Best Tank Printers of 2022

Tank printers can save you tons of money on ink. These models performed well in our labs, too.

By Allen St. John

Let’s get straight to the point: At Consumer Reports, we’re finding it increasingly hard to recommend inkjet printers. They’re cheap, in general, but don’t print text very well, they aren’t particularly reliable, and they use ink cartridges that can be very expensive. Which is why, in our survey research, owner satisfaction with them is quite low.

The good news is that if you do want or need an inkjet printer—say, you frequently print in color and often have jobs that include graphics—a tank-style printer can at least save you money. Instead of expensive ink cartridges, tank models have reservoirs that can be refilled easily and very inexpensively with a bottle of ink.

Unlike traditional inkjet printers, which can sometimes be found for as little as $100, tank printers generally cost a few hundred dollars. But if you take a step back and look at the overall cost of ownership, they make a lot of sense. With an inkjet printer, it’s not uncommon to have ink costs that exceed $100 a year. With a tank printer, on the other hand, you’re looking at $5 to $10.

The performance of tank printers has also improved. Early on, the models we tested fell short of cartridge-fed inkjets when it came to producing sharp text and images, but that’s no longer true.

Today’s tanks are much easier to refill than their predecessors, as well.

“Replacing the ink on the first few generations of tank models used to be a messy affair, because the filler nozzles were just simple openings,” says Rich Sulin, who leads CR’s printer testing program. “Better design that locks the bottle in place during refills has solved the problem.”

Our printer ratings currently include 22 tank models from three brands: Canon MegaTank, Epson EcoTank, and HP. Canon and Epson both earn favorable scores in Consumer Reports’ owner satisfaction ratings. (There isn’t enough data to give HP’s tank printers a grade.)

But we don’t recommend Canon MegaTank printers at this time, because they received a Fair rating for predicted reliability. The results are based on surveys of 122,422 Consumer Reports members who purchased a new printer between 2014 and 2021. We use a statistical model to estimate problem rates by the end of the fourth year of ownership for machines not covered by an extended warranty or service contract.

In response to CR’s findings, Canon said in a statement that it’s committed to providing products that meet or exceed the expectations of its customers.

“We are continuously assessing our products and listening to our customers in order to manufacture digital imaging solutions that provide ease and convenience,” the company said. “We appreciate the support, feedback, and loyalty from our customers over the years.”

Here are four Epson tank printer models that performed well in our labs. Like a majority of the printers in CR’s ratings, they include WiFi networking for wireless printing.

A Budget-Priced Tank Printer

Epson EcoTank ET-2800

The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s one of the least expensive tank models in our ratings. And given the annual ink cost estimate of $5, it’s likely to save money in the long run vs. a conventional inkjet.

Our testers rate the model’s text quality as Good but the print speed is only Fair. The 2800 has a built-in flatbed scanner but doesn’t offer a fax function, an automatic document feeder, or auto-duplexing (the ability to print on both sides of a page). If you want auto-duplexing, you can upgrade to the ET-2850.

An All-Around Performer

Epson EcoTank ET-3830

This modest-sized, midpriced tank printer performs well, comes with a variety of useful features, and matches the $5-a-year estimated ink costs of the model above.

The text quality is quite good for an inkjet, though the printing speed leaves something to be desired. The scan quality is also less than stellar. The model does offer auto-duplexing, allowing you to print on both sides of a page, but it lacks fax functionality and an automatic document feeder. (If you need that last feature, upgrade to the ET-3850.)

A Tank Printer for Big Jobs

Epson EcoTank ET-15000

The Epson EcoTank ET-15000 is a big printer for big projects. Literally. As a wide-format model, it lets you print and copy on 8x14 legal-size paper.

It comes loaded with features not found on lower-priced EcoTank printers, including auto-duplex printing and scanning, an automatic document feeder, two paper trays, and a built-in fax. Of course, as a tank printer, the ink cost estimates are very low at a mere $5 a year.

CR’s testers gave the model Good scores for text quality and speed. The scanning and photocopying performance is lackluster, and our testers noted that the machine is pretty noisy when printing.

Brilliant Photo Performance...at a Price

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500

If you’re a serious photographer who prints lots of photos, the ET-8500’s combination of high performance and low operation costs makes a lot of sense. But if you’re just looking for an inkjet printer that’ll produce decent-looking documents while saving money on ink, you’re better off looking at one of the cheaper models in this roundup.

The ET-8500 is sort of a specialized tool. To achieve its photo printing prowess, it has six ink reservoirs instead of the four found on most tank models. In addition to photo printing that earns a Very Good rating, it delivers Very Good text and graphics. And thanks to those low-priced ink bottles, it costs just $8 a year to operate the machine, according to our estimates.

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