Ink-jet cartridge printers can be very inexpensive — sometimes under $100 — but many include“starter ” cartridges that may only last about 150 pages. Even an XL cartridge rarely gets more than double that, and replacing a full set of cartridges can cost as much as the printer itself (sometimes even more!).
To address this problem, manufacturers now offer ink-tank printers such as the Epson ET-2800 series, along with similar models from Canon and HP. These printers cost more upfront (typically $200 and up), but they ship with enough bottled ink for 4,500–6,000 pages of black printing, plus thousands more in colour. Refills are inexpensive, and the savings can be substantial over the life of the printer.
However, tank printers come with a few important differences you should be aware of.
1. Don’t Let the Ink Lines Dry Out
In cartridge printers, the entire ink system — tank, nozzles, and printhead — is part of the replaceable cartridge. If the ink dries, you simply install a new cartridge and you’re good to go.
With tank printers, the ink bottles, feed lines, and printhead are separate parts, and only the bottles are user-replaceable. If colour printing isn’t used regularly, the ink in the lines or nozzles can dry out. Clearing dried ink from a tank printer may require multiple cleaning cycles or even manual flushing — a time-consuming task.
Rule of thumb:
Print something in colour at least once a month — ideally a page that uses all three colour inks (cyan, magenta, yellow).
2. What Happens When Colours Stop Printing
A tank printer will often lose one colour at a time (cyan, magenta, or yellow) while black continues to work. The built-in nozzle cleaning may or may not fix the issue.
One CSA member recently experienced this with an Epson EcoTank: two out of three colours stopped printing. The self-cleaning tools didn’t help, so the member purchased an inexpensive cleaning kit and manually flushed the printhead with cleaning solution. Unfortunately, this introduced air into the colour ink channels, and afterwards none of the colours printed — not even the one that worked before!
Fortunately, Epson provides a stronger cleaning option via the printer’s menu:
- Maintenance → Power Cleaning
Running this cycle cleared the airlock, and full colour printing returned. Knowing about this “airlock” issue can save a lot of frustration.
3. Heavy Users: Waste Ink Pads
On the opposite end of the spectrum, another member had a different issue. She prints so frequently that she was already on her second set of ink bottles. Her problem wasn’t dried ink — it was that the printer’s waste-ink pad (which absorbs excess ink during cleanings and maintenance cycles) reached its service limit.
Most people will never see this message, but heavy use can trigger a warning that the pad needs to be replaced.
For Epson tank printers:
- A third-party maintenance box (waste-ink pad in a removable housing) is available for under $50.
- These kits usually include software to reset the printer’s maintenance warning (e.g., an “E-11” error code).
For Canon tank printers:
- The waste-ink “sponge” is cleanable or replaceable but requires more disassembly and time.
Bottom Line
Despite these maintenance quirks, tank printers offer excellent value, especially for anyone who prints regularly or in colour. Low-cost ink, high page yields, and fewer cartridge changes make them attractive choices for many users.