Are Tankless Printers Worth the Money?

Last updated on July 5th, 2024 at 11:35 am

A few years ago I was lucky enough to be selected to test a tankless printer. It was all the rage in 2019. Well, we are in 2023 and I still have the printer. So far I don’t have any major issues with it.

Being that I don’t print much I have been able to extend the life of the free two years of ink.

What is a tankless printer?

A tankless printer is a printer that doesn’t use traditional cartridges or toners. You pour the ink into the tanks for each color. Black, magenta, cyan, yellow. Or black and white. These printers are similar to general inkjet printers they just don’t have a traditional cartridge.

Are they hard to fill?

Unlike a traditional inkjet printer, you don’t have to worry about a cartridge. You purchase your bottles of ink and either squirt it into the ink chamber or invert the bottle and press it into place to let gravity fill the chamber.

Each color is labeled and each brand may vary but they are all pretty similar.

How do the brands differ?

Each brand may vary by ink capacity as well as printer features. Some brands may have touch screens while others may not. Some may also have better photo printing capabilities too. They also may vary in size.

Each printer brand may be an all-in-one printer. Each brand may vary by its connectivity as well. They may need to use a USB to can have wireless connectivity.

I have an Epson Ecotank ET-3760 and it’s considered a super tank. it included 2 years’ worth of ink. Mine is an all-in-one printer it was a printer, copy and scan. It also features an Ethernet cable connection as well as wireless printing.

How long does the ink last?

This may vary by user. I don’t print much maybe once a week or every two weeks. So for me, a 2 year supply of ink has lasted me more than 2 years.

So you may have to average out how much you print a week to figure out the value.

Please note that like with a standard inkjet cartridge printer, a Tankless printer can have inks that dry out. They can also have clogged print heads so remembering to clean the printer is key.

Speaking about ink let’s talk about the price

Being that I have an Epson eco tank you can purchase the inks individually or in a color 3 pack and a single black. The black is around $20 USD. While the colors are around $38 to $42 USD (price may vary.) Individually the color inks are around $13 USD each.

What about third-party inks?

Well yes, there are a number of companies that offer third-party inks but I haven’t tried any yet. I did try them in my inkjets in the past and had been burned a few times. The colors weren’t as bright or smeared.

I thought of buying some third party ones but I read that some of the bottle nozzles weren’t compatible with my printer or that the bottles spilled or caused a mess when filling the printer.

So in short you can try a third-party ink but do so at your own risk.

Are thankless printers work the money?

I would think they are. i liked that I don’t have to worry about buying ink cartridges. I also like that you can view the ink levels thanks to the ink windows.

The Epson printer I have offers a scan and copy feature as well. So that’s a plus for me. It allows you to print various paper sizes as well.

In the end, it will depend on your needs and if the product is right for you.

You can visit Epson to view their line of tankless printers.

The Espon ET-3850 would be the newer version of the et-3760.