Buying a printer is one thing, but keeping it supplied with ink can quickly become massively expensive, especially if you regularly print documents, homework, or photographs. Epson's EcoTank ET-2980 is one of our favorite cheap ink tank printers, saving a fortune on replacement ink cartridges.
Now, the value-led cartridge-free printer sees a price cut down to $285 (was $330) at Amazon, while in the UK, it's listed under the name EcoTank ET-2950, down to £230 (was £280). It's the same model, though. And the price delivers an even better deal on the machine we called "a bargain of this bottle-fed printer."
Households, students, and home office workers who print a lot and want to keep ongoing ink costs down without loss of everyday printing, scanning, and copying capabilities.
You get refillable ink tanks with up to three years of ink included. There’s also Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, a 100-sheet paper tray, automatic double-sided printing, and borderless photo printing.
Why we recommend it
The biggest attraction of the EcoTank ET-2980 is Epson's approach to running costs. The included ink can produce up to 6,600 black pages or 5,500 color pages, and each replacement bottle set is equivalent to approximately 90 individual ink cartridges.
Refilling is straightforward, thanks to Epson's EcoFit bottles, which have keyed nozzles designed to help prevent you from putting the wrong color into a tank.
In his four-star review, our expert Jim said it: "printed reliably on everything from envelopes to thick 300g/m² cardstock. It’s not a fast printer, but automatic duplexing is a welcome convenience. Pigment black ink produces crisp, smudge-resistant text, while dye-based colors look bright and punchy. Photographs are slightly soft and oversaturated towards red, but perfectly acceptable for occasional use."
He added that: "The biggest attraction is the ink economy. Epson is putting plenty of ink in the box and replacement bottles are cheap. I think its low running costs, reliable performance and essential duplexing feature make it excellent long-term value."
For more top performing units, see our guides to the .
Price context & historical value
Amazon's current $285 asking price is $44.99 below how much it usually sells for. That's not the cheapest we've seen it sell for in the past though. It was as low as $229.99 earlier in the year, and it's possible it will be reduced more the closer to Black Friday we get.
The British equivalent model, the EcoTank ET-2950, is usually priced at £279.99 and is currently down to £229.99.
If you want to save on other units, see our guide to the best printer deals we've seen this week.
Should you buy it?
✅ Buy the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 if...
You regularly print documents, school assignments, or photographs and want to reduce your reliance on ink cartridges. The ET-2980 also offers automatic double-sided printing, which can help cut paper consumption.
❌ Skip the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 if...
You only print occasionally or need a dedicated business printer with advanced document-handling features. A cheaper cartridge-based model may be more economical for light use.