Product Dimensions | 61.2D x 40.4W x 34.8H Centimetres |
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Controller type | Android |
Maximum Media Size | 8.5 x 11 inch |
Power consumption | 207 Watts |
Included components | EcoTank Photo ET-8500 all-in-one, Quick Setup Guide, Power Cable, CD-ROM (User Guide, software), 1 bottle of 552 Photo Black (70 mL), 1 bottle of 552 Black (70 mL) and 1 bottle each of 552 Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Gray (70 mL) (4) |
Print media | Paper (plain) |
Scanner type | Photo |
Max input sheet capacity | 10 |
Max copy speed (black and white) | 16 ppm |
Display type | LCD |
Compatible devices | PC |
Maximum colour print resolution | 5760 x 1440 dpi |
Sheet size | Letter |
Maximum black and white print resolution | 5,760 x 1,440 dpi |
Colour depth | 24 bpp |
Dual-sided printing | Yes |
Manufacturer | Epson |
Place of Business | PLAINSFIELD, IN, 46168 US |
Model | ET-8500 |
Part Number | ET-8500 |
Memory storage capacity | 64 MB |
Hardware interface | Ethernet |
Ink Color | Color |
Scanner Resolution | 5760 x 1440 |
Special features | Wireless |
Number of Items | 1 |
Standing screen display size | 7 Inches |
Wattage | 207 watts |
Batteries included | No |
Batteries Required | No |
Total USB Ports | 2 |
Form Factor | All-in-One |
Does it contain liquid? | No |
Manufacturer | Epson |
Item model number | ET-8500 |
ASIN | B08R57JK88 |
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Epson Ecotank Photo Et-8500 Wireless Color All-in-one Supertank Printer with Scanner, Copier, Ethernet and 4.3-inch Color Touchscreen
Purchase options and add-ons
Brand | Epson |
Connectivity technology | Wi-Fi, USB |
Printing technology | Inkjet |
Special feature | Wireless |
Colour | Color |
Model name | EcoTank Photo ET-8500 |
Printer output | Color |
Maximum print speed (colour) | 12 ppm |
Max print speed monochrome | 16 |
Item weight | 8.39 kg |
About this item
- Package dimensions: 101 h x 173 l x 207 w (in inches)
- Great quality product
- Country of origin : indonesia
- Package weight: 18.5 pounds
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Product information
Technical Details
Additional Information
Date First Available | Dec 21 2020 |
---|---|
Customer Reviews |
4.2 out of 5 stars |
鶹 Rank |
|
Is discontinued by manufacturer | No |
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Bestselling | Highest rated | Lowest price
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Product description
The EcoTank Photo ET-8500 wireless all-in-one prints lab-quality colour photos, graphics and everyday documents — all at an incredible value. Epson’s cartridge-free, 6-colour Claria ET Premium Ink system delivers vibrant colours and sharp text for all your creative projects. With low-cost replacement ink bottles, print 4" x 6" photos for about 4 cents each compared to 40 cents with cartridges (1). Print everything from borderless 8.5" x 11" photos to customized CDs/DVDs. You can even print on cardstock and other media up to 1.3 mm thick. For added convenience, each set of bottles lets you print for up to 2 years (2). Plus, save up to 80 percent with replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges (3) — that’s about $2,000 on each set (3). The EcoTank Photo lets you do it all with affordable in-house printing.
Epson strongly recommends the use of genuine ink to ensure optimal print quality and performance. Use of non-genuine ink could cause damage not covered under the printer’s ltd. wnty. | 1. Actual savings and costs will vary considerably based on print tasks, print volumes and usage conditions. Savings and cost per ISO 29103 page are based on the cost of replacement ink bottles and the cost of enough standard cartridges to achieve the total page yields of the bottles using the MSRP (USD) and yields for Epson standard-capacity ink cartridges for similarly featured Epson consumer inkjet printers as of May 2023. | 2. Based on average monthly document print volumes of about 200 pages. | 3. Actual savings and costs will vary considerably based on print tasks, print volumes and usage conditions. Savings and cost per ISO 24712 page are based on the cost of replacement ink bottles and the cost of enough standard cartridges to achieve the total page yields of the bottles using the MSRP (USD) and yields for Epson standard-capacity ink cartridges for similarly featured Epson consumer inkjet printers as of May 2023. | 4. Colour photo in Draft Mode on Premium Photo Paper Glossy measured from start of paper feed. Actual print times will vary based on factors including system configuration, software, and page complexity. For more information, visit www.epson.com/printspeed | 5. Replacement ink bottle yields based on the ISO/IEC 24712 pattern with Epson’s methodology. Replacement ink bottle photo yields are significantly lower and are based on the ISO/IEC 29103 pattern with Epson’s methodology. Actual ink yields will vary considerably for reasons including images printed, print settings, temperature and humidity. Yields may be lower when printing infrequently or predominantly with one ink colour. All ink colours are used for printing and printer maintenance, and all colours must be available for printing. For more information, visit www.epson.com/inkinfo | 6. Individual cartridges estimate based on print yields of a replacement set of black and colour ink bottles as compared to Epson standard-capacity ink cartridges for similarly featured Epson consumer inkjet printers as of May 2023. | 7. Most features require an Internet connection to the printer, as well as an Internet- and/or email-enabled device. For a list of Epson Connect enabled printers and compatible devices and apps, visit www.epson.com/connect | 8. Epson Smart Panel app download required. Data usage fees may apply. | 9. Epson Connect account and voice-activated account registration required. See www.epson.com/voice for device compatibility.
Top Brand: Epson
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Price | -20%$779.99$779.99 Was: $979.95 | $1,099.99$1,099.99 | $739.99$739.99 | $940.39$940.39 | $390.00$390.00 | $1,168.30$1,168.30 |
Delivery | Get it by Saturday, Aug 9 | Get it by Saturday, Aug 9 | Get it by Sunday, Aug 10 | Get it Aug 7 - 8 | Get it by Saturday, Aug 9 | Get it Aug 13 - 21 |
Customer ratings | ||||||
Sold by | 鶹.ca | 鶹.ca | 鶹.ca | Canada Direct - Often Ships Same Day! | Flyer Price | EG026 FOR LLC |
printer output | Color | Color | Color | Color | Color | Color |
printer technology | Inkjet | Inkjet | Inkjet | Inkjet | Inkjet | Inkjet |
paper size | Letter | 8.5 x 14 | Legal, A4, Letter, 8" x 10", 5" x 7", 4" x 6", 16:9 Wide, 100 x 148 mm, 3.5" x 5" | 11 x 17 | 3.5 x 5 | 3.5" x 5", 4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", Letter, Legal, A4, B5, A5, A6, half letter, executive, user definable (3.5" – 44" in length) |
print media type | paper plain | envelopes, paper plain, glossy photo paper | paper plain | paper plain | paper plain, glossy photo paper, envelopes | paper plain |
maximum input sheets | 10 | 500 | 250 | 250 | 100 | 100 |
connectivity tech | USB, Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi | Ethernet | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi, USB | Wi-Fi |
compatible devices | PC | PC, Laptops | Laptops | PC, Laptops | Smartphones | PC, Laptops, Smartphones |
operating system | — | Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, OS X 10.10 Yosemite, OS X 10.11 El Capitan, macOS 10.12 Sierra, macOS 10.13 High Sierra, macOS 10.14 Mojave, Mac OS 10 15 Catalina | — | Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, OS X 10.10 Yosemite, OS X 10.11 El Capitan, macOS 10.12 Sierra, macOS 10.13 High Sierra, macOS 10.14 Mojave, Mac OS 10 15 Catalina | — | Windows, Mac |
duplex | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic | auto | Automatic | ✓ |
memory capacity | 64 MB | 128 MB | 64 MB | 35 GB | 64 MB | 64 MB |
scanner type | Photo | Sheetfed | Sheetfed | Sheetfed | Flatbed | Photo |
From the manufacturer

Features to Help You Create

Professional Media Handling
Simple front loading paper trays for standard & photographic papers. Even a straight-through paper feeder for thicker posterboard and fine art papers

Hi-Res Flatbed Scanner
Native 4,800 dpi 48-bit flatbed scanner for professional colour and black & white scanning and copying

Full Colour Touch Display
Beautiful 4.3 inch Touch Panel Display for simple printer status, maintenance, and even PC-Free printing

A Connection for Everyone
Connect with Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi, or SD Card, plus the Epson SmartPanel App lets you print from virtually anywhere using your iOS or Android devices
Pick Your Print Size.

Borderless Printing up to 8.5" x 11"
- 6‑Color Claria ET with Photographic Dye Inks
- Up to 5,760 x 1,440 dpi Resolution

Borderless Printing up to 13" x 19"
- 6‑Color Claria ET with Photographic Dye Inks
- Up to 5,760 x 1,440 dpi Resolution
* Actual savings and costs will vary considerably based on print tasks, print volumes and usage conditions. Savings and cost per ISO 24712 page are based on the cost of replacement ink bottles and the cost of enough standard cartridges to achieve the total page yields of the bottles using the MSRP (USD) and yields for Epson standard-capacity ink cartridges for similarly featured Epson consumer inkjet printers as of April 2021.
† Individual cartridges estimate based on print yields of a replacement set of Black and color ink as compared to Epson standard-capacity ink cartridges for similarly featured Epson consumer inkjet printers as of April 2021.
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Customer reviews
Customers say
Customers like the functionality, ink usage, and quality of the printer. They mention it works out of the box, connects to all devices easily, and is very user-friendly. However, some customers have reported that the color options are not available. Opinions are mixed on print quality and ease of use.
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Customers like the functionality of the printer. They mention it works out of the box, connects to all devices easily, and is very user-friendly.
"Love everything about this printer! It's easy yo navigate and very user friendly...." Read more
"...With good instructions, it went very smoothly and without dripping a single drop of ink anywhere except into the proper tanks...." Read more
"...It's not that fast but it's not that slow either. It works out of the box. Connects to all devices easily. Very easy to use. Ink lasts ages...." Read more
"Works amazing..." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the ink usage of the printer. They mention the ink lasts forever and the photos are of great quality.
"...I haven't tried to troubleshoot it yet. Ink lasts forever! I bought the desk especially for the printer." Read more
"It really is a good printer, the ink lasts forever and the photos are super quality, lab quality even for most people..." Read more
"...Connects to all devices easily. Very easy to use. Ink lasts ages. Very happy with this printer." Read more
"Great Ink Usage..." Read more
Customers like the quality of the printer. They mention it does a good job, even on black and white images.
"...So far, I have mainly printed some test prints, but it does a good job, even on black and white images. It's a decent photo printer...." Read more
"It is an excellent printer/scanner which produces great results but there is a long and difficult learning curve to use it successfully...." Read more
"...the ink lasts forever and the photos are super quality, lab quality even for most people..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the ease of use of the printer. Some mention it's very easy to use, with good instructions that answer all questions. However, others say the software is confusing and difficult to set up.
"Love everything about this printer! It's easy yo navigate and very user friendly...." Read more
"...The included CD did not auto-run so I had to find and start it manually...." Read more
"...The software is very decent and setup for the machine was easy. At present I have two gripes...." Read more
"Easy setup. Great features. Just three minor issues for me, case not black, printer tray does not auto retract and no support for 5Ghz wifi...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the color options of the printer. They mention it's only 4 colors plus 2 blacks. Some say the profiles produce weak color saturation and light prints. Additionally, some customers have reported that sometimes the printer doesn't print black.
"...The only thing I don't like about it is sometimes it won't prink black! I haven't tried to troubleshoot it yet. Ink lasts forever!..." Read more
"...They may be fine for some perhaps most people, but my profiles produced weak color saturation and light prints...." Read more
"...Colours are a bit washed out on the lower settings, but the image is still clear and sharp. Output is fast, and scan quality is sufficient...." Read more
"...Printing is slow. At one point I saw the colour fading, and a nozzle check did not show ANY RED, BLUE OR YELLOW...." Read more
Reviews with images

Excellent
Top reviews from Canada
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- Reviewed in Canada on July 23, 2025Verified PurchaseI researched a few brands before choosing this brand. I'm very happy with it. Print quality is great for my needs whether for a document or for photographs.
- Reviewed in Canada on December 2, 2024Verified PurchaseLove everything about this printer! It's easy yo navigate and very user friendly. The only thing I don't like about it is sometimes it won't prink black! I haven't tried to troubleshoot it yet. Ink lasts forever! I bought the desk especially for the printer.
Love everything about this printer! It's easy yo navigate and very user friendly. The only thing I don't like about it is sometimes it won't prink black! I haven't tried to troubleshoot it yet. Ink lasts forever! I bought the desk especially for the printer.
Images in this review
- Reviewed in Canada on January 1, 2024Verified PurchaseUNPACKING & SETUP REVIEW
Reasonably well packed, the ink bottles were well-packed. The START HERE guide is very good, better than most. The included CD did not auto-run so I had to find and start it manually.
I was confused about whether I should be following the set-up prompts of the printed START HERE guide, the printer's LCD, or the newly installed software. This resulted in quite a few, "What do I do now?" moments. There were also a lot of confusing software installation issues (some optional) that you had to decide on and what they meant.
Configuring a wi-fi connection also proved problematic..., until I discovered that an "l" was really a "1".
Through a moderate amount of trial-and-error, I managed to get through it but it took me 2.5 hours to get the printer and software installed and connected to my desktop via wi-fi.
On the other hand, installing the 6 ink bottles was very easy. With good instructions, it went very smoothly and without dripping a single drop of ink anywhere except into the proper tanks. This process was well designed.
The 3 front paper trays are confusing to find and use. Cassette 2 took quite a while to find (you access it by opening the front paper cover and then pulling that cover out towards you). And I still don't know what trays are motorized and are they motorized going in only, out only or both.
I think my problems were because we consumers expect a lot of features and capabilities in the things we buy. We want it all in a compact space so products can become over-engineered sometimes.
After some time and frustration, the printer was successfully installed and is now operational. I'll try to update the printer's operational use later.
PRINTING REVIEW
I’ve had a personal computer printer for 42 years starting with the old dot-matrix line printers. When ink-jet printers first came out with their expensive ink cartridges I immediately opted instead for monochrome laser printers that printed only text. I used a laser printer for many, many years…, until now.
I purchased the Epson ET-8500 printer for three major reasons…
- Finally, significantly lower ink printing costs.
- The ability to print in color.
- The ability to print commercial lab-quality photos.
Sending a print job to the printer, here’s what happens…
- The printer wakes up.
- The paper output tray door opens automatically.
- Then the output tray extends out the front of the printer.
- If you are duplex printing (printing both sides) the sheet exits into the paper tray with one side printed, is then pulled back inside the printer, goes through a roller to flip the page over, is printed again on its reverse side and then with both sides printed, exits the printer back into the output printer tray for a second and final time.
When Printing is Finished…
- The printer tray and door do not automatically return inside the printer. This is accomplished manually with a two-step process using the printer’s LCD screen.
Text Printing
Overall it’s about the same quality as my old laser printer, sharp and clear. Fast printing. It can also collate and duplex print (saving paper).
Color Graphics Printing
I’ve never been able to print in color before. What a delight! The printer prints high-quality brochure-type documents. And again it was fast.
Scanner
I scanned only a few items. It produced wonderful scans even at 9,600 dpi. The software was confusing and difficult to set up.
Photo Printing
Printing on Plain Paper
Surprisingly good-quality photos can be printed on ordinary photocopier paper. The first photos I printed were about equal to newspaper-printed photos which are pretty good. As I learned how to adjust and save my settings subsequent photos were strikingly good, perhaps even great (considering this was ordinary copy paper). This is also a great way to print draft photos before committing them to the more expensive photo paper needed for quality printing.
Printing on Photo Paper
I’m a photographer so I ordered samples of 23 different types of photo papers (all from Red River Papers). I then tested them to see which ones were best suited for me and this printer.
ICC Printer Profiles
I downloaded and installed the optional ICC printer profiles. These profiles exact-match the printed colors correctly for your specific printer and paper. Using the profiles is not required. If you do use them you download them from the web, then transfer them into your printer application. I don’t like them. They may be fine for some perhaps most people, but my profiles produced weak color saturation and light prints. I instead chose to adjust the color output manually to provide the more vivid colors that I like.
From best to worst here are the best photo paper types as determined by my testing...
1. Metallics
2. Satins and Lusters
3. Glossy
4. Semi-Gloss
5. Matte
6. Rags, Linens, and Canvas types
The very best photo papers were…
- Polar Gloss Metallic 255 ( with a slight blue cast) and,
- 68 UltraPro Gloss (with a slight yellow cast).
These two papers produced amazing near-perfect results. For me, using this Epson printer with either of these photo papers exceeds standard commercial lab-quality prints.
I compared text, graphics, and photos printed at all four quality settings. Only in the lowest Draft setting do you notice any real difference by eye. A hand magnifier on the other three better settings reveals a difference in quality but it’s not significant (these three quality settings mostly affect print speed). Duplex printing slows the process somewhat but that is to be expected.
Epson’s Printer Software
Epson provides a confusing number of software applications for this printer. I have seven of them! Some come with the printer on a CD, others are available on Epson’s website. I could not find anything that summarized what each application is specifically for, their differences, or which ones I should be using. So I fumbled my way through them to find this…
- Epson Print Layout - I use this to arrange what and how my photos are to be printed. A great piece of software that is not included with the printer but is available for free on Epson’s website.
- Epson Scan 2 - for scanning. Old style interface that works well. Again free and available on Epson’s website.
- Epson Printer Connection Checker - Used to check, diagnose and solve printer communication issues. Easy to use, seems to work well.
- User Manual - Well laid out, easy to search and use. Despite being 346 pages it can be lacking in detail when you have a problem.
Ink Life
After printing the equivalent of 1,200 4” x 6” photos, then extrapolating to the end of the remaining indicated ink life, I calculate a total ink life of 4,500 photos per ink set. Most of these prints are darker photos often astronomical, with vibrant colors and black backgrounds, as such they would use more ink than typical photos. I would therefore expect typical usage to exceed my projected 4,500 photos per ink set.
To Summarize
I had quite a bit of trouble setting up this printer. There are a lot of options and features of this very capable printer. Once done this printer now produces great text, brochure-quality documents, and stunning printed photos. When finally set up, this is a truly great printer.
I'm now changing my rating from three stars initially to four stars now.
- Reviewed in Canada on September 18, 2024Verified PurchasePerfect for printing art
- Reviewed in Canada on September 22, 2022Verified PurchaseThis is the worst printer with an ever more worse price. I thought this was going to be semi top of the line print quality but boy was I wrong. And also the ink is supposed to last a super long time....no. wrong again. I printed maybe 10 things all of them 5x7 in size and the ink is half gone!!! Fill and chill, my butt. It was also a freaking nightmare to get it to connect to wifi. Literally took 4 hours and a lot of screaming and hair pulling until it finally connected. Nothing wrong with my internet, the printer just did not want to connect.
I don't normally bother writing reviews, but this needs to be heard by the masses! Don't waste your time and money!
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Reviewed in Canada on February 17, 2024Verified PurchaseUtile pour toutes ses tâches à la maison. Particulièrement le scanneur pour bien ranger les factures utiles et l'imprimante photo pour bien ranger les souvenirs. Et l'encre!!! Fini le gaspillage.
- Reviewed in Canada on May 2, 2023Verified PurchaseExcellent printer for both documents and especially photos.
A little pricey but I'm sure it will pay for itself.
- Reviewed in Canada on April 26, 2023Verified PurchaseThe coloured photos look like they came out of a photo lab. The depth of the black is amazing. Clients always ask what are use this printer is next level.
Top reviews from other countries
- AbrahamReviewed in the United States on March 14, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent print quality, easy-to-use software, very long lasting ink
Verified PurchaseThis review is for an Epson ET-8500 printer/scanner/copier. ET stands for Eco Tank as the printer uses tanks of ink filled by the user from bottles. The tanks last far longer than the ink cartridges we've all been using and the price per page is far less. The 8500 prints 8.5x11 and 8.5x14 as well as smaller sizes like 8x10, 5x7, 4x6 and printable CDs, DVDs and BDs. The scanner has a maximum resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi.
I bought this printer to replace an Epson RX 580 we bought in late 2006 and for which we must have spent several printer's worth of money on ink. Our primary use has been and remains printing photographs. We feel we require a six-ink printer for this task which limited our printer choices. We have never had any brand other than Epson dating back to the dot matrix printers we used with our homemade PC XT so I will be unable to compare the performance of this printer to other brands.
We were sorely tempted to buy the ET-8550 vice the 8500 for the occasional need to print 11x14s and larger as it was only an additional $50 but we simply didn't have the table space for it. The price of this printer has come down significantly from when it was first introduced, so if you're thinking you can't afford it, look again. The unpacking and setup on the 8500 were simpler and more trouble-free than other printers I've used in the recent past. The printer can be connected to your computer via a shared wireless or wired network or a primary tier USB link. You can also print from a thumb drive (USB memory stick), your camera's SD chip, wirelessly from a smart phone or tablet. Epson provides the printer with a unique email address and any images sent to that address (from anywhere on the planet) will automatically be printed by your printer. If you have a voice assistant on your home network, you can control your printer with voice commands. All in all, a very capable and well thought out device.
We were nervous about filling our ink tanks the first time. The thought of a bottle of printer ink spilling seemed an absolute nightmare. But, as might have been expected, the process was utterly fool-proof (and you're reading a top notch fool here). The tops of the ink bottles and ink tanks are keyed so you cannot put ink in the wrong tank. Ink does not come out of the bottle till it is inverted on the proper tank and flow stops when the tank becomes full. The first filling will also have to fill all the tubing and what not between the tanks and the print nozzles and so will fill the tanks slightly less full than all further bottles.
Loading paper is also painless. The printer has two cassettes: one for 8.5 x 11 and one for 5x7 or smaller. The printer can take thicker paper by two routes in the back: the rear paper feeder at the back on top, and the rear paper feed slot, in the rear. Here is my one unpleasantness concerning this printer but fortunately for you and Epson, the unpleasantness was almost entirely my fault. Either route may be used for thicker paper, such a heavyweight photo paper or thick cardstock. The Rear Paper Feeder at the top rear will still take your paper through almost 90 degrees of bend but not the hard 180 that it experiences coming from the cassettes. Paper loaded into the Rear Paper Feed Slot at the printer's rear, will traverse a completely flat path. Theoretically, you could put a sheet of thin glass through there... but please don't. I have used both with 80 lb (thick) photo paper with no problem whatsoever. The unpleasantness I mentioned was caused when I became confused as to which route was which, deciding that the feeder was the slot and the slot was the feeder. This led me to two lengthy calls to Epson tech support where two different techs spent an inordinate amount of time and effort trying to convince me I had made a mistake without insulting a sacred Epson customer by telling me I had made a mistake. When I finally came to my senses, I wrote a long and heartfelt apology to Epson Tech Support for what I had put them through. Very embarrassing.
The printers output on plain paper, card stock and three different grades of photo paper has been absolutely perfect. There will always be some difference between your screen and your printer, particularly with the printer straight out of the box and no attempt having been made to match up the two, but the prints have been more than satisfactory to this point. And I have yet to see any of my ink levels - now visible directly through graduated translucent windows on the printer's front - so much as budge. A good portent. I have looked at refill ink bottles and the cost for a full set is slightly more than a set of cartridges for my RX 580 cost but provides several times the quantity of ink. Interestingly, the colors of inks used has changed. My RX 580 used to use Cyan, Light Cyan, Magenta, Light Magenta, Yellow and Black. The ET 8500 uses Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Photo Grey, Photo Black and Black. That last one is used for text and is not used for photographs. The Photo Grey and Photo Black are not used on text. I only have my eyes, but in my judgement, the prints from the ET 8500 are superior to those from the old RX 580 in accuracy, detail and color. Text documents are crisp and clear. Image quality on plain paper is more than acceptable though I understand there are other brands that do it slightly better.
If I had to do it all over, I would again buy the ET 8500. Ease-of-use, economy and beautiful output make it the ideal choice. And I will never again buy a printer that uses cartridges. Never.
AbrahamExcellent print quality, easy-to-use software, very long lasting ink
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2024
I bought this printer to replace an Epson RX 580 we bought in late 2006 and for which we must have spent several printer's worth of money on ink. Our primary use has been and remains printing photographs. We feel we require a six-ink printer for this task which limited our printer choices. We have never had any brand other than Epson dating back to the dot matrix printers we used with our homemade PC XT so I will be unable to compare the performance of this printer to other brands.
We were sorely tempted to buy the ET-8550 vice the 8500 for the occasional need to print 11x14s and larger as it was only an additional $50 but we simply didn't have the table space for it. The price of this printer has come down significantly from when it was first introduced, so if you're thinking you can't afford it, look again. The unpacking and setup on the 8500 were simpler and more trouble-free than other printers I've used in the recent past. The printer can be connected to your computer via a shared wireless or wired network or a primary tier USB link. You can also print from a thumb drive (USB memory stick), your camera's SD chip, wirelessly from a smart phone or tablet. Epson provides the printer with a unique email address and any images sent to that address (from anywhere on the planet) will automatically be printed by your printer. If you have a voice assistant on your home network, you can control your printer with voice commands. All in all, a very capable and well thought out device.
We were nervous about filling our ink tanks the first time. The thought of a bottle of printer ink spilling seemed an absolute nightmare. But, as might have been expected, the process was utterly fool-proof (and you're reading a top notch fool here). The tops of the ink bottles and ink tanks are keyed so you cannot put ink in the wrong tank. Ink does not come out of the bottle till it is inverted on the proper tank and flow stops when the tank becomes full. The first filling will also have to fill all the tubing and what not between the tanks and the print nozzles and so will fill the tanks slightly less full than all further bottles.
Loading paper is also painless. The printer has two cassettes: one for 8.5 x 11 and one for 5x7 or smaller. The printer can take thicker paper by two routes in the back: the rear paper feeder at the back on top, and the rear paper feed slot, in the rear. Here is my one unpleasantness concerning this printer but fortunately for you and Epson, the unpleasantness was almost entirely my fault. Either route may be used for thicker paper, such a heavyweight photo paper or thick cardstock. The Rear Paper Feeder at the top rear will still take your paper through almost 90 degrees of bend but not the hard 180 that it experiences coming from the cassettes. Paper loaded into the Rear Paper Feed Slot at the printer's rear, will traverse a completely flat path. Theoretically, you could put a sheet of thin glass through there... but please don't. I have used both with 80 lb (thick) photo paper with no problem whatsoever. The unpleasantness I mentioned was caused when I became confused as to which route was which, deciding that the feeder was the slot and the slot was the feeder. This led me to two lengthy calls to Epson tech support where two different techs spent an inordinate amount of time and effort trying to convince me I had made a mistake without insulting a sacred Epson customer by telling me I had made a mistake. When I finally came to my senses, I wrote a long and heartfelt apology to Epson Tech Support for what I had put them through. Very embarrassing.
The printers output on plain paper, card stock and three different grades of photo paper has been absolutely perfect. There will always be some difference between your screen and your printer, particularly with the printer straight out of the box and no attempt having been made to match up the two, but the prints have been more than satisfactory to this point. And I have yet to see any of my ink levels - now visible directly through graduated translucent windows on the printer's front - so much as budge. A good portent. I have looked at refill ink bottles and the cost for a full set is slightly more than a set of cartridges for my RX 580 cost but provides several times the quantity of ink. Interestingly, the colors of inks used has changed. My RX 580 used to use Cyan, Light Cyan, Magenta, Light Magenta, Yellow and Black. The ET 8500 uses Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Photo Grey, Photo Black and Black. That last one is used for text and is not used for photographs. The Photo Grey and Photo Black are not used on text. I only have my eyes, but in my judgement, the prints from the ET 8500 are superior to those from the old RX 580 in accuracy, detail and color. Text documents are crisp and clear. Image quality on plain paper is more than acceptable though I understand there are other brands that do it slightly better.
If I had to do it all over, I would again buy the ET 8500. Ease-of-use, economy and beautiful output make it the ideal choice. And I will never again buy a printer that uses cartridges. Never.
Images in this review
- L-1011Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars Unmatched Quality for Images and Photos
Verified PurchaseThis is an 'initial impressions' review after setup and a few weeks use.
- Best Use Case: If, like us, your printing needs are 80% creative (artwork, photographs, etc.), 20% light document printing and occasional scanning, then this printer will meet your needs. Even though you won't be buying a new cartridge with a thimbleful of ink every 100 pages, I would not recommend this printer for high-volume workplace printing. It's not built for speed and you'll be filling the paper tray too often to be productive. Likewise, unlike a more office-oriented printer, the ET-8500 does not have a feeder for the scanner.
- Unboxing / Setup: While it did take about an hour to set up, the process went much easier than I anticipated based on the reviews I read. We have it connected to our home network via Ethernet and I was able to do all necessary configuration via the printer's touch screen. Aligning the print heads is a rather lengthy process, so be prepared to spend some time on this. Our old printer would semi-self align by scanning the alignment samples once they were printed. With the ED-8500, I had to manually select which alignment settings looked best, which slowed the process considerably.
- Hardware Quality: Overall, the printer feels well-built and worth the money. That being said, I do agree with other reviewers who state the paper trays feel a little chintzy and possibly easy to damage if you don't handle them with kid gloves. No problems thus far, however, so I'm simply crossing my fingers with the hoping for the best. On the flip side, I love that the output tray fully retracts into the printer when not in use. Touch screen operation is a veritable godsend compared to the wonky, practically useless LCD on our old printer. In fact, with a thumb drive or (full sized) SD card, you can perform many operations straight from the touchscreen.
- Software: While it did install applications I'm not likely to use, Epson's software is much less intrusive, in my opinion, than you-know-who's naggy, resource consuming bloatware. I can't speak to the smartphone application as I have no need for it thus far. I'm also pleased to report that the printer will work without Alexia, which I will never have a need for. No problems with the software and we're able to print from any computer on the network without issue.
- Scanning: As I stated above, there's no feed for the scanner, so you'll have to manually change pages if you have a multi-page document to scan. Not a problem for us, though, and my wife loves that she can scan a document straight to her thumb drive without having to bother me while I'm working. Overall quality is more than adequate for all but the most demanding scanning jobs.
- Ink: With its foolproof design, filling the six ink tanks couldn't be easier, and after six weeks of use, including approximately 200 pages of image laden documents using the highest quality print level (which would have eaten up two 'XL' cartridges in my old printer), the ink levels in the ET-8500 have barely moved. Furthermore, refilling all six tanks cost only a little more than those two 'XL' cartridges would have. Very happy in this regard.
- Print Quality: Even on regular paper at regular print quality, the ET-8500 hands-down smokes anything in its price range. Amp up the print quality and print to photographic paper and the results are absolutely jaw-dropping. Seriously, my brother is a professional large-format printer / sign maker, and the print quality from the ET-8500 rivals his $75,000 4' x 8' flatbed. Rich, vibrant colors pop from the page and are sure to impress even the toughest critic. This, in my opinion, more than makes up for the ET-8500 not being the fastest horse in the race.
I will update my review should anything go south, but for now I give the ET-8500 a big thumbs up. For the quality you get, it is well worth the price in my opinion.
- Joe HayesReviewed in the United States on January 31, 2025
1.0 out of 5 stars Epson will not honor valid warranty; 鶹 does not care
Verified PurchaseHad 10 months of great print and photo processing - 5 star review. Then it stopped feeding photo paper. 鶹 customer service said contact Epson - nothing they can do. So I started the hours of online/telephone process. I did everything they asked, finally they said it is a hardware problem. Had me take various pictures of different things on print, then declared it was under warranty and just needed to get approval to replace. The tech comes back on phone they will not honor the warranty because 鶹 did not source it from epson - goodby. The moral of the story if you shop with 鶹 beware because if they don't source with the manufacture of the product, you have no warranty! BUYER BEWARE. Anybody want a like new $600 printer with half the ink left - just cannot print anything
- Bob GoldrickReviewed in the United States on November 18, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Epson ET-8500 versus Canon G620
Verified PurchaseI am an accomplished amateur photographer, not a professional or a techie. I take photos with an iPhone 12 and a Panasonic SLR. I do not make highly technical adjustments to the images. Both of these printers produce excellent results. I purchased them for two reasons: saving on ink, and printing photographs with accurate colors. I have used Canon Pixma printers for decades, so I first tried the G620. Although I do most of my shopping on 鶹 I purchased it at Best Buy for ease of potential return. It cost $330 (rounded up by a penny).
THE CANON G620:
ʸ鰿’s:
It was easy to fill the six ink tanks. Canon cleverly designed the tops of each one so they can only be inserted into the correct tanks.
No problem connecting to my wi-fi.
Documents printed quickly and looked fine.
The first 4x6 print I did was acceptable but not as good as I had expected. I corrected this quickly per the next bullet.
By default my Windows laptop installed its own drivers for the printer. These are not as good as Canon’s. I went to the Canon website and downloaded and installed their drivers for the 6 series.
Voila, very good photos, with accurate color and sharp edges! Thanks to other 鶹 reviewers for calling this to my attention.
Photos printed quickly enough.
䰿’S:
The most significant one, and why I switched to the Epson, is the paper handling. There is only one input tray, at the rear of the printer, which takes all sizes and types: 8x11 plain paper, 4x6, 5x7 and 8x11 photo paper, etc. At first I didn’t think I’d mind changing the paper, but after a while I did, per next bullet.
The display on the top of the printer is small, dim and awkwardly placed. I thought I might not need to use it that much, but every time you change paper you have to.
You need to pull the output tray out manually. No big deal if you are at your desk, but if you are in another room and want to print out an item on your phone you have to go the printer. A minor inconvenience but a nettlesome one at times.
THE EPSON ET-8500:.
ʸ鰿’s:
Equally easy to connect to wi-fi.
Even easier to set up. The correct drivers were downloaded automatically.
A terrific screen on the right front of the printer. Large, bright, easy to use.
Two input trays at the front, one for 4x6 and 5x7 photo paper, the other for 8x11 paper of either type.
Another input tray at the back! I use this on the relatively few occasions I print 8x11 photos, and I keep plain paper in the front tray. This is extremely convenient.
When you send an item to the printer it wakes up even if it’s turned off. The G620 did not do that.
The output tray comes out automatically; no need to pull it.
There is a button on the screen for pushing the output tray back in and closing the front.
That bright tilt-able front screen has every setting you need and is very intuitive.
Everything I printed came out fine and quickly. The photos were equal to Canon’s in quality, plus there is an Epson app for making further adjustments to them. I downloaded it and found it easy to use.
䰿’s:
The cost: $700. That’s more than double the Canon G620, which is a significant consideration.
Two others that are not significant. The photo tray can be a little tricky to pull out and a tight fit when reinserting (it goes well toward the back). This can be relieved by first pulling out the 8x11 tray underneath it, giving your fingers more room.
Not really a con but when the printer is finished the screen shows two items: a little Home icon on the left and a larger “Troubleshooting” message next to that. Some users might think that means there was a problem, but it’s just in case there was. Touch Home and you’re set, then touch the Close Tray button on the bottom right.
BOTTOM LINE:
You may be wondering, Why spend that much more? And, why not buy a Canon Ink Tank printer of equivalent cost? Re the first, for the convenience of the paper handling and ease of use of the screen. I keep printers a long time and the cost spreads out over the years, especially not needing to buy cartridges. Re the second, I did research those, but prefer the size of the Epson, which is comparable to the G620. The higher priced Canons that I looked at were bulkier.
I hope this helps others. If I omitted anything you think should be included, or if you have questions or a difference of opinion, leave a comment and I’ll respond to it.
- Guy in a chairReviewed in the United States on September 14, 2024
4.0 out of 5 stars Great quality prints and ink longevity/savings over a cartridge printer but at times a bit finicky.
Verified PurchaseFirst, the print quality is outstanding and the money I saved on ink vs what I spent on ink cartridges from my old inkjet printer has been substantial.
I printed over 8500 photos on my ET 8500 until it died…unfortunately right after I filled all the tanks with ink. I did go through the gray (GY) ink faster than the others but not sure why.
After approximately 5000 prints i began to get frequent paper jamb error messages when there wasn’t any paper jamb. I eventually found a clumsy time-consuming work-around but not ideal. On the plus side, I give Epson customer phone support a decent grade, but it depends on who in India you get for help.
The other nice thing is that it has a two year warranty, so something to consider if you’re thinking about buying 鶹’s 3-year warranty because you’d basically be buying a one-year warranty. Still if you print as many pics as I do, it might be worth it.
So, would I buy it again? Yes, and in fact I plan to do just that.