Epson ’s EcoTank ET-3850 is a compact and low-priced all - in - one printer that come with a two - year supply of ink . That ’s enough to catch the center of anyone that prints often and it ’s particularly attractive to those with home plate businesses .
For a home office , you need a printer that ’s versatile enough to handle anything , yet compact enough to grapple easy . I look back the EcoTank ET-3850 to check out the speed and character . I also search ink costs and prove its CAT scan and replicate feature to help bump out ifit ’s the best printer for you .
Specs
Design
The EcoTank ET-3850 is an all - in - one inkjet pressman with an reflexive document self-feeder ( ADF ) . It has an off - clean body with gentle curves and four large ink reservoirs that extend forward about an inch on the right side . Epson takes some originative licence in ware picture , showing black , yellow , cyan , and Battle of Magenta bars , but the ink actually appear dark gray in the translucent tanks . Still , it ’s convenient to be able to glance at the printing machine to see if you need to refill supplies soon .
A 2.4 - inch color video display is front and center on an adjustable mastery panel with buttons on both sides to make copy , adapt configurations , and perform maintenance . The control panel cant out and adjusts in a wide kitchen range from in full vertical to 13 degree off horizontal .
It ’s quite similar toEpson ’s gamy - quality EcoTank ET-2850I reviewed last yr , but there are enough difference to require a critical look to check its tone , speed , and value .
There ’s only one paper tray with a 250 - sheet capacity . There ’s no media tray , so I had to remove all paper when flip-flop sizes or type . The ADF can hold 30 sheet at a time .
For an all - in - one , it ’s a light and compact printer valuate 16.4 inches wide by 13.7 inch recondite and standing 9.1 in tall . In operation , the output bin slides frontward , adding about six inches in depth . The weight is 14.8 pounds , attain it easy to set up and move .
Printing performance
The Epson EcoTank ET-3850 is surprisingly nimble for an inkjet tank printer , rolling out the first page in about 10 endorsement . A long monochrome papers averages 15.5 Thomas Nelson Page per second ( ppm ) while color is a small over half that yard at 8.5 ppm . Since double - sided prints require draw in a page back into the printer before printing the other side , the speed drops to 6.5 ppm for bleak and 4.5 ppm for colour .
If you necessitate more speed , but like the idea of a tank printing machine that cuts printing price to a minimum , check out out my review ofEpson ’s EcoTank Pro ET-5850 , a superfast inkjet tankthat shoots out the first page in under 6 instant and pass on 25 ppm for longer papers .
Print quality is very proficient overall . Fine mark is frosty and easily readable and semblance text file look nic , with no lines or gaps in color blockage . There ’s an choice for borderless print , which is always welcome in colour printer . Full - Thomas Nelson Page aeronaut , mock - ups , and reports look best without a white border .
Epson ’s EcoTank ET-3850 handle photos well . The picture quality on glossy photograph composition is fantabulous and homely paper pictures have adept exposure and accurate people of color tone , sulphur but chroma is a bit light . On lightweight paper , photo prints tend to curl , but that does n’t come about with thicker paper .
Photographers andanyone with a critical eye will prefer a right pic printerfor top - caliber movie . Just be aware a printer that has more ink colouring to improve dynamic range could cost significantly more .
Special features
The EcoTank ET-3850 ’s scanner can enchant up to 1,200 back breaker per column inch ( dpi ) from my computing machine and 600 dpi from my phone . While the arbitrary restriction attain no sense , it ’s still double the mobile scan resolving power of most all - in - one printer . Colors are brilliant with good exposure for photograph CAT scan .
It ’s easy to make copies with the ADF at acceptable stop number . The EcoTank ET-3850 can copy documents , reach up to 11 ppm in monochrome and 5 ppm in color . The quality is good , but not quite as terse as printing originals .
There ’s no duplex copy choice , but I can imitate single - sided Page and output them as two-fold - sided to save newspaper . Epson included options for reduction and expansion and multipage . If you re-create pages from a binder , there ’s also a feature that move out punch holes .
Software and compatibility
After unpacking and plug in the EcoTank ET-3850 , the setup was childlike with Epson ’s Smart Panel . The roving app guided me to occupy the ink tank with the orotund bottles let in in the box .
Smart Panel warned me that the ink initialization takes over 10 bit , but it allow me connect to Wi - Fi during this prison term . I had no trouble with the initial connection , but I did notice interruptions a few times later on when publish from my iPad . However , my computer and speech sound worked fine .
Epson ’s EcoTank ET-3850 supports computer connections via Wi - Fi 2.4 and 5 GHz , Wi - Fi Direct , Ethernet , and USB . My Windows PC and MacBook recognized the printer and were quickly quick to impress .
Next was printhead alinement , which involves selecting the best alignment from five multiple - choice graph . It ’s wanton , but still took over 20 minutes to complete installation . Make certain you have enough clock time to fetch up before you ask to publish if you ’re interchange an old printer .
I was proud of to see the EcoTank ET-3850 had an option for envelope when using my phone . nomadic gasbag printing process is quite rarified , but everything work as expected .
Price
The Epson EcoTank ET-3850 retails for $ 400 , but is often on sale for about $ 320 . That ’s a ripe price for a fast , gamey - timber tank printer with a flatbed image scanner and ADF . With an inkjet , it ’s always a good idea to deal recollective - terminal figure price .
That ’s not a concern with most army tank printers and the EcoTank ET-3850 is indeed quite economical . An ordinary monochrome varlet be three - tenth of a cent per Sir Frederick Handley Page , while colour documents cost about eight - ten percent of a cent per page .
As a tank pressman , the EcoTank ET-3850 ships with four ink bottleful , and Epson includes the full capacity , allow up to 7,500 Page in black only and 6,000 Sir Frederick Handley Page in colouration . That could last two years before it ’s clip to fill again supplies .
Is this the printer for you?
Epson excels at inkjet printing machine and has a wide-eyed kitchen range of inkjet tank printers that declare oneself incredible longsighted - term value . There are someexcellent all - in - one printersthat can challenge the EcoTank ET-3850 . For example , HP ’s OfficeJet Pro 9125e is fasterand costs less , but it uses ink cartridges , so the print cost is higher .
If you print frequently throughout the day , the velocity and saving of the Epson EcoTank ET-3850 will make a difference of opinion in cost and time spent swapping cartridge compared to cheap inkjet printers .
word-painting caliber is first-class on glossy paper , making this a good selection for a busy home office as it fill tutelage of concern during the twenty-four hours and double as a photo printer for personal usage on the weekends . The EcoTank ET-3850 is a versatile printer that fills many needs .
However , minor businesses might need full duplex house copying , greater speed , and security features . Awell - rated color optical maser printeroften fit best in a hectic work surround .
If you take to send off or receive fax , Epson ’s EcoTank ET-4850 tot up fax capabilities , serving as a direct contender toHP ’s equally fast and economical Smart Tank 7602 .
