Verdict
The Epson EcoTank ET-14100 is a fairly good printer , but it ’s heavy to work out on the nose who it ’s for . Epson says it ’s bureau - focused , but it does n’t seem it , being well at pic printing . Despite this , it ’s scarcely any cheaper than the similar ET-18100 , which has a better six - ink railway locomotive . The ET-14100 for certain is a decent way to impress a variety of job on paper up to A3 + , with fairly good results . However , blue running costs and serious photograph printing are its best lineament .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Epson EcoTank ET-14100 is a refillable ink tank printing machine , up to of deal paper sizes up to A3 + ( 329 mm x 483 mm ) .
It ’s essentially a four - ink version of theEcoTank ET-18100 , which does n’t go like a unfit affair , but while that twist is focused on photo printing , the ET-14100 is aimed at small position . debate the difference of opinion , it ’s surprising the ET-14100 is n’t a bit cheaper .
This printer does n’t seem especially concentrate on the job . There ’s no scanner , so CAT scan and copy are out , but it also does n’t propose the paper manipulation features you might expect from an billet gimmick . What it does deliver is ultra - broken run costs on A4 or A3 prints . Is that likely to be enough ? Here are my idea .
Design and features
The Epson EcoTank ET-14100 is compact for a printer that can handle Brobdingnagian A3 + paper . It looks much like the ET-18100 , but with only four ink tanks to accommodate , it ’s slightly narrow still .
Do n’t underestimate the extra space call for for its newspaper trays , however – with both fully extended front and rearward , you ’ll struggle to suit the ET-14100 on a standard - sized desk .
Epson ’s new Smart Panel app will help guide you through fulfill this printing machine with ink and link it to your wireless connection . It ’s a piece gossipy and dim to react for my liking , but it does let you connect the printing machine to Wi - Fi while it ’s still priming itself with ink , which is a small but welcome timesaver .
Epson ’s had a few old age to hone the EcoTank organization , and it ’s foolproof . More importantly , it ’s spill - substantiation , provide you ’re not tempted to squeeze the feeding bottle or turn the printer upside down .
Epson pitches the ET-14100 as a in high spirits - volume office gimmick , but it ’s deserving have a moment to review its suitability for that function . Its theme comment and output tray are special to just 100 sheets , and the input tray is n’t covered , so junk can gather on the newspaper if it ’s left loaded . There ’s also no automatic duplex ( twofold - sided ) publish documentation , although the number one wood will help you do it manually .
The ET-14100 certainly is n’t a one - layover office fireball – it ’s perhaps best interpret as reinforcement for a regular A4 multifunction peripheral ( MFP ) on which you ’ll do the day - to - twenty-four hour period workplace . Where it really comes into its own , however , is with its high book ink .
This printer arrives with a set of bottles that are good for 6400 black or 5600 A4 color pages , and replacements will last for 4500 blackened pages , or 7500 in colour . While you ’ll use them substantially more promptly if you often impress A3 – and especially so if you ’re printing photo – that ’s still a spate of pages between top ups . It also makes for low-toned print costs , with the ET-14100 likely to cost around half a cent for an A4 Sir Frederick Handley Page of text and simple colour artwork .
Of naturally , you pay a lot up front for this printer ’s low ongoing running costs . If you only use it lightly , you ’re unlikely to recoup the extra spending over an tantamount cartridge - base equipment . However , if you ’ll impress enough to at least utilize up the supplied ink , it should work out better value overall .
The one remaining question is how tenacious this will take you . It could be several years , which is why I remember refillable ink cooler printers should add up with a three - year warrantee that protect your investment . lamentably , at the time of this recapitulation the ET-14100 had one twelvemonth , 50,000 - page cover only .
Print speed and quality
The Epson EcoTank ET-14100 may not seem like a stringently office - focused equipment , but it sure enough did n’t string up about when printing Page of black text . It produced a first Sir Frederick Handley Page in 18 indorsement , before go on to reach 8.6 Page per minute ( ppm ) over our five Sir Frederick Handley Page test . This improved to 12.6ppm over 20 Sir Frederick Handley Page in draft mode , but the best result I timed was 16.8ppm over a 50 - page papers – that ’s not at all bad for an inkjet .
This made the ET-14100 ’s comparative lack of speed on colour prints all the more surprising . It attain 4.9ppm on our standard test , dropping to 4.5ppm on a more challenging artwork - robust document . This printer was hardly breakneck on plain paper A3 prints , either , delivering five pages of text at 3.7ppm , and five pages of graphic at 2.1ppm .
I timed the ET-14100 on a selection of borderless photos . It ask two and a one-half second to complete a 10x15 cm postcard - sized photographic print , and nearly six minutes for an A4 Thomas Nelson Page .
On A3 , a borderless depiction took a specter under nine minutes . It ’s deserving noting that , while the ET-14100 can impress a photo on A3 + paper , it wo n’t do so without borders .
If I vocalise underwhelmed by this printer ’s speed , the same certainly is n’t true of its print caliber . Despite dye - establish inks being more suitable to a picture - focused printing machine , the ET-14100 show to be quite accomplished on unpatterned newspaper . I was impressed with graphical prints that showed no vestige of banding , and no obvious grain , even if they did n’t have the wallop you ’d get from the effective inkjets or a optical maser . Black text was strong too , even if not quite up to laser quality .
The real surprise , though , was that this printing machine render fantabulous photographs for a four - colour gimmick . Striking the perfect balance between realistic and vivid color , it excel across a reach of subjects , with the only exception being a somewhat dark-green black and white picture .
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Should you buy it?
If you ’ve already got a equal to all - debauchee for the office , the Epson ET-14100 could add gloomy - price , more specialised A3 and A4 print . Its power to bring on excellent photos and graphics could make it a worthwhile addition , particularly if you ’ll print in restrained volume .
This printing machine falls somewhere between the requirements of the domicile and spot . Despite excellent running costs it does n’t have the idealistic authority feature set , and it ’s at its best when printing photos .
Final Thoughts
The Epson EcoTank ET-14100 certainly is n’t a uncollectible printer , delivering decent results on plain theme and making a surprisingly skillful job of shiny photos . However , with no duplexing and comparatively basic newspaper publisher tray I ’m not convinced that it ’s idealistic for the office . This belief is compounded by Epson ’s choice of dyestuff - base ink , which do n’t quite have the encroachment on homely theme that you get from pigment inks or laser toner .
While the ET-14100 is actually quite in effect on plain composition , its real strength seems to be print photos . Here it ’ll call on out impressive prints on a reach of paper size of it , all for much less than you ’d pay with a distinctive inkjet . However , it ’s not quite as good at this as theEpson EcoTank ET-18100 , which does n’t cost a bang-up deal more . This provide the ET-14100 slightly unconvincing , as either an office or photograph - focused equipment . gibe out ourBest Printerlist for more options .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every printer we refresh go bad through a series of uniform checks designed to gauge key things including mark quality , speed and toll .
We ’ll also compare the feature with other printers at the same price stage to see if you ’re get serious economic value for your money .
FAQs
EcoTank refillable ink printers have been around for a few years , and the ones we ’ve go over have generally been impressive . HP is a relative newcomer to the refillable inkjet market , but we were also very impressed with its Smart Tank 5105 . Whatever machine you ’re shopping for , it ’s best to choose accord to its features and how it performs in followup , and not care too much about who it ’s made by .
Test Data
Full Specs
