Epson ’s new EcoTank ET-2980 eliminates the hassle of replace pickup and denigrate the monetary value of ink with great ink reservoir . It ’s also one of the spry tank printers .
The best printersfind the unadulterated balance of speed , quality , and cost . I pass away bridge player - on with the EcoTank ET-2980 to witness out how it compares , who should buy it , and how much value it proffer .
Specs
Design
The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 is a compact and attractive printing machine available in black or off - Stanford White to best fit your decor . I have the white example with light grey-haired accents that will blend in nicely with most homes . The black on black model might crop well in a menage office staff or room with a dark theme .
The ink tanks are clearly seeable , and it ’s leisurely to see the supply levels at a glimpse . Epson marketing shows colorful grade insignia , but all four inks count dark gray through the semitransparent plastic .
As an all - in - one that can print , copy , and scan , the EcoTank ET-2980 is quite stocky with a footprint of 14.8 by 13.7 inches . The weighting is minimum at just 11.5 pounds , reach this a category - friendly printer that anyone can wield .
The appearance is quite similar to theEpson EcoTank ET-2850 , but even humble and light . The newer and faster EcoTank ET-2980 also has a delicious highlight at the top of the ink tank tug , an icy blue rectangle that glow to alarm me that the printing machine requires attention .
Otherwise , the pattern is quite utilitarian with a tiny color display that measures just 1.4 inches diagonally . Epson border the exhibit with 12 button that alter configurations and make copy . That sounds complex , but the usual arrow keys , back button , and OK button invoice for half of those . The mastery panel tilts so it works while standing or seated .
The EcoTank ET-2980 has only one paper tray in the back that make up to 100 sheet of paper . A width slider adjusts the tray to hold little photo paper and envelopes . The top with letter - size newspaper tuck is 10.4 inches . The yield bin mechanically carry nine inches from the front during printing .
Printing performance
The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 is profligate for an inkjet tank printer . The first page fly out in about six seconds . That ’s quicker thanthe best color laser printersfor one - off prints . That speed is potential because an inkjet does n’t use heat transfer .
Sustained speed on long black and white written document can speed up up to 15.5 pages per minute ( ppm ) . colour Sir Frederick Handley Page print as fast as 8 ppm . That ’s 50 % faster than older Epson EcoTank model in the same class .
Epson achieved this velocity boost by correspond the EcoTank ET-2980 with PrecisionCore technology . That ’s the same high - end photographic print system encounter in belittled business printers like the tops - flying 25 ppmEpson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 .
Print quality is outstanding despite the amphetamine . Graphics are crisp , and even fine photographic print is soft to read . The EcoTank ET-2980 is a majuscule selection for color text file . However , I noticed some inconsistency with photo prints .
Most icon come in out looking gravid , but some were disappointing . I notice shining photograph print often had a blue tint in the vestige . Plain paper prints could use more contrast . The best photo printersare optimized for word-painting and sometimes practice more than four inks to improve color truth .
Overall , performance was good , but I ran into trouble when I prove printing duplex . Double - sided documents jammed frequently . The display channelise me through clearing the crush via the rear panel for easy access to the rollers .
Special features
Epson is different from other leading pressman mark . It no longer makes optical maser printers , focalize on improving inkjet technology . It also thinks differently about scanning . While many manufacturers admit a 600 dots per in ( dpi ) scanner in their all - in - ones , Epson reduplicate that resoluteness to 1200 dpi and has for many years .
The EcoTank ET-2980 ’s scanner is smooth , tight , and can scan documents and picture at 200 to 1200 dpi . low solution scans are often good enough , but I wish having the selection to go higher when I want to get the most detail from a modest picture or catch fine print without hurting readability .
I can also make color copies with the EcoTank ET-2980 . Epson claims copy pep pill at 11 ppm in black and 5.5 ppm in color . However , I ’d want simple machine - like speed and accuracy to arise the lid , swap pages , and end the scanner that quickly .
For multi - page written matter , it gain more sentience to opt an all - in - one that include an automatic document affluent ( ADF ) . For illustration , Epson ’s EcoTank ET-3850is a large and slightly more expensive PrecisionCore pressman with an ADF . The power to copy foresightful documents is of the essence for some job , but not as important for home printers .
Software and compatibility
Epson ’s flying scratch guide offers two paths to set up the EcoTank ET-2980 , with the mobile app or manually . The printer ’s display is quite minor and only has a few buttons to navigate options , so I installed the Epson Smart Panel app . From past experience , I screw that ’s usually the uncomplicated method . Entering a retentive Wi - Fi password without a keyboard can be challenging .
I used my iPhone for setup , but Epson patronize Android , Windows , macOS , and ChromeOS . Everything flow swimmingly . The app lead me to fulfill the tanks with the four large ink bottle Epson includes with the printing machine . During the 11 - minute ink low-level formatting tone , Smart Panel prompted me to connect the printer to Wi - Fi , which was quick and wanton . I was capable to step forth for a few minutes , and the app alerted me when it was finished prim the ink lines .
The ink levels , visible through the translucent cooler , give the appearing that the supplying unload by about a 5th . However , I did n’t lose any ink . It ’s just drawn into the machine , quick for printing .
For printhead alinement , I had to switch to the EcoTank ET-2980 ’s display and controls . It ’s not hard to finish the process , but I had to take care closely and make note of the particular symbolization to fill out this step . Should I press the button with a triangle in a circle or the one with a line in a diamond ? I reckon some people might need reading glasses or a magnifier app the see the difference in the on - screen display .
With the mobile app , apparatus was quite unproblematic , and the software worked as expected , even when publish an envelope from my phone , something that ’s nearly unimaginable with most printers . My Windows PC check the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 now and had no trouble connect via Wi - Fi . The printing machine also includes a USB porthole for a unmediated connection to a computer .
Price
The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 is surprisingly loyal for an entry - tier inkjet . The $ 300 price makes it one of the most affordable inkjet tank car printers on the marketplace .
Beyond the low initial cost , Epson admit enough ink in the EcoTank ET-2980 to print K of pages before you need to fill again provision . When that time comes , you fill again the tank with nursing bottle that withstand about 90 cartridges worth of ink .
The bundled EcoTank 502 ink bottles render up to 6,600 monochrome pages and 5,500 colour pages , adding significant value to the printer and reduce the monetary value per print to less than a cent . Each monochrome varlet costs about three - one-tenth of a cent , and colour is a very affordable eight - tenths .
Is this the printer for you?
The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 is a riotous , effective , and economical inkjet tank car printer at a great price . While that combination is hard to beat , it ’s notthe best all - in - one printersince it lacks an ADF .
There are some inviolable competitors likeHP ’s Smart Tank 5101that sells for $ 250 . It could be more than a co-occurrence that I experienced distressing composition jams with that printer . Low - cost printers typically have less full-bodied paper feed mechanisms .
Epson ’s own lineup includes the EcoTank ET-3850 , a business - orient printer with an ADF . For image , theEpson Expression Photo XP-8800is a low - monetary value , six - colour all - in - one with keen picture quality .
Still , the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 offers a equalizer of speed , saving , and value that makes it a good option for families . There ’s great utility program in a printer that can roll through chiliad of pages without the tussle and expense of replacing ink cartridge .
