The Epson ET-3850U Driver EcoTank is good for photo printing. It produces very small details and a wide range of colors, but the photos look grainy, and the colors aren’t very accurate. The main benefit with this printer is its low maintenance cost, as the ink tank yields a lot of prints and the ink bottles are cheap. All these are typical features for an MFP costing about a third of the price of the ET-3850U, so why pay more? The answer, as we suspect you know by now, lies in Epson’s EcoTank system, which does away with cartridges in favor of large refillable tanks built into the printer itself. The ET-3850U arrives with a full set of color ink bottles, theoretically capable of 5,200 pages, and two large black ink bottles that, between them, could dash off 14,000 pages of black text. As with other refillable ink devices, the supplied ink alone should make this MFP a better value than its cartridge-based equivalents, provided you print at least a few thousand pages over its lifetime. The ET-3850U is as easy to set up as any modern EcoTank printer. You simply place an inverted ink bottle onto the corresponding nozzle, and it will discharge its contents into the tank below. Everything is physically keyed to prevent misfilling—take note, petrol pump manufacturers—and we’re yet to encounter any leaks or spills with this system.
Features
- Zero Cartridge Waste – By using an EcoTank printer, you can help reduce the amount of cartridge waste ending up in landfills
- Impressive Print Quality ― Unique PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology and pigment black ink produce extremely sharp text – plus impressive color photos and graphics – on virtually any paper type
- Robust Paper Handling ― Auto Document Feeder, paper-saving auto 2-sided printing and a 250-sheet paper tray for high productivity
- Built-in Scanner & Copier ― High-resolution flatbed scanner and a 2.4″ color display for easy document copying and navigation
- Modern Connectivity ― Features Ethernet and wireless, plus hands-free voice-activated printing. Easily print from your smart device with the intuitive Epson Smart Panel App
- Designed for Reliability ― Worry-free 2-year limited warranty with registration, including full unit replacement
