Epson EcoTank ET-14000 A3 Ink Tank Printer Review: The Cartridge-Free Workhorse for Creatives

For years, my office felt like a graveyard for printers. The story was always the same: a new, impressively affordable printer would work beautifully for a few months, only for us to be hit with the staggering cost of replacement ink cartridges. As one user review aptly put it, it often felt “cheaper just to buy a brand new printer.” This cycle is not just frustrating and expensive; it’s a mountain of plastic waste. For our small design studio, which relies on frequent A3 proofs and large-format documents, the cost was becoming untenable. We needed a solution that offered high-volume, large-format printing without the crippling running costs. The constant search for compatible cartridges, the sudden “low ink” warnings in the middle of a critical print job—it was a persistent headache we were desperate to cure.

What to Consider Before Buying an A3 Ink Tank Printer

An A3 Ink Tank Printer is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for creatives, architects, small business owners, and educators who need to break free from the constraints of standard A4 printing and the high cost of traditional ink cartridges. Its main benefit lies in delivering an exceptionally low cost-per-page, especially for colour-intensive and large-format work. By replacing tiny, expensive cartridges with large, refillable tanks, these printers transform the economics of printing, making in-house production of posters, architectural plans, proofs, and large spreadsheets financially viable. This empowers users to print freely without constantly worrying about ink consumption, fostering creativity and improving workflow efficiency.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing high-volume printing needs, particularly in sizes larger than A4. Think of a graphic designer printing portfolio pieces, an engineering firm producing schematics, or a school creating educational posters. They value long-term savings over a low initial purchase price. Conversely, this might not be suitable for those who print very infrequently. Inkjet printers, including tank-based models, can be prone to print head clogging if left unused for extended periods. A casual home user who only prints a few pages a month might be better served by a laser printer or a more basic cartridge-based inkjet, as the upfront cost of an A3 EcoTank model can be significant.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: An A3 printer is, by nature, a large piece of equipment. The Epson EcoTank ET-14000 A3 Ink Tank Printer has a considerable footprint, especially when you account for the paper trays and rear feed being extended. Before you even consider purchasing, measure your intended desk or office space carefully, ensuring there’s enough clearance for paper handling and access to the ink tanks.
• Capacity/Performance: Look beyond the initial purchase. The key metric for an ink tank printer is its page yield. The ET-14000 boasts a massive yield of up to 7,500 black and 6,500 colour pages from the included ink, which is its main selling point. Also, consider print speed (measured in pages per minute, or ppm) and print resolution (measured in dots per inch, or dpi). A higher dpi, like the 5760 x 1440 offered here, is crucial for high-quality photo and graphics work.
• Materials & Durability: The printer will likely be a workhorse, so build quality matters. While most consumer printers are made of plastic, assess how robust it feels. Pay attention to the paper trays, hinges, and the ink tank housing. A well-designed tank system should be sturdy and easy to access without feeling flimsy.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: The primary “ease of use” feature is the refilling process. Look for printers with well-designed, non-spill bottles. Beyond that, consider the user interface. The ET-14000 uses a simple LED system rather than a complex LCD screen, which can be a pro for simplicity or a con if you prefer on-device controls. Regular printing is the best maintenance to prevent clogs.

Keeping these factors in mind, the Epson EcoTank ET-14000 A3 Ink Tank Printer stands out in several areas, particularly its unparalleled ink capacity. You can explore its detailed specifications and features here.

While the Epson EcoTank ET-14000 A3 Ink Tank Printer is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

Unboxing the Beast: First Impressions and Key Features

The arrival of the Epson EcoTank ET-14000 A3 Ink Tank Printer was an event in itself. The box is substantial, and upon opening it, the printer’s sheer size is the first thing that strikes you. Weighing in at over 12kg, this is not a compact, hide-away device; it’s a serious piece of office equipment that demands its own dedicated space. Lifting it out of the box, the build feels solid and functional. The design is utilitarian, favouring function over form with a matte black plastic finish that resists fingerprints well.

Setting it up, the most prominent feature is the ink tank system, housed on the right-hand side. It’s semi-translucent, allowing you to see the ink levels at a glance—a simple but brilliant design choice. Inside the box, we found the printer, a power cord, a USB cable, and the stars of the show: two large bottles of black ink and one bottle each for cyan, magenta, and yellow. The inclusion of two black ink bottles is a thoughtful touch, acknowledging that monochrome text documents are still a staple of office printing, and it feeds the dual black ink tanks designed for faster mono speeds. The initial ink-filling process, which we were slightly apprehensive about, turned out to be remarkably clean and straightforward, a far cry from the messy CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System) mods of the past.

Putting the ET-14000 Through Its Paces: A Performance Deep Dive

A printer’s value is ultimately decided not by its spec sheet, but by its real-world performance. We integrated the Epson EcoTank ET-14000 A3 Ink Tank Printer into our daily workflow for several weeks, throwing everything from dense architectural plans and multi-page reports to high-resolution A3+ photo prints at it. This machine is a specialist, and understanding its strengths and weaknesses is key to determining if it’s the right fit for your needs.

The EcoTank Revolution: Setup and Ink Refilling

The core innovation of the EcoTank series is the departure from cartridges, and this is where the ET-14000 first won us over. If you have memories of messy third-party ink systems, put them aside. Epson has perfected this process. The setup involves unsealing the ink bottles and simply upending them onto the corresponding colour-coded tank nozzles. The bottles have a key system that prevents you from filling the wrong tank, and the flow automatically stops when the tank is full, preventing any spills or overfilling. It’s a clean, foolproof, and deeply satisfying process.

Once filled, the printer begins its initialisation, which involves charging the print heads with ink. This takes around 20 minutes, and you can hear the machine working to prime itself. It’s a one-time process, but it’s crucial for the printer’s long-term health. The sheer volume of ink in those tanks is a paradigm shift. The psychological freedom of being able to print a full-bleed A3 colour photo without mentally calculating the cost in pounds and pence is liberating. As one user noted, “I have had a number of Epson printers and there is always a recurring hassle and expense of replacing ink cartridges. NO LONGER!” This sentiment perfectly captures the primary appeal of the ET-14000. It removes the single biggest pain point of inkjet printing.

A3+ Print Quality: From Documents to Glossy Photos

This is where the Epson EcoTank ET-14000 A3 Ink Tank Printer truly shines, albeit with a few caveats. For its intended purpose—printing high-quality A3 documents and graphics—it excels. We printed a series of architectural drawings with fine lines and colour-coded sections, and the results on plain A3 paper were sharp, clear, and precise. The dual black ink tanks seem to pay off, as text was consistently crisp with no bleeding, even at smaller font sizes.

However, the real surprise came when we switched to glossy photo paper. One of the user reviews we saw mentioned that the “quality of the Photo prints… was outstanding,” particularly praising the colour matching and deep blacks. We can wholeheartedly confirm this. Using Epson’s own photo paper and selecting the correct media type in the simplified print dialogue, we produced several A3+ borderless photos. The 5760 x 1440 dpi resolution makes its presence felt here. Colours were vibrant and accurate, gradients were smooth, and the black tones were rich and deep, giving the images a professional look and feel. It’s impressive for a four-colour printer, proving you don’t always need a six or eight-colour system for stunning results, especially when the engineering is this good. For any creative professional needing to produce high-quality proofs or portfolio prints, this printer’s output quality is a major selling point.

Speed vs. Simplicity: A Trade-Off in Productivity

Epson claims speeds of up to 30 ppm for black and 17 ppm for colour. As with all printers, these figures are achieved in the lowest-quality ‘draft’ mode. In real-world use, a standard quality A4 text document printed in about 15-20 seconds, which is perfectly respectable. A full-colour, high-quality A3 photo, however, is a much more patient affair, taking several minutes to complete. This isn’t a speed demon for high-quality graphics, but a workhorse that gets the job done reliably.

One user noted that Epson “simplified the print dialogue so there are not thousands of options.” We found this to be true. The driver offers basic choices: three quality levels and a selection of paper types. For users who want to click ‘print’ and get a predictable, high-quality result, this is a blessing. However, professional photographers or designers who live by custom colour profiles and fine-tuned settings may find the lack of granular control a limitation. Another significant productivity bottleneck is the lack of automatic duplexing. The printer supports double-sided printing, but it’s a manual process: you print one side, then have to take the stack of paper, flip it, re-insert it, and print the other side. For a single document, it’s fine. For a 50-page report, it’s a tedious and deal-breaking chore.

Connectivity and Core Functions: Where It Shows Its Age

This is the ET-14000’s Achilles’ heel and the area where its age is most apparent. In a world of Wi-Fi, AirPrint, and cloud integration, this printer is staunchly old-school: it connects via a single USB 2.0 port. There is no Wi-Fi. There is no Ethernet port. This means it cannot be easily shared on a network without being connected to a host computer that is always on. It also means no printing directly from your smartphone or tablet, a feature that has become standard on even the most budget-friendly modern printers. This is a baffling omission for a device aimed at the small office market and is its single biggest drawback.

Furthermore, while it’s listed as a multifunction printer, its additional capabilities are extremely basic. The “scanner” is a sheetfed type, meaning you can only scan single, loose sheets of paper up to A4 size. There is no flatbed for scanning books, magazines, thick documents, or delicate photos. Its copy function is similarly limited. This clarifies one user’s confusion about the printer’s “primary role.” The Epson EcoTank ET-14000 A3 Ink Tank Printer is not an all-in-one device in the modern sense. It is a dedicated A3+ printer with rudimentary scanning and copying tacked on as an afterthought. You must buy this machine for its printing prowess, not its multifunctionality.

What Other Users Are Saying

Our findings align closely with the general sentiment expressed by other users. The overwhelming praise is directed at the EcoTank system itself. One customer eloquently states their relief: “The EcoTank is well thought out and easy to fill with bottles that are only €10 for about 100 mL.” This highlights the core value proposition: escaping the exorbitant cost of cartridges. The sheer volume of ink provided is another common point of celebration, with one user noting the included bottles are “capable of printing up to 7100 pages in black and 5100 pages in colour.”

However, the feedback isn’t universally glowing. One particularly insightful review placed the printer at “slightly below 4 stars,” citing that the “printer’s primary role is a little confusing.” This perfectly encapsulates our thoughts on the machine’s identity crisis. It has the print quality of a high-end photo printer but lacks the connectivity and advanced controls. It has the ink economy of an office workhorse but lacks essential office features like a flatbed scanner and automatic duplexing. This balanced feedback is crucial; it shows that while the printer excels at its main job, its limitations are significant enough to give potential buyers pause.

How Does the Epson EcoTank ET-14000 Compare to the Competition?

The market for printers is crowded, and while the Epson EcoTank ET-14000 A3 Ink Tank Printer occupies a specific niche, it’s important to see what else is available. Here’s how it stacks up against three popular alternatives.

1. Canon PIXMA TS6350 Wireless All-in-One Photo Printer

The Canon PIXMA TS6350 represents a more modern, all-around home and photo printing solution. Its key advantages over the Epson are its superior connectivity, including robust Wi-Fi and excellent mobile app support, and its five-individual-ink system which can produce excellent photo quality. However, it’s limited to A4 printing, which immediately disqualifies it for anyone needing large formats. Furthermore, it uses traditional ink cartridges. While the individual ink system is more efficient than tri-colour cartridges, its running costs will be significantly higher than the EcoTank system over time. This is the better choice for a family or photo hobbyist who prioritizes wireless convenience and doesn’t need A3 capability.

2. Epson Expression Photo XP-970 Inkjet Printer

The Epson Expression Photo XP-970 is a direct competitor in the A3 space and comes from the same manufacturer. The XP-970 is explicitly designed for photographers. It uses a six-colour Claria Photo HD ink cartridge system for superior colour gamut and photo reproduction. It also includes all the modern features the ET-14000 lacks: a high-resolution flatbed A3 scanner, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and an LCD touchscreen. The choice here is a clear trade-off: choose the XP-970 for the absolute best photo quality and modern conveniences, but be prepared to pay a premium for its cartridge-based ink system. Choose the ET-14000 for vastly superior running costs if you can live without the bells and whistles.

3. HP Envy Inspire 7220e All-in-One Printer

The HP Envy Inspire 7220e represents a completely different printing philosophy. This is a “smart” printer, deeply integrated with the HP Smart App and built around the HP+ and Instant Ink subscription service. It’s an A4-only device packed with features for the modern connected home, including excellent scanning and mobile printing. The competition here isn’t about hardware specs but business models. The ET-14000 is about a large, one-time investment in hardware and bulk ink. The HP Envy is about a lower upfront cost subsidised by a monthly ink subscription. If you prefer a predictable monthly fee and value smart features and mobile integration for A4 printing, the HP is a compelling option.

Final Verdict: Is the Epson EcoTank ET-14000 A3 Ink Tank Printer Still a Smart Buy?

After extensive testing, our verdict on the Epson EcoTank ET-14000 A3 Ink Tank Printer is that it is a phenomenal, yet deeply niche, product. It is a single-minded workhorse designed to do one thing exceptionally well: produce high-quality A3+ prints at an incredibly low cost. The freedom from cartridge anxiety is its killer feature, making it a dream for anyone who prints in large formats and high volumes—architects, engineers, designers, artists, and small marketing departments will find immense value here.

However, its strengths are matched by equally significant weaknesses. The complete lack of network or wireless connectivity is a glaring flaw in the modern era, and the bare-bones scanner and manual duplexing limit its versatility. You are not buying a modern all-in-one; you are buying a dedicated A3+ printer. If you can live with connecting via USB and your primary need is cost-effective, high-quality large-format printing, this machine is an outstanding investment that will pay for itself over time.

If you’ve decided the Epson EcoTank ET-14000 A3 Ink Tank Printer is the right fit for your high-volume, large-format needs, you can check its current price and purchase it here.