# Epson EcoTank printer

10 Hacker News commenters recommended Epson EcoTank printer and 7 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 7 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 4.5 years (4 owners).

**Verdict:** People recommend it for cheap ink refilled from bottles and years of trouble-free home use. Critics report frequent print head clogs and ink wasted on cleaning.

## Why people recommend it

- Cheap ink refilled from bottles (3 comments): "We've been very happy with it and the ink isn't actually very expensive at all." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46225936)) "Cartridges are non existent... you just get bottles of ink to refill it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49488903)) "I’ve been using mine for years and I only had to buy new ink once." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48370494))
- Satisfied owners over years (3 comments): "I’ve been using mine for years and I only had to buy new ink once." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48370494)) "I like the Epson ink tank printers and have been happy with them." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46948509)) "Epson EcoTank has been a great system for my personal needs." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47378682))
- Long life, few problems (2 comments): "I haven't really had an issue with them yet even though I used thr poor thing very bad" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49482978)) "I’ve been using mine for years and I only had to buy new ink once." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48370494))
- Good for occasional home printing (2 comments): "it's superb for my simple use case (occasional low cost printing at home)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48799791)) "Epson EcoTank has been a great system for my personal needs." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47378682))

## What people warn about

- Print heads clog frequently (5 comments): "It was recently fully clogged (Epson EcoTank) and I managed to get it back to fully printing after about 10 rounds of head cleaning" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50256637)) "Ecotank printers are worse in terms of clogging problems, because there is a tank and a hose vs a sealed cartridge" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48801790)) "They still clog, the printer still wastes a ton of ink on cleaning or adjustment" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46224798))
- Wastes ink on cleaning cycles (2 comments): "It was recently fully clogged (Epson EcoTank) and I managed to get it back to fully printing after about 10 rounds of head cleaning" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50256637)) "They still clog, the printer still wastes a ton of ink on cleaning or adjustment" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46224798))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Brother laser printer](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brother-laser-printer.md): 56 recommend
- [OpenPrinter](https://hackerapproved.com/p/openprinter.md): 14 recommend
- [HP LaserJet](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hp-laserjet.md): 10 recommend
- [Brother inkjet printer](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brother-inkjet-printer.md): 6 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Epson+EcoTank+printer&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Official site](https://epson.com/ecotank-ink-tank-printers)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Epson EcoTank printer", https://hackerapproved.com/p/epson-ecotank-printer/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).