Epson Ecotank ET-8500 review

Interest photographers usually lay our a fortune on prints – particularly in the event that they use a cartridge gadget with numerous picture inks for printing. The Epson Ecotank ET-8500 is tailor-made exactly to this goal group. Because of the tank system, you’ll save some huge cash per printout. Whereas preliminary funding is excessive, it pays for itself shortly.

What it prices to print

The Epson Ecotank ET-8500 has six tanks that may be refilled with the 114 sequence of bottles. One tank is for pigmented black ink. The remaining 5 tanks are reserved for dye inks – extra exactly for the colors picture black, cyan (blue), magenta (purple), yellow (yellow) and gray. All tanks supply the identical filling capability. There isn’t a bigger black tank for textual content.

Picture prints are produced by the ink-tank multifunction printer from a most of 5 colors. The prices are calculated on the idea of a ten x 15 centimetre picture. All ink portions ought to be ample for two,300 images when bought.

The producer costs $17.49 /£15.99 /17.99 euros per bottle for 70 millilitres. On this foundation, the worth for a ten x 15 picture is 3.4 cents/ 3.4p/3.9 cents – though please keep in mind that UK and US costs are a tough estimate.

Twice as a lot is charged for an A4 picture – 7.5 cents/ 6.9p/ 7.8 cents. In comparison with cartridge printers, these are unbelievably low costs. You possibly can print your images as you please. The one factor that will get costly is the paper, which you need to add to the ink prices.

However even in normal printing on plain paper, the Epson Ecotank ET-8500 gained’t break you. Right here, the refill inks supply a variety of 6,700 pages for textual content black and 6,200 pages for the opposite colors. With costs of 0.25 cents/ 0.23p/ 0.27 cents for a black-and-white sheet and 1.4 cents/ 1.24p/ 1.45 cents for a color ISO web page, the ET-8500 is just a little greater than different tank fashions, however leaves any cartridge or toner mannequin far behind.

On the similar time, it’s frugal in its energy consumption: in idle mode, the Epson Ecotank ET-8500 switches right down to 0.7 watts with a USB connection and 0.9 watts by way of WLAN. However there’s a shortcoming – when switched off, the ink tank multifunction printer doesn’t disconnect utterly from the mains. Within the check, the meter nonetheless confirmed a consumption of 0.4 watts.

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Simple start-up

The Epson Ecotank ET-8500 proves that even a six-colour multifunctional printer is straightforward to arrange. The driving force CD and the clearly laid-out leaflet – each included within the scope of supply – are useful. As well as, there may be an ink bottle set that corresponds to the refill bottles by way of filling portions.

Because the line system needs to be crammed as soon as, the vary is lowered to 18,00 images (10 x 15 centimetres). The ink tanks are coded. Which means solely the proper ink-tank mixtures match. Incorrect filling is thus dominated out. Drip stops and an automated cease of the filling course of be certain that the ink results in the tanks with out splashing or overflowing.

Stress adjustment is extra intensive on the ET-8500 than on different printer fashions. This exhibits that it’s a extra specialised gadget whose print head must be aligned just a little extra exactly.

Options: Geared toward picture followers

The big variety of paper feeders alone makes it clear that Epson needs to fulfil as many picture needs as attainable with the Ecotank ET-8500. And it succeeds with a paper cassette for 100 sheets, a second cassette for 20 picture papers as much as 13 x 18 centimetres, a rear feeder for as much as 50 sheets, a cut-sheet feeder for thick media and a print template for printing on CDs/DVDs.

Some paper feeders are solely prepared to be used after a couple of handbook operations. For instance, for the straight sheet feeder you need to take away the rear cowl, click on within the paper information contained in the housing and align the sheet precisely with the arrows. To print on a DVD, take away the doc holder from the underside of the paper cassette and insert it into the entrance of the case on the designated place. With just a little observe, each procedures are straightforward to carry out.

The foldable contact show on the Epson Ecotank ET-8500 is exceptional: it has a diagonal of just about 11 centimetres and might due to this fact be operated simply on the contact of a finger.

Connecting to Wi-Fi networks can be fast and straightforward. The ET-8500 can be related by way of USB, LAN or Wi-Fi Direct. Cell printing works by way of Apple Airprint, Mopria or the producer’s personal apps, Epson Sensible Panel or Epson Print Format.

For direct printing from storage media, the tank multifunction printer affords an SD card slot and a USB host port on the entrance of the gadget. Each interfaces disappear behind the entrance cowl for the paper cassette when folded. As well as, the Epson Ecotank ET-8500 can routinely print on each side because of the duplex unit.

There are two options which can be actually design parts moderately than functionally essential. When a print job arrives on the Epson Ecotank ET-8500, the output tray routinely strikes out. It may be retracted once more by urgent a button on the gadget. And when a print job is in progress, the paper output is illuminated with white LEDs.

High quality: Nice images, high-quality on a regular basis prints

The Epson Ecotank ET-8500 prints, scans and copies. Regardless that it’s tailor-made to picture printing, it handles on a regular basis duties to a excessive normal. The pigmented black ink, for instance, ensures very legible textual content with a balanced protection. Color PDFs with pictures, graphics and textual content additionally turned out impressively nicely within the check.

There may be little to complain about within the check scans. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t count on miracles, as a result of Epson depends right here on a CIS scanner (Compact Picture Sensor) – just like different ink tank fashions. Nevertheless, the efficiency is completely nice for digitising frequent originals. With regards to copying, the ET-8500 is extra in keeping with regular workplace and residential workplace tank printers. Right here, its efficiency is completely first rate, however not distinctive.

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The Epson ET-8500’s power is clearly in picture printing, the place it impresses with wealthy element, very good transitions and pure pores and skin tones. Those that wish to print black-and-white images will admire the gray ink. As with the colors, the outcomes on paper listed here are glorious. You don’t have to fret about annoying color casts, which frequently happen with four-colour printers.

In case you print from a cell gadget, the Epson Sensible Panel app is an efficient helper. The colors prove much more pure when the Epson Print Format app is used. The color administration is even finer right here. Nevertheless, we weren’t capable of obtain borderless printing. However the margins are very small.

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Working pace: Quick, however not overhasty

In our check, we observed how quietly the Epson Ecotank ET-8500 works more often than not. It solely turns into extra audible when printing monochrome textual content in normal decision. Right here it produced 10 pages in 45 seconds by way of USB – an honest consequence, which can be related by way of Wi-Fi. Ten color pages from Acrobat had been printed in 2:14 minutes – once more, very quick.

The ET-8500 additionally maintains this dependable mode of operation when printing images. We measured virtually 3 minutes for an A4 picture, and 1:32 minutes for a ten×15 picture, virtually precisely half the time. In scanning, too, the ink-tank multifunction printer accomplished duties at an honest tempo. We measured 6 seconds for an A4 preview and 10 seconds for a color scan. A replica took 19 seconds in color and 14 seconds in black and white. Many opponents are significantly slower.

Value and availability

There are many shopping for choices for the Epsom Ecotank ET-8500 however it’s a good suggestion to buy round as costs can range. In case you’re within the US, its MSRP is $699.99 and you will get it at this value from Greatest Purchase however it’s accessible for a lot much less on Amazon.

Within the UK, you should purchase direct from Epsom, however you’ll be paying the total RRP of £649.99. On the time of writing, John Lewis and Amazon have a lot better affords – by a whopping £100.

Verdict

The Epsom Ecotank ET-8500 is a superb alternative for individuals who wish to print images – particularly those that wish to print them frequently. It’s quick and your prints will likely be prime quality. Sure, you’ll be paying extra within the preliminary buy however over time its pace, reliability and price per print will show higher worth.

This evaluation initially appeared in PC-Welt and was translated for inclusion right here.

For extra choices and to see which printers we suggest, take a look at our round-up of the very best printers we’ve examined.

Technical specs