Epson EcoTank ET-8550 – Why It's Been My Loyal Companion for Four Years
Claudia SchmidtSome tools you buy and forget. Others become part of your work. My Epson EcoTank ET-8550 is the second kind: it has been standing in my studio for four years now and prints the colours of my Candy Decay world exactly the way I want them.
Why the ET-8550 is my loyal companion
- You can print an unbelievable amount. Instead of expensive cartridges, the ET-8550 has ink tanks that you simply refill from bottles. One set lasts for a ridiculous number of prints, which makes a real difference when you print a lot.
- The quality is great. Six inks, including a grey and a separate photo black, give you deep darks and smooth transitions. My bright colours come out brilliant.
- It prints up to A3+. Big prints are no problem, and the rear feed also takes thicker art paper.
- The scanner is great too. It scans at up to 1,200 x 4,800 dpi, so you don't need a separate device for scanning.
- And so on. Wi-Fi, a touchscreen, automatic duplex printing, it even prints on CDs.
Brilliant prints
What counts for me in the end is what comes out of the printer. My art lives on strong colours: neon pink, toxic green, bright yellow. Many printers turn that into something dull. The ET-8550 keeps the colours bright and the details sharp.
Technical data at a glance
| Feature | Epson EcoTank ET-8550 |
|---|---|
| Print technology | 6-colour inkjet, Micro Piezo print head, Claria ET Premium inks |
| Inks | Black (pigment), photo black, cyan, magenta, yellow, grey |
| Max. print resolution | 5,760 x 1,440 dpi |
| Max. paper size | A3+ |
| Paper thickness | Up to 1.3 mm via the rear straight feed |
| Photo print speed | About 25 seconds per 10 x 15 cm photo |
| Print speed (ISO) | 16 pages/min black, 12 pages/min colour |
| Ink yield | Up to 6,700 pages black and 6,200 pages colour per bottle set, or about 2,300 photos |
| Scanner | Flatbed with CIS sensor, 1,200 x 4,800 dpi |
| Extras | Automatic duplex (A4 plain paper), CD/DVD printing, SD card slot |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet, USB, AirPrint, Mopria |
| Display | 10.9 cm colour touchscreen |
| Size and weight | 523 x 379 x 169 mm, 11.1 kg |
Source: Epson product information. Ink yields are manufacturer figures and depend on what you print.
Is there a newer model?
As far as I know, there isn't a real successor yet. Epson does have the ET-18100, which also prints A3+ with refillable ink, but it has no scanner and is a pure printer. For me the ET-8550 is still the more complete package.
Who is the ET-8550 for?
In my experience, a lot of people in the craft and art business use exactly this printer. That makes sense: if you print art prints, stickers, cards or packaging inserts yourself, ink costs add up fast. With the ET-8550 they hardly matter anymore, and the quality is good enough to sell.
If you want to buy it, you'll find it here: Epson EcoTank ET-8550. And if you want to see what comes out of mine, have a look at my hand-signed prints.
Curious how I make my stickers? I've written about that in How I Make My Stickers.
Note: the Amazon link in this article is an affiliate link (advertising). If you buy something through it, I get a small commission. The price stays the same for you. I only link to things I use myself.