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Epson EcoTank ET-2800 Review

Super low operating costs and a wide range of abilities make this printer an affordable option
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Epson EcoTank ET-2800 Review
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Price:  $280 List
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Manufacturer:   Epson
By Lesley Robinson and Benjamin Hickok  ⋅  Mar 1, 2024
65
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#5 of 9
  • Text Quality - 25% 6.0
  • Graphics and Photos - 25% 4.8
  • Operating Cost - 25% 10.0
  • Ease of Use - 15% 6.0
  • Printing Speed - 10% 4.2

Our Verdict

The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is an excellent choice for large-volume printing at the lowest cost possible, but that cost-effectiveness comes with a trade-off of image quality and printing speeds. We think it is an excellent choice for cost-effective printing in a home office or for a small business where large and frequent print jobs are the norm. So long as you don't expect to print high-quality photos, you won't be disappointed by this unit. Check out how this model ranks next to the competition in our best home printer review.
REASONS TO BUY
Low operating costs
Multiple functions
REASONS TO AVOID
Mediocre image quality
Slower printing speeds

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Overall Score Sort Icon
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Bottom Line Good but not great printing performance, with incredibly low operating costsA good document printer for home office useA great budget-friendly printer that performs well in every metric and excels at affordable, high quality photo printingThis capable printer has low upfront costs, but its long-term operational costs might upset those initial savingsAn inexpensive printer that does the job, but is costly to operate
Rating Categories Epson EcoTank ET-2800 HP OfficeJet 8015e... Epson Workforce Pro... HP DeskJet 2755e Canon Pixma MG3620
Text Quality (25%)
6.0
7.0
7.5
5.3
3.5
Graphics and Photos (25%)
4.8
7.5
6.3
6.9
7.6
Operating Cost (25%)
10.0
7.3
7.6
2.2
4.2
Ease of Use (15%)
6.0
7.8
7.3
7.8
5.9
Printing Speed (10%)
4.2
7.6
6.8
5.8
1.8
Specs Epson EcoTank ET-2800 HP OfficeJet 8015e... Epson Workforce Pro... HP DeskJet 2755e Canon Pixma MG3620
Type All-in-one inkjet All-in-one inkjet All-in-one inkjet All-in-one inkjet All-in-one inkjet
Capabilities Print, scan, copy Print, scan, copy Print, scan, copy, fax Print, scan, copy Print, scan, copy
Estimated Lifetime Cost of Ownership $301 $646 $634 $1,269 $963
Resolution (Black) 5760 x 1440 dpi 1200 x 1200 dpi 4800 x 1200 dpi 1200 x 1200 dpi 600 x 600 dpi
Resolution (Color) 5760 x 1440 dpi 4800 x 1200 dpi 4800 x 1200 dpi 4800 x 1200 dpi 4800 x 1200 dpi
Supported Paper Sizes 4 x 6", 5 x 7", A6, Half Letter, Letter, A4,
Executive, Legal, User definable (from 2.2 x 3.4" to 8.5 x 47.2")
Letter; Legal; Government Legal; Executive; Statement; 4 x 6 in; 5 x 7 in; 13 x 18 cm; 8 x 10 in; 10 x 15 cm; L; Photo 2L; Envelope( #10, Monarch, 5.5 bar); Card (4 x 6 in, 5 x 8 in) 3.5 x 5", 4 x 6", 5 x 7", 8 x 10",8.5 x 11", 8.5 x 14", A4, A6, half letter, executive Letter; legal; 4 x 6 in; 5 x 7 in; 8 x 10 in; No. 10 envelopes 4 x 6", 5 x 7", Letter, Legal, U.S. #10 Envelopes
Measured Dimensions (excludes extensions) 14.8" x 22.8" x 10.0" 18.1" x 13.4" x 9.2" 14.8" x 13.7" x 9.1" 16.7" x 12" x 6" 17.7" x 12.0" x 6.0"
Measured Weight 9.3 Ib 18 lb 15.0 lb 7.7 Ib 11.9 Ib
Paper Handling Input 100 Sheets plain paper, 20 sheets
photo paper
225 Sheets 250 Sheets 60 Sheets 100 Sheets plain paper or 20 sheet 4 x 6″ photo paper
Monthly Duty Cycle Not specified 20,000 Pages 5,000 Pages 1,000 Pages Light-duty use (does not specify beyond this)
Auto 2-Sided Printing No Yes Yes No Yes
Ink Cost per Ream: B/W $1.55 $34.98 $28.56 $74.96 $55.53
Ink Cost per Ream: Color $0.93 $22.21 $23.94 $94.95 $72.19
Claimed Pages Per Minute 10 (black)
5 (color)
24 15 8 (black)
6 (color)
8
Measured Pages per Minute: Single-Sided B/W 10 15 24 11 9
Connectivity Hi-Speed USB
Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n)9
Wi-Fi Direct
1 Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n 100Mbps Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, USB 2.0 Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n; 1 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Hi-Speed USB PictBridge (Wireless LAN)10 Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11b/g/n)
Operating System Compatibility Windows 10, Windows 8, 8.1 (32-bit, 64-bit), Windows 7 (32-
bit, 64-bit), Windows Vista (32-bit, 64-bit), Windows Server 10
2003 SP2 or later, 2008, 2008R2, 2012, 2012R2, 2016,
2019, 2016
Mac OS X 10.6.8 — macOS 10.15.x11
Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7,Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit, Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit (SP1), Windows Server 2012 64-bit, Windows Server 2012 R2 64-bit, Windows Server 2016, Chrome OS Windows XP and Windows Vista not supported Windows 10
Windows 8, 8.1 (32-bit, 64-bit)
Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit)
Mac OS X 10.6 — macOS 10.13.x11
Windows 11; Windows 10; Windows 7; macOS 10.12 Sierra; macOS 10.14 Mojave; macOS 10.15 Catalina; macOS 11 Big Sur; Chrome OS Windows:19 Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows 7 SP1, Windows Vista SP1, Vista SP2, Windows XP SP3 32-bit
Mac:20 Mac OS X v10.7.5 - 10.10

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is an excellent printer for those trying to keep operational costs down in a small home office environment, but not the best choice for speedy prints.

Performance Comparison


The Epson has a fairly small interface.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Text Quality


In our text quality printing metric, we tested each printer's ability to print both black and white text and maintain a high level of text resolution from one print to the next. Overall, we found the text printing quality of the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 was good enough to meet most needs.


In our black and white text quality testing, we found the darkest shade of black was grayer than the blacks produced by other printers. While not as pure black as other printers, the ET-2800 produced text without many noticeable defects. Our team occasionally noticed a darker streak, and the edges of the text look a little jagged once magnified, but the performance was more consistent than previous generations of EcoTank printers that we've tested.

epson ecotank et-2800 - though the text is fairly clear from farther away, up close it looks...
Though the text is fairly clear from farther away, up close it looks a bit fuzzy around the edges.
Credit: Lesley Robinson

Graphics and Photos


In our assessment of graphic and photo printing quality, we produced test prints and analyzed them for any lack of resolution, edge detail, pixelation, streaking, blemishing, and made observations on color quality. Instead of producing vibrant and stunning photo prints and sharply detailed business graphics, the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 fell a bit short of our expectations.


When testing photo printing abilities while on the highest print quality settings, we observed lighter colors were a little washed out, yellows looked a bit tan, and blues a bit gray. The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 performed similarly to photo printing in our business graphics testing. Again, we observed washed out lighter colors, while shadows were overly dark, as well as a general loss of detail. The most conspicuous defects were in the textures where the finer details were lost.

epson ecotank et-2800 - the images in our tests came out looking blurry and slightly...
The images in our tests came out looking blurry and slightly pixelated.
Credit: Lesley Robinson

Despite our optimism for the Epson EcoTank ET-2800, our testing yielded prints that ranged from average to below-average when compared to its peers, exhibiting muted and undersaturated colors, a decreased sharpness, and a general lack of fidelity, making it a poor choice for those who require high-quality graphic and photo printing abilities.

epson ecotank et-2800 - here again the image appears grainy.
Here again the image appears grainy.
Credit: Lesley Robinson

Operating Cost


Where the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 really shines is in its unmatched, incredibly low operational costs. Epson's EcoTank line of printers are handily, and by far, the cheapest printers to operate long term on the market today.


The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is unrivaled when it comes to operational costs. It can print 4500 of black and white paper for only $14 of ink while replacing 7500 colored pages at nearly the same price — $13.99. That works out to less than 1/100th of a cent for both black and white and color prints.


If the astonishingly low operational costs are the focus of your printing needs, and you are willing to sacrifice some fidelity, photo quality, and speed, then the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is the best choice on the market today.

epson ecotank et-2800 - the ecotank et-2800 has exceptionally low operating costs.
The EcoTank ET-2800 has exceptionally low operating costs.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use


Our ease of use metric tested and evaluated initial printer setup and unboxing, wireless setup, customer service, and the printer interface and usability. The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 earned an average score overall, for an all-around setup and user experience that is on par with most other printers tested by our team.


Initial printer setup unboxing isn't too difficult with the EcoTank ET-2800. It comes with a clear instruction manual that includes visuals, and the screen on the printer also provides step-by-step instructions that provide visuals throughout the process of loading the ink into the printer.

Pouring ink into the containers is both mess-free and straightforward, as well as a smoother process than with previous EcoTank models. We had almost no issues with jamming or alignment in the test prints at the end of the process. Wireless setup and connecting the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 to a network was also a fairly straightforward process, as you can expect from most models and manufacturers on the market these days.

The user interface could be improved with a large touchscreen that is present on many other models these days.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Customer service, the printer app, and the support website are all straightforward. We did have to reach out to customer support for an ink clog, and their assistance had us back in action in no time.

The printer's display screen is quite small, but it can be angled to improve visibility and is also backlit, increasing its usability. Twelve buttons make it easy to navigate on screen menus, and the user experience is what you can expect from most printers on the market today. It is neither exceptional nor inadequate.

epson ecotank et-2800 - setting up the et-2800 requires filling ink tanks, but the process...
Setting up the ET-2800 requires filling ink tanks, but the process is mess-free and straightforward.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Printing Speed


The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is not the fastest printer on the market and underperformed many of the other products we tested in our printing speed metric, which we broke down into the following tests: 2-page duplex, mixed text and photo speed, high resolution photo speed, 10 page duplex, and 10 page simplex test.


The mixed text and photo speed test took this model 5 minutes and 15 seconds to complete. This placed it toward the back of the test group. For comparison, the fastest models finished this test in less than 30 seconds. It really is not the fastest, especially with double-sided documents, due to the manual feeding requirement of duplex printing.

The ET-2800 struggled to do well on our high resolution photo speed test, requiring 5 minutes and 6 seconds to achieve the task. This is rather slow when it comes to high resolution photo printing and is actually ten times slower than the fastest models we tested.

This printer requires pausing and manually feeding paper to achieve duplex, double-sided prints requiring 166 seconds to achieve the task with manual intervention, for a modest 4 page per minute rate. On the simplex setting, it achieved the task in 61 seconds, which works out to an average 10 pages per minute for our 10 page test.

Speed is not where this model excels.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Should You Buy the Epson EcoTank ET-2800?


While the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 offers incredible operational costs, it is not particularly fast and cannot produce the quality of prints that many other high-end printers are capable of generating. Therefore, we can't recommend this model over many other great options unless low operating costs are your primary requirement.

What Other Printers Should You Consider?


While some may find that the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 has an attractive low operational cost, more demanding home users and office environments may want to look at better-performing printers like the affordable multi-function Epson Workforce Pro WF-4820. If you truly want the best all-in-one home printer, the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M283fdw is your best bet. This unit has sharp text, prints fast at 12 pages per minute, and has a very user-friendly interface.

epson ecotank et-2800 - the ecotank et-2800 is a solid printer, with super low operating...
The EcoTank ET-2800 is a solid printer, with super low operating costs.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Lesley Robinson and Benjamin Hickok