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Epson EcoTank ET-4800: What to Know
Epson builds the ET-4800 around refillable ink tanks rather than cartridges, with a flatbed scanner (1,200 by 2,400 DPI), a 30-sheet automatic document feeder, copying, and fax capability, plus USB, Ethernet, WiFi, and Wi-Fi Direct connectivity. PC Guide tested it hands-on and scored it 3.5 out of 5, describing it overall as a great ink-tank all-in-one for economical printing with some real limitations.
PC Guide measured roughly 27 seconds for a single color page and about 12 seconds for a black-and-white page in its testing, with mixed multi-page runs landing around 18-25 seconds per color page and 8-10 seconds per monochrome page, calling color speed slow relative to competitors. Print quality was described as rather grainy, with visible dot defects around some color areas, and photo prints on glossy paper showed washed-out colors and roller marks.
The ink-tank economics are the printer's clear strength: PC Guide reports a four-bottle refill kit priced around $64 yielding an estimated 4,500 black pages or 7,500 color pages, which it called an impressive per-page cost compared with cartridge-based printers. This is the core trade-off of the EcoTank line: higher upfront ink-system cost in exchange for a much lower cost per page over time.
PC Guide's testing also found some real setup friction: initial ink-tank initialization took about 11 minutes, a firmware update appeared to get stuck during the review, and the printer's WiFi radio does not support the 5GHz band, meaning some networks require manually entering a 2.4GHz password rather than an automatic connection. The review also notes no automatic duplex printing and a relatively small 30-sheet document feeder and output tray compared with some competitors' 100-sheet rear feeders.
This review is based on PC Guide's hands-on testing; TopFiveFind has not tested this specific unit directly.
What Owners Report
Recurring themes synthesized from the linked owner-review sources. These are reported experiences, not TopFiveFind test results.
Recurring positives
PC Guide credits the ET-4800 with a genuinely low cost per page thanks to its refillable ink-tank system, along with useful scan, copy, and fax functionality in one unit.
Recurring complaints
The review found grainy everyday print quality with visible color-area defects, washed-out and roller-marked glossy photo prints, no automatic duplex printing, and a WiFi radio limited to 2.4GHz.
Why reports disagree
This review draws on one detailed hands-on test rather than multiple conflicting sources; the main tension is internal to the product itself, strong ink economics against weaker everyday print and photo quality, rather than a disagreement between reviewers.
Evidence limitations
Findings come from a single hands-on review rather than a multi-lab comparison, and results like firmware update behavior can vary between individual units and firmware versions over time.
Key Listed Features
Refillable ink-tank system with USB, Ethernet, WiFi (2.4GHz only), Wi-Fi Direct, and fax
Flatbed scanner (1,200 x 2,400 DPI), 30-sheet automatic document feeder, and copy function
Hands-on tested at roughly 27 seconds per color page and 12 seconds per black-and-white page
Roughly $64 four-bottle refill kit yielding an estimated 4,500 black or 7,500 color pages
Hands-on review found grainy everyday prints and washed, roller-marked glossy photos; no automatic duplex printing
