Epson EcoTank ET-2800: Specs, Features, Pros & Cons
This review measures the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 against the full 24-spec sheet we track for printers, comparing it like for like with the 50 other models in our database. It earns a VS Score of 35 out of 100 — the weighted result of every verified specification measured against the class average.
On the spec sheet it is strongest in connectivity and weakest in scanning & copying. Its clearest single advantage over the class average: a higher print resolution — 5,760 dpi vs 4,041.94 dpi (avg). None of our retail partners currently lists the Epson EcoTank ET-2800, so availability may be limited; a missing price never affects the VS Score.
Category strengths
Where the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 beats the average
- Has supertank / refillable ink ?
- A higher print resolution ?5,760 dpi vs 4,041.94 dpi (avg)
- A much lighter build ?4 kg vs 9.07 kg (avg)
- Has color printing ?
- Has all-in-one ?
- Has Wi-Fi Direct ?
- Has Apple AirPrint ?
- Has Wi-Fi ?
Where the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 trails the average
- A lower print speed (black) ?10 ppm vs 17.21 ppm (avg)
- No automatic duplex printing ?
- A much lower print speed (color) ?5 ppm vs 12.51 ppm (avg)
- No automatic document feeder ?
- A much lower input tray capacity ?100 sheets vs 182.02 sheets (avg)
- No ethernet ?
- No touchscreen display ?
- A much lower output tray capacity ?30 sheets vs 68.95 sheets (avg)
- No duplex scanning ?
- No fax ?
Editor’s note
The ET-2800 has been Epson's entry EcoTank since 2021, long enough to become the default answer to a common complaint: the sixty-dollar printer whose cartridges cost forty. Its four tanks fill from 65 ml bottles – black rated at 4,500 ISO pages, colours at 7,500 – and Epson quotes up to two years of printing from the bottles in the box. Per page, it costs around a tenth of what cartridge machines charge, and that single fact has sold millions of EcoTanks.
A note on the name, because it trips shoppers up: the ET-2800 and ET-2803 are the same printer in different retail channels. If you see both, buy whichever is cheaper – there is no hardware difference. This page covers the ET-2800 numbering.
As a machine it is deliberately basic. Print, scan and copy over Wi-Fi 4; a small non-touch display; a 100-sheet feed. There is no automatic duplex, no document feeder, no fax, no Ethernet, and colour output is a slow 5 ISO ppm – the slowest of Epson's current entry group. The warranty is also capped at 30,000 sheets as well as by time.
The more current consideration is its own successor. The ET-2903 replaced it in 2025 with a slightly faster engine and higher-yield black bottles at the same $199.99 list, and Epson's direct stock of the ET-2800 has been patchy. At equal prices the newer machine is the obvious pick; the ET-2800 makes sense today mainly when discounted or when it is what is on the shelf.
For light-duty home printing where ink anxiety is the thing being bought away, it still does exactly what it always did. Just know that every two-sided page is a manual flip.
Specifications
Quality bars are generated automatically against 50 other printers.
Printing
Laser prints crisp text fast; inkjet handles photos and colour better.
Prints in colour, not just black and white.
Black-and-white pages per minute; higher is faster.
Colour pages per minute; higher is faster.
A higher dot density produces sharper prints.
Prints both sides of the page without manual flipping.
Refillable ink tanks cut the cost per page dramatically.
The maximum recommended pages per month.
Scanning & copying
Scans and copies as well as prints.
Feeds multi-page documents through the scanner unattended.
How many pages the document feeder holds at once.
Scans both sides of a page automatically.
Sends and receives faxes.
Paper handling
A larger tray needs refilling less often.
How many printed pages the output tray holds.
The largest paper format supported (e.g. Letter, Legal, A3).
Connectivity
Print wirelessly over the home network.
Connect devices directly without a router.
A wired network port for reliable office use.
A direct USB connection to a computer.
Print from iPhone, iPad and Mac without extra drivers.
Print and manage the printer from a phone app.
Design
An onboard touchscreen makes standalone tasks easier.
A lighter printer is easier to place and move.
How the VS Score works — and what it can’t tell you
Every measurable spec is scored against the average of all the printers we track: matching the class average scores 50, clearly beating it climbs towards 100, and each spec counts according to an editorial weight that reflects real-world impact — a battery-capacity gap moves the score far more than a colour-options list. The quality bars on the spec cards above show where this model sits inside the full range for its class, and the overall VS Score rolls every weighted result into one number.
Unknown values are never estimated. A spec this product doesn’t report simply drops out of its scoring — it isn’t penalised with a guess — but a thinner spec sheet does mean a score built on fewer data points, which is why completeness is disclosed under About this data.
Most importantly: a spec-sheet lead is not the same as a better product. Megapixels, gigahertz and benchmark points describe capacity, not experience — image processing, software optimisation, thermals, haptics and ergonomics decide how a device actually feels, and no table captures reliability or long-term support quality. Treat the VS Score as a structured summary of what can be measured, not a substitute for your own priorities.
About this data
- Specifications are compiled from each manufacturer’s official spec sheet, cross-checked against trusted specification databases, and normalised into one schema so identical things are compared identically.
- Specifications last verified August 19, 2026.
- Data completeness: 22 of the 24 specs in this category are verified (92%). Anything we could not verify is shown as Unknown — never estimated — and is excluded from the score.
- Prices and availability come from live retailer feeds via our shopping partners and refresh throughout the day; a missing price means no partner currently lists the product, not that it is discontinued.
- Want the full picture? Our editorial guidelines explain how we research products, weight the scores and stay independent.
- Spotted an error in a spec? Tell us and we will correct the sheet.
Printers with similar specs to the Epson EcoTank ET-2800
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The bottom line
The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 earns a VS Score of 35, trailing most of the 51 printers we compare here, at least on the spec sheet.
- Who it’s for
- Light-duty home printing at a discount price – the proven entry EcoTank, still doing exactly what made it the default cartridge-escape since 2021.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers paying full price: the newer ET-2903 lists at the same $199.99 with a faster engine and higher-yield black bottles. No duplex or ADF here either.
- The trade-off that matters
- A superseded model's maturity against its successor's better numbers – worth it only when the shelf price says so.
- The main alternative
- Epson EcoTank ET-2903 is the direct replacement at the same list price, and the version to buy when both are available for similar money.
The VS Score is generated automatically from the weighted specifications above, measured against all other printers in our database. Treat it as a shortlisting guide — not a substitute for your own priorities.
