Epson Just Changed the EcoTank: Don't Buy the Wrong One!

So, I need a new printer for my home office, and I've been using this Epson EcoTank ET4850 [music] in my studio for 2 years now. And I love it so much that I decided to buy a

second EcoTank. But when I went online

second EcoTank. But when I went online to order one, [music] I discovered that Epson released a whole new line of 7th generation EcoTank printers. There's the

ET 2980, the 3930, the 3950, the 4950.

Ah, and then I realized I have no idea what the differences are in these models. Hi, I'm David, the creator of

models. Hi, I'm David, the creator of Kookie Craftables, and I design paper craft for companies like Marvel, [music] Lucasfilm, and NASA. I print a lot, and I need to figure out which one of these

new printers makes sense for somebody like me. This [music] is not sponsored.

like me. This [music] is not sponsored.

I buy these printers with my own money, and I'm sharing what I learn. So, if

you're trying to figure out which eco tank to buy or whether you should even buy an eco tank at all, this video is for you. There are basically three types

for you. There are basically three types of printers and which one is best for you depends on how much you print and what you want to do with those prints.

[music] Cartridge inkjet printers. These

are the printers that most people are familiar with. You buy a cheap printer,

familiar with. You buy a cheap printer, usually between $100 and $200, and then you spend a fortune replacing ink cartridges every time you run out. If

you print rarely, maybe a few pages a month, a cartridge printer actually makes a lot of sense because of that low upfront cost. But if you print

upfront cost. But if you print regularly, those cartridges add up fast.

>> Cartridges, tiny, dinky, expensive. Why?

>> You're paying anywhere from 10 to 20 cents per color page, depending on the type of cartridge you buy, an XL or a standard. And if you've ever run out of

standard. And if you've ever run out of cyan ink while you're trying to print something that's just black and white, you know how frustrating cartridge printers can be. On the other hand, the

photo quality is excellent. And most

importantly, the ink absorbs into the paper, so you can fold printed card stock without the ink cracking. And

that's super important for me and my paper craft projects. Laser printers. A

lot of people in my comments argue that I should just get a color laser printer.

And I guess I see why. Laser printers

are workh horses. They print fast. They

handle huge volumes. And the cost per page is competitive. And if you're printing thousands of pages of text [music] documents in an office setting, a laser printer makes total sense. But

for crafters, there are three big problems with laser printers. First,

laser printers use heat to fuse toner onto the paper. That heat can actually warp card [music] stock, especially if there's any moisture in the paper, and it's frustrating when you're working on

a project. Second, laser toner sits on

a project. Second, laser toner sits on top of the paper surface instead of absorbing into it like ink does. That

means when you fold a printed page, the toner can crack or flake on that fold line. not good for greeting cards or

line. not good for greeting cards or paper craft projects that require folding. And third, photo quality on

folding. And third, photo quality on laser printers just isn't there. They're

great for sharp text and solid colors, but they struggle with fine gradients or smooth color transitions. So, for paper crafting, laser printers are not ideal.

EcoTank printers. This is where the EcoTank printers come in. Instead of

expensive cartridges, EcoTanks print like a cartridge machine, but use refillable ink tanks. So, the advantages are clear. You buy big bottles of ink

are clear. You buy big bottles of ink that cost about $50 for a complete set.

And those bottles can print over [music] 5,000 color pages. Listen to this sound.

Yes, if you print a lot, this sound is like music to your ears. So, if you print a lot of pages, an EcoTank will save you a fortune compared to cartridge

[music] printers. The upfront cost is

[music] printers. The upfront cost is higher. Typically, the machines cost

higher. Typically, the machines cost anywhere from $300 to $500 or more, but that cost pays for itself pretty quickly, and you get the same benefits

as a cartridge inkjet machine. Excellent

photo quality, the ink that absorbs into the paper so you can fold it without it cracking. So that's why I'm shopping for

cracking. So that's why I'm shopping for an EcoTank. Again, I print a lot. I work

an EcoTank. Again, I print a lot. I work

with card stock that I fold and I need photo quality color. EcoTanks check all those boxes. Now, let's talk about which

those boxes. Now, let's talk about which EcoTank to buy. Epson just released four new models and they all share some core features. The same print resolution,

features. The same print resolution, [music] 4,800x 2100 DPI, the same fourcolor ink system, Wi-Fi and USB connectivity, autoduplex printing.

Here's the lineup, the ET 2980. This is

the budget option. This model prints 15 black and eight color pages per minute.

It has a 100 sheet rear paper feed, and it has a flatbed scanner, but no document feeder. The special thing about

document feeder. The special thing about this model, it's the only one with a rear paper feed. The ET 3930, the mid-range workhorse. This one prints

mid-range workhorse. This one prints faster, 18 black and nine color pages per minute. Instead of a rear feeder, it

per minute. Instead of a rear feeder, it has a 250 sheet front cassette for paper. The display is a 2.4 in color LCD

paper. The display is a 2.4 in color LCD with physical buttons, not a touchcreen.

The ET3950 is the heavyduty version. It also adds a 30 sheet auto document feeder for scanning, and it has autoduplex scanning, which means it can scan both

sides of a page automatically. The

ET4950 is the top model in this lineup.

It has the same specs as the ET3950, but it adds fax capability and upgrades to a 2.4 in color touch screen instead of physical buttons. Now, let me address

some questions I know you have. Do the

cheaper models have worse print quality?

No. All four of these printers use the same print head and the same maximum resolution of 4800x 1200 dpi. The ET

2980 isn't producing lower quality images just because it's slower and less expensive. It's using the same

expensive. It's using the same technology, just with a less powerful print engine. Independent reviews

print engine. Independent reviews confirm this. So, don't worry about

confirm this. So, don't worry about print quality. Choose based on speed and

print quality. Choose based on speed and features. What about rear paper feeds

features. What about rear paper feeds for thick card stock? This is a question I get asked a lot. People want to know if these printers can handle thick card stock and whether a rear feed makes a

difference. Here's the truth. Only the

difference. Here's the truth. Only the

ET 2980 has a rear paper feed. The ET

3930, the 3950, and the 4950 all use a front cassette, which means your paper has to curl around rollers. Now, I've

been printing on 65lb uncodated card stock with my ET4850, which also has a front cassette and rollers. And I've been doing that for 2

rollers. And I've been doing that for 2 years with no issues at all. I even fed a sheet of 110lb card stock through it, but I could only put one sheet of that

paper in the tray at a time. I do worry that 110 lb paper in these types of printers is pushing it. So, if you need to print on super heavy card stock like 130 lb or more, you'll want to look at

the other EcoTank models like the ET8550, which is designed for photo printing, or the ET5,000, which can print up to 13 by19 in handle

thicker media. But for most card makers

thicker media. But for most card makers working with 65lb to 100 lb card stock, the front cassette printers work fine.

What about clogging? I've heard EcoTanks clog like all the time. This is probably the number one concern I see in the comments. People worry that EcoTanks

comments. People worry that EcoTanks will clog and become unusable. Here's my

experience. I've been using my ET4850 for 2 years, and I've never had a clog.

Not once. But I also print a lot. I

print many times a day, and I think that's key. From what I've researched,

that's key. From what I've researched, clogs tend to happen when printers sit unuse for long periods of time. The ink

at the nozzle can dry out, or air can get into the lines. Environmental

factors might play a role, too. Extreme

low humidity or high temperatures can accelerate ink evaporation. If you print regularly and keep your printer in a normal room environment, not a hot garage or a cold basement, clogs should

be rare. And if you do get a clog, the

be rare. And if you do get a clog, the printer has built-in cleaning cycles that usually fix that. You run a nozzle check, see if there's any missing lines, and run a cleaning cycle if needed. Most

of the time, that should clear things up. But I'm not going to lie to you. If

up. But I'm not going to lie to you. If

you only print once every few months, an EcoTank might not be your best choice.

The ink can dry out and in that case, the cartridge printer makes more sense.

What about the maintenance box? Ah, the

maintenance box. Some people think once the maintenance box fills up, the printer is dead and you have to throw it away. But Epson tells me that's not

away. But Epson tells me that's not true. The maintenance box is where waste

true. The maintenance box is where waste ink goes when the printer runs its cleaning cycles. It's a userreplaceable

cleaning cycles. It's a userreplaceable part. When it fills up, which takes a

part. When it fills up, which takes a long time because I've been printing for two years and still have not filled mine, you just pop in a new one and reset the printer. All four of these new

7th generation models use the same maintenance box part number T04D10, which is also the same one used in my older ET 4850. I already have a few of

those as spares, and it's cool that they'll work with the new models, too.

So, I don't think this is a big deal, just something to be aware of. If I find out differently, I'll make a video about it and let you know. So, which one did I choose? After comparing all the specs

choose? After comparing all the specs and thinking about what I actually need, I decided on the ET3950.

Here's my reasoning. I don't need [music] the fax machine. I haven't used a fax machine in a couple of years, so paying extra for that doesn't make a lot of sense. I do need the speed. The

of sense. I do need the speed. The

faster 18 and nine pages per minute matters when I'm printing multiple sheets on card stock for a project. I do

need the document feeder. Being able to scan multi-page documents automatically is great. And this model has the ability

is great. And this model has the ability to scan both sides of the page automatically, which is something my old ET4850 [music] doesn't have. So, that will be a nice

doesn't have. So, that will be a nice upgrade. My ET4850 handles 65lb card

upgrade. My ET4850 handles 65lb card stock just fine through the front cassette, so this model should do the same. Ultimately, the ET 3950 gives me

same. Ultimately, the ET 3950 gives me everything I need without paying for features I probably won't use. It's the

sweet spot, but it only comes in white and it has physical buttons instead of a touch screen. My old ET4850 is black and

touch screen. My old ET4850 is black and has a touchcreen, so I'm going to miss that. Here's the thing. I did all this

that. Here's the thing. I did all this research and then Black Friday hit and the ET4950 went on sale. So, I got my touchscreen and it's black. This will look much

better in my studio. Now that you know why the EcoTank is the right move for my craft room, the real question is, should you get the newest 4950 or look for

deals on the older 4850? Click right

here to see that sideby-side comparison.