Inktank printers have improved since this video was made in 2022

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

UPDATE: Epson have updated their policies regarding these printers since the making of this video, and now offer a service to replace the inkpads. epson.com/Support/wa00369

[@erdi7772]

Well, it seems better than nothing. Some other brands offer so called "maintenance cartridges" and I cant decide which is much worse than the other as they put chips on those cartridges. After quite a while, you have to change these cartridges as a whole not just the pads because of the chip. You simply cannot drill and attach some pipes to your printer to let the waste ink goes out. Even if you do, you still have to deal with the chip, now, you have to buy a 3rd party cheaper chips to bypass it. They should have added a container just like ink tank they have already added so we can simply drain it away, but none of them are going to do this. They are just after our money. Finally, I suggest not using this service for anyone, they offer one time service only, and it seems like, if you get the same warning again, your printer will be garbage even if it still functions.

[@Malainor]

There exists a duvios software paypal 10 bucks to reset them. Seems it works. So a official reset also exists nice to know, i just mailed epson to ask if there was a fix yet before buying 😂...ffs enabling north American customers to continue printing for a limited time..that mail was a good thing as im in Europe..

[@hajjdawood]

@@erdi7772 Their higher end eco tanks have maintenance cartridges which are like $10-25 every like 30k-50k prints which is so negligible it shouldn't even matter.

[@UltimatePerfection]

Almost bought one of these, then just few weeks before I was to buy it (was saving), the spongegate came up. Dodged a bullet here, now I'm happy with my Brother DCP-T420W which doesn't even seem to have an inkpad (not actually needed?) for almost a year. I have yet to run out of ink the printer came with, and I print often, full pages in color.

[@erdi7772]

@@UltimatePerfection Unfortunately all inkjet printers have waste ink pad/container, your brother printer have that too. You can search on youtube, you'll find dozens of videos about it

[@petermadach]

Basically going from one scam to another. Well done, printer industry.

[@deli5777]

they must have learned a lot from the cable industry, phone industry, food.. medical.. politics.. this world is screwed

[@gadget2622]

No surprise, extracting maximum profit from consumers is a core tenet of capitalism.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

unfortunately, this seems to me the case.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

100%

[@wakeupworkout7781]

@@gadget2622 🤡 whereas in socialism you can't even get a printer. creating a good product is what causes a company to succeed. this won't bode well for their sales.

[@orlypalomar]

As far as I can tell, the ink waste pad does not have a sensor. Instead, the system calculates how much ink has been dumped into the pad. When this counter runs out, it ascertains that the pad is full and throws a fit. It will not print again until this counter is reset through their proprietary software. I was a long-time Canon printer user and have spent a ton on replacement ink cartridges. In 2021, I replaced it with an Epson EcoTank (L3150). Two years later, I'm on my 2nd black ink bottle but still on the first batch of colored inks. It has a user-serviceable ink waste pad and I was told that the service center does the reseting for free, or at most, for a little money. Suffice to say, I've never stressed on printer ink since. We just print what we need and never worry about it.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

The printers have certainly improved since this video was made.

[@orcamum]

I've got the same model as you so I'll grab the opportunity to ask you if you are satisfied with the colour prints of this model. Mine never gave me nice true colours. Always darker and not vibrant. Terrible photo prints too.

[@orlypalomar]

@@orcamumIt's a general purpose multi-function printer, IMO. I have printed on photo papers a few times with it and it doesn't look the best.... but not the worst either. My previous Canon inkjet prints very nice pictures but I got rid of it because I'm spending a ton of money on ink cartridges. That said, my current Epson is not a deal-breaker as I bought it primarily for my kids to print school stuff. Me and my wife use it to copy/scan/print bills, IDs, documents, and whatnots. Photos, not so much.

[@SnepShark]

@@bialywasaty9147 On older (around pre-2020 to pre-2022 depending on the manufacturer) models, yes. They'd throw the killswitch after a set number of cleaning cycles had been run, which was absolutely a scam. Canon's newer ones have user-replaceable sponges though, like the Epson model orlypalomar is talking about.

[@danimotomaga17]

@@turquoisecoastcomputershe bought his printer in 2021, way before your video came out 🤨.

[@TheFourthWinchester]

I don't understand how every single thing is getting better like laptops, phones, every other gadget and yet we still have to buy these crappy printers that are still just as awful as they were 2 decades ago!!

[@secretjameser]

Because people were still paying them so why change

[@sunriseboy4837]

Thank you. You took the words right out of my mouth.

[@Ziplock9000]

The issues in this video are purely business and profit related, not technical.

[@maxpayne69.]

Cartels work that way.

[@kwright3929]

Ive just binged a load of 'inkjet vs laserjet' videos. This one is the best. Basically i found out why I don't need a printer. So much cheaper to outsource for my casual needs. Thankyou

[@grayrabbit2211]

I've been doing IT work for 30+ years...and these days I can't recommend inkjets for anyone. High operating costs and poor reliability just aren't worth it. I've gone with B&W laser printers for just about everything. Last week I fired up a laser printer which hadn't been touched in 3+ years. The first page wasn't the best quality, but everything after that was fine. Try doing that with any inkjet printer. Then there's the cost. I'm getting about $0.0015/page for the laser printers using generic cartridges. It was $0.13/page for my inkjets.

[@AB-vc7ox]

@@grayrabbit2211Sarcasm: nothing beats losing the only copy you have of something important to water/moisture damage. That was the last straw with inkjets for me, the only use I have for my HP All in Wonder why I bought it inkjet is as a scanner.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Great to hear!

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Lasers are definitely a better option in most cases.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

There are a lot of inkjets out there that are just scanners now!

[@jknow2012]

Thanks a lot. I am thoroughly convinced that the inkjet printer and ink market is definitely corrupt.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

100%

[@celaeno919]

Welcome to Planet Earth where corruption is the rule not the exception in all major industries.

[@pacs0508]

​@@celaeno919👏🏻👏🏻👏🏼✔️💯🔊

[@techwizpc4484]

With regards to the sponges, even non tank printers have them and once triggered you have to have them replaced but you have to take them to a service center, assuming you have one in your town.

[@nrich5127]

There is a trick that all inkjet printers can benefit from. Print a full color page once a week to prevent the head from clogging. Most of the latest models have a replaceable ink sponge - the early models didn't. Inform yourself before you buy.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

100% good advice. I have had a lot of success with Brother injet printers.

[@rajaramanamacha4790]

Head clogging is an issue if you use the printer sparingly...no matter which tech you use (cartridge or ink tank). The only way to avoid it is to print at least twice a week. You will waste ink either way. With the cartridge you waste more expensive ink. With ink tanks you waste less expensive ink (though the printer companies take higher upfront investment for ink tank). The guy who has made this video has not done proper research and does not have data to assert that the ink tanks are worse than cartridge printers because they have ink tubes.....

[@darylcheshire1618]

I have the Epson ET3600 and I’ve been happy with it. I don’t use it much I just print the bills and oddments. I turn off the printer when I’m not using it so it doesn’t go through a cleaning cycle. My friends don’t have printers and visit me to print and scan. Over a few years, I have just now topped up the tanks with last of the ink.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Great to hear!

[@jasonnunya3875]

Good points, I didn't know about the ink sponge but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I like how you kept things in perspective even though it's a negative review. These printers may be low-end for a business but they are definitely a step up for the average home user. I've had an Epson ET-4760 for 3-4 years now and still have over half the ink left. My kids use it more than anybody, but when I do need it for something important it's ready to go and isn't going to run out of ink halfway through the job. That alone is worth a few extra bucks to me, letting my kids print as much as they want AND not running out of ink. We threw away 4 or 5 cheap non-functioning printers when we finally brought this tank home, that's $90-$100 a piece not counting the hundreds I've spent on cartridges. I suspect that even if one bought this for a startup business, it would more than pay for itself over the course of it's lifetime. If your business didn't make money with this thing then it's probably not the printer's fault, and if you did make money and still aren't happy with it, then it's time to invest in better equipment. That's my take on it, every tool has it's place and you should be using the right one for the job.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Glad it is working out for you, hopefully you don't experience any of the issue in the video.

[@jackkraken3888]

We have suffered first hand, we bought a Canon inktank printer and here is the kicker we were using it almost every day and still experienced clogs every few months! And we were also experiencing the dreaded 5B00 error meaning our waste ink sponge is full and needs to be replaced. Luckily we can temporarily bypass the error message and now we bought a new printer instead..

[@Frank-pn4ud]

which printer did you end up getting?

[@jackkraken3888]

@@Frank-pn4ud We had to resort to using an Epson ink tank for now till we see a better solution. If you only need to print black and white a monochrome laser printer is ideal but make sure to know how much the replacement toner cartridges cost as in some countries they can be very expensive. Stay away from Pantum laser printers as their cartridges are very expensive, I heard Brother laser printers are better but your mileage may vary.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Brother laser printers are a great option.

[@ernestoditerribile]

@@turquoisecoastcomputersI would always go for Xerox or Ricoh They are built way better.

[@LodanSD]

I linked this video to my mom before watching it, since she was wondering about "Smart Tank Printers", and you came to the same conclusion that I originally tried to tell her years ago: Color Laser Printer!

[@JRWatchman85]

I noticed the sheer lack of features for the price for these tank printers; no duplex printing, no auto feeding, and slower print speeds. No nice LCD screens except for the very expensive models.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Yep, $5 ink tanks stuck of the side of the cheapest printer they have.

[@passby8070]

if you use printer alot and on a regular basis, those Eco tanks are absolutely worth it, it's better than anything else I have used in the past, this included a handful of color and black and white Laser printers, and a few ink jets. they are a bit more expensive compared with your cartridge printers, but we have used the provided ink for 2 years and still have another year of ink left. I have the ET 8550 and it prints beautiful A3 photos as well as documents.

[@kosterix123]

it all depends on how much is a lot.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

It does seem they perform better if they are used regularly.

[@kosterix123]

@@turquoisecoastcomputers set as weekly reminder to print a few pixels on a piece of paper. Automate habits... Epson print quality, I use the thing almost daily, is good but with some limitations (1) book format printing has white outer borders that seem impossible to adjust (2) the drying of the ink takes half a week and even then when you touch it it leaves off ink on your thumb or index finger. (3) but worst of all any playing cards you print don't shuffle, there is too much friction on the paper somehow, even with smooth 120gsm, the ink adds to the paper friction in contrast to laserjets.

[@JailerGamer]

​@@turquoisecoastcomputersyou need to print all 4 inks at least once a week. Otherwise it dries up and clogs

[@johne6081]

Short answer, based on ownership of a Canon Pixma G3200: absolutely, positively yes. Why is there no way to reset the ink spill counter? I replaced the absorber pads, but now I can't reset the counter to enable the printer to operate again. Major fail, very dissatisfied customer here.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Sorry to hear you are having problems.

[@Malainor]

Dunno if this helps but Turn off Printer. PUT PRINTER IN SERVICE MODE: Hold STOP then POWER Release STOP Button Press STOP 5 times Release POWER button (Wait for green stable green light) PRINT PRINTER INFO BEFORE RESET: Press STOP 3 times Press POWER 1 time (wait - printer should print full page, second line D= should be greater than zero) RESET INK COUNTER: Press STOP 5 times Press POWER 1 time (wait - Printer should print 1 Line) PRINT PRINTER INFO AFTER RESET: Press STOP 3 times Press POWER 1 time (wait - printer should print full page, second line D= should be zero) Press POWER 1 time Best of luck😅

[@alexanderjones9766]

In my experience, Epson tank printers have this issue but Canon tank printers don't. The heads on Canon printers don't clog up as much as Epson, and when they do, just one cleaning cycle fixes the problem, whereas Epson printers can require 3 to 10 cleaning cycles. Canon's ink tank printers also have user-replaceable ink sponges and print heads.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

That's good to know. User serviceable sponges is definitely the way to go.

[@t.h5823]

I'm looking for an ink tank, what Canon model would you recommend?

[@ClarqueAllen]

My Canon had this exact issue just two days after the warranty expired,

[@evannewman3997]

What? I thought Canon printers didn't allow you to replace the ink sponges without some kind of reset software. Huh.

[@ClarqueAllen]

My Canon has a non serviceable sponge that locked up the machine two days after the warranty expired

[@andrevanstaden1984]

I have a pixma cannon inktank. Paid $120, ink is $20 for all 4 colours. Printed 7000 pages already, no hassles. Have only had to top up once so far.

[@tellmestraight]

Which model.

[@BluefishFriends]

Do the HP Ink Tank printers have the same issue with wasting ink on a sponge? And becoming non-user-repairable when the sponge is filled?

[@mhnoni]

I have an old 7-year-old brother who let you reset the counter. I'm interested to hear about the new brother and HP, I don't think I will change to something other than Brother, 7 years > 10K pages, and still works perfectly with refill $10 100ml ink.

[@Knowbody42]

Personally I wouldn't buy an HP printer out of principle, based on the stories I've heard. - Refusing to *scan* because it hasn't got *ink* cartridges in it. - Refusing to print with HP branded printer cartridges which still have ink in them because the user cancelled their ink subscription. - Automatic firmware updates making the printer refuse to print for stupid reasons

[@MountainRaven1960]

I question the lack of ethics of the design engineers who make these things. Just make refillable ink cartridges that can be cleaned.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

100%

[@jimmyzhao2673]

We need a class action lawsuit against the printer manufacturers.

[@Septell]

You'd have the population of the first world on your side..

[@prawirafadjar]

Very informative and honest content. Had Canon G4000 which was expensive when I bought it, thinking this is the best cheapest solution for my casual printing. I found myself doing maintenance (flush the ink) to get decent printing. I eventually gave up after 6 years, and after paying service center a good amount of money for sponge replacement, and many DIY attempt.

[@davegiles2120]

After many days of researching printers I have come to the sad, but realistic conclusion that there are no good, cost effective, consumer friendly printers in existence. I just need to print documents so I will be buying the absolute cheapest printer I can and when the ink runs out...or the printer dies, I will just throw it out and buy another one. I am done with all this ink garbage that has been going on for decades now.

[@Ziplock9000]

If all you're printing is documents then it's a solved problem. A B&W laser printer is almost zero cost to run. I print fairly often and have only had 3 printer cartridge changes in about 6-7 years, costing me a total of about £60 as I don't get brand name ones and they are just as good.

[@xFluing]

Bro just drill a hole in the ink cartridges then refill them manually - it's so much cheaper.

[@maxthehuman004]

​@@xFluingthey still drain the ink on startup, and "cleaning". Something like brother lazer printer is better for printing documents once in a month

[@grahamcroome2109]

As the owner of two EPSON Eco Tank Printers (A3 and A4I can say that I have run a significant number of colour prints through both my printers. They are inexpensive to run and the oldest of my printers (A4) has printed 1000's of sheets. I have purchased a service tank (just in case) but so far I haven't needed to replace the original.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Glad it is working for you.

[@geoffreyschuchardt5350]

Don't lie. We know you're just spewing rubish.

[@TNM001]

@@geoffreyschuchardt5350 he isn't lying lol. this video doesn't even recognize the models with replacable waste ink containers... either he doesnt know, or he just regurgitated an article for clicks...

[@MrApolloTom]

Bear in mind that at least in the UK, a manufacturer's time limit on the warranty has no force in law. The product has to be free of defects when manufactured and if an inherent defect is present from the beginning, as opposed to fair wear and tear, you can claim a replacement for up to six years.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Yes, definitely worth deferring to your statutory warranty in these cases.

[@IraQNid]

It depends on how you use them. What resolution are you printing the labels at? Cost per page you're better off using a color laser printer. Laser printers can sit months or more between prints without causing misprints or suffering from the same problems that an inkjet will suffer for that much time between prints. Laser printers can produce the same photo quality prints using the right kind of paper. The iColor Dye Sublimation printers would be better suited to your label printing needs. Not only does it print CMYKW for dye sublimation, florescent CMYKW, prints with metallic-looking gold and silver toner, prints with transparent toner as an overcoat / lamination layer to protect the other toner colors beneath it, transparent toner can also be used as a spot color by itself and on top of the other toner colors, plus the printer can use security toner that has a detection wand. Security toners allow you to make credentials, passes, tickets, etc that can be authenticated with the detection tool. For embellishing garments you can use a two-step process known as Direct to Film. Step one is printing the image. Step two is applying an adhesive sheet on top of the dye sublimated image. Then press it on your clam shell or swing away heat press to bind the image to the garment and activate the full color gamut of the image. iColor dye sub printers allow you to hot swap toners. Their printers have slots for 4 toner cartridges. With hot swap feature you can change between toners easily during the print job. There are also machinery for making laser printed labels with kiss cut functionality. That can wind and unwind to rolls of media at up to letter size I believe. Making it easier for you to make cheaper labels that can be used with semi-automatic to fully automatic label application machines. But if you still want to go with an inkjet printer for making your labels then use one that has pigment inks across all colors and waterfall inkjet printing capability. Pigmented inks are waterproof, fade resistant with a life span of up to 100 years before fading is seen by the naked eye, smudge proof. That Eco Tank you bought has dye based inks which have none of the features or benefits of pigment-based inks. Epson still makes those I believe. They used to market that as the DuraBright inks. Waterfall inkjet printers lay down ink faster than many high speed laser printers. These tend to be dye based printers. But I think Affinity is working on a slightly slower version that has pigmented inks. EcoTank printers from Epson is a response to CIS (Continuous Ink Supply). These are external ink tanks that run feed lines to dummy ink cartridges that always read full. There are chip puller tools that let you bypass the security chips of the manufacturer's cartridges to replace them with dummy chips. The chips on the ink cartridge doesn't link to non-existent internal sensors of the ink cartridges to determine how much ink really remains. At best they are programmed with the average number of printable pages. Possibly blind to whatever print resolutions you've been using since their initialization. So the CIS method uses little foam wedges to prop open the top of the printer allowing the external feed lines to run inside of the printer without getting pinched or snagged. Then a little riser is added to the sensor on the printer's lid to trick it into detecting a closed lid when it is pried a open a little bit. All of this was done to circumvent the ink scam you mentioned. Effectively turning a cheap decent quality printer into a continuous printing capable machine. You know how much ink is left just by looking at the external ink tanks. One per color. As the supply drops too low just unscrew the cap of the refill bottle to add more.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Are you a bot? this reads like it was written with Ai.

[@LouRao]

For longevity preventing clogged is to print several times a week. Second preventing clogged is to use factory inks, using third party inks will 100% clogged the printer. It’s true about the sponge getting filled and printer will not work. To prevent this issue is to buy a ecotank printers that don’t use a sponge but one that has waste tank that is replaceable. Otherwise, in my opinion ecotank printers has worked for me for years and very little issues.

[@axonis2306]

Ecotank printers aren't new, Epson released them like 5 years ago. Ink tubes are in the inkjet market for 2 decades at least (HP2000C was one of the first) and pose no clogging risks in comparison with cartridges. Flush and purging is an inkjet feature since the inception of the technology itself. Cartridge-based printers are underpriced because the profit comes from the chipped cartridges. That doesn't make tank printers overpriced, just honestly priced. I can replace the ink absorbers on my Ecotank and reset the counter. Canon models offer the same option.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Just to clarify a few things. By new, I mean comparatively new in relation to ink cartridges. I am aware ink tubes have been around for a while, but in this application they are causing more ink to be purged. This is clear as ink cartridge printer can print for decades without requiring an absorber to be changed, whereas the ink tank printer absorbers are filling up within 1-2 years. As I understand it Epson's "Maintenance Reset Utility can only be used once and will allow printing for a short period of time." If you would like to read more about this, Epson have all this information on their website. epson.com/Support/wa00369 While you may be able to change your ink absorbers and reset the counters, this is outside of the ability and inclination of a larger number of end users. The only software that can reset the counter is made by a third party to Epson, is chargeable and is not approved by Epson. The fact Epson have gone to the lengths to write this support article (epson.com/Support/wa00369), would indicate there are many other people who share my opinion. I'm glad you are happy with you printer and it meets your requirements, but my opinion (which is shared with many others) is that this is an example of planned obsolescence and these are not products I would recommend to my customers, hence the video.

[@cyclops153]

I bought a Canon G6020 in July 2020 for $300.00. The copy/print count is now 16,950. It's a home printer just for my wife and I. So far there have not been any problems. I've used about 13 bottles of ink total. The ink is cheap enough so I only buy Canon ink rather than the the cheaper ink. I've had great success with Canon and have not used any other brand in a very long time. When I need another printer, I will look at the LED lasers primarily for printing speed. If I'm satisfied with my research, I'll get one. If not, I won't hesitate to buy another Canon MegaTank.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

These printers seem to perform better when they are frequently used, I assume less cleaning and flushing is required.

[@toejam9372]

@@turquoisecoastcomputers: i've had a canon 7020 for several years. I'm an infrequent user of color, or used to be. Initially the cheapskate in me wanted to save $, so, I printed b&w mostly. Unfortunately, this meant the color ink didn't get used, resulting in air gaps in the ink tubes from the print heads. The solution - do an ink flush to push in through the tube, getting rid of the air. The flush uses about 1/3 of the ink in the tank, which is dumped on the ink pad. The net result, by trying to economize, I ended up dumping more ink than i used and did not save anything. So, now I print in high quality color for everything and don't worry about saving color ink. Better to use it than to flush it to the inkpad and get washed down the drain. You are dead-on - infrequent use leads to air gaps in the tubing with requires massive flushing of ink in the drain.

[@diequint]

If you are looking for a cheap priner buy the cartruges one and a kit to convert it into a inktank. And please buy generic color ink, is just the same thing for a fifth of a price and reuse the ink in the sponge as black one. There are many tutorials out there to make this modifications

[@dalehammond1749]

Sadly I didn't see this video a year ago when I purchased our EcoTank. From almost day one with Epson ink we've had to clean the printhead. Now after seeing your video I know why we've had all the problems we've had.

[@WME460]

It’s been just 3 years that I bought the Epson ink tank and now I am having printer head issues and having to buy a new one because of clogging. It was bought for kids use but we can’t be printing everyday or during holidays and breaks. The product needs to be practical.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

I reccomend the Brother inkjets, they have been great.

[@bobthecpaontheloose4141]

On the face of your analysis, it would seem that the 2850 with Ecotank at $500 is too expensive compared to the 3100 cartridge at $99. First thing is that currently the 2850 or comparable epson tank printer is closer to $300 but is still a lot more expensive than the 3100. In actuality the 3100 is under priced based upon its performance value - ummm, wonder why? It's so you continue to buy these over priced ink cartridges which over the life ot the printer will have far exceeded what you would pay for the tank style and ink. This business model was introduced by HP... You know, you buy the printer new for not much more than a set of replacement ink cartridges. It's the same idea that a cell phone carrier will almost give you a top line smart phone for just obliging yourself to a minimum length contract that will cost you additionally the separate cost of the phone if you cancel. If you were only going to use the printer a limited amount of time, maybe the cheap printer would work out well for you but if you use it regularly it will turn out to be much more expensive replacing the cartridges. I am aware of the sponge issue but have seen this situation addressed without having to discard the printer and while the tank printers are not as ink efficient due to built in maintenance, they're still way cheaper than the cartridges. And a final comment, the 2850 model is not so much overpriced as the 3100 is under priced for as a hook, in fact, this business model could still work if they gave the printers away.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Great news that the manufacturers have addressed the sponge issues.

[@motioninmind6015]

The 2850 has a document feed and double sided printing. Just look at the image on the webpage you opened, you can't miss it. The price is now around $200. It is a fantastic deal and a really good printer.

[@gusbenson1083]

I have the Epson 4850 I've had the printer for 3 years and I'm still using ink that came with the printer. If you change out the maintenance box every 6 months or so for 20 bucks or less you cut down on me clogged. Page 500 for it I guarantee I would have gone through over $500 in ink cartridges well worth it would buy another one again tomorrow

[@BoerChris]

So glad I watched this, as I was thinking of getting an Epson Eco-Tank. I have a really old HP Deskjet that can use cartridges fast on big jobs, but I only use it occasionally. Usually I only need 1 - 5 sheets, but sometimes I need to print off an entire book of about 100 sheets. I resent the cost of the cartridges, but it looks like I am better sticking with it, given the infrequent use.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Epson have updated their policies regarding these printers since the making of this video, and now offer a service to replace the inkpads. epson.com/Support/wa00369 That being said, I still dont think these printers represent good value. My recommendation would be a brother inkjet for casual infrequent use.

[@edoriyanto4979]

Nah. It works fine. I've been using my epson l210(that model is ancient) and it served me well all those years.

[@Tracer414]

I just purchased a new Epson EcoTank 3850. I am very disappointed in the print quality and scan quality. I'm returing it back to Costco tomorrow.

[@BostonPower]

When I went to buy an ink cartridge for my Epson it was $80 at Walmart so instead for $10 I bought some black ink off of Amazon injected it myself and save $70

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

That sounds like a better option.

[@yxmichaelxyyxmichaelxy3074]

Now, compare the quality of print. 😂

[@FarrellMcGovern]

There are also Continuous Ink Supply System (CISS) systems that you can retrofit to many Ink Jet printers. So you can buy a cheap Ink Jet printer and add one of these kits and get the features of the "tank" printers, with out the premium price.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

This is the best of both worlds.

[@jimflood1590]

I just read an interview featuring the HP CEO and he stated at least twice that HP actually loses money making printers and is in the long haul ink cartridge subscription service space. They also have built in circuits in the printer heads that will legitimately brick your printer due to "security concerns" if you use non HP cartridges. The home printer market has been a money grab since the early 90s and I'm not surprised by this behavior. We really need to start reining in these corporations through market regulation and reform.

[@omarbon23]

I resetted my Epson L360 waste sponge/ink counter to remove the error warning and replace the sponge twice in span of 5 years, its still working now.

[@drjeffrey1]

I basically lucked out on a Brother J470DW which works with dirt cheap generic (not Brother) cartridges, I've had the machine for over 7 years, longer than I've had any other printer

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Brother make great printers!

[@Shaera574]

I bought the GX7020 Maxify Canon. I chose this model because it has a removable printhead. The Epson Ecotank has a fixed printhead. You should seriously consider looking at the tank printers who not use a sponge but a removable cartridge dedicated for cleaning ink.

[@denisgiguere1600]

if you buy it brand new and cut the reject used ink hose and fit it in a bottle outside of the printer before the first use, does it trigger the ''shut down'' mecanisim or it work perfectly ?

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

I am not sure, I have seen a few videos on youtube of people doing that, but it would be dependant on the make and model. I have also notice manufacturers are starting to make the waste bottles and sponges replacable.

[@LogiForce86]

Talking about document feeding. Whatever happened to chain paper (as we say in the Netherlands, but it's "continuous stationery paper" or " continuous form paper" elsewhere) ? That was the best paper feeding way ever. You could put a full box below your printer and you could seemingly forever feed your printer with paper.

[@Prem_infogate]

I owned canon g3000 wifi printer. It costs me aprox to buy a new one with in 4 years of service. I changed power plug to custom 3 pin plug and customised its ink wastage by using ink potty by taking its tubes. Now its just okay to work. But don't know how long it will go without hassle free. So for the time being I can take a deep breath. Thats it.🙂

[@NathanTeaches]

costs me aprox how much?

[@Prem_infogate]

@@NathanTeaches USD 79.00

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Good idea!

[@grantbanstead1971]

We had 2 x HP Pagewide Pro 477dw printers. We used non HP ink. One lasted 725,000 pages and the other 492,000 pages. The waste ink collector washed out in warm water every 200,000 pages. The printers cost £290 each and the ink worked out at about 1.4 pence per page. We would have 2 more but HP stopped making them :( I guess with non HP ink being so cheap they did not recover the true cost of making the printers?

[@ShaunLang]

So I have to ask, why not just put a tank in there instead of a sponge? User serviceable, easy solution. Or was extorsion the original goal?

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

I think it is so users don't see that the "cheap" bottles of ink they are buying are infact not that cheap, as they would see it get poured in the top and an come dripping out the other side into a waste tank.

[@wildthing6668813]

I have a laser printer and it allows you to refill the cartridge with toner powder. A new branded toner cartridge would be $116 but 100g of toner powder is just $15.

[@thierryhoornaert9950]

You are correct to state one should stay alert. You can't decently print quality photographs on a laser printer, though. I think one should have a deeper look at the scam of printer cartridges, control chips, and deskjet printer good practices. Everything starts to fall apart once people messes with cheap photo paper and inks, or leaves their inkjet printer lie unused for months. I still feel a lot more at ease with a modern ecotank printer. You should also compare the technology of more recent *tank printers with older ones. What would you say about the ET-8500 and ET-8550?

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Yes certainly not detracting from all the other issues with the printer industries. I really like the Brother range of printers, they have been great value and extremely reliable over the years.

[@paulsabucchi]

I have experience with only one of this type of printers, my mother's (€250) 6 liquid ink Canon PIXMA G650. It is 3 years old and very seldom used so the nozzles got clogged with dry ink. Purchased a €11 bottle of printerhead cleaner, got the printer heads out and flushed each channel, then did an ink flush and it is as good as new. Eventually the waste tank will fill up but it is €10 to OEM replace and has a chip that resets the counter. I still find it better value for money than many other printers I have had and will probably be buying one to replace my Epson 8 ink photo printer, just my 2 cents

[@Xix1326]

Thank you so much for this. I was about to try one as I've got two dead injet printers, but now I'm informed. I'll keep searching for a color printer, as I have since my Amiga's thermal printer days. Some technology hasn't marched forward much at the consumer level.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Unfortunately not. I think the Brother range of printers are a good option.

[@TNM001]

this is old information...all newer models have swappable waste ink containers.

[@jazzyjaz8949]

SO GLAD I SAW THIS BEFORE I BOUGHT A EPSON ECOTANK! I was going to the store first thing in the morning to purchase one! I’ll definitely be investing in a brother laser printer now

[@Downhuman74]

Yeah, I nearly took the bait on one of those ink-tank printers. Went with a laser printer instead. It's expensive, the toner is even more expensive. The unit itself is a tank... and loud as hell when it prints. But this is probably the last printer I'll need for a long, long while and I don't have to worry about the toner evaporating from non-use. I print so little that it'll probably be years before I even get through the starter toner.

[@BecomingHappy2023]

I used to have one. This happened to me! Now I actually know what it was. I eventually just threw it in the garbage 😅On top of things… the Epson workforce 800 series constantly fell off line!! I had 2 different ones at different times over the years. Thank you so much for this information 🎉

[@SkyVega-lp7rq]

Just bought a 2850 for $219. You can buy a full set of aftermarket replacement inks for $12 if you want to really save. With name brand cartridges going for $30-$70, if I have to buy a new sponge and replace the ink I'm still saving in the long run.

[@TNM001]

4 weeks ago...dude, all newer models (3000/4000 series) have replacable waste ink containers...why did you buy an old one...

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Good news it is working for you.

[@MartinKuek]

I looked it up and a replacement waste pad for my ET-4850 is AUD12 and the licence key for software to reset the waste ink counter would be USD10. I watched videos of how easy it is to open and replace the waste pad. This "problem" is easily and cheaply solved.

[@michaelosman01]

I' had both an Epson & a Cannon ink tank style printers. The biggest problem I've had with both is air backing up in the lines. And it's a pain to get it printing again.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Yeah, I have also heard of these issues.

[@OpenGL4ever]

If there is air in the lines, it can easily damage your bubble inkjet printer. The reason for this is that the print head consists of many small nozzles and in order to put a dot on the paper, the corresponding nozzles are heated. This causes the ink to heat up, causing it to expand and shoot out onto the paper. But if there is no ink in the nozzle, only air, then the nozzle and everything around it overheats and the print head breaks. The ink thus also serves as a coolant for the print head.

[@johne6081]

Have you ever needed to reset your ink usage counter? My Canon Pixma 3200 is worthless until/unless I can accomplish that, and none of the online tips work at all.

[@michaelosman01]

@@johne6081 No, not yet... That'll probably be next. Lol

[@SandyLorie]

These is so many solutions to all problems you mention about Epson. There is these software mostly free that reset the waste pad counter or sensor back to zero. If indeed the waste pad is saturated you can easily replace them, you can even wash it then reuse the waste pad. I been using epson printer for almost 15yrs. You can even use third party, very cheap inkjet ink without any issue.

[@ShaneCrenshaw]

Nice! Do you have a recently made inktank you'd recommend?

[@SandyLorie]

@@ShaneCrenshaw Epson L series for home use. For business Epson workforce WF - C Series

[@getchwaltzetki6022]

Advice, for canon, buy canon printer with E naming on it. It mean economic ink catridge that can print so much more than other canon's catridge printer

[@Prem_infogate]

Could you please give an example

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

I will look out for that.

[@zdeneksladek7046]

These inkpads isn't ink tank printers' specific issue. For example Canon PIXMA MG5xxx (it uses cartridges) had the same "solution" for waste ink. If its sponge is full, you could send it to service (if that model is still supported), otherwise you could throw your printer away. So I think this matter "behind the scene" is normal for most if not all ink printers. Manufacturer simply hopes you will replace printer with new one before "ink absorber" (Canon's term) is full. Currently, I'm thinking about Epson L6xxx which uses changeable container (which cost cca 9 USD) instead of this stupid sponge.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

The printer do seem to be improving, since this video was made.

[@Dee8871]

Thank you so much for your v. informative video. I bought a canon pixima ink tank yesterday and haven’t opened it, LUCKY I found you! I will be returning it tomorrow and buying a colour laser instead. Thank you so much. I’m subscribing to give you support for your support. Thankyou🙏

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Thanks :D

[@mysystem32]

The scam is printer manufacturers blocking right-to-repair on ink-tank-printers. Been using Epson ink-tank for many years. Ink-tank significantly cheaper to operate that inkjet. Only issue is the counter that shuts-down the printer when it thinks that the overflow pad is full. The pad is cheap $1 part, but Epson don't supply software to reset the counter. EU should fine Epson for violation of right-to-repair.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

100% this is exactly the point. In principle the idea of an inktank is great, but it seems the implementation of it has been purposely hampered by manufactures to increase profit margins.

[@WeSRT4]

The new ink tank printers have a maintenance box that can be swapped easily and inexpensively.

[@laryeparkins]

I just replaced the ink sponge and, after an unsatisfying exchange with Epson (service centers are 300 and 700 km away from us, despite us being close to a major city), I found a $10 utility from a 3rd party in the UK that hacks the firmware to reset the ink counter. We print in batches, with long gaps between, and find we have to clean the printer often, even if it has been idle for only a day or two. This should be a user-servicable item, with a menu-driven reset. Epson has lost my respect.

[@wtfomgok]

But if the sponge fills up within a year: manufacturers warranty lasts for two years minimum (at least where I live). This two-year warranty period is mandatory and may not be shortened. During this period, the product must not have any defects. I have already returned dozens of products (e.g. LED shower head, mixer, ...) within this period and either received the money back or a new/equivalent product (e.g. I exchanged the LED shower head every year for five years). Most manufacturers therefore ensure that their products only become defective after two years.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

You are quite right, definitely for stating your statutory warranty if the manufacturers don't want to play ball.

[@gunner81uk]

Why are you showing the ink sponge from a cannon printer featured on someone else’s Chanel.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Because I did not have any of that footage to hand when I made the video. You can see from the video description that I have permission from that creator and have linked his video.

[@jordanwilkinson7368]

The purging function and the sponge is not unique to ink tanks. This keeps the head from getting clogged to the point of ruining the whole printer. It's actually a great feature, and it makes even more sense if you can get the ink that much cheaper.

[@jordanwilkinson7368]

Though the self-destruct is a fail

[@TentaclePentacle]

It's not hard to design a printer with an extra tube that squart out a cleaning solution to those printer heads. The printer companies just refuse to make such printers.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

100%

[@jamiltanelamparo1733]

For me epson eco tank printer are the most reliable and efficient in the market. My L360 got 200,000 page printout. I replace wastepad and timing belt once then reset the counter. One bottle of 664 ink black can print 5000 pages. Ecotank are design to use everyday not for single use. If you print once in a while go for cartridges type so that if the heads clog you can replace cartridges and you good to go.

[@Pete856]

I wish I knew all this 3 years ago, I bought a cheap Epson ET-2710 for NZ$300, it's unusable now, as I can't keep the heads clean for more than a few days. I don't do regular printing, but when I do it's usually quite a few pages...problem is the heads clog in the meantime and I waste so much ink trying to clean them. Anyway, I now only use it for the flatbed scanner as I bought a Brother colour laser printer, without a scanner, but I only paid NZ$270...ones with scanners are double that price. I can't believe how good the laser printer is, so fast, no clogs and much better/shaper looking print.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Sorry to hear that. Laser can be a great option.

[@magnus33john]

The Canon Megatank printer have a replace ink reservoir for around 10 bucks that fixes the issue and bypasses the headache you get when dealing with the epson or hp ones. Buy it replace the old and your back up which seems fair for the price you pay.

[@ShaneCrenshaw]

Nice. Which canon megatank do you have?

[@tennsumitsuma5598]

So this is what the cavemen from the commercials have been up to!

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Yes, mainly foraging and printer reviews. :D

[@jimjones6960]

These Epson tank printers are less than half the price listed in this video, noticed the update on Epson's maintenance policy but nothing on any updated pricing. The ET-2850 is $189 on Amazon as I write this btw.

[@davidnowhere2637]

I just looked now the cheapest Epson EcoTank ET-2850 is $465Aud

[@charlesbitten9942]

my eco tank is over 8,000 pages still working on 2nd refill of ink. Screw $40 cartridges that print 300 pages.

[@ShaneCrenshaw]

Which tank do you have?

[@charlesbitten9942]

Shane, I have an Epson ET-4750 Its still working great almost 10,000 pages on 2 ink refills.

[@mordechai8008]

I heard what you said about color laser printers but those have also consumables which are quite expensive: a drum, a toner , imaging kit , you name it. can you recommend an int tanker with easy home repair procedure.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

The Brother MFC-J5740DW is a great printer.

[@Digidoc316]

Is there a way to refill cartridges with the manufacturer's ink bottles then reset the chip? Only print 2-3 pages once a week but the cartridges cost more than the bottles!

[@MP-xz7om]

Yeah thats possible i refilled my hp cartridges a few times but somehow it doesnˋt work anymore after a few refills and i needed to get a new one

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

People seem to have mixed results refilling cartridges.

[@larkbox8427]

I wonder if the plastic used for the transfer tubes is the most resistant to gas permeability? I suspect not, requiring more flushes or services/replacements too.. With DECADES of printer woes going back to dot matrix days I have very low expectations from printer companies.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

May well be the issue, Brother have been using ink tubes for years, with none of these issues.

[@Homonyma]

What if I would only fill the ink at half instead of full - black & colors - would that reduce all the waste, sponges are less wet and that kind of alignment waste would be reduced?

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

I don't think that would help unfortunately

[@Lueglam]

thank you so much can provide the best options for printing quality and eco efficiency please

[@Argyll9846]

If you want to print colour photographs you're basically stuck with inkjet printers either your own or a commercial printing service.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

This is true.

[@Jonathan-qi9rh]

Depending on the percentage of ink that's being wasted without being mentioned in the specs, that might be a lawsuit waiting to happen. However, I still feel that ink tanks are more economical (at least here in the EU, where warranty is 2 years minimum). Even if you have to buy a new printer every 2 years, it will still be more economical to only replace ink once every year rather than once every 2 months with the cardridges. Some printers (notably Canon) also come with replaceable print heads, which might not be cheap but it's better than nothing. I suppose it's also worth mentioning that the print head clogging problem is not specific to ink tanks, but to inkjets in general. It is only on 2 cardridge models that the printhead is in the cardridge itself and gets replaced every time you get new ink. If you have a cardridge for each color (CMY), the printheads will be inside the printer. I used to have an HP Deskjet 6525 (with 4 CMYK cardridges) and, while it worked flawlessly and I loved it for 6-7 years, the black printhead finally broke and HP said that it can't be replaced (but the color one still worked so kudos to HP for not bricking my device and allowing me to print B/W documents in dark cyan). Now I have an HP ENVY Pro 6400 (with 2 black + tricolor cardridges), but while the printhead gets replaced every 2 month with the cardridge, it's such a bad user experience that every time I need to print something I want to toss it out the window after smashing it with a sledge hammer. The cardridges always clog up and force me to use 25-50% of the remaining ink for the self-cleaning procedure which I have to run 3-4 times before it works. To be clear, I rarely print stuff, maybe once every 2 weeks or so, but there are times when I need to print A LOT in one day (like 100-200 pages). I am considering to buy an ink tank because of the ridiculous ink prices, but I am scared that this clogging problem may be even worse. I can't get a laser printer because I also print on photographic paper, so I'm stuck with inkjets for now.

[@CarlosMartinez-px9xo]

always inkjet is prone to clog, the best way to avoid it's do light use, print a full color page once a day or 2, maybe max resolution, and be a patron for testing printing cmyk colors, or maybe normal, and once a week full resolution to make the page wet with ink, that's the advice i receive.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

You are quite right, definitely for stating your statutory warranty if the manufacturers don't want to play ball.

[@drbmaitra]

Have an Epson L850, a photo printer. When I don’t print anything for say 3-4 days, I need to flush the printer at least 7-10 times to get it right. In fact, I have spent more ink in flushing the printer than printing. Another scam. Now I will be purchasing a colour laser printer the price of which is equivalent to my Epson L850.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

That sounds far from ideal! Laser definitely seems to be a better solution if you are printing in high volume.

[@michaelwaters6829]

Basicly they have a kill switch in them. I wonder if you can pull the spung out the back and just put your own spung there and it senses indefinitely that their spung is clean.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

I think this is possible on some models but not on others.

[@CarbonGlassMan]

Can't someone just hack a printer so that we can refill the ink cartridges and the cartridge sensor gives false information to the printer?

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

I think some people have had success with that, but it is outside of the ability of a lot of users and they end up having to replace the printer.

[@Dan.Parker]

These companies are disgusting. What the hell needs to happen to keep these people honest?

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

@TomaCukor answered this, Class action lawsuits.

[@siddharthchakravarty2099]

Can you just keep washing the sponge from time to time proactively and keep the sensor from trigerring? this way it becomes a totally analogue way to avoid this issue! Like just wash the sponge once a fortnight.. or does it have other ways to detect this? Like the sensor is just programmed to trigger when certain ink volume has been wasted to clean the pipes and the sponge full ness is irrelavant?

[@RiccardoCagnasso]

The problem is inherent in the design of the printer and it's not "solved" by making replaceable inkpads. You are still wasting a lot of ink to keep the printer head clean and then at some point it will fail and clog, rendering a working printer unusable for a small part failure. The swappable cartridge with print head is clearly a better design, since the print heads are the vulnerable part in the printer system. They just need to build decent size printer cartridges which themselves refillable. So you can buy the cartridge, refill it until it gets clogged and then change it. The cartridge then can be expensive as it needs to be. This is basically what you get if you find a inkjet with cartridges that you can "hack" refill, this is the best scenario and this is what should be on the market.

[@Bellasbunnies]

How about changing the sponge before it triggers the sensor?

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

At the time the video was made I dont think this would work in some cases.

[@colingianella7172]

I bought an eco tank in 2019 and have only just topped up the inks with no sign of any problems (so far)I wonder if you could squeeze out the sponge in situ leaving it still connected to the sensor before it became saturated therefore alleviating the problem.

[@deli5777]

The sponge is not "the problem", it's the shutdown mechanism that does get triggered. That is the conscious decision made by an unethical company therefore, "the problem"

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

This may work, I think in some cases the error codes are triggers by pages printed or in used, rather than by how much in is in the sponge.

[@piotrrywczak]

Do newer Canons (eg. Pixma G540) have less planned obsolescence?

[@danieldennis6313]

What are your thoughts on the Brother brand? I was told they are manufactured much more user servicable than the other big brands. Is that generally true?

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

100% Brother is my goto brand for printers

[@danieldennis6313]

@@turquoisecoastcomputers Nice! Thanks, its good to know the intel I was given is validated by other experts.

[@josephfaraci7849]

Thank you for this very informative video I am considering buying one of those Epson ink tank printers and after hearing about the sponge and that it's a limited life and can't even be replaced I'm probably not going to buy it

[@johns4407]

Inkjet Cartridges directly on the print head carrier are the way to go. Any model with Cartridges or Tanks with tubing running many inches to the printhead are a total disaster for ink usage and especially if you have to clean the printheads.

[@ShaneCrenshaw]

What would be your recommendation for an ink tank printer? I want to stay under 300. Thanks!

[@FM60260]

Wouldn't it be better if the ink supply system was more like a diesel fuel pump system with a loop that is constantly flowing when it is running? I think they are setup like that for a similar reason, constantly running diesel through the filter and preventing deposits building up.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

That seems like a really good idea! Makes a lot of sense.

[@XxverhAUTxX]

Most likely. But then they couldnt sell you a new printer every 2 years and would lose out on precious profits. Honestly, it's a problem observeable in every market segment. The bigger companies get and the fewer companies there are that offer a certain product, the less customer friendly their company and service policies will be. I fucking hate it and sadly there is very little an individual can do about it.

[@florin9868]

I was about to buy one epson tank but u change my mind. thank you for review

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Glad you found the video useful

[@jgmallin7080]

Don't know how your video popped up on my feed. But, thank you. While I would love to visit...im in southern Ontario, canada. Lol I have an 'old' hp 1010 laser printer.which still works, but only on linux. Windows doesn't support it anymore. Thanks again for the video. My wife has a ep 2650. Ill be looking at the sponge soon. Cheers, jeffrey

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Thanks Jeffrey, Good luck with the sponge. Since this video was made, the manufacturers have improved a lot of the issues, making the sponges easier to change.

[@RenatMataev]

i have an epson ecotank 2750 purchased in 2017, i've must have printed 15-20k pages and only purchased the ink 2 or 3 times $69 at costco.. i print daily, the only thing i dont like its very slow, but i have one of the first ecotank pritners made. Compare to my Cannon laser jet, i must have replaced the tonner 3 x in first year.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

Good to know yours is working out. The manufacturers have made some improvements since this video was made.

[@miacrivitsgoei5398]

Thank you very much for sharing your insight. My question: Brother MFC-J4335DW INKvestment Tank do they have the same problem as the ecco ink tanks? Thanks

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

I have found Brother printers to be much better and not suffer from these issues. They have been using a very similar technology for years.

[@miacrivitsgoei5398]

Thanks

[@lornafranklin]

Hi from South Africa. We bought a Canon Pixma Ink Pot printer, which an out of colour ink. We ordered online, and now printer does not recognize it, sends message to purchase genuine ink only. This ink we got is generic, supposed to be compatible for our printer. Is there anything we can do with the ink, or do we need to look for the genuine product.

[@turquoisecoastcomputers]

I have not had much success with non genuine ink, probably best to get the genuine ink.

[@WillHpowers95]

what was it like playing with john, paul and ringo?

[@bullhead520]

Well, I once had an Inkjet Printer (HP) but was soon disappointed with it, making it so you had to buy their cartridges, so recently was thinking about an epson ET-4810 A4. Looking at and comparing the eco tanks, and luckily ran into your site. You really know your things to share with someone like me who doesn't. My thoughts have really been updated. If I need a copy of anything I will just go to the library or Walmart. Do you have any suggestions on home faxes, I can use any help you can provide. Thank you, James