When we were offered the Epson EcoTank 4500 printer to review, I was keen to test it out as it is billed as the perfect choice for any home office. It is a 4-in-1 inkjet with print, copy, scan, fax and an Automatic Document Feeder, and economical and easy to maintain, with two years’ worth of ink included in the box!
The star of the ET-4500 is its newly designed integrated ultra-high-capacity ink tank system, which completely does away with the need for ink cartridges. That means less fuss and much more printing between refills than other inkjet printers.
Epson EcoTank printers come with four 70 ml bottles of ink which is enough to last most people two years , so you can print without worrying about running out or extra costs. I will admit that I did have concerns about the refillable tanks as they are on the side of the printer and fairly easy access to access for little fingers but they have a rubber bung to seal them and are nice and secure in black casing with a lid.
To set it up attach the power cable before you start filling the tanks with ink as it is situated under the printer and is tough to get to when the tanks are full.
I recommend that you place the printer on some newspaper and have the printer as close to where you want it to be when you fill it with ink, as you run the risk of ruining what you are wearing when you move it if you accidentally spill any ink.
Each colour is clearly marked and you simply remove the nozzle, take off the foil seal, replace the lid and then break the plastic at the top of the nozzle to begin filling. Do NOT squeeze the bottle too hard, otherwise you may get an air bubble which blocks the tank and spits the ink back at you and be careful as I managed to stain my fingers pink!
Once filled with ink you press the button to charge the ink which takes around 20 minutes and then you are ready to go.
Installing the Epson to our Mac and laptops was a bit of a pain as the software took ages to download and then it would not connect to the internet and the computers were unable to discover it. I am not sure if it was our internet playing up or the machine but after logging the issue with Epson I got a phone call within an hour and we were soon up and running.
The printer is taller and wider than our other one thanks to the feeder tray at the top and the ink wells at the side and measures 490 x 377 x 229 mm. I had thought the paper was loaded on the top, but sadly it is at the back and it cannot sit under our computer table with the back extended to add paper which is frustrating so we need to find a new home for it.
The good thing about it is that I can print from any device and anywhere in the house and the print quality so far has been very good. I look forward to seeing if the ink does actually last 2 years (up to 4,000 pages in black and 6,500 pages in colour).
The Epson EcoTank 4500 costs £299 which is a massive initial outlay and ink refills cost £19.99 for 4 bottles, however potentially you will not be buying ink cartridges every month and recouping the cost that way.
This looks like a smart printer, the document feeder is a handy facility. I get backache standing at my printer when copying and scanning lots of documents.
We’ve had our Canon printer for awhile now and we’ve been talking about getting a new one. I’d be interested to know how long the ink lasts, especially since they aren’t exactly cheap. Wouldn’t mind spending more for a printer, especially if it means saving up money on ink in the long run 🙂 x
We need to get a printer. I think we definitely will need a food quality one. This one looks such good quality, my main worry is how long the ink will last as I know they can be rather expensive.
A shame that you have to find it another place but maybe a shelf or somewhere fun and creative instead? I hope it does last a long time for you – this reminds me I should take my printer out of the attic actually – been sitting there since we’ve moved in a year and a bit ago lol
Alina from home decor blog UK – The Fairytale Pretty Picture
I adore my wifi printer so do the kids, unfortunately, this looks like a great idea and we use a lot of ink so may have to look into this
I like the big clear display / screen on the printer. My one has something that looks like a calculator from the 70s!
wow 2 years! As you say it is pricey to start with i normally get a printer for around £40 haha so as you say that is a lot of money to start with x
I like that it is a smart printer both in terms of features and printer design. This would come in handy right now!
This sounds like a great printer, definitely one I would have to save up for though, not an impulse buy when mine breaks x
Ive seen this printer on a few blogs now an it definitely looks handy to have x
I can imagine it being useful to have such a large supply of ink, although I’d be interested to know whether you do make back the initial extra cost over the two years xx
Wow, never heard of this kind of printer before! We’ve got a HP printer that comes with a monthly ink subscription – you pay a couple of quid a month and that covers you for so many pages worth of printing and you get your ink sent through automatically in the post. Only problem is, we don’t tend to do enough printing to really warrant it! Although, now we’ve got a new desk and the printer is set up all nicely, we have been using it a bit more. I’m sure when I’m no longer at work and can’t sneakily print anything off for free there, I might use it a bit more!
We have a Epson printer and I can honestly say it’s the best one we’ve ever had. I wouldn’t buy any other brand ever again. This one sounds fantastic!
This would be a great bulk printing solution. Thanks for the helpful review.