Epson has unveiled tiled an expansion of its EcoTank line of cartridge-free printing solutions, to include models designed for creative professionals and high-productivity home offices. The EcoTank Photo ET-8500 and ET-8550 promise to offer high-volume, lab-quality photos.
The new EcoTank printers tout a six-color Claria ET Premium ink system, and when coupled with Epson’s high-accuracy printhead technology, are capable of printing 4-by-6 inch borderless pr ints in as fast as 15 seconds. The printers can print these photos for roughly 4 cents each, compared to 40 cents with traditional cartridge technology.
The printers offer the same resolution as Epson’s SureColor P700 and P900 professional-grade photo printers.
The ink system is equal to about 100 traditional ink cartridges, meaning that they can last much longer than traditional ink cartridges. Each set of ink bottles also provide up to two years worth of ink, and offer vibrant colors, sharp text, fast speeds and smooth gradations.
They are Epson’s only consumer photo printers to support the company’s Signature Worthy media line, as well as cart stock and other specialty media up to 1.3mm thick. Both printers are also compatible with Epson’s Print Layout software.
The ET-8500 can print up to 8.5-by-11 inches, whereas the ET-8550 can print up to 13-by-19 inches. The printers are also capable of two-sided printing, copying and scanning, and have a touch screen for easy operability.
The ET-8500 retails for $599, while the ET-8550 retails for $699. Both printers are now available through Amazon.
It looks like a great idea and improvement!
I have the EPSON ET-2810 Series and it’s brilliant. It was a bit pricey but then it’s not going to cost a fortune to refill. From what I have found out it will cost less than 10% of what I was paying for 2 cartridges previously. The software can be a bit fiddly to install especially if you don’t have a CD or DVD drive, you have to download it from their website which is sometimes hard to navigate.