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Review on ๐Ÿ–จ๏ธ Epson EcoTank ET-M2170 Wireless Monochrome All-in-One Supertank Printer - Ethernet Enabled PLUS 2 Years of Boundless Ink Supply by Matthew Goyette

Revainrating 4 out of 5

What you need to know

Don't forget to read more about this printer. In a world full of hype and marketing promises, this one is really new and different. But will it be improved? I can answer that for you. I actually worked at Epson as a product manager and have also worked at HP, Samsung and Kodak during my career. I know secrets I don't want everyone to know, and I could turn this review into a book-length encyclopedia of things you never knew. I won't, let's just talk about this particular new model. THE WORLD FIRST IN PRINTING First of all, apart from the ink saving claims, I've never seen anything like it in all my years in the printer business. - Monochrome (black and white) inkjet printer only. In the past, if you wanted a printer that only printed with black ink, you had to buy a laser printer that matched color inkjet printers in terms of low cost per page as well as a number of inherent benefits like smudge-free ink, faster page printing and, perhaps most importantly , Efficiency - Laser printers use virtually no ink compared to inkjet printers, which can waste more than half of the purchased ink that never ends up on paper, it's consumed during internal cleaning and maintenance, and so on it just never dries. Not only is this printer a direct alternative to a monochrome laser printer that can't print photos or even color, but it also makes the incredible claim of being able to print up to 6,000 pages with ink (no weak starter cartridges here) and up to 4 years without Purchase additional ink. That's what I want to focus on and look for any loopholes, because after all this thing isn't cheap, in fact it costs more than 70% of laser printers on the market, even 2-3 times more than many color laser printers. Printer. WHY CHOOSE AN INKJET OVER A LASER PRINTER You may already know when and why to choose a color laser printer over a color inkjet printer, but the rules are slightly different with this new Epson device, as ink levels have never been too high. A monochrome inkjet printer that can actually be chosen as a viable alternative to a monochrome laser printer before this consumer monochrome inkjet printer didn't even exist. Here are some pros and cons of each INKJET1. Uses no heat to fuse the toner to the page, meaning you can use thin paper that will work in a laser printer.2. Quieter which means you can use it in the bedroom at night while your partner is sleeping3. No warm-up and cool-down time for LASER1. Really stain resistant 2. Prints page by page, not line by line, so almost always faster3. You can leave it unused for months or even years without the printheads clogging and the ink not drying out. HOW IT IS MADE, although it will take up about as much space on your desk as the smallest laser printer. This model is just over half the height and weighs many times less. This is because it's almost entirely made of plastic, with almost nothing inside. In terms of physical design it's hard to see why it costs so much, it's certainly not nearly as heavy as any laser printer. PRINT QUALITY When using high quality inkjet paper, the difference in print quality compared to a basic monochrome laser printer is too colloidal and not a determining factor between the two. However, if you tend to use cheap paper, this (like any inkjet printer) has a tendency to bleed into the fibers of the paper and result in jagged edges of the text. If the presentation text is of the utmost importance to you, I recommend using a laser printer. DO YOU REALLY SAVE MONEY? Short answer: I don't think so, and here are my reasons: I paid $49 for the monochrome laser printer shown in my photo. This Epson inkjet printer costs $350 (more than the average color laser printer these days). You can buy 7 laser printers for the price of an Epson, but it will take many years to save money on each side. While Epson is technically correct in claiming that a bottle of their replacement ink costs less than a regular replacement laser toner cartridge, almost 100% of their ink can be used with a laser, while a very high percentage of ink is wasted with this or any other inkjet printer - they will never printed on paper - instead they are used for potting, head cleaning and other "maintenance tasks" or simply dry up. If you're expecting 3,000 pages from the bottle of ink that came with the printer, think again - by the time my printer finished its 10-minute "setup" ritual, it had used almost HALF the bottle of ink. $9.00! THIS PRINTER IS GOOD VALUE As mentioned above you can buy 7 cheap laser printers for the price of one, use up the ink that comes with them and then throw away the printer before you break even. In fact, you can buy a dozen or so primary color inkjet printers and do the same thing. This is definitely very expensive for a monochrome inkjet printer. The laser has some advantages like speed, sharper text and anti-smudge effect. If all you ever need is monochrome text with no graphics or photos and the lowest cost per page is most important to you, the MT-2170 may be your best choice, but ONLY if you print frequently, e.g. B. several times a day. Week. because the number one mistake with any inkjet printer applies to it too: if you don't use it almost every day, the printheads will clog and the liquid ink IS OUT, ultimately increasing the cost of ownership significantly. If you print occasionally, there's nothing more economical than a laser printer (monochrome or colour). Short notice I temporarily replaced my laser printer with this to see if it's better for the price. Me and I will be updating you over the next few months so you know how it's working out for me. [UPDATE] 3 months later I haven't noticed any problems. The printer it replaced would occasionally forget its WiFi connection, but not the Epson, even after a power outage it turns back on and connects. There are a few small nuances that I didn't notice at first. First, it's not as fast as I first thought. Of course, the page prints quickly, but the problem is that it takes a few seconds to think about it before printing, so the total time between pressing the print button and completing the page is 8.5 seconds. Another small thing is that under normal use the top of the printer is very flat with no indentations whatsoever. So when a page is printed, there's no easy way to lift it with your fingers without pressing down lightly on the paper. Many other printers have either a notch or a small plastic paper stop to make it easier to lift the printed page.

Pros
  • Save up to 75 percent with inexpensive replacement bottles compared to monochrome laser toner - about 1/3 of 1 cent per ISO page versus 2ยฝ cents (1).
Cons
  • It's not as good as it says it is