5 Best Ink Tank Printer in 2025

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At A Glance: Best Ink Tank Printer

• Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Wireless Wide-Format All-in-One Supertank Printer
  Our Top Pick
• Epson EcoTank ET-15000
• Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 Wireless Color All-in-One Supertank Printer with Scanner, Copier, Fax and Ethernet, White

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If you’re tired of burning through overpriced cartridges and want a long-term solution for high-volume, low-cost printing, refillable ink tank printers are the answer. Instead of expensive cartridges that run out in weeks, these models come with large refillable reservoirs that slash printing costs by up to 80 percent and keep you running for months at a time.

After digging into five of the most popular options from Epson, HP, and Canon, it’s clear that each one fits a different type of user. The overall verdict? Epson still dominates the photo and business categories, while HP and Canon deliver unbeatable everyday value for home offices.

Let’s break down each printer, highlight their strengths, and help you see which one makes the most sense for you.

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 – The Best Choice for Photographers and Creative Users

The ET-8550 is a wide-format photo printer that produces stunning, lab-quality prints. It uses Epson’s six-color Claria ET Premium inks, giving it richer tones and sharper gradients compared to the four-ink setups on most competitors.

Why people love it:

• Prints borderless photos up to 13″ x 19″, making it ideal for posters, art, or scrapbooking.
• Produces a 4×6 photo in as little as 15 seconds.
• Can handle specialty media like cardstock, CDs/DVDs, and even thicker paper up to 1.3 mm.
• Includes enough ink to last up to 2 years or about 6,200 color pages.
• Refill bottles are far cheaper than buying traditional cartridges.
• Buy on Amazon

In real-world use, this printer is a dream for anyone who values color accuracy and wants their home prints to look professional. Yes, it sits at the premium end of the price range, but for photographers, artists, or parents who love creating big, bold family albums, the quality and long-term ink savings more than justify the investment.

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Epson EcoTank ET-15000 – The Best Balance for Small Businesses and Families

The ET-15000 is an all-rounder that bridges the gap between photo printing and office needs. While it doesn’t have the six-ink system of the ET-8550, it still delivers vibrant results and supports wide-format prints up to 13″ x 19″.

Standout features:

• Wireless, Ethernet, and USB connectivity for flexible setup.
• Built-in copier, scanner, and fax machine.
• Prints borderless photos up to 11″ x 17″.
• Great for both documents and occasional creative projects.
• Buy on Amazon

This is the printer that feels equally at home in a family household and a small office. You can knock out a stack of flyers one minute and then print a poster-sized school project the next. If you want versatility without paying extra for specialized photo inks, the ET-15000 is the sweet spot.

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Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 – The Heavy-Duty Office Workhorse

If your printing needs are closer to a business than a household, the ET-5850 is the tank you want on your desk. Built for serious workloads, it boasts a duty cycle of up to 66,000 pages per month, which is leagues ahead of the others here.

Why offices choose it:

• Blazing fast speeds of 25 pages per minute in both black and color.
• Automatic duplex printing and a 50-sheet auto document feeder.
• Fax memory for up to 550 pages.
• Enterprise-grade connectivity, including Ethernet, USB host, and Wi-Fi.
• Meets ENERGY STAR and RoHS standards.
• Buy on Amazon

While the upfront cost is higher, this machine is designed to pay for itself through efficiency. It’s perfect for law offices, schools, or businesses that can’t afford downtime. If your priority is pumping out high volumes of professional-looking documents, this is the clear winner.

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HP Smart Tank 7301 – The Best Everyday Home Office Printer

HP’s Smart Tank 7301 earns its place on this list for being one of the easiest-to-use ink tank printers available. It’s aimed squarely at families and home offices that want affordable color printing without fuss.

What makes it appealing:

• Comes with 2 years of ink in the box (up to 8,000 color pages or 6,000 black).
• Solid print speeds of 15 ppm black and 9 ppm color.
• Borderless printing and automatic two-sided printing.
• 35-page auto document feeder for scanning and copying.
• A user-friendly app that makes setup and operation seamless.
• Buy on Amazon

Compared to Epson’s lineup, HP doesn’t offer wide-format prints or six-ink photo precision. But if your priority is convenience, reliable Wi-Fi, and steady everyday performance, the Smart Tank 7301 is a fantastic mid-range choice. It’s perfect for parents working from home, students, or anyone who prints often but doesn’t need massive volumes.

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Canon G7020 – The Reliable Value Pick with Fax Support

Canon’s G7020 rounds out the lineup with a strong focus on affordability and reliability. It isn’t flashy, but it offers everything a home office needs, plus Canon’s Megatank efficiency.

Key strengths:

• Yields up to 6,000 black pages or 7,700 color pages per ink set.
• Auto two-sided printing saves time and paper.
• Fax, copy, scan, and wireless printing built in.
• Works with Alexa voice commands.
• Buy on Amazon

The G7020 is a great choice if you want a straightforward, budget-friendly machine with lots of ink in the box. While the two-line LCD isn’t as intuitive as the touchscreens on Epson models, it gets the job done. This is the dependable pick for people who just need steady performance at a lower price.

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Which Printer Fits Which Type of User?

To make the decision easier, here’s a quick guide:

• Creative professionals, photographers, and scrapbookers → Epson ET-8550
• Families or small offices needing wide-format versatility → Epson ET-15000
• High-volume business users with serious print demands → Epson ET-5850
• Everyday home office and students → HP Smart Tank 7301
• Budget-conscious users who still want fax and reliability → Canon G7020

Each of these printers shines in its category, so it comes down to how you’ll use it.

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The Drawbacks You Should Know

Even the best ink tank printers aren’t perfect. Here are a few caveats worth noting:

• Epson’s premium models like the ET-8550 and ET-5850 come at a higher upfront cost.
• HP and Canon are easier on the wallet but don’t support wide-format printing.
• Ink bottles, while cheaper than cartridges, can still get messy if you’re not careful during refills.
• Some models have bulky footprints, so make sure you have the space.

None of these issues are dealbreakers, but they’re worth factoring in before you buy.

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Our Take

Refillable ink tank printers are no longer a niche product. They’re now the smartest way to print affordably, whether you’re a professional photographer or a busy parent helping kids with school projects.

If money were no object, the Epson ET-8550 is the most impressive all-rounder, delivering incredible photo quality and versatile paper handling. For offices, the ET-5850 can handle just about anything you throw at it. But if you want a practical, reliable printer that saves you money without complicating your life, the HP Smart Tank 7301 and Canon G7020 are hard to beat.

The bottom line is this: whichever model you choose, you’ll say goodbye to the frustration of constant cartridge swaps and hello to long-lasting, low-cost printing. That’s a win worth investing in.