Epson EcoTank ET-2550 Review (Cons + Pros)

The Epson EcoTank ET-2550 All-in-One Printer is a straightforward inkjet multifunction printer (MFP) but has a trick up its sleeve. As an Epson EcoTank printer from Epson, it costs significantly more than machines with comparable features but comes with much more ink, and replacement ink is quite inexpensive.

The Epson ET-2550 can help you save a ton of money over time, but before you purchase, be sure you’ll be happy with the printer’s few features and inconsistent performance, which includes slow speed for printing both documents and photos as well as below-average graphics in our tests.

The conventional razor blade pricing strategy, in which a business sells a product at a significant discount (the “razor,” in this case, a printer) to sell the consumables (“blades,” in this case, ink), is turned on its head with Epson’s EcoTank printer line. The high cost of ink is a common grievance we hear from our readers.

Its EcoTank printers include the Epson WorkForce ET-4550 EcoTank All-in-One Printer, the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-R4640, and the ET-2550; Epson offers the printer at a somewhat high price but includes a sizable volume of ink, with extra ink being made available for a cheap cost per page.

Epson EcoTank ET-2550 Review

Print Quality

The core of the printing experience and the purpose for which you use it is print quality.

SET-UP

This is simple if you read and adhere to the instructions. Reading the instructions is all you need to do to succeed. It did take some time for the first filling (since the ink tube needed to be primed), but the printer takes care of this without your help, so give it around 20 minutes to finish. Before having issues with another printer, I had never connected a printer wirelessly; instead, I used a USB connection.

However, this printer made it incredibly simple for me to do so. Entering the router password on the little LCD was the most difficult aspect. By the way, I did wear gloves, but there were no ink leaks.

Nonetheless, I advise safeguarding your hands and your surface. After priming, I moved the printer to a different surface in the same space, but there were no leaks during the transfer. But I would advise packing it in the big plastic bag and then in the box as the instructions suggest for any longer relocation, like one to another. Moving hence won’t result in a leak, although joggling on an uneven surface might (like a car ride).

Text is legible on copy paper unless it is printed at a point size of 8 or less. Although some people claim to experience banding, I have not yet. If it becomes an issue, I’ll update this review. Despite what they say, I don’t think it’s as clear as a laser, but it’s still pretty good.

When the resolution is changed to high resolution, it prints unidirectionally at a slower rate but with superior clarity. It prints out automatically at conventional bi-directional resolution. The standard is suitable for the majority of uses. The print quality with this printer isn’t as fantastic as it was with my old printer, a Canon MP-610 (which I like and wish I could replace! ), but it’s still respectable.

Graphics

(using inkjet photo matte paper, see attached photo) Reviews claim that it is less than satisfactory, but I have discovered that it performs virtually as well as my older Canon when printing on INKJET MATTE PAPER.

A high resolution and better material (inkjet matte paper) will improve the quality. Copy paper has a lackluster and poor quality. If you spend a few more cents on superior paper, you will be astounded by the color and how the graphics explode off the paper.

Photos

Even though it isn’t categorized as a picture printer, I think the photos printed on matte paper are fine. I will update this post when I try glossy, which I have not yet. However, IT DOES NOT include PRINT borders, which is nearly irreconcilable. Whenever you print images on regular photo paper (4×6 or 8×10), there will always be a thin border around the entire image, measuring approximately.125″ (1/8″).

Inks

All colors, including black, in INKS, are dye based, which means they are not waterproof. Since the pigmented black is present on all high-numbered versions (3600, 4500, 4550, etc.), at least the black text is water resistant. Although I would prefer a system that prints in both blacks one for text and the other for images you have to work with what is available.

Just be aware that there is more black used in those colors. Replacement ink bottles cost between $30 and $50 for all 4; however, Amazon also offers highly rated non-OEM ink brands like Sojitek (about one-third the price of Epson) and ND (about the same as OEM but 7 times as much ink).

Those who have filled the Sojitek three times or more praise it. There was a lot of printing, so issues would have arisen if the ink was subpar. You can either continue using the affordable Epson OEM ink or switch to one of the alternatives.

Copy

Copying is simple and quick, and the quality of the color reproduction is excellent.

Scanning

SCAN speed is over 60 seconds per page, and there is no ADF. If you have more than 1-2 pages, be prepared to spend some time monitoring the process. The software will scan a little bit more quickly if you can locate the user interface (connected by USB, I did not try it wirelessly). However, the software is difficult to detect because the installation method does not add an icon or application to the system (more on that below).

To find a software interface, you must first look for one. Why keep it a secret? That is extremely helpful. Once you locate it, it offers excellent scanner settings. Once I located it after some searching in the Windows directory, I saved it to my desktop as an icon.

I do use Windows 10, but I prefer the desktop to apps. (I also use ClassicShell to mimic the appearance of an older desktop. Take a look at this free software if you despise Windows 10). I believe there are three choices Home, Office, and Professional. You can modify the resolution, scan many pages together as one PDF, and do several other useful things with this interface.

I know this since I reviewed the full (online) manual in search of such an interface, which is not even mentioned in the manual. I had to utilize the Internet to look for it and learn how to use it. AWFUL EPSON!

Manual

Absent, at least not in printed form. There is one online, but it is not very useful. On this, Epson falls short.

Design And Features

The ET-2550 can print, copy, and scan without a fax function. When opened for printing, it measures 6.3 by 19.3 by 11.8 inches (HWD). It is broader than comparable inkjets to accommodate the ink tanks, which are located in a bay on the printer’s right side.

The rear feeder’s maximum paper capacity is 100 sheets of ordinary paper or 20 sheets of picture paper. There is no duplexer for printing on both sides. There is no automatic document feeder, although the flatbed can accommodate up to letter-size paper (ADF). It has an SD card slot but no USB thumb drive port.

The front panel is above the output tray and tilts up for easy access. Along with a four-way controller, an On/Off button, a Home button, a Scan button, and a Stop button, it has a tiny, 1.4-inch, non-touch color display.

Star Rating

3.7 out of 5 Stars

Testing

I put the printer through its paces using a USB connection and a Windows Vista machine. Using hardware and software for timing, I timed it using our business apps suite, and the result was 2.6 pages per minute (ppm).

Although slow, this is not ordinary for a simple home MFP. The HP Envy 5640 e-All-in-One and the Canon Pixma MG5620 Wireless Photo All-In-One scored 3.2ppm and 2.6ppm, respectively. Compared to the Epson ET-4550, which we timed at 3.8ppm, it is significantly slower.

The supplied ink fills the tanks; I’ll let you know in about 2 years whether they hold up as promised. It might be a time since the supplied ink is only good for 6500 prints. The gadget needs about 20 minutes to prepare itself after being turned on before it is ready to print. My very first print was a photo, and it was of very high quality.

I printed on a thin, inexpensive sheet, but the color and image quality was excellent. The device’s preparing cycle was enough to feed ink to the empty print heads, get it fully warmed up, and prepare to print on demand, contrary to my expectation that a few poor prints would warm it up.

This multifunction gadget replaces the HP 7900 series, which was significantly larger and bulkier. On my extremely cluttered desk, the fact that this printer occupies somewhat more space than the HP is a benefit that cannot be readily overlooked. The scanning and one-touch copying processes were flawless.

I quickly tested these features using a high-resolution photograph. The original and duplicate cannot be distinguished from one another without using a microscope. If you’re looking for an inkjet, I highly suggest investing in this one because it does not let you down.

Product Comparison

Purchasing an EcoTank printer is a significant financial commitment with the potential for significant long-term cost reductions. You might have to use the printer for several years to actualize them.

The Epson WorkForce ET-4550 costs $100 more than the ET-2550. Still, for that extra money, you get a lot more ink (and the promise of dirt-cheap ink when you finally run out) and a feature set that includes an ADF, fax capabilities, Ethernet, and a bigger paper capacity, making it potentially a more attractive option than the ET-2550.

Alternately, you might choose a non-EcoTank model like the Editors’ Choice Canon Pixma MX922, which has a much wider range of features but isn’t much faster than the ET-2550. It might still be a fantastic deal if the potential of such savings, along with the ET-2550’s excellent text and photo quality and mobile printing prowess, outweigh any concerns you may have about its disadvantages.

Product Comparison

Epson EcoTank ET-2550 strongly recommends the use of Genuine Epson inks for a quality printing experience. Non-Epson inks and inks not formulated for your specific printer may cause damage that is not covered by the Epson warranty. By using an EcoTank printer, you can help reduce the amount of cartridge waste ending up in landfills. Epson EcoTank ET-2550 is ideal because it is of Small size and great performance.

Final Summary

Therefore, if you have read this far, you are considering Epson EcoTank ET-2550 seriously. It is a good printer if you can live with the mentioned drawbacks. I sincerely hope that this evaluation aided you in your choice. After a few more months of use, I’ll attempt to revisit this review.

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