Like toasters and TVs, the humble household printer has been a staple feature of Indian households - for years.

However, as times change and technology advances, the choice of printers on the market has made it difficult to identify the best model for your needs. So in this article, we're going to explore a specific type of printer that ticks every box from a modern consumer’s standpoint - refillable ink tank printers.

Sometimes referred to as continuous ink tank printers, these devices provide the perfect combination of economy, ease-of-use and environmental sustainability. Let's take a look at what they are, and how they can benefit your household.

What is a refillable ink tank printer?

There’s no doubt that the biggest problem - when it comes to printers - is the ink cartridge. Do those two words send a shiver down your spine? We don’t blame you.

For most, the idea of changing ink cartridges in a conventional printer means two things - high cost and wasted time. Older printers - in particular - were very badly designed by modern standards, making the seemingly simple task of installing new ink cartridges a struggle in its own right.

Refillable ink tank printers such as those in Epson's EcoTank range, eliminate this problem entirely, and reduce the associated costs too. Instead of using ink cartridges, refillable ink tank printers - as their name suggests - consist of an ink-holding tank that users can fill conveniently.

Instead of cartridges, refillable ink tank printers have a tank that you can fill using ink bottles.

This means that replenishing your ink supply is as easy as upending a bottle. But that's not the only reason why you should look at investing in a refillable ink tank printer as there are plenty of other benefits:

What are the advantages of refillable ink tank printers?

1. Cost savings

It’s no secret that the costs of ink cartridges can soon add up, especially if you use your printer for home-office purposes and domestic printing. Therefore, by removing these pesky components, you'll end up saving a substantial amount on the ongoing costs with your printer.

In the case of Epson EcoTank printers, this is significantly helped by the fact that each printer comes with two years’ worth of ink (depending on your usage). This is the equivalent of 284 standard ink cartridges, which would cost up to 2.42 lakhs.

Once this ink is used up, replacement ink bottles cost as low as Rs. 3091. Plus, each set of ink bottles will provide up to 4,500 prints (black)^ and 7,500 prints (colour)^ - at just 72 and 182 paise per print respectively. This is a considerable saving when compared to other standard inkjet printers, where the cost per print (for both black and colour) is far higher.

Refillable ink printers, such as Epson's EcoTank, will provide serious cost savings over time.

Even if you take cost per print out of the equation, and just compare the upfront costs of an Epson black ink bottle with a black ink cartridge from other leading printer providers, the refillable ink printer is far more economical.

It's also worth noting that the tanks on refillable printers like the EcoTank are permanent, so there's no need to factor the cost of a replacement into your budget.

2. Easy to operate

As we've mentioned, refilling an ink tank printer couldn't be more straightforward. And, with EcoTank, we've taken a few steps to ensure that users have a stress-free experience, every time:

a. Reducing mess:

An obvious concern when transferring ink from our refillable bottles to the tank is that it could be messy. Don’t worry. Our bottles are developed to counter this risk. Every Epson bottle has a nozzle and resealable cap that radically reduce the risks of spills or leaks during refills or even storage. The ink bottles also feature a pressure mechanism, so the bottle automatically stops exerting ink once the ink tank is full.

Refilling the tank on an Epson EcoTank takes approximately 30 seconds!

While all of this should make dispensing ink quick, easy and mess-free, we would still advise users to wear gloves and slip some paper under the tank as they transfer the ink. The printer ink is hard to clean off skin and surfaces, and accidents do happen!

b. No more guessing:

Rather than waiting for your printer to start churning out faded documents, or relying entirely on printer warnings, you can see for yourself if you're running low. This takes the guesswork out of things, and means you never have to run out of ink again!

c. Clear instructions:

To help prevent users from accidentally pouring the wrong colour into the wrong partition, each Epson ink bottle is uniquely colour-keyed to correspond with the same demarcation on the printer itself.

All of this means the end of grappling around inside your printer trying to remove ink cartridges and replace them with new ones. According to Phys.Org, refilling the tank on the Epson EcoTank from start to finish takes only 30 seconds!

3. Fantastic quality

Because the ink in refillable ink tank printers is custom-designed for use in those devices only, you'll see great results from these devices. This is especially true for ink-intensive print jobs, such as high-quality colour photographs.

And, this is especially true in Epson EcoTank printers, where the use of our PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology ensures fantastic results time and time again. PrecisionCore is a high-density print chip that is capable of producing as many as 40 million precise dots per second with amazing ink positioning accuracy, and fewer imperfections and distortions in the finished product.

4. Environmentally friendly

As the global environmental crisis continues to worsen, it's up to each of us to make a contribution to reducing our carbon footprint and household waste levels. While your printer may not be the first thing that springs to mind when figuring out ways to minimise your family's impact on the planet, you'd be surprised by how much waste a standard printer can produce.

Epson EcoTank printers help combat the sustainability problem in two key ways:

1. Reducing energy consumption by using Heat-Free Technology:

The monochrome series in particular is highly thrifty when it comes to its contribution to your energy bill. Its award-winning Micro Piezo print head using Heat-Free Technology requires very little electricity to operate, meaning the device can print large volumes without burning through heaps of electricity. 

2. Reusable bottles:

Because you will get many more pages out of one ink bottle than you would from a standard ink cartridge, refillable ink tank printers require far fewer consumables, and therefore spell less ongoing wastage associated with your household printing.

5. Speed

We've all been there - waiting for that ticket to print at a printing shop when you're already running late for an event. Therefore, another key factor to consider when shopping for a new household printer is how quickly it will produce your documents.

Here, again, the EcoTank comes out on top when compared to similar models currently on the market. In fact, regardless of how much ink a given document requires, your EcoTank will deliver quicker than any of the nearest competitor models*.

6. Compact size

You don't want your printer to take up lots of space in your house, especially if it's one among many devices in your home office.

Refillable ink tank printers tend to be compact in size and lightweight, making them perfect for home use.

Thankfully, most refillable ink tank printers are compact in size, thanks to the small ink reserves usually situated to one side of the main device. Take the EcoTank M1120, for example. This printer is 375mm (W) x 267mm (D) x 161mm (H) and weighs only 3.5 kg.

This means your refillable ink printer can fit easily into your existing setup, and with WiFi connectivity, linking up with other devices is no problem at all.


7. Peace of mind

The Epson EcoTank is backed by a year's return to base warranty, which can be easily extended to two years by simply registering your new device with us. This means that should your new printer not meet the high standards you expect, you won't be out of pocket.

What refillable ink tank printers does Epson have?

Epson has a wide range of EcoTank printers for you to choose from, meaning we have something for everyone.

Crucially, each model comes with two years ink out of the box, meaning you can finish setting up and print straight away. Among the additional features that some models include are:

  • Auto double-sided printing: This is another great cost-cutting feature that adds to these printers' environmental credentials as they use up less paper as standard.
  • Auto-document feeder (ADF): Some models, such as the L5190, L6170, L6190 and more feature ADF technology. This means you're printing or scanning large numbers of documents at any one time and you don't have to manually feed each into the printer.
  • LCD screens: The EcoTank range is complete with models that feature LCD screens, which make these easy-to-use printers even easier to operate. The LCD screen can go as high as 4.3 inches^ in size.

Hopefully, by now, you are beginning to get a picture of how refillable ink tank printers are revolutionising the home printer market thanks to the broad range of advantages they bring to the table. By cutting costs, time wasted and energy consumption while retaining an unbeatable end result, these devices are the answer to many of India’s printer problems.

To find out more about Epson's range of EcoTank printers, and which would be best suited to your needs, get in touch with our team of experts today.

To learn more about the EcoTank range or if you want to find the genuine ink bottles and cartridges for your printing needs click here.

DISCLAIMERS

*Based on Comparative performance testing, Epson L3150/L4160 vs HP Ink Tank Wireless 415 and Canon G3010 Single-page productivity tests, Keypoint Intelligence – Buyers Lab (BLI), August/May 2018. Fastest single-page print time compared to tested competing A4 Wi-Fi inkjet 3-in-1 OEM ink tank systems. For full results and details of test conditions please read the Buyer Lab reports found here: Buyers lab report - Epson L3150.pdf, Buyers lab report - Epson L4160.pdf. Epson is a registered trademark, EXCEED YOUR VISION and logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners and used for identification purposes only. 1Prices are subject to change without prior notice. 2For cost-per-print calculations, visit epson.co.in/parameters. ^Features may vary from model to model.