Under its new EcoTank brand, Epson today unveiled five new all-in-one color printers featuring large ink reservoirs – what Epson defines as the "Supertank" category – that come loaded and ready for up to two years of prints without replacing the ink..
When comparing EcoTank to a traditional printer, the ink included with the EcoTank is equivalent to about 20 sets of ink cartridges or more, depending on the model, says Keith Kratzberg, executive vice president, Epson America. About 90% of the pages printed in the United States are printed in black-and-white, not color. Two-thirds of those pages could be in color.
Previously, a major barrier to color printing has been the cost of ink replacements, says Kratzberg. EcoTank printers are loaded and ready with up to two years of ink. When replacement ink is needed, the cost will reportedly be as low as US$12.99 per bottle, or $52 per set of bottles. For example, a standard home printer requires approximately 20 sets of cartridges to print the same number of pages included with the equivalent EcoTank printer, says Kratzberg.
Epson’s EcoTank line-up includes the:
° WorkForce Pro WF-R4640 EcoTank All-in-One, powered by PrecisionCore – for the small business, with an in-box ink yield of up to 20,000 black and 20,000 color pages and print speeds of up to 20 ISO ppm (black) and 20 ISO ppm (color) . The WF-R4640 delivers Performance Beyond Laser, producing print-shop quality prints with up to 70 percent lower total printing costs vs. color laser. It features a 580-sheet capacity, auto 2-sided printing, copying, scanning and faxing and a 4.3” color LCD.
° WorkForce ET-4550 EcoTank All-in-One, powered by PrecisionCore – for the home office, with an in-box ink yield of up to 11,000 black and 8,500 color pages, high-speed, laser-quality black text, and print speeds of up to 13 ISO ppm (black) and 7.3 ISO ppm (color) . The ET-4550 features 2.2” LCD, auto 2-sided printing, a 30-page Auto Document Feeder, and a 150-sheet paper capacity.
° WorkForce ET-4500 EcoTank All-in-One – for the home office, with an in-box ink yield of up to 4,000 black and 6,500 color pages and print speeds of up to 9.2 ISO ppm (black) and 4.5 ISO ppm (color). The ET-4500 features a 30-page Auto Document Feeder, a 100-sheet paper capacity and a 2.2" LCD. It also includes built-in Wi-Fi Direct, and printing from the iPad, iPhone, tablets and smartphones.
° Expression ET-2550 EcoTank All-in-One – for the home, with an in-box ink yield of up to 4,000 black and 6,500 color pages and print speeds of up to 9.2 ISO ppm (black) and 4.5 ISO ppm (color) . The ET-2550 features a 1.44” color LCD, PC-free photo printing with a built-in memory card slot, and a 100-sheet paper capacity. It also includes built-in Wi-Fi Direct, and easy printing from an iPad, iPhone, tablets and smartphones6.
° Expression ET-2500 EcoTank All-in-One – for the home, with an in-box ink yield of up to 4,000 black and 6,500 color pages and print speeds of up to 9.2 ISO ppm (black) and 4.5 ISO ppm (color) . The ET-2500 offers one-touch copying to get high-quality copies fast, and a 100-sheet paper capacity.
The Epson Expression ET-2500 EcoTank (US$379), Expression ET-2550 EcoTank ($399), WorkForce ET-4500 EcoTank ($429), WorkForce ET-4550 EcoTank ($499) powered by PrecisionCore, and the WorkForce Pro WF-R4640 EcoTank ($1,199) powered by PrecisionCore will be available in September through major computer, office and electronic superstores, mail order, including Staples, Best Buy, Office Depot, Amazon, Microcenter, Costco.com, Samsclub.com, Target.com, Walmart.com and www.epsonstore.com. For more information and availability, please visit epson.com/ecotank.
