and would prefer to do that, but will only do so under two conditions: 1. There are no other options for generic ink refills and 2. The price isn't astronomical.
Print Quality:
Quality is fine and I took a pic of the test sheet. It's not spectacular, it's not terrible, it's just typical inkjet quality.
Scanning:
Wi-Fi scanning works great. You simply choose what computer you want it sent to and it does it automatically and drops the scanned document into the Pictures folder. Once you sort your pictures by date you will see it as the most recent.
Fax:
We were unable to use the fax feature because we do not have a traditional phone line. However, we have multiple cell phones. I did a lot of googling trying to see if we could perhaps use our cell phones as the fax line for this printer, and was not able to discover a way to do this.
Anti-Virus:
We had MacAfee Anti-Virus installed on our systems and have been wanting to remove it for quite some time because of all the conflicts it causes. During the install of the printer software, it lets you know that any anti-virus you have running on your system might cause problems with the install. Indeed, it definitely did, and the computer was not able to see the printer while MacAfee was running. This was the motivation I needed to finally uninstall MacAfee, and after I did that, the computer saw the printer immediately.
Pros:
1. Prints double-sided - Simply awesome and it will save us a good deal of paper.
2. Able to print from iPhone/mobile device through Epson iPrint app and it works perfectly. Note: I was also able to update the printer firmware through the app directly to the printer. Android is also supported.
3. The top of the printer essentially "converts" to be a 30-page sheet feeder when needed, but when not in use is able to be converted back to having a flat surface. Nice for when you need a flat surface to lay something down.
Cons:
1. Will not connect to a 5GHz network. Absolutely UNACCEPTABLE as this is the newest standard and this is a new printer that is extremely expensive. Just what are we paying for?
2. I am not able to update the firmware through the printer's internet connection, but was able to do it through the app. Not sure why, but it is clearly connected to the network and everything else on the network can see the internet and print to the printer.
3. Unable to use the feature to print away from home because the printer is not able to see the internet.
4. MacAfee Anti-Virus conflicts during the install process. We uninstalled MacAfee, but I'm not sure if this can be worked around while keeping the software installed and running. It may be something you may need to consider. Should not be an issue if you are going to hardwire the printer or share out the printer via a print-server.
Overall:
Printer works quite well and is quiet and fast (for an inkjet). The footprint is not too bad, and operation seems to be quite good. Installation of drivers was painless and print quality is as-expected. However, it is simply unacceptable that there is no 5GHz support for the printer, that alone would drive me to purchase another printer. Had this information been put into the description, I would never have gotten it. I don't know how Epson thinks you can hold onto this printer for years knowing that it is not capable of being used on the new Wi-Fi network standard. For such a high price as they are asking for this printer, this is simply unacceptable. Ink refills have the potential to be outrageously priced, so be sure to research that prior to buying any printer. If you don't need to print in color, my experience is that most people would be better off buying a less-expensive laser printer since toner cartridges last much longer than ink cartridges and are less-expensive over time with fewer problems, and is faster and has better print quality. Again, that only works if you don't need to print in color. My first laser printer lasted 12 years and my current laser printer has lasted 13 years. In the last 10 years I've had 4 inkjets, and they've all had problems ranging from ink drying out and the heads needing to be replaced to ink cartridges that were so outrageously priced that it was cheaper to buy a whole new printer with new ink...I'm talking to you Lexmark!
If you have any questions about the printer, just ask in the comments and I'll do my best to respond promptly.
The cost of ink cartridges has always been an issue with me. I’ve owned 2 color laser printers that I bought at deeply discounted prices and had good luck with both of them. They both ran for years with no problem. But when you need to replace toner cartridges you can get the same sticker shock as with ink cartridges. And if the drum quits, which is usually separate in a color printer, it may cost more than the printer itself. When my last color laser printer finally quit I looked at this printer and thought that Epson had solved the problem. Ink printers use much less electricity and with refillable ink cartridges the on-going operating costs come down dramatically. I am impressed with the speed at which it prints, having not used an ink printer in a long time. The quality is good, although not on a par with laser. But still good enough for most uses. I downloaded all the drivers and other software right from Epson and the installation was quite easy and went without a hitch. The ink loaded with no problem what so ever. I didn’t spill so much as a drop of ink. Another reason I picked this model is the FAX capability. For legal reasons somethings just can’t be emailed and must be FAXed. I did need that option. It prints 2-sided automatically which is great. But it does lead to the one issue I found. There is no manual feed tray. You must put the original in the standard paper tray and print from there. I will have to settle for a rating of 4 because of the print quality and the lack of manual feed. But for long term cost-of-operation this can’t be beat. I did pay full price for this printer and would highly recommend it for any small business or home user.
Print. I used to stretch my ink on a previous printer. Often, that made reading the printed document difficult. Now I print in the Best mode most of the time. There are several print quality choices based per paper type. I can print with and without borders. Using the Best mode on regular paper is quite good. When color is unnecessary, black and white may be selected. While this is not an Epson photo printer, I am pleased with this feature and print quality.
Feeder. This printer does not have a duplex document feeder, but the printer will print two-sided. The document feeder will need two sheets, one for each side. Select two-sided for printing a double-sided document. Duplex feeding is not missed as I rarely use the feeder.
Two-Sided Printing. I can print a double-sided paper from a multi-page document.
A box. This printer is my first Epson so I should mention that I was surprised about having to replace a box. When this printer performs a maintenance operation, such as head cleaning, wasted ink is created. The ink is collected in a disposable absorbent box called an EcoTank Ink Maintenance Box, part number T04D100. It is about $10, and Epson will provide free ground shipping. When ink levels are checked, this level is level also checked. I don't know how often this will need changing. It does have a chip that may prevent printing until it is replaced. There appears to be adequate warning.
Size. The footprint area is about 60% compared to my previous all-in-one printer.
Based on current use, I am happy with this printer.
Feature Product
- Cartridge-free printing - comes with up to 2 years of ink in the box (1)
- Includes enough ink to print up to 14,000 pages black/11,200 color (2) - equivalent to about 30 ink cartridge sets (3)
- Save up to 80 percent on ink with low-cost replacement bottles (4) - plus easy-to-fill, supersized ink tanks
- Load paper less often - high-capacity 250-sheet paper tray. Power - Voltage - AC 100 - 240V Universal (Automatic). Operating Systems - Windows 10, Windows 8, 8.1 (32-bit, 64-bit), Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit), Windows Server 2003 - Windows Server 20169 (32-bit, 64-bit), Mac OS X 10.6 - macOS 10.12.x10
- Easy touch-and-swipe setup and navigation - large 2.4" color touchscreen..Server systems: Windows Server 2003 - Windows Server 2016
Description
The WorkForce ET-4750 EcoTank all-in-one, powered by PrecisionCore, offers revolutionary cartridge-free printing with easy-to-fill, supersized ink tanks. It includes up to 2 years of ink in the box (1). That’s an incredible amount of ink — enough to print up to 11,200 pages (2), and equivalent to about 30 ink cartridge sets (3). Plus, it features auto-stop ink bottles with each color uniquely keyed for easy filling of each tank. And, you save up to 80 percent on ink with low-cost replacement bottles (4). The ET-4750 also offers a high-capacity 250-sheet paper tray, fax, 2.4" color touchscreen, 30-sheet ADF, fast auto 2-sided printing, and convenient wired and wireless networking.
1. Based on average monthly print volumes of about 300 pages.
2. Included ink bottle yields based on the ISO/IEC 24712 pattern with Epson’s methodology. Actual ink yields will vary considerably for reasons including images printed, print settings, temperature and humidity. Yields may be lower when printing infrequently or predominantly with one ink color. All ink colors are used for printing and printer maintenance, and all colors must be available for printing. For more information, visit our official site.
3. Equivalent cartridge sets estimate based on print yields of the included Black and color ink bottles as compared to Epson standard-capacity ink cartridge sets for similarly featured cartridge printers as of March 2017.
4. Savings comparison based on the purchase cost of replacement ink bottles and the cost of enough cartridges to achieve the total page yields of the bottles using the manufacturers’ online prices and yields for the highest-capacity cartridges for the best-selling, similarly featured consumer inkjet printers priced at $499 or less per NPD, July 2016. Actual savings will vary based on print tasks, print volumes and usage conditions.
5. Most features require an Internet connection to the printer, as well as an Internet- and/or email-enabled device. For a list of Epson Connect enabled printers and compatible devices and apps, visit our official site.
6. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED; level of performance subject to the range of the router being used. Wi-Fi Direct may require printer software.
7. 12 months of standard limited warranty or 50,000 plain paper sheets (whichever happens first). For an additional 12 months (total of 24 months or 50,000 plain paper sheets, whichever happens first), register your product and use Epson genuine ink bottles. See Limited Warranty for details.
8. ET-2500/2550/2600/2650/2700/2750/3600/3700/3750/4500/4550/4750/16500 included ink bottle yields based on the ISO/IEC 24712 pattern with Epson’s methodology. ET-7700/7750 included ink bottle photo yields are significantly lower and are based on the ISO/IEC 29103 pattern with Epson’s methodology. WF-R4640 included ink pack yields are estimated based on ISO/IEC 24711 test in Default Mode printing continuously. Actual ink yields will vary considerably for reasons including images printed, print settings, temperature and humidity. Yields may be lower when printing infrequently or predominantly with one ink color. All ink colors are used for printing and printer maintenance, and all colors must be available for printing. For more information, visit our official site.
9. Based on average monthly document print volumes of about 150 pages (ET-2500, ET-2550, ET-2600, ET-2650, ET-2700, ET-2750, ET-4500), 300 pages (ET-3600, ET-3700, ET-3750, ET-4550, ET-4750, ET-7700, ET-7750, ET-16500), and 800 pages (WF-R4640).
10. For convenient and reasonable recycling options, visit our official site.
11. SmartWay is an innovative partnership of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that reduces greenhouse gases and other air pollutants and improves fuel efficiency. Power Consumption: Approx. 12 W ISO 24712 (Standalone copy printing)|Approx. 5.4 W (Ready)|Approx. 1.0 W (Sleep)|Approx. 0.2 W (Power off) ENERGY STAR qualified
So we were looking to replace our HP printer which had been reliable for a long time but ate expensive ink cartridges for breakfast and suddenly became very unpredictable. A knowledgeable salesperson at a big box store strongly recommended the ET-4750 which seemed to be perfect for what we wanted.
Then I read the negative reviews on Amazon and really hesitated. Finally I just decided to try it and I'm so glad that I did. Of course some people are just going to get a lemon model that breaks immediately and they will be understandably upset. But maybe some of the negativity comes from expecting a more robust, professional grade machine. I will acknowledge for instance that the document feeder seems a little flimsy.
But here's the thing -- so far it's worked great and we love it. We've never had an auto document feeder on our home all-in-one before. Being able to put a five page medical document that I need to scan and email to an insurance company in the feeder and have it flawlessly produce a five page scan rather than laboriously opening the machine and putting down one page at a time, hitting scan, doing it again, etc, is wonderful.
It's only been a little over a month. I did have some difficulties connecting the wireless (tip: Make sure that your computer is on the same wireless network that the printer gets on; often, routers have dual bands and if the computer is on one band and the printer is on the other they cannot talk to each other. You may have to "un-check" the "connect automatically" box on your computer's wireless system for one of your wireless bands). I had a problem printing photos briefly, but the Epson tech person over their online "chat" assistance line helped me figure out the problem (I was pinching down the paper guides too tight so the paper wasn't feeding smoothly).
The printer ink loaded simply and with no mess whatsoever and we are loving the idea that it may be a year before we need more ink (and it came with a second set of ink bottles). I love that the paper tray takes a half ream of paper (our HP took at most 100 pages and I'm not sure it even took that many) and that the paper tray loads from the front.
I'm still learning how to print from my phone and my ipad. I've succeeded once and failed another time, but I think that is just about my learning curve. My single complaint compared to our old HP is that there is no separate paper tray for photo paper. If you want to print pictures you have to remove the regular printer paper and put in the glossy photo paper, then take it out again when you are done. A tiny hassle, but I did like that our HP had two trays.
OK, so that's pretty much it. Who knows -- it could break tomorrow. I'll try to remember to update in a few months. But so far this all-in-one is printing, scanning and copying beautifully. I don't find it excessively noisy (some people complained about that) and to us it seems very fast. Again, it may be what your expectations are. But for us, for a home all-in-one with ink tanks rather than cartridges, this has been great.
Despite me being an EcoTank fan with over 6 different EcoTank Printers, I am not cool enough to get one free for review :(. Setting up this model verses the older models was far far simpler. It is no longer a messy affair due to their new bottle design, and it is far easier to see ink levels. Another major improvement is the form factor. This thing is TINY, far far smaller footprint then my older eco tanks.
Unfortunately as always, Epson loves to put a caveat that makes it less than perfect. With the ET 16000 it was the removal of AirPrint (which thankfully they added BACK into this model). With this model they REDUCED print speeds from 10 color/18 b&w to 8 color/15 b&w. This is greatly disappointing and is the primary reason I dropped the stars to 4. I was REALLY hoping for a speed boost given Epson's new printers hitting 24 color/24 b&w, but alas we are stuck with slower, but far cheaper long term.
To give you an idea of how much, I have been able to print well over 50,000 pages last year for under $70 worth of ink. Ecotank printers have a place in my heart and I hope they up the speed a lot as I would love to replace one of my older eco tanks!
Update added the print count for the 4750 already at 23k and we spent almost nothing on ink
Got off to a rough start with this printer. I had installed the ink, set up the cables, downloaded drivers and installation software. I tried to use the automatic document feeder for a multi page scan, and it gave me "paper jam" message. I opened up the ADF and found one of the feed wheels was hanging loose. I put it back in place, but ADF continued to jam, or take 3 pages at once, etc.
I called the Epson 800 number and talked with a service rep. She had me try copying multi page documents using ADF, but it still jammed or took in multiple sheets at once. After about 45 minutes of screwing around with troubleshooting, I finally said that the ADF is broken. She talked with a manager, and told me they agreed I had a hardware failure. They said they would ship a new printer and I should receive it in 2-7 business days. They put a $320 charge on my credit card until the faulty printer is returned. I was surprised to receive my new printer the very next day (Epson distribution center happens to be about 45 minutes from our home). I set up the new printer, and the ADF works just fine! Kudos to Epson for quick response. they ask that you pack the faulty printer in the box the new one came in, and they provide the return shipping label for FEDEX (you have to either call FEDEX to pick it up, or use their website to schedule the pickup).
Here are some installation tips:
- if you have existing printer, you may want to keep the USB cord, as this printer does not come with one.
- follow the install directions. I know the part about tipping the ink bottle over as you install it onto the ink tank sounds dicey, but the bottle has a small valve that opens when it comes in contact with the ink tank opening.
For home use this is a nice little package.
Right off the top, for me the most impressive aspect of this printer was the ink system. By having large on board tanks that are refillable with low cost ink is a big bonus. Printer manufacturers for years now, including Epson, have been almost giving away printers so that we have to buy overpriced teeny tiny ink cartridges and this is biggest reason I stopped printing unless absolutely necessary. I appreciate Epson’s decision to make the 180 turn they took here, I don’t mind paying a reasonable price for hardware and then paying a reasonable price for consumables like ink. If you’ve tried refilling ink cartridges in most cases they’re a bugger to refill and not something the average user will want to attempt. And, because there are no cartridges I don’t have to worry about compatibility of aftermarket replacements not working because of the chips that manufacturers put into their cartridges to ensure their printers only work with proprietary cartridges.
Here refilling the tanks has been made easy. Each tank/bottle combination is set up so that you can’t put the wrong colour bottle on any tank. No geeking required. Looking at the Epson web site, ink is available at very reasonable pricing considering the number of pages each bottle is good for. Ink is also available at other resellers but not that I could find on Amazon, yet.
I did say that the ink tanks are big, taking a cartridge from a different model Epson and holding it up against the printer to get an eyeball comparison I’d say the tanks are about 40% larger internally than the other cartridge’s external dimensions. So not only can I print more from one bottle of ink, the machine came with two sets of ink bottles! Each bottle can fill the corresponding tank if empty and still have left over ink to top up with later. If the given numbers for pages per tank are accurate, I can probably go the better part of a year before needing more ink.
The reproduction quality is equal or slightly better than other current ink jet printers that we use. Speed of printing is average for black and white documents, image printing is slow compared to similar machines, but for home use its quite adequate. The fact that it does duplex (double sided) printing is a big bonus in such a small printer. The paper tray holds enough sheets (listed as 150) for home use. Unlike some other current Epson printers there is no single sheet feeder at the back or front, the kind of thing I use for feeding photo paper on the others. The sheet pick up is also quite loud so printing late at night means having the door to the home office closed.
Scanning on this machine is done by placing the document or image on the table, the top sheet feeder is only for copying. This is also different than other current machines which use the feeder for scanning as well. Scan speed is not the fastest but the quality is very good. Scans can be pushed right to a desktop if desired, emailed, or sent to a cloud service.
When I tested its fax capabilities the machine worked without a hitch. Not that faxes will be used for much longer as scanning and then emailing offers better reproduction, but it’s nice to still have that option.
For general home printing this machine is a good fit and offers a large saving over time when doing a comparison between cost of hardware and ongoing ink needs. It does have a few areas where it falls behind but overall it’s a nice printer that offers very nice reproduction of images, when you consider it’s only a 4 ink printer.
► Kudos to Epson for making the change to a realistic hardware cost and stepping away from way over priced ink refills.
► Large ink tanks mean far fewer, and less costly, refills
► Reproduction quality for images is very good for a 4 ink printer
► Scan/copy/fax options all work very well
► Installation like for the other Epson printers we have was painless and straight forward
► The included CD does provide the needed software and drivers to get connected if you’re not online.
► While online the set-up program will download current versions for both software and drivers. There is also an auto updater that works nicely without being a pain and always popping up when it’s least wanted.
► After filling the tanks the printer immediately checked and found that there was a firmware update. Nothing techy here, just acknowledge that you want it to update and the rest is automatic.
► The display panel, that conveniently tilts out and up, is easy to navigate for customizing settings but right out of the box everything worked at default.
► Network setup was very simple for both Ethernet connection and Wi-Fi
► The Quick Guide is well laid out and easy to follow with only a few steps involved, I had it up can running in less than 10 minutes which included adding the ink
► The Epson Print Enabler app was a cinch to install and use for printing direct from both Android and Apple phones
♦ There is no USB or SD card slot for printing images without going through a PC or phone
♦ No USB B (that odd square with rounded corners connector) cable is included for direct connection
♦ Document feeder does not work with scanner feature
♦ No single sheet feeder
A side note, when the tanks are filled they don’t have the bright colours you see in the images they use here, that’s advertising magic. Even looking at the bottles, the ink is a very light colour, except of course for black.
I originally set this printer up and it continued to drop the wireless connection. Eventually, it would not connect at all via any of the methods. I had to uninstall about 12 different programs and still no joy. What happened to plug and play? We have come full circle with this printer. UPDATE: I uninstalled all of the Epson programs on my computer, resinatlled and was able to connect the printer. I did not reinstall the "collect customer experience" portion of the software. Upgraded to 4 star as do not trust these "Let us monitor your computer use" applications.
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