The Best Epson Printers for 2022 and Epson is one of the first names that naturally comes to mind for inkjet printers. And with good reason: The company offers every type of inkjet you’re likely interested in, from a dedicated photo printer for snapshot prints up to a much bigger output. Some models focus on photo quality, while some don’t (although most offer at least drugstore-quality prints); some offer low initial prices, while others offer low-cost ink instead. And although most are color printers, a few are strictly monochrome.
Whatever you need in an inkjet printer, in short, Epson probably has it in one of its lines. The challenge is to find the right one. In this overview, we’ll highlight both what application and what sort of use each of Epson’s family sub-brands is meant for, and discuss the key characteristics that define each.
Note that some categories are barely mentioned here. They range from floor-standing, enterprise-level inkjets that compete with lasers to commercial and production printers for graphics, signage (what you and I call “signs”), and high-volume label printing, some of which cost more than your average car. Epson even offers point-of-sale (POS) printers and some (necessarily noisy) 9- and 24-pin dot matrix models. We’ll ignore those categories here, except to mention the family names where appropriate. Immediately below are our top-tested Epson printers for a variety of applications, followed by our guide to the Epson family.
More About Our Picks
Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 Small-in-One Printer
Best Epson All-in-One Home Printer for Photos
Bottom Line:
The Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 is a small but capable photo-centric all-in-one inkjet for homes and small offices.
Pros
Exceptional output quality.
Single-pass duplexing ADF.
Large, easy-to-use control panel.
Robust connectivity.
Cons
High running costs.
Low paper capacity.
Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 All-in-One Wide-Format Supertank Printer
Best Epson All-in-One Home Printer for Photos (Wide Format)
Bottom Line:
The ET-8550 prints excellent photos and other high-definition images, from snapshot-size to super tabloid, with running costs of less than 1 cent per page.
Pros
Prints borderless from 4 by 6 inches to 13 by 19 inches
Exceptional output quality
Relatively fast printing speeds for its class
Low running costs
The first two years of ink are free
Cons
The purchase price is a little steep
Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850
Best Epson All-in-One Printer for Businesses
Bottom Line:
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 AIO prints well and inexpensively, and it offers generous input capacity, lofty volume ratings, and two years of unlimited free ink. It’s an incomparable value for small businesses and workgroups.
Pros
Two years of unlimited ink
Very low running costs
Terrific print quality
Auto-duplexing ADF
PrecisionCore 4S printhead
Excellent mobile connectivity options
Two-year warranty with registration
Cons
High initial purchase price
one of The Best Epson Printers for 2022
Epson EcoTank Pro ET-16650
The Best Epson Printers for 2022 for Businesses (Wide-Format)
Bottom Line:
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-16650 wide-format AIO prints well and inexpensively, and it comes with two years of unlimited free ink, making it an exceptional value for small businesses and workgroups.
Pros
Two years of unlimited ink
Excellent print quality
Very low running costs
Auto-duplexing ADF
Thousands of pages worth of ink in the box
Two-year warranty with registration
Excellent mobile connectivity options
Cons
High initial purchase price
The Best Epson Printers for 2022
Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7840 Wireless Wide-Format All-in-One Printer
Best Epson Supertabloid (13-by-19-inch) Office Printer
Bottom Line:
The WorkForce Pro WF-7840 wide-format multifunction printer produces beautiful prints up to 13 by 19 inches. Productivity features and three capacious paper input sources make it a great small-business choice, even with high ink costs.
Pros
Fast and excellent PrecisionCore output
Supertabloid and borderless tabloid printing
USB thumb drive support
Two large paper drawers and an input tray
Relatively low purchase price
one of The Best Epson Printers for 2022
Epson WorkForce ST-M3000 Monochrome MFP Supertank Printer
Best Epson Monochrome All-in-One “Laser Alternative”
Bottom Line:
The Epson WorkForce ST-M3000 is an inkjet alternative to monochrome laser AIOs that prints well with ultra-low running costs, not to mention it comes with a ton of ink in the box, increasing its overall value.
Pros
Very low running costs.
Two 6,000-page ink bottles included in the box.
Good print quality.
Smart home voice activation.
Two-year warranty with registration.
Cons
Pricey.
A little slower than laser counterparts.
Low monthly print volume ratings.
Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C8690 A3 Color MFP with PCL/PostScript
Best Epson High-Volume Professional Prepress
Bottom Line:
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C8690
is a high-volume wide-format inkjet all-in-one that prints quickly and accurately for medium- to large-size offices and workgroups.
Pros
Excellent print quality.
Prints super-tabloid pages.
Supports Wi-Fi Direct and NFC.
Emulates PostScript and PCL printers.
Supports massive high-volume ink cartridges.
High-duty cycle.
Competitive price.
Cons
Expansion accessories are costly.
No multipurpose tray or slot.
Meager out-of-box paper capacity.
Borderless photos and pages are unsupported.
Epson SureColor P900 17-Inch Photo Printer
Best Epson Pro-Grade Photo Printer
Bottom Line:
Epson’s SureColor P900 produces exquisite photos and artwork on cut sheets and paper rolls up to 17 inches wide, making it an excellent choice for professional photographers and graphic artists.
Pros
Excellent print quality
Prints borderless banners and panoramas up to 17 inches wide
Prints cut sheets up to 17 by 22 inches
Uses UltraChrome PRO10 pigment inks for increased color gamut
Switches from photo black to matte black ink automatically
Competitive per-millimeter ink costs
Cons
Paper roll adapter costs extra
Epson LabelWorks LW-PX300VP Full Printer Kit
Best Epson Low-Cost Label Printer
Bottom Line:
The Epson LabelWorks LW-PX300 Full Printer Kit delivers industrial-style labeling at low cost, making it attractive to small businesses and even hobbyists who want professional-looking labels.
Pros
Affordable, industrial-style labeling
Easy-to-use handheld design with QWERTY keyboard
Tape choices include plastic, vinyl, magnetic, and fluorescent up to 18mm
Saves up to 50 labels in memory for easy reprinting
Lifetime warranty
Cons
Noticeably slow print speed
Doesn’t connect to a PC or mobile device for printing
Batteries not included
Epson LabelWorks LW-PX900PCD Deluxe Kit
Best Epson Label Printer for General/Industrial Labeling
Bottom Line:
Working as a handheld printer or connected to a Windows PC, Epson’s rugged, able LabelWorks LW-PX900 creates plastic, vinyl, fluorescent, reflective, and cable labels up to 36mm (1.42 inches) wide to meet most industrial labeling needs.
Pros
Has a keypad and memory for standalone printing, plus a label app for Windows PCs
Supports many label types and materials, in sizes up to 1.42 inches wide
Can cut labels without cutting the backing, leaving a continuous strip
Lifetime warranty, and tested to 4-foot drops
Cons
Too heavy for comfortable thumb typing
No macOS print app or driver is available
Epson Printers 101: How to Distinguish the Families
When we combed through Epson’s website, we found as many as 25 distinct printer category names, depending on how you parse them. But if you group related families together and leave out the ones that were not covered here, there are just six that matter for most folks: Expression, EcoTank, WorkForce, PictureMate, SureColor, and LabelWorks.
Epson Expression: Designed for the Home
What the three Expression sub-brands have in common is that they use ink cartridges, offer a low initial price, and are aimed at home users with moderate print needs. For those who don’t print a lot, the total cost of ownership can be lower than for higher-priced tank printers with lower running costs.
Expression Home printers all print, scan, and copy; offer flatbed scanning only; and are meant primarily for everyday home printing needs. Expression Premium models are aimed at essentially the same sort of user and are also three-function AIOs, but they offer a boost in photo quality by adding photo black ink to the usual cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK) inks. Some offer flatbed scanning only, as with the Expression Premium XP-6100 Small-in-One; others add an auto-duplexing automatic document feeder (ADF) for two-sided copying and scanning.
one of The Best Epson Printers for 2022
Epson Expression Photo XP-8700 Wireless All-in-One
Epson Expression Photo XP-8700 Wireless All-in-One (Credit: Epson)
Expression Photo printers like the XP-8700 Wireless All-in-One are aimed at crafters and photo enthusiasts as well as home users in general, and they use six-color ink systems for even better photo quality. This sub-family includes both letter-size and tabloid-size (11-by-17-inch) three-function AIOs plus one single-function printer, the XP-15000, which prints at up to super tabloid size (13 by 19 inches).
Epson EcoTank: Low Running Costs for Homes and Small/Home Offices
EcoTank printers are designed to give home, home-office, and small-office users a low running cost, with inexpensive ink that comes by the bottle. For those who print enough pages over the printer’s lifetime, the lower running cost can give them a lower total cost of ownership than less-expensive printers with more-expensive ink. The possible sub-brand choices for EcoTank printers are EcoTank, EcoTank Photo, EcoTank Pro, and EcoTank Mono.
The first category, straight-up EcoTank, offers three-function AIOs at the low end, with flatbed scanning only, but adds faxing and an ADF as you move up the price scale. EcoTank Photo printers are aimed at scrapbookers, crafters, and creative professionals, and can handle printable optical discs. They offer six-color printing for better-quality photos and graphics and can print at either up to letter-size, for the ET-8500, or up to super tabloid-size, for the ET-8550.
Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 All-in-One Wide-Format Supertank
Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 All-in-One Wide-Format Supertank (Credit: Epson)
EcoTank Pro models are designed for a range of home offices to small businesses or workgroups. They all offer Ethernet as well as Wi-Fi for network connection; most can fax as well as print, copy, and scan; and the top models, including the ET-16650, can print at up to 13 by 19 inches, as well as scan at up to 11 by 17 inches.
The EcoTank Mono sub-brand, finally, is Epson’s answer to mono lasers. It’s designed for small and home offices that print lots of documents and don’t need color. The models in this category range from a single-function printer (the ET-M1170), to a four-function AIO with an auto-duplexing ADF (the ET-M3170). All come with two years of unlimited ink, with no subscription needed, and no fee.
Epson EcoTank ET-M3170 Wireless Monochrome All-in-One Supertank
Epson PictureMate and SureColor: Photos Small to Large
The PictureMate and SureColor sub-brands are at the two extremes of the Epson printing spectrum. PictureMate offers what Epson calls a “personal photo lab” and is limited at this writing to a single model, the PictureMate PM-400, which has been on the market for a long time now. It’s meant primarily to print small-format photos, up to 5 by 7 inches, and can print from a variety of sources, including memory cards.
In contrast, the SureColor moniker goes with several categories: The SureColor P-, F-, T-, S-, R-, and V-Series. These are mostly floor-standing, large-format printers, and each series is designed for a different application, from gallery-level photos to architectural and engineering drawings, to commercial printing like outdoor signage.
It is one of The Best Epson Printers for 2022
Epson SureColor P700
Epson SureColor P700 (Credit: Epson)
The only SureColor models that matter for this overview are the least-expensive SureColor P-Series models, which are designed for printing professional-quality photos, fine art, and graphic design output, but are inexpensive enough that serious photo enthusiasts may want to consider them. The two of interest are the SureColor P700, which prints on paper up to 13 inches wide, and the SureColor P900, which prints at up to 17 inches wide. Both use a 10-color ink system with archival pigment ink.
Epson WorkForce Printers: Workaday Printing, From Home Office on Up
The WorkForce umbrella covers a lot of territories. In addition to the WorkForce and WorkForce Pro categories, which are sold through consumer channels and aimed at small and home offices, there are also WorkForce Supertank, WorkForce Enterprise, WorkForce Pro HC categories, and even some models in the WorkForce category, all of which are sold primarily through business channels, putting them outside the scope of this overview. Note that the Supertank category is the only one where the category name comes after the model number rather than before it.
Printers in the WorkForce category are identified as WorkForce WF, followed by a model number, as with the WorkForce WF-2930. (There are also some WorkForce CF printers, but the CF is reserved for models sold through business channels.) Both WorkForce and WorkForce Pro printers are aimed at small and home offices that are looking for a low initial price. As already mentioned, this can make good sense if you print little enough that the low printer price combined with relatively high-cost ink in cartridges will give you a lower total cost of ownership than a higher-cost tank printer with lower-cost ink.
Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4830 Wireless All-in-One
Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4830 Wireless All-in-One (Credit: Epson)
Most WorkForce WF models are four-function AIOs (meaning they print, copy, scan, and fax). They all offer two-sided printing, an ADF that copies one side only, and the ability to copy single-sided originals to two-sided copies. The one print-only model is the WF-110 Wireless Mobile Printer, which is appropriate for anyone who needs a printer on the go.
WorkForce Pro printers, identified as WorkForce Pro WF plus a model number, are aimed at small offices that need somewhat heavier-duty printing or features like being able to print or scan a larger page size than the WorkForce models can handle. Most are four-function AIOs, but there’s also a print-only model in the mix, the WF-7310, which can handle paper up to 13 by 19 inches and offers two 250-sheet paper trays. Some of the AIO models offer similarly high paper capacities and maximum paper sizes, along with being able to scan at up to 11 by 17 inches. Others are limited to at most legal-size paper.
Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 Wireless Wide-Format
Epson LabelWorks: Industrial-Style Labels at Home or at Work
You’ll find the current set of Epson LabelWorks printers on their own site(Opens in a new window). All of the LabelWorks printers use industrial-style labels, meaning that most of the available tapes are plastic (polyester), though there are some other kinds as well, including vinyl and magnetic (similar to flexible refrigerator magnets), as well as some specifically for labeling cables.
here is one of The Best Epson Printers for 2022
Epson LabelWorks LW-PX400
Epson LabelWorks LW-PX400 (Credit: Epson)
The printers include models for both home use and work. They run all the way from the strictly standalone LW-PX300 (which requires typing label text on its own keyboard and is limited to a maximum of 0.71-inch-wide label tape) to the LW-Z5010PX, which can handle 2-inch-wide tapes and can create and print labels as a standalone printer or from a PC or mobile device. A nice touch for all of them is that Epson offers a lifetime warranty. Most offer a large choice of label types, which you’ll want to check before buying to make sure the printer can print the kinds of labels you need.
Epson LabelWorks LW-Z5010PX
(Credit: Epson)
Epson also offers two label-printer sub-brands that are outside the scope of this overview. ColorWorks printers deliver full-color labels on demand, for businesses that print enough to justify the printers’ prices, while the SurePress sub-brand covers the sort of digital label press that needs more floor space than a small family room.
So, What Is the Best Epson Printer to Buy?
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the Epson printers available, but you can cut the list down to a manageable size by finding the sub-brands most appropriate for your needs, before looking at details like paper handling or the copy and scan capabilities. We’ve picked the best Epson printers in multiple use cases, based on our tests and overall evaluations. For more options—from Epson and other manufacturers—check out our favorite inkjet printers and favorite printers overall, as well as our picks for the best photo printers, the best business printers, and the best wide-format printers.
Epson Introduces New High-Performance
, Versatile Large Format Dye-Sublimation Printers
Award-Winning Six-Color SureColor F6470H with Multiple Ink Configurations and Four-Color SureColor F6470 Offer Quality, Performance and Reliability for Textile Printing Market
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., Oct. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — As print shops continue to see demand for transfer printing applications, Epson today announced two new 44-inch wide-format dye-sublimation printers – the SureColor® F6470 and SureColor F6470H. Designed to maximize productivity for print businesses, the versatile 4-color SureColor F6470 and 6-color SureColor F6470H generate fast output for quickly and efficiently producing high-quality transfer images. The new models will replace the renowned SureColor F6370 and join Epson’s expansive line of SureColor F-Series dye-sublimation printers.
Designed to maximize productivity for print businesses, the versatile 4-color SureColor F6470 and 6-color SureColor F6470H wide-format dye-sublimation printers generate fast output for quickly and efficiently producing high-quality transfer images.
The new models will be on display at PRINTING United in Las Vegas from Oct. 19-21 in Epson’s booth, C7730. The SureColor F6470H is a recipient of the PRINTING United Pinnacle Product Award in the “roll-to-roll dye-sublimation on metal category.”
Purpose-built to create custom-printed products
The SureColor F6470 generates 4-color output at speeds up to 820 ft2/hr1 to quickly and efficiently produce high-quality images for promotional and personalized goods, apparel, home décor, soft signage, and more. The SureColor F6470H prints unparalleled 6-color output at speeds up to 400 ft2/hr1 and allows for multiple ink configurations to meet various color needs – CMYK plus either Light Cyan/Light Magenta, Fluorescent Pink/Fluorescent Yellow, or Orange/Violet. The expanded color options make it an ideal solution for producing photographic panels, flags, and banners, with the ability to meet branding color requirements for corporate clients.
“These models are engineered to deliver the reliability and high image quality Epson is known for, with some of the fastest dye-sublimation printer speeds in the market,” said Tim Check, senior product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America, Inc. “With the expansion of three ink configurations, the SureColor F6470H provides the ability to hit specific corporate colors, making it a unique offering, and one that will open up opportunities for print shops in the high-end dye-sublimation photo market.”
The new models feature an innovative 1.33-inch PrecisionCore® MicroTFP printhead with Nozzle Verification Technology (NVT) for exceptional and consistent print quality. An integrated ink pack system utilizing 1.6-liter UltraChrome® DS Ink packs allows the printers to continuously deliver rich color saturation and contrast. Designed with ease of use in mind, both models come with a 4.3-inch touchscreen control panel, an easily accessible maintenance area, a built-in cutter for roll-to-sheet convenience, and a media take-up reel system for unattended printing. Additional features include:
PrecisionCore MicroTFP printhead with NVT
– Delivers consistent, high print quality day after day
Astounding image quality – Highly efficient UltraChrome DS Ink delivers extraordinary color saturation and high color contrast
Seamless workflow – Powerful Epson Edge® Print workflow software, featuring Adobe® PDF Print Engine
Versatile media support – Features a media take-up reel for unattended printing and a built-in cutter for roll-to-sheet convenience
Performance optimized for Epson DS Transfer Paper – Universal, Rigid Photo Optimized, Adhesive Textile, and Multipurpose paper types available
Low user maintenance – Easily accessible maintenance area helps ensure consistent, reliable performance
Epson Cloud Solution PORT2
– Provides live production monitoring of printer fleet, including production rates and printer utilization
availability SureColor F6470 ($8,195 MSRP) and SureColor F6470H ($8,695 MSRP) will be available in early 2023 through authorized Epson Professional Imaging resellers. The models are designed for use exclusively with Epson ink packs* and offer a one-year limited onsite warranty with extended service plans available. For additional information, visit www.epson.com.
About Epson Epson is a global technology leader whose philosophy of efficient, compact, and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual, and lifestyle. Epson’s goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate the use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050.
Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of around JPY 1 trillion. global.epson.com/
Epson America
, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson’s regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/epsonamerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica).
1 Print speeds are based on the print engine speed only. The total throughput time for any print depends on various factors including workstation configuration, file size, print resolution, ink coverage, and networking. Actual print speeds will vary.
2 All features of this system require an active Internet connection and the use of a supported browser.
- This product uses only genuine Epson-brand packs. Other brands of ink packs and ink supplies are not compatible and, even if described as compatible, may not function properly or at all.
EPSON, Epson Edge, PrecisionCore, SureColor, TFP, and UltraChrome are registered trademarks and EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2022 Epson America, Inc.
Epson logo (PRNewsfoto/Epson America, Inc.)
SOURCE Epson America, Inc.
03
Best photo printers of 2022: the best printers for digital prints
Any printer can print a photo, but some are better at it than others. All of the models on this list are semi-dedicated photo printers, which is to say they can turn out a decent text document, but photo printing is their superpower. They are all inkjet printers because only with liquid ink can you achieve the required resolution and color gamut for fine photo printing, and only inkjets can print on dedicated glossy photo paper. Laser printers have advantages, but in general, lasers are lousy at photos.
These days we are taking more digital photos than ever before, and the best desktop photo printers are perfect for making hard copies of those memories at home. They represent a wide spread of price categories from premium models aimed at professional photographers to highly affordable photo printers for families and students. What they all offer is a more convenient and cost-effective alternative to the services of a commercial photo lab.
When choosing the right photo printer
you need to ask yourself these key questions: What kind of photos am I mostly printing – regular 4×6” snaps, poster prints, color, or monochrome? What sort of volume – a few photos a week or stacks of prints at a time? Is this just for photo printing, or will I use this printer for running off letters and homework? What’s my budget?
There are plenty of affordable A4/letter-sized photo printers out there that can carry out all the tasks of an all-in-one family printer while doing a great job printing on glossy photo paper. They tend to use the usual four (CMYK) ink cartridges to good effect. They may be either pigmented ink or dye-based ink. The pigment is quicker drying and longer lasting while the dye is brighter and works well with high gloss media making it more desirable for photos.
When you step up to the more expensive A3+ size printers, you’ll often find more inks used to make up the image, and you may well have pigmented black ink for text documents alongside dye-based black for photos. Five, six, eight, or ten ink compartments are common and more colors mean superior print quality is possible. It may also mean higher ink costs, but fortunately, photo printers with refillable ink tanks are booming, so if you plan to print a lot of photos, go for a printer that takes bottled ink rather than cartridges.
Looking for a dedicated photo printer instead? These portable devices can only print on small photo-sized paper; you’ll find them here: Best portable printers.
If you need a budget printer, check out the best cheap printers. We’ve also featured the best all-in-one printers and home printers.
The Best Epson Printers for 2022
Epson EcoTank ET-8550
(Image credit: Epson)
- Epson EcoTank ET-8550
Best premium A3 printer with six refillable tanks
Specifications
Category: Color inkjet AOI printer
Print Speed: 32ppm (mono A4)
Paper capacity: 100 sheets
Paper size: up to A3
Weight: 11.1kg
This must be the ultimate A3 photo printer. For starters, it’s a sleek, practical design with a large tilting touchscreen interface and the ability to print on any kind of paper up to A3+. Secondly, it uses six individual inks to create superior-quality prints. Best of all, it’s an EcoTank, which means you’re not tied to cartridges, and you’ll find enough bottled ink in the box to print 2,300 photos.
Yes, it is rather expensive for an inkjet, but Epson’s bottled ink is not, so you will soon see that money back if you plan to print lots of large photos. The printer itself is also very well-specified, with excellent connectivity, high print, and scan resolution, and a surprisingly prompt print speed.
Read our full review: Epson EcoTank ET-8550
Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 is one of The Best Epson Printers for 2022
(Image credit: Epson)
The Best Epson Printers for 2022
2.Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000
Swift printing and superior A3 photos with six Claria cartridges
Specifications
Category: Color inkjet printer
Print speed: 29ppm (mono)
Paper capacity: 200 sheets
Paper size: up to A3+
Weight: 8.5kg
Excellent color accuracy
+
Vivid A3 photo prints
Reasons to avoid –
Rather expensive to run
The Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 uses six high-quality Claria ink cartridges to achieve a more lifelike color palette when it comes to printing photos. A combination of dye and pigment-based inks means bright colors are possible, while black-and-white text documents remain long-lasting and smudge-resistant.
Its ability to handle A3+ sized paper makes it perfect for printing super-sized photos or even a collage of images on a single sheet of A3 photo paper. It also functions very well as a regular A4 printer thanks to a surprisingly fast output of 29 black and white A4 pages per minute and the ability to print on both sides of the paper (auto duplex).
Epson Expression Photo XP-970
(Image credit: Epson)
The Best Epson Printers for 2022
3. Epson Expression Photo XP-970 photo printer
A compact printer with exceptional A3 photo ability
Specifications
Category: Multifunction inkjet printer
Print speed: 8.5ppm (mono)
Paper capacity: 100 sheets
Paper size: A3
Weight: 8.7kg
Large touchscreen
Reasons to avoid –
Slow print speed
–
Limited paper capacity
The scanner is only A4-size, but it makes very high-resolution scans, and combined with the high print resolution, you can make nearly identical color copies. There is no fax, and print speeds are slow, but in all other respects, the Epson Expression Photo XP-970 is hard to beat.
The main paper tray can hold 100 sheets with a maximum paper size of 8.5 x 11 inches. The second paper tray can hold 20 sheets of photo paper with dimensions of 5 x 7 inches.
For an idea of its performance, you can read our review of the almost identical Epson Expression Photo XP-960.
The Best Epson Printers for 2022
Epson EcoTank ET-2720
(Image credit: Epson)
3. Epson EcoTank ET-2720 photo printer (ET-2715 in UK)
Inexpensive super tank for fast and economical printing
Specifications
Category: Color all-in-one inkjet
Print speed: 33ppm (mono)
Paper capacity: 100 sheets
Paper size: Up to A4
Weight: 5.98kg
Reasons to buy +
Plenty of ink in the box
+
Economical prints
Reasons to avoid –
No duplex mode
–
Low paper capacity
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720, known as the Epson EcoTank ET-2715 in the UK, is the most affordable of the color Supertank printers in Epson’s extensive range and one of the most economical ways of printing photos available right now. And if that doesn’t tempt the bargain-hunters, it ships with enough ink in the box to last two years (or 4,500 color pages).
With the cost of bottled ink working out around 80% lower than cartridge ink, you really won’t need to worry about your ongoing consumables cost. This is great news for anyone intending to print lots of color photographs. The high image resolution makes this all-in-one well-suited to printing on glossy photo paper. It will also function well in a small office environment thanks to its surprisingly fast print speed and sensible features.
Start considering where you’ll be using the printer
for a small home office or a larger one. You’ll then want to assess what kind of printing you’ll primarily need — whether it’s text or image-heavy. If you need plenty of color prints daily, then you’ll want a large tank printer that’s economical to run. Make sure the printer offers high color fidelity if you need high-quality color prints.
Along with checking the print speed and auto duplex functionality, you’ll also want to check the type of connectivity the printer offers and whether it’s Wi-Fi enabled.
The Best Epson Printers for 2022: How did we test them?
Each printer we source for testing is measured on our test bench, and the results are critically compared with every other model we have reviewed. Rather than relying on the manufacturer’s quoted figures, we time the first page out and print speeds in single sheet and duplex mode using a standard ten-page document and a stopwatch app.
To compare print quality, we print out the same set of test documents on every machine. These twelve test pages include the text of varying font sizes and colors, mixed image and text pages, a set of photos, and a series of test patterns designed to assess sharpness, color fidelity, contrast, and grey scale.
We also calculate running costs, compare functionality and consider each product’s versatility, design, and build quality. The overall score reflects all of these parameters and overall value for money.
Specifically for photo printers, we looked at their versatility (both in terms of management and media handling), paying closer attention to the print output and the cost of the consumables (ink cartridges, etc.).
