Epson EcoTank ET-2980: Specs, Price, Pros & Cons
This review measures the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 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 42 out of 100 — the weighted result of every verified specification measured against the class average.
On the spec sheet it is strongest in printing and weakest in scanning & copying. Its clearest single advantage over the class average: a lighter build — 5.2 kg vs 9.07 kg (avg). Street prices currently start at $ 239.49 for the Epson EcoTank ET-2980.
Category strengths
Where the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 beats the average
- Has supertank / refillable ink ?
- Has automatic duplex printing ?
- Has color printing ?
- Has all-in-one ?
- A lighter build ?5.2 kg vs 9.07 kg (avg)
- A higher print resolution ?4,800 dpi vs 4,041.94 dpi (avg)
- Has Wi-Fi Direct ?
- Has Apple AirPrint ?
- Has Wi-Fi ?
Where the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 trails the average
- No automatic document feeder ?
- A much lower input tray capacity ?100 sheets vs 182.02 sheets (avg)
- A lower print speed (color) ?8 ppm vs 12.51 ppm (avg)
- A lower print speed (black) ?15 ppm vs 17.21 ppm (avg)
- No ethernet ?
- A much lower monthly duty cycle ?5,000 pages vs 19,346.15 pages (avg)
- 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-2980's place in Epson's range comes down to a single feature: it is the cheapest EcoTank that turns the page over by itself. Automatic duplex printing – rated at 6.5 ppm black in two-sided mode – is the dividing line between it and the entry ET-2903, and if double-sided documents are part of your routine, that line is worth real money.
The rest of the step up is meaningful too. The engine runs 15 ISO ppm black and 8 colour, roughly half again as fast as the entry models, and the bottles are the larger 502 series: a 127 ml black rated at 8,500 ISO pages, colours at 6,500. A published 5,000-page monthly duty cycle and an 800-page recommended volume make it the first EcoTank Epson itself positions for steady work rather than occasional printing.
What it is not is an office all-in-one, and the $329.99 price makes that easy to misread. The scanner is a flatbed with no document feeder, so while the printer can produce two-sided pages, copying a two-sided original still means flipping sheets on the glass by hand – the duplex feature has no scanning counterpart. There is no fax, no Ethernet, the display is a small non-touch LCD, and paper input is a 100-sheet rear feed with a 30-sheet output tray, which needs tending on longer jobs. The warranty is one year, shorter than the older ET-2800's registration terms, and the maintenance box is a consumable you will eventually replace.
I would buy the ET-2980 for a home that prints steadily and double-sided – reports, drafts, schoolwork – straight from a computer. The moment multi-page copying or scanning enters the picture, the ET-3950's document feeder is what you are actually shopping for.
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: 23 of the 24 specs in this category are verified (96%). 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.
Where to buy
Prices and availability may change. Check the retailer before buying. We may earn a commission on purchases.
Price history
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The bottom line
The Epson EcoTank ET-2980 earns a VS Score of 42, trailing most of the 51 printers we compare here, at least on the spec sheet.
- Who it’s for
- Homes printing steadily and double-sided from a computer – reports, drafts, schoolwork – with 8,500-page black bottles doing the heavy lifting.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who copies or scans multi-page documents: the scanner is a bare flatbed, so the duplex printing has no scanning counterpart at all.
- The trade-off that matters
- You buy the cheapest auto-duplex EcoTank and accept a 100-sheet rear feed, a 30-sheet output tray and flatbed-only scanning around it.
- The main alternative
- Epson EcoTank ET-3950 adds the document feeder, a 250-sheet cassette and Ethernet – the machine to want once copying enters the routine.
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.
