Epson Printer Comparison: EcoTank vs. Standard Inkjet (And When the F570 Actually Makes Sense)

Back in 2020, when I took over purchasing for our company, I assumed the cheapest Epson printer was the right one to put in our satellite office. It wasn't. The upfront savings disappeared after six months of cartridge orders, and then the scanner software stopped working. I learned the hard way that an Epson printer isn't just a box you plug in. It's a small piece of your operations budget. I manage office equipment for a 300-person company, which means I buy about $120,000 worth of equipment and supplies annually across nine vendors. I report to both operations and finance. So my comparison here is about the choices that keep those two people happy.

What We're Really Comparing

For most offices, the search for an Epson printer comes down to two systems: ink-tank models like the EcoTank line and traditional cartridge-based inkjet printers. There's also the Sublimation Printer Epson F570, but I'll get to that later. It's a different product for a different kind of work.

The comparison framework is simple. I look at four dimensions: cost per page, print speed, setup and connectivity, and maintenance. Those four categories cause 90% of the problems I see from the buyer's chair.

Dimension 1: Cost Per Page – EcoTank Wins Almost Every Time

Here's the first thing I check before buying any printer: what does one page cost? Not the printer's sticker price. The per-page supply cost.

A standard cartridge inkjet might cost $70 to $130 upfront. A black cartridge runs maybe $20 and prints around 300 pages in normal mode. That's about 6.7 cents per page. An EcoTank model costs more upfront, often $250 to $400, but a bottle of black ink costs roughly $18 and prints around 6,000 pages. That's about 0.3 cents per page.

Use a percent difference calculator if you want the exact number, because the gap is startling. The percent difference between 6.7 cents and 0.3 cents is about 183%. In plain language, a cartridge printer costs more than twenty times as much per printed page before you factor in color.

For an office that prints 500 pages a month, that's roughly $33.50 a month in black ink for the standard printer versus about $1.50 for an EcoTank. Over a year, the difference covers the higher purchase price. But we don't print that much, you might say. Fair enough. If you print fewer than 50 pages a month, the standard machine is fine. For everyone else, the cost-per-page logic is hard to argue with.

Total cost of ownership includes the base price, setup fees, supplies, and the cost of reprints. The lowest quoted price often isn't the lowest total cost.

Dimension 2: Speed and the CPM Calculator

Speed is the second dimension. In the copier and printer world, speed is often called CPM—copies per minute. That's not the other CPM from digital advertising. Use a CPM calculator to estimate how long a large printing job will take before you promise it to your team.

Here's an example. Let's say a printer's rated speed is 15 black-and-white pages per minute. A 300-page training packet should take about 20 minutes. But duplexing and color bring that number down. A color document on a cheap inkjet might take twice as long because of the print head moving back and forth. A CPM calculator with a fudge factor for duplex and color is better than the manufacturer's number.

This was another assumption that failed me. I assumed rated speed was real speed. Then I watched a 45-page contract take eight minutes because the first page needed color and the rest was grayscale. The Epson printer was fine; my expectation was wrong. For a busy office, buy for the average job size, not the fastest spec.

How to Connect Epson Printer to Wi-Fi Without Losing an Afternoon

If you're looking up how to connect epson printer before opening the box, the steps usually look like this.

On a model with a touchscreen, go to Settings, then Network Settings, then Wireless Setup. Choose your network name, type the password, and the printer joins the network. If your router has a WPS button, you can often press WPS on the printer and the router together and skip the password entirely. Then download the current driver from Epson's website. Don't use the CD that came in the box. That driver is probably three years old.

If the printer has no screen, the setup is still manageable. Connect by USB, run the installer, and then switch to Wi-Fi later if the installer asks. Just don't connect it to a USB hub. Printers should plug directly into the computer or a powered port.

The important thing is to set the default printer to your network name and then test a print. Our finance team lost half a day once because someone had set the default to the postage meter. Small step, huge pain.

How to scan documents on printer

Scanning trips up more people than printing. Here's the short version of how to scan documents on printer.

On the printer control panel, select Scan. Choose whether it's going to a computer, USB drive, or email. For documents, set the resolution to 300 DPI. That's sharp enough for text and barcodes without creating huge files. Save as PDF for most business documents. If you're scanning photos, choose 600 DPI and save as JPEG or TIFF.

On a Windows computer, you can also use the built-in Windows Scan app instead of Epson's software. In my office, the printer's scan-to-shared-folder function was a game-changer. Invoices get scanned straight to a secured folder, and our AP team doesn't look for a file cabinet anymore. It saved us roughly six hours a month.

One caution: if the scanner shows nothing found, check the glass for smudges and confirm the document is face-down. That sounds obvious, but I've been called for that exact issue many times.

What About the Sublimation Printer Epson F570?

Now for the third search term. The Sublimation Printer Epson F570 is not an office document printer. It's a 24-inch dye-sublimation printer designed for custom apparel, mugs, signage, and other transfer work. It uses sublimation ink, and you need a heat press to finish the job. If your office sits in a normal business park and your biggest print concern is a 50-page client deck, the F570 is not the answer.

But if you've got a merchandise team, or someone in marketing keeps asking about in-house promo products, the F570 is worth a look. The reason to mention it here is to stop you from comparing it to an EcoTank. They're different tools. You don't buy a fork when you need a spatula, and you don't buy a sublimation printer for meeting agendas.

Dimension 4: Maintenance and the Surprise in Reliability

Maintenance is where I see the most confusion. EcoTank models have more exposed ink plumbing, so if you leave one sitting for a month, the nozzles can clog. Cleaning uses ink, and repeated cleaning can waste a lot of it. Standard cartridge printers have the same clogging risk, but replacing a cartridge is something even a non-tech person will do without drama.

The counterintuitive part: a cheap cartridge printer can be more reliable in a very low-volume office because the cartridge is a disposable reservoir. If it clogs, you swap it. On an EcoTank, clearing a clog can involve a cleaning cycle and possibly a service call.

Per FTC guidelines, manufacturers have to substantiate their up to claims, but real-world yields vary. I'd rather pick a printer that fits the room's printing rhythm than chase the spec sheet.

So Which Epson Printer Should You Buy?

Here's the practical recommendation, not a universal this is best.

• Buy an EcoTank if your office prints more than 100 pages a month, even half color, and you can handle a slightly larger upfront cost.
• Buy a standard cartridge inkjet if you're setting up a rarely used satellite office, or if the only document printed is the occasional newsletter.
• Buy the Epson F570 only if you're actually making dye-sublimation products. For normal office copying, it's a waste of money.

Before you sign any purchase order, run the numbers. A percent difference calculator can compare cost per page between two models. A CPM calculator can tell you to buy a faster machine if your print volume is actually high. And if you're still unsure, start with an EcoTank for general office work and keep the cartridge printer only for the person who prints twice a year.