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Epson Ecotank 4800 Review: Is it the Best Sublimation Printer in 2023?

Customizing and personalizing products such as apparel, mugs, posters, and photo panels has quickly become a popular and profitable industry. This is primarily due to the development of the sublimation printing process and the efficient and affordable user-friendly printers that power the industry.

Furthermore, the sublimation printer industry has proliferated in recent times, and picking the right printer for your small business can be easier said than done.

However, with the Epson Ecotank 4800 sublimation printer’s high resolution, 15 ppm, a wide range of sizes and printing media, as well as easy-to-refill ink tanks, your search might be over. But before we get ahead ourselves, sublimation is the change of a solid particle directly into a gaseous state.

Sublimation printing involves specially formulated inks or dyes being printed onto a sheet of paper and transferring the image to another material using high heat and pressure. This is done with a heat press which turns the ink into a gas that penetrates the pores of the item. The ink then turns back to solid and imprints a permanent image onto it.

In addition, one of the essential aspects of this process is the print quality determined by your printer. This post will review the Epson Ecotank 4800 and try to determine if it’s the best sublimation printer in the market. Keep reading to learn more.

Epson Ecotank 4800

Epson Ecotank 4800

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Reasons To Buy

  • High-quality prints
  • Cost-effective
  • Versatile
  • Good connectivity options
  • Good build-quality
  • Fast print speed

Reasons To Avoid

  • Small LCD display
  • Small tray
  • Clogs a lot

Read on for a more detailed review of the Epson Ecotank 4800.

Overview of the Epson Ecotank 4800

The Epson Ecotank 4800 is a sublimation printer launched in 2015 and designed specifically for high-volume, professional-grade printing. It features a large-capacity ink tank system that allows for high-volume printing without requiring frequent cartridge replacements. The printer has high-quality print heads that produce sharp, vivid, rich-colored, and excellent detailed images.

Key features of the Epson Ecotank 4800 include its high print resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi and fast print speed of 15 pages per minute. It also supports a wide range of media types and sizes, including A4, A3, and roll paper. The Epson Ecotank 4800 is also equipped with various connectivity options, such as USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi, making it easy to integrate into your workflow.

Setting up the Epson Ecotank 4800

The unboxing and setting up process of the Epson Ecotank 4800 is, fortunately, uneventful. It’s easy for anyone and only takes a few minutes to complete. The printer comes in a good-quality cardboard box, and it’s wrapped in a clear polythene bag to protect it from moisture damage. An adapter cable, four ink bottles, and a manual are also included.

The setup process will require you to scan a QR code with your smartphone, but that’s the most complicated bit about it. Filling the ink tanks is also relatively easy, and the good thing about the ink bottles is they are set to stop pouring ink after the tanks are full. So you don’t have to worry about overfilling them or spilling the ink. The next step is to run the ink initialization process, which takes about 11 minutes and only takes one button press.

Setting up the time and date on the printer is also relatively easy, and the user-friendly interface makes navigating the menu options unintimidating. Making the Epson Ecotank 4800 one of the easiest printers to set up out of the box.

Printing Quality and Performance

The Epson Ecotank 4800 is an excellent, diverse printer that produces quality prints. It can also scan, copy, and send and receive documents by fax. Furthermore, scanning on this machine is made easy by its automatic feeder, which holds up to 30 documents at a time.

The Epson Ecotank has a resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi, which allows it to produce sharp images with rich colors and excellent detail, making for better-quality final products. Graphics produced by this printer are smooth and realistic looking but can suffer banding issues in areas of great detail and high contrast. But other than that, you will hardly face any quality issues when using the Epson Ecotank.

The printer is also fast and can produce prints at 15 ppm, which is fast for the print quality. It can also handle various print materials and sizes, which increases its utility. Some of the print materials include plain paper, premium photo paper, envelope, premium photo paper glossy, premium presentation paper matte, and bright white paper. It can also print on presentation paper matte & glossy, photo paper glossy, and ultra-premium photo paper, semi-gloss.

The printer can also handle a variety of paper sizes ranging from A4s, A3s, legal, and roll paper, ensuring you can efficiently sublimate on small and large items. The tray capacity of this excellent printer is 100 sheets of paper, which is not a lot but sufficient for productive work sessions.

The Epson Ecotank 4800 Ink Tanks

Instead of conventional, expensive ink cartridges, the Epson Ecotank 4800 inkjet printer has high-volume easy-to-refill ink tanks. This means you don’t need to worry about running out of ink often or enduring the high costs of printers with the former system.

However, this comes at a small cost. The Epson Ecotank tanks’ don’t have an ink-level sensor. As such, you will need to monitor the ink levels closely to ensure you never run too low. You will also have to recalibrate the printer’s sensors every time you refill the tanks, but that’s a small price to pay for the savings you get.

However, Epson does not leave you helpless; the printer has an app that helps to estimate used ink averages and can notify you when it hits a certain threshold. But that’s not all this app can do. You can also use it to clean the printer’s head, as well as unblock clogs, which are not uncommon.

The refillable ink tanks’ palettes include cyan, magenta, black, and yellow, but you can also mix and match colors to create your own tones. An added advantage is that there are plenty of ink supplies and hues in the market you can use to print interesting designs.

Cost and Maintenance

Printing in color on the Epson Ecotank 4800 is not as expensive as you’d think. A single colored page costs about $0.11 to $0.12 but varies with wider format papers. The quality of the print paper also affects the overall cost of prints, not substantially, but still worth considering.

Its power draw is about 100-240 volts, and runs at a comfortable temperature of around 10- 35 degrees. This means it will not send your electric bill to the roof and will not make working conditions uncomfortable by expelling a lot of heat if you’re in a small office space.

However, one of its best features is every printing office worry; the cost of replacing ink cartridges. As we’ve already established, the Epson Ecotank 4800 has refillable ink tanks, and it’s not as expensive to replenish the tanks as conventional cartridges. This, coupled with its moderate use of ink, makes it one of the market’s most efficient and low-maintenance sublimation printers.

The large-capacity ink tank system means that you won’t need to refill them as frequently as you would with other sublimation printers, saving you both time and money. Maintenance of the printer is also straightforward, with simple instructions for cleaning and upkeep.

Design and Build Quality

The Epson Ecotank 4800 has a sleek design that’s pleasing to look at, small enough to fit in any office, and diverse enough not to compromise productivity and quality. It measures 375mm x 578mm x 253mm and only weighs 5 KGs. You will not have any issues moving it, no matter your physical aptitude.

It is made of good quality plastic that feels good to the touch and will certainly not lose its luster or break soon if well taken care of. However, the placement of the sheet rollers makes it challenging to clean or unblock paper jams. You have to maneuver around not to affect other parts, but that’s not uncommon on such sized printers.

Another disappointing feature of this printer is its 1.44-inch display. It’s too small, and you can barely see what’s on the screen, which is a shame because the UI is exceptional. Navigating through the different features is intuitive, and we are confident you will find the user experience satisfactory.

Overall, this printer does what it needs in a practical way without being overly complicated or showy, which we like and are certain you will.

Additional Features and Functionality

The Epson Ecotank 4800 is also equipped with a range of other features and functionality. These include support for various connectivity options, including USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi Direct, and Apple AirPrint. It’s also compatible with a range of software and tools Epson provides, such as its EcoTank Print software and Windows and Mac support.

The printer has a security system that allows you to protect your documents and monitor the connected devices to help reduce risks. It also has a two-year warranty that covers your investment in case of damage upon registration.

Pros and Cons of the Epson Ecotank 4800

Like any product in the market, Epson had to make compromises while developing this printer in its current form. And even though they did an excellent job of creating a good product, it still has its pros and cons.

Pros

  • High-quality prints: the Epson Ecotank 4800 produces high-quality sublimation prints with excellent color accuracy, detail, and resolution.
  • Cost-effective: the large-capacity ink tank system reduces the frequency of ink refills, and the included sublimation ink is cost-effective compared to standard cartridges.
  • Fast print speed: with a print speed of 15 pages per minute, the Epson Ecotank 4800 is fast enough to keep up with high-volume printing demands. Conversely, its scan and copy speeds are also fast.
  • Versatile: the Epson Ecotank 4800 is compatible with a range of media types and sizes, allowing you to produce prints on a variety of substrates. It can also fit various workflows regardless of your computer system or paper size.
  • Good connectivity options: The Epson Ecotank 4800 has multiple connectivity options, making it easy to integrate with many devices.
  • Good build-quality: the Epson Ecotank is made of good-quality plastic that will not fade, stain, or break if ample care is taken.

Cons

  • Small LCD display: a 1.44-inch display is too small to see out of clearly and to be considered professional as the rest of the printer.
  • Small tray: the paper capacity on the Epson Ecotank is 100 sheets, which is low and might require you to refill a few times during a high-volume printing session.
  • Clogs a lot: the printer is prone to clogging due to air bubbles entering the tubes from its tanks and paper getting stuck on the automatic feeder.

Conclusion

The Epson Ecotank 4800 is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a high-quality, professional-grade sublimation printer. Its high-quality print heads produce sharp, vivid images, rich colors, and exceptional detail. At the same time, its fast print speeds make it an excellent choice for a busy office environment. It’s also easy to run and maintain, allowing you to concentrate on designing your prints and running your business.

So is it the best sublimation printer? It might as well be because it does everything you need it to exceptionally well and will make an excellent addition to your small printing business.

FAQs

1. What Type of Ink Does the Epson Ecotank 4800 Use?

It uses sublimation ink model code Epson 522, specifically designed for sublimation printing.

2. Can I Use Other Types of Ink With the Epson Ecotank 4800?

It’s not recommended to use any other type of ink with the Epson Ecotank 4800. However, you can use different ink types of high-quality and from good manufacturers.

3. How Often do I Need to Refill the Ink Tanks?

The frequency of refilling the ink tanks will depend on the volume of printing you do. However, the large-capacity ink tank system of the Epson Ecotank 4800 means that you will not need to refill the ink tanks as frequently as you would with other sublimation printers.

4. Can I Use the Epson Ecotank 4800 for Other Types of Printing Besides Sublimation Printing?

The Epson Ecotank 4800 is specifically designed for sublimation printing and is not recommended for other types of printing.