Epson EcoTank ET-2830 review: I tested an affordable printer with enormous ink capacity

Telegraph

26-06-2025

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What is the Epson EcoTank ET-2830?
The Epson EcoTank ET-2830 is a four-colour multifunction tank printer. That means that it has four large refillable containers, otherwise known as 'tanks', with one for each colour (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). They can also hold significantly more ink than a regular cartridge-based inkjet printer.
The multifunction element is a flatbed scanner, which is built into the top of the unit. It gives the printer the ability to scan and copy documents and photos, as well as print them out.
Ink is supplied in bottles rather than cartridges, and you have to pour it into the tanks yourself. Each bottle holds enough ink to print thousands of pages, and this model can print up to 12,000 in total, which is around three years' worth of printing.
A word of warning, however. Tank printers like the EcoTank ET-2830 tend to be a bit more expensive to buy than regular inkjet printers, but you shouldn't let the initial outlay put you off, as they counter this with their affordable ink supplies.
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How we test
The best way to test a printer is to set it up and start printing things on it. I followed the supplied installation instructions for the Epson EcoTank ET-2830, installing it on a Windows computer and noting any particular strengths and weaknesses as I went along. I look at the different connection options during this phase of testing, including wireless and wired modes, as these usually come into play during setup.
Once installed, I printed a series of documents and photographs that I use across all the printers I test, so I can compare the results that each printer produces. These printing results are stored in a library of test prints, so I can compare and contrast them to other printers at a later date.
As I worked, I tested the various features and functions that the Epson offers, with most of these relating directly to the tests I perform. Elements such as the design feed into my analysis of how easy the printer is to use and when my tests are completed, the product sample I received for review was returned to Epson.
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Setup and ease of use
Setting up the Epson EcoTank ET-2830 is incredibly straightforward. You can choose whether to install from a PC or a smartphone, depending on which device you're likely to print from the most. Both options work well, offering step-by-step guides within the software that carry you through the process. If you set up on one device, you can still use the printer with other laptops, tablets and smartphones.
If you haven't done it before, the idea of pouring ink from a bottle into your printer might sound daunting. Don't panic. Epson has made this process as painless and mess-free as possible. The necks of the bottles are molded into a colour-specific shape, so it's impossible to get the wrong colour into the wrong tank. Of all the manufacturers of ink tank printers, Epson's refill system is the best.
Connectivity
Score: 7/10
The easiest way to connect to this printer is by Wi-Fi. During setup, the Wi-Fi password is automatically transferred from your laptop, PC, smartphone or tablet directly to the printer, so you don't need to enter it manually.
Having the printer connected to your Wi-Fi network means that you can access it from anywhere, and all your family's devices can be set to print to it directly, as long as they're connected to the Wi-Fi network.
If you would prefer not to connect the printer to the Wi-Fi network, you can instead opt for a USB connection instead, though you'll need to supply your own cable. This option limits the printer to producing documents from the device it's plugged into.
Design and features
Score: 6/10
The Epson EcoTank ET-2830 has a relatively compact and paired-back design. The footprint isn't that much larger than its A4 scanner bed on top, though there's a thin strip at the front that holds the control panel. This is a bank of buttons and lights, which let you perform functions such as mono and colour scans. The downside here is that there's no screen to offer menus of options or explain what's happening when things go wrong.
The front extends out a bit more to catch the paper on its way out, and the ink tanks are located on the front right, which makes them easy to access for refilling, though remember you might not have to do this for several years.
Paper input is basic. There's no concealed paper-in tray to hold a ream of paper, just a single rear feed that can take up to 100 sheets at a time.
It also means there isn't enough room to house the mechanical gubbins needed to flip a sheet of paper and print on both sides automatically, but double-sided printing can be performed manually if you wish. You just need to make sure to stick close by the printer as it's doing its thing.
Print quality
Score: 8/10
The Epson EcoTank ET2830 isn't the best printer you'll ever use when it comes to any individual printing element. However, it's good enough at most things to make it a decent jack-of-all-trades printer, capable of handling whatever you throw at it.
For example, I was perfectly happy with the way printed text looked when produced on cheap copier paper using the printer's standard settings. If you get a magnifying glass out and start examining the fine detail, then flaws start to appear, such as ragged edges on letters and a lack of detail on smaller fonts, but few people will inspect your printing in such detail.
It's a similar case when printing in colour. The four colour system used here is never going to outclass the prints you get from a more sophisticated model with additional ink colours, but its photo prints were surprisingly subtle. Blocks of colour in our business graphics test were bright, bold and free from alignment problems.
Ink costs
Score: 10/10
When you eventually have to buy new ink for this printer, you'll find that it's vastly cheaper than cartridge-based systems. Replacement ink costs £9.49 per 65ml bottle. A bottle of black ink will print 4,500 mono pages (which works out to 0.2p per page), while a trio of coloured ink bottles will print 7,500 coloured pages (0.4p per page). That falls in line with the price per page of most four-colour ink tank printers.
Although printing costs are low, the price of the printer is relatively high for what you get. You could certainly get all these functions and more from a more affordable printer, but it would have to be a cartridge model. In case you're wondering whether it's worth the upfront cost, I've calculated that you could print 1,413 mono prints at 4.6p each on my current Best Value printer, the £149.99 cartridge Canon Pixma TS8750, for the £65 difference between the price of the two printers.
Technical specifications
Below, I've compared the tech specs of the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 with my Best Value printer, the Canon Pixma TS8750. Both have similar basic specifications but the Epson tank printer is more expensive to buy while the regular inkjet produces pricier prints.
Should you buy the Epson EcoTank ET-2830?
The Epson EcoTank ET-2830 is a finely balanced printer. Although it doesn't have the luxurious features of some of its rivals, such as a flashy colour touch screen and lots of paper storage, it's a good value workhorse that comes with enough ink to keep you going for years. When it finally runs out, replacement bottles are extremely affordable.
The downside is that some of those missing features might be sorely missed, such as the ability to print automatically on both sides of a sheet of paper.
Yes, if:
You like affordable ink
You want a good all-round printer
Copying and scanning functions are important
No, if:
Epson EcoTank ET-2830 FAQs
How much ink comes with the Epson EcoTank ET-2830?
The ET-2830 comes with enough ink to print 4,300 mono pages and 7,300 colour. Epson claims that, for an average user, that's around three years worth of ink.
Is the Epson EcoTank ET-2830 easy to set up and refill the ink tanks?
Yes. Epson has an easy to follow setup process, whether you choose to use it with a PC, laptop or mobile device such as a smartphone. The ink comes in bottles that don't let the ink out until they're correctly positioned over the tanks. You can't get the wrong bottle onto the wrong tank, either, with each colour having a unique moulded design on the neck, so they can only be connected to the appropriate tank.
What is the print quality like for documents and photos on the ET-2830?
The ET-2830 is a decent all-rounder that's good at printing both photographs and documents. The four colour system does a surprisingly good job of reproducing photos, with subtle shading and plenty of detail. When it comes to documents, both mono and colour prints came out well in our tests. Under close examination using a magnifying glass I noticed that the edges weren't as sharp as with other printers, when printing on plain paper with standard settings. However, you have to look closely to notice this.
Does the Epson EcoTank ET-2830 have automatic double-sided printing?
No, to print double-sided on the ET-2830 you have to collect the paper from the out tray and refeed it back into the tray at the rear, making sure to get it the right way up.
How much ink does the Epson EcoTank ET-2830 use?
When it comes to refilling the ET-2830, a complete set of four replacement ink bottles can print 4,500 mono pages and 7,500 colour pages. That's slightly more than the initial set of inks because some ink is consumed during the setup process.
What are the main limitations of the Epson EcoTank ET-2830?
Ink tank printers tend to be more expensive than regular inkjet printers, though they're much more affordable to run. The Epson EcoTank ET-2830 has a lower price than most ink tanks, but it doesn't have all the features that higher-end devices have. One key limitation is the lack of a screen, so you have to rely on buttons to control the printer and lights to get information when there are errors. Another is the printer's inability to perform automatic double-sided printing, which some people may want as it helps reduce the amount of paper used.