I have used an Epson 2600 printer for the last couple of years and it is OK, though the print quality has been no better than average. Recently, on the Standard quality setting the output is blurred and text can be difficult to read. I have cleaned and aligned the print heads (several times) but there has been no improvement. There is also noticeable banding on larger areas of colour.
The printer is cheap to run but the quality of the output is mediocre (it is not acceptable for photo printing on larger than 6″ x 4″ paper). I also agree that the software is pretty unfriendly and I never managed to get Epson Connect to work either. When it comes to replacing it the next printer will not be from Epson.
We ended up buying a Canon MegaTank printer similar to this one: https://amzn.to/3ryHe5r We are based in Europe, and the models are a little bit different than in the USA. However, we are very satisfied with our user experience so far. Much better drivers than those from Epson.
Oh dear…loaded with ink, turned it on, and cannot get past the flashing lights. It will not charge the ink system. And to add insult, it arrived Friday afternoon, and the Epson support closes at 18.00 and all weekend! Not impressed so far.
Once you’ve printed a certain number of pages, the printer has a part that needs to be replaced by Epson = dead printer. I used the set of bottles that came with it and one more and that was it, so I don’t know that overall I saved any money.
I am unhappy with this printer.
1. I have returned printer as printing quality poor after 6 months
2. No paper feed is a nuisance.
3. Impossible to connect using wifi
4. I now have to wait 2 to 3 wks to get printer back?
So sorry I bought this printer. I completely agree with the ‘one trick pony ‘ assessment. It is a miser on ink and running cost will be low but the standard print quality is below par. Going into ‘more settings’ improves things but printing is reduced to snail pace.
‘Ink tanks’ is the way to go but Epson needs to improve.
My Epson ET-2600 has a habit of pausing during print, kicking out part of a printed page with shadows of another part of that page, then completing the page on the next sheet. This is really annoying when I am printing on the back and have to re-do several pages. e.g. today printing 35 colour front/back on the reverse of black inside. I had to re-print 10 complete. There is plenty of ink.
Just spent 4 hours this morning trying to connect this printer to the WIFI
3 calls to EPSON 2 to plusnet and 2 calls to Costco
Still no connection and worst printer experience ever!
Don’t buy this printer unless you have great computer skills
Thanks for your review. My experience was with the Epson ET 16500 about a year ago while printing school material. The results the first semester were satisfactory, including for pages with a mix of text and images. After non use until the second semester, the results thereafter deteriorated badly apparently due to non use and the print heads gumming up. I improved the results with the help of the video below at:
But I did not get me back to square one as hoped, except that a mix of black and colored ink for text is now satisfactory. But to include images is problematic and impairs the text in color. In hopes to return to the original quality, I plan to try the clear ammonia as suggested in the video rather than the distilled water I had available and suggested by a commenter of the video. I’m open to other suggestions.
I’ve had an Epson printer a few years ago, when Windows 8 was released. I encountered similar software issues. Epson’s driver and software support is a mess. I’ve stopped buying this brand since that experience.
{snip} … are more expensive than other cartridge-based printers with similar prices .. {/snip} typo?
I assume you meant to say … “with similar FEATURES”
16 Responses to “Reviewing Epson Expression ET-2600 EcoTank All-in-One printer: The one trick pony!”
I have used an Epson 2600 printer for the last couple of years and it is OK, though the print quality has been no better than average. Recently, on the Standard quality setting the output is blurred and text can be difficult to read. I have cleaned and aligned the print heads (several times) but there has been no improvement. There is also noticeable banding on larger areas of colour.
The printer is cheap to run but the quality of the output is mediocre (it is not acceptable for photo printing on larger than 6″ x 4″ paper). I also agree that the software is pretty unfriendly and I never managed to get Epson Connect to work either. When it comes to replacing it the next printer will not be from Epson.
Thank you for sharing your experience with it.
Hi, I have meaning to buy a printer like this. But since you mentioned the cons of this model, what should you recommend buying instead?
We’re looking for ease of use since an old aunt will be using the printer for business, but also a cartridge-free feature like this one.
We ended up buying a Canon MegaTank printer similar to this one: https://amzn.to/3ryHe5r We are based in Europe, and the models are a little bit different than in the USA. However, we are very satisfied with our user experience so far. Much better drivers than those from Epson.
Oh dear…loaded with ink, turned it on, and cannot get past the flashing lights. It will not charge the ink system. And to add insult, it arrived Friday afternoon, and the Epson support closes at 18.00 and all weekend! Not impressed so far.
Once you’ve printed a certain number of pages, the printer has a part that needs to be replaced by Epson = dead printer. I used the set of bottles that came with it and one more and that was it, so I don’t know that overall I saved any money.
Sorry to hear this story. 🙁
I am unhappy with this printer.
1. I have returned printer as printing quality poor after 6 months
2. No paper feed is a nuisance.
3. Impossible to connect using wifi
4. I now have to wait 2 to 3 wks to get printer back?
So sorry I bought this printer. I completely agree with the ‘one trick pony ‘ assessment. It is a miser on ink and running cost will be low but the standard print quality is below par. Going into ‘more settings’ improves things but printing is reduced to snail pace.
‘Ink tanks’ is the way to go but Epson needs to improve.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us and other readers.
My Epson ET-2600 has a habit of pausing during print, kicking out part of a printed page with shadows of another part of that page, then completing the page on the next sheet. This is really annoying when I am printing on the back and have to re-do several pages. e.g. today printing 35 colour front/back on the reverse of black inside. I had to re-print 10 complete. There is plenty of ink.
Just spent 4 hours this morning trying to connect this printer to the WIFI
3 calls to EPSON 2 to plusnet and 2 calls to Costco
Still no connection and worst printer experience ever!
Don’t buy this printer unless you have great computer skills
Thanks for your review. My experience was with the Epson ET 16500 about a year ago while printing school material. The results the first semester were satisfactory, including for pages with a mix of text and images. After non use until the second semester, the results thereafter deteriorated badly apparently due to non use and the print heads gumming up. I improved the results with the help of the video below at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDQAHqA-ssE
But I did not get me back to square one as hoped, except that a mix of black and colored ink for text is now satisfactory. But to include images is problematic and impairs the text in color. In hopes to return to the original quality, I plan to try the clear ammonia as suggested in the video rather than the distilled water I had available and suggested by a commenter of the video. I’m open to other suggestions.
Rich
I’ve had an Epson printer a few years ago, when Windows 8 was released. I encountered similar software issues. Epson’s driver and software support is a mess. I’ve stopped buying this brand since that experience.
{snip} … are more expensive than other cartridge-based printers with similar prices .. {/snip} typo?
I assume you meant to say … “with similar FEATURES”
The typo was fixed. Thanks for highlighting this problem.