Looking for a low cost to run printer with ink that could last you for at least two years? Then check out this Epson ET-4550 EcoTank printer! This is Epson’s new EcoTank series printers that break new ground with their ultra-low cost per page and ease of use. They are designed for homes, home offices and small offices where low-cost printing is the number one priority. As a SAHM, I love saving so I regularly print vouchers/coupons to save on my groceries and other items! Also with blogging, I often have to print documents to sign, so this is definitely great for me.
Throughout the EcoTank range, there are advanced features including duplex printing, A3 printing, SD card slots, faxing, scanning, Wi-Fi, and LCD screens. The ET-2500 and ET-2550 offer print, copy and scan features, with the ET-4500 adding fax for 4-in-1 capabilities. All three offer up to an impressive 4,000 pages in black and 6,500 pages in colour. The one that I received ET-4550, it increases that up to 11,000 pages in black and 3 colours. It’s possible to print wirelessly on all of these printers using the Epson iPrint app for smartphones, while all have Epson Connect support, meaning that they can be used with a range of Epson printing applications for functions such as remote and email printing. The more specialist ET-14000 model which concentrates on low-cost A3 printing, manages an impressive 7,100 pages in black and 5,700 pages in 3 colours.
This printer comes with two years’ worth of inks: 2 x 140ml Black, 2 x 70ml Cyan, 2 x 70ml Yellow and 2 x 70ml Magenta. It also includes a cable, software disc and instructions.
It took me 1.5 hours in total to set up the printer including getting it all running with the app on my iPad and registration. So do give yourself extra time to set up.
In my video review, I will show you the orientation of the printer, ink installation, how to make a copy and a few settings. Do check it out!
The printer measures 52cm by 37cm by 24cm which is quite wide. This is because the ink tank is located at the side of the printer. As this is an ink tank printer, it require the space for the tanks, unlike ink cartridges which are more compact. Even though the printer is wide, it is quite lightweight. Before you turn on the printer, you have to fill the ink tanks with their respective colours. This is straightforward but you have to be careful with the seal. I did mess up slightly but luckily I had wet wipes to hand.
Once the inks are filled, turn on the printer and select to charge the ink. This procedure took at least 20 minutes. During that time, I installed the software disc onto my computer and installed the app onto my iPad.
After the ink was charged, I went on to set up the WIFI. It didn’t take long to find the network and keying the password is like texting in the olden days. Simply press the appropriate number key to cycle through the letters of the alphabet that you want. However, note that if the printer is disconnected from the mains, for example if there is a power cut, you will have to key in your WIFI password again as it doesn’t store it.
During my set up, I didn’t configure the fax nor use the ethernet connection as I did not require it. Also, as I’m not constantly using the printer, I decided to set it on eco mode where is will turn itself off after a few minutes where the length of time is adjustable. Initially, I found that I encountered a paper setting error problem. This is because I didn’t set the paper quality on plain surface. Once this was set, printing or copying is straightforward!
For scanning, it will require you to set up and register via computer or iCloud. Otherwise you could get your own USB cable to connect the printer to your computer. Or scan by using the app via your PC to scan.
Getting my iPad to connect to the printer via the app is simple. It detected the printer quicker and it took me a couple of minutes to register with Epson via their website. If you are unsure how, there is a tutorial video on the Epson website to guide you through it. Or you can chat with their support team online during working hours. I had to chat to ‘John’ for a couple of times who was most helpful!
I enjoyed using my iPad to print my picture using the app. I love the freedom of not connecting via cable or laptop. With this WIFI function, I can print whenever I want! Did you know that you can upload and share files from your printer? There are so many ways to do it!
This is the photo I printed via my iPad app.
This printer allows you to print two single page documents onto double sided paper via the eco mode. If you frequently make one copy on one single side, do remember to go to your eco mode settings to select one page.
Printing is quick and the ink dries quickly. We are very impressed with it. Overall the printing quality is good and the built-in WIFI make it so easy for us all to print! We have used this feature many times already. You can get this printer via the Epson website which will give you a three year guarantee, good retailers and Amazon.
Disclosure: We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review however all thoughts and opinions remain our own. Contains Amazon affiliate link.