Epson EcoTank ET-18100 Review: Prints Charming

Worth When Reviewed

Not obtainable within the US

Epson’s EcoTank system has been with us for nearly a decade now. It answered the issue of low-yield cartridges that led to comparatively high-cost pages by introducing large-capacity ink tanks within the printer that could possibly be refilled individually.

This additionally solved the issue of getting to throw away unused ink in color cartridges that mixed all three colors into one.

The draw back, in fact, is that EcoTank printers price extra to purchase within the first place and must be used pretty frequently so their nozzles don’t clog up with dried-out ink.

The brand new ET-18100 is aimed toward photographers (and different creatives) who need to print bigger than A4 and don’t need their printer to double-up as an workplace workhorse. That’s why this explicit EcoTank doesn’t have a scanner or doc feeder and doesn’t print on either side of the paper.

Options & Design

• Six ink tanks
• Handles as much as A3+ media
• Can print ID playing cards & CDs

Contemplating it’s an A3+ printer, the ET-18100 isn’t as massive as you may anticipate. Nevertheless, it does want a good quantity of desk area when the paper trays are totally prolonged.

Not like some EcoTank fashions, there’s no show on this one. As an alternative, you’re anticipated to arrange and print from a cell gadget, together with your cellphone or pill changing the printer’s display.

You’ll be able to print from a PC or Mac, in fact, and you may go correctly old-school in the event you like and hook up the ET-18100 with a USB, though Epson doesn’t embrace one within the field.

You do get a full set of ‘107’ ink – six 70ml bottles – which is greater than sufficient to brim the tanks with ink left over.

They comprise: black, cyan, magenta, yellow, mild cyan and light-weight magenta.

Jim Martin / Foundry

The paper tray is on the rear, however because it isn’t lined, it’s finest to insert photograph paper solely while you’re able to print. The good thing about a rear feed is that the paper doesn’t should be turned 180° on itself because it does with a entrance feeder and this lets you use thicker inventory.

As you may anticipate, the ET-18100 can print pictures proper to the perimeters of the paper no matter dimension.

One uncommon inclusion within the field is a plastic tray that may maintain a CD / DVD and two PVC ID playing cards. This appears like an anachronism in 2023, however in the event you nonetheless burn CDs or residence motion pictures then it may show helpful.

Setup

If you unbox the ET-18100 there’s quite a lot of folded paperwork with no apparent quick-start information. However as soon as you discover the sheet in your language and realise you possibly can scan a QR code you possibly can obtain the Epson Good Panel app which guides you thru setup.

Jim Martin / Foundry

It really works like a chatbot, explaining every step to take and warning you to not depart the printer alone. Emptying the ink from the bottles to the tanks is straightforward: every one has a coded sample and can solely match into the right slot for that color, so it isn’t doable to by chance pour within the unsuitable color.

No ink escapes the bottle while you flip it the wrong way up: it empties solely when seated into its slot, and robotically stops when the ink reaches the max. line.

Jim Martin / Foundry

After this, the printer initialises the ink system which primes the printer – you’ll see the degrees drop a bit within the tanks. This occurs on the primary time when the printer is new, and also you’ll get much more pictures from subsequent bottles.

The app one way or the other makes organising Wi-Fi a 30-step course of, however as soon as that specific irritation is out of the best way you possibly can then begin printing.

It’s price noting that you just don’t want a smartphone or pill: it’s doable to comply with the directions on the included sheet to fill the tanks and prime the system.

After that you would be able to go to the web site within the remaining instruction and obtain the Home windows or Mac software program which you’ll want with the intention to arrange Wi-Fi.

Nevertheless, in the event you configure Wi-Fi through the cellphone app first, Home windows will discover the ET-18100 in your community and robotically set up a driver so no extra software program is required. You’ll in all probability need to set up no less than Epson Picture+, although, because it makes it simpler to print pictures in addition to letting you print photograph collages and, in fact, these CDs and ID playing cards.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Efficiency

• A3 print in below two minutes
• 6x4in print in 30 seconds
• 7ppm for traditional high quality A4 pages

Even when pace isn’t your precedence, the ET-18100 is impressively quick in its ‘Commonplace’ mode, which is the default in each the cell app and Picture+ desktop software program. A borderless 6x4in photograph takes simply 30 seconds and a full A3 photograph only one:50.

Crank it as much as the very best high quality and a 6x4in snap takes 60 seconds and an A3 print roughly 5 minutes – faster than different A3 printers we’ve examined.

Jim Martin / Foundry

If it’s worthwhile to print A4 paperwork on plain paper, they’ll seem at about seven pages per minute at commonplace high quality (an eight-page doc took 70 seconds), however that pace will increase dramatically in the event you solely want draft high quality.

It slows down in the event you select to collate a number of copies of a doc, however since it is a photograph printer it’s extremely unlikely you’ll be doing that very a lot.

It additionally explains why there’s no auto-duplex: you possibly can print on either side of the paper, however you’ll must reinsert the pages into the enter tray.

As all ink – together with black – is dye-based, textual content isn’t fairly as darkish as you get from pigment black, however to place it merely, if doc printing is a precedence, that is the unsuitable printer for you.

Jim Martin / Foundry

What’s necessary is that photograph high quality is superb. Feed it a picture with a suitably excessive decision (no less than 300 dpi) and also you’ll be capable to see a surprising stage of element in prints. Colors are correct, too, with grass, skies and pores and skin tones showing just about precisely as on my iPhone display.

In the event you’re printing from a laptop computer or PC, it’s best to be certain that your display is calibrated utilizing a colorimeter if color accuracy is necessary within the remaining prints.

And whether or not you’re utilizing a cellphone, pill, laptop computer or PC, keep in mind that display brightness impacts how photos look: it’s simple to suppose they’re vibrant sufficient however prints seem too darkish. There, a histogram (present in a reliable photograph editor) is your pal.

You’ll see a warning when printing from Home windows that enabling borderless mode may result in smears across the edges (a message you don’t get on cell) and there have been a number of events the place a tiny quantity of black ink appeared in remoted locations on edges. Definitely nothing actually noticeable, although.

I attempted printing a number of photos that weren’t pictures to see if blocks of color matched their on-screen counterparts. They did typically, however yellows tended to be a bit darker and extra orange than they need to have been.

Nevertheless, total, the ET-18100 is a improbable photograph printer.

Initially, the absence of a display appeared like a disadvantage. However after printing over Wi-Fi from a cellphone or PC, I didn’t miss it in any respect: the apps supply tremendous management over precisely the best way to place the picture you need to print, so even when it doesn’t match the paper’s side ratio, you possibly can management what will get reduce off.

Wi-fi printing is totally dependable, too.

If there’s a criticism it’s that the templates provided in Picture+ are fairly primary and aren’t editable. It’s tremendous in the event you just like the format, however though one template seems prefer it is likely to be for passport pictures, it isn’t named as such and also you’re left to attempt to work out which paper dimension to make use of to get the appropriate photograph dimension.

Worth & availability

Epson’s official value for the ET-18100 is £699.99. Nevertheless, it wasn’t in the stores from Epson’s web site in March 2023.

Because it was model new on the time of overview, it wasn’t being bought by many retailers on-line. Park Cameras, Harrison Cameras, Carmarthen Cameras and Digital camera Centre had it for £649.

It isn’t bought within the US, Canada or Australia.. no less than but.

If the ET-18100 is just too costly for you, then you might go for a four-colour A3 printer (such because the ET-14000, though that’s extra for paperwork than pictures) or an A4 mannequin such because the ET-8500 (though that’s probably not less expensive).

In the event you just like the ET-18100 however desire a scanner as effectively, the ET-8550 can also be an A3+ mannequin, and that was on sale direct from Epson at £729.99.

You can too see our suggestions for different fashions in our roundup of the perfect printers.

Operating prices

EcoTank printers is likely to be costly to purchase, however they’re low cost to run. Every ink bottle prices £9.99 and may print 2,100 6x4in (10x15cm) pictures. You may get multipacks (a full set of all six) however these I discovered had been costlier than shopping for bottles singly.

Every 6×4, then, prices slightly below 3p, not together with paper.

Epson doesn’t give yields for A3, however A3 is about 8.3x bigger than 6x4in, which means you possibly can anticipate to print round 250 borderless A3 pictures earlier than needing one other set of ink.

Utilizing this estimate, every A3 photograph prices 24p in ink, once more not together with paper.

The included preliminary set have a decrease yield of 1,500 6x4in prints, as a result of some ink is used to initialise the system.

In the event you solely printed paperwork with 5% protection, every bottle would final for five,700, which means a black-and-white A4 doc prices simply 1p.

If that web page had 5% protection of all six colors, that’s 6p.

These costs are increased than for Epson’s A4 ET-3850, however if you’re after a printer for churning out a great deal of A3 pictures, it’s aggressive.

Verdict

The ET-18100 is an uncommon printer, as a result of it’s solely centered on low-cost photograph printing and doesn’t actually do the rest. Dwelling customers will in all probability discover the printer’s value a barrier, even when working prices are low, as a result of they merely gained’t must print pictures on the sort of quantity the ET-18100 is designed for.

Certainly, Epson presents solely a one-year guarantee on it, or 50,000 pages, whichever is reached first.

However when you’ve got a aspect hustle on Etsy or ebay and need the choice to print art work and pictures greater than A4, it’s an incredible selection.

Specs

• 6-colour inkjet printer
• Ink sort: Dye tank fill
• Print decision: 5760 x 1440dpi
• Borderless: Sure
• Most paper dimension: A3+
• Enter trays: 1 (80 sheets)
• Output trays: 1 (100 sheets)
• ADF: No
• Double-sided printing: guide
• Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct
• Dimensions: 523‎ x 369 x 150 mm (W x D x H)
• Weight: 8kg       
• Power use: 0.6W (sleep); 19W (printing); 0.2W (energy off)
• Guarantee: 1 yr