Epson EcoTank ET-3950: Specs, Price, Pros & Cons
This review measures the Epson EcoTank ET-3950 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 55 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 design. Its clearest single advantage over the class average: a higher input tray capacity — 250 sheets vs 182.02 sheets (avg). Street prices currently start at $ 398 for the Epson EcoTank ET-3950.
Category strengths
Where the Epson EcoTank ET-3950 beats the average
- Has automatic document feeder ?
- A higher input tray capacity ?250 sheets vs 182.02 sheets (avg)
- Has supertank / refillable ink ?
- Has automatic duplex printing ?
- Has ethernet ?
- Has color printing ?
- Has all-in-one ?
- A higher print resolution ?4,800 dpi vs 4,041.94 dpi (avg)
- A slightly higher print speed (black) ?18 ppm vs 17.21 ppm (avg)
- A lighter build ?7.2 kg vs 9.07 kg (avg)
Where the Epson EcoTank ET-3950 trails the average
- A lower print speed (color) ?9 ppm vs 12.51 ppm (avg)
- No touchscreen display ?
- A much lower output tray capacity ?30 sheets vs 68.95 sheets (avg)
- A much lower monthly duty cycle ?10,000 pages vs 19,346.15 pages (avg)
- No duplex scanning ?
- No fax ?
- A lower ADF capacity ?30 sheets vs 34.48 sheets (avg)
Editor’s note
The ET-3950 is the EcoTank for people who almost bought the ET-4950 and then noticed they have not sent a fax since 2009. It shares that machine's chassis and nearly all of its substance: 18 ISO ppm black, automatic duplex printing, a 30-sheet document feeder, a proper 250-sheet front cassette, Ethernet alongside Wi-Fi 5, and the 502 bottle system with its 8,500-page black refills. A published 10,000-page monthly duty cycle puts it firmly in home-office territory.
What you give up against its $499.99 sibling is the fax engine and the touchscreen – the ET-3950's 2.4-inch display is button-driven – for a hundred dollars saved at list. That is a trade I suspect most households would take blind.
Two honest caveats from our audit. First, Epson's own literature is ambiguous about whether the document feeder scans both sides of a page automatically: one line says 'Auto 2-Sided Scan', another describes '1-Sided to 2-Sided' scanning, which reads like a simplex feeder that prints duplex copies. We have left that specification unrecorded rather than guess, and if duplex scanning is the reason you are buying, verify it hands-on first. Second, the 30-sheet output tray sits oddly against the 250-sheet cassette – long print runs will overflow the catch tray long before the paper runs out.
Be careful with the family, too: the ET-3930, 3940, 3950 and 4950 look near-identical and share a setup guide, and the differences are exactly the features you may be paying for.
For a fax-free home office printing steadily in duplex, this is arguably the most sensible current EcoTank – all of the 4950's working parts, none of its vestigial ones.
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: 24 of the 24 specs in this category are verified (100%). 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
Printers with similar specs to the Epson EcoTank ET-3950
Ratings & reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your experience.
The bottom line
The Epson EcoTank ET-3950 earns a VS Score of 55, a solid mid-pack result among the 51 printers we compare here.
- Who it’s for
- A fax-free home office printing steadily in duplex: 18 ppm, an ADF, Ethernet and a 250-sheet cassette with 8,500-page bottles behind them.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone whose purchase hinges on duplex scanning – Epson's own literature is ambiguous about whether the feeder scans both sides, so verify hands-on first.
- The trade-off that matters
- All of the ET-4950's working parts for $100 less, minus fax and the touchscreen – vestigial features for most homes, essential for a few.
- The main alternative
- Epson EcoTank ET-4950 is the same chassis with fax and a touchscreen restored, for those few.
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.
