Inktank printers - yes or no?

**Foute Man** · #1 03-10-2021, 06:23 AM

I need to replace my printer as I have not been able to print for ages as the printfunction does not work anymore.
As I'm very limited in my budget I wonder if it's a good idea to buy myself an inktank printer out of the Epson Ecotank line. These printers are a bit more expensive to buy, but cheaper to use.
Does anybody have any experience with these type of printers and are they any good to print paper models?

**Vermin_King** · #2 03-10-2021, 07:37 AM

After all my recent woes (fool me twice, shame on me), I couldn't recommend anything Epson.

I was wanting to get a Brother Inkvestment printer myself.

**Don Boose** · #3 03-10-2021, 08:12 AM

Dave's concerns are certainly worth considering, he has a lot of experience with printing models and his warning against Epson products should be taken seriously, but I have been very happy with my Epson ET-4650. A bottle of ink is expensive, but each one lasts about a year (before, I was replacing cartridges weekly). I rarely have lines appear in my printed products (a frequent occurrence before) and a few cleaning cycles clears up the problem when it happens. I have had no maintenance problems.

On the other hand, I am not a good judge of print quality. It seems satisfactory to me, but I would defer to the judgment of others with more experience and knowledge.

Don

**Foute Man** · #4 03-10-2021, 09:52 AM

The purchase price will be an important factor in my choice, as my budget is limited. Epson seems to be very cheap to buy compared with Canon or HP. Previously I was limited in my actions by the price of the ink cartridges, so for me it's very attractive that I won't need to worry about the amount of available ink and to print as much as I would like.
I do read in the reviews that all colors except black can fade quickly, how do you handle this? Do you print on photo paper or do you treat the models with varnish afterwards?

**Dane** · #5 03-10-2021, 10:15 AM

A Canon printer with six color ink for photo printing is a good solution for papermen.

**Vermin_King** · #6 03-10-2021, 11:23 AM

Don, what type of printer did you have before?

I guess Brother had me spoiled. Great printing, quiet, very low maintenance, longevity. But when they die, they are well and truly dead.

With the Epson, 43 days in, I have had to replace all four of the extended cartridges I bought at the time of purchase. Clean the heads frequently to try to clear up the print issues. Aligning the heads doesn't seem to help either. Psychedelic Lines which I never had with the Brother printers. And now I have frequent paper jams in spite of upgrading my paper.

Third Epson (counting the one I got my son), and I haven't been happy with any of them. Since Curt seems happy with his Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3720, my bad experiences with it may be out of the ordinary.

I better stop writing because I think my blood pressure is rising

**Don Boose** · #7 03-10-2021, 01:11 PM

Dave - My previous printers were cartridge Epsons, and I had some of the same problems you identified, especially the lines in the print outs. A couple of years ago, Jim Baker told me of his good experience with the ink tank Epsons, and that led me to buy the ET-4750 (NOT "4650" as the typo in my original post would have it). It has worked well for me for over two years now.

Your experience certainly justifies an anti-Epson bias.

Don

**Vermin_King** · #8 03-10-2021, 01:21 PM

I think there is a lot of variance in consumer experience. Just because someone has a great experience with a printer model, that may not be your experience when you buy.

**mbauer** · #9 03-10-2021, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vermin_King

After all my recent woes (fool me twice, shame on me), I couldn't recommend anything Epson.
I was wanting to get a Brother Inkvestment printer myself.

Have same thing to say about Epson.

Have a Brother all-in-one 11x17 that is working okay. Ink is just as expensive as HP printers. Always heard Brother ink was cheaper, that is not the case anymore. Model is MFC-J6530DW.

Mike

**Kevin WS** · #10 03-11-2021, 12:06 AM

Consider looking for a secondhand laser printer - no ink issues to worry about. Check with the Canon/Hp/Ricoh/Minolta etc subsidiary (rather than a dealer) to see what refurbished machines they offer. You are looking for an MFP (Multi-Function Product - scan, copy, print). If the prices seem right, then you can do your further research on the pros and cons of laser, ink printers, etc.

Alternatively, maybe bank your money and use a print shop or cloud printing service depending on what is available in your area.