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Epson EcoTank Wireless Color All-in-One Cartridge-Free ET-3850 Supertank Inkjet Printer for Home Office, Scanner, Copier, ADF and Ethernet, Mobile Printing, with Bonus Black Ink Bottle & USB Cable

TLDR Review: Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Printer

By ShopSavvy Team

Published: December 16th, 2025

Pros

•The ink tanks are highly praised, offering a preferred alternative to traditional cartridges with large, easo-refill bottles designed to minimize mess.
•Prints deliver crisp, clear, and higuality results, especially when using vivid or high-quality settings.
•Compatible with all devices, ensuring no connectivity or compatibility headaches.
•Useriendly design that is generally easy to set up, with minimal configuration needed for most users.
•Economical printing—significantly more cosffective over time compared to cartridge-based systems.
•Reliable printing performance with fewer malfunctions and less frequent ink replacement interruptions.
•Includes convenient features like wireless, mobile printing, Ethernet, and a functional document feeder.
•The printer is slightly more compact, saving some valuable desk space.
•The color touchscreen is fully illuminated and useriendly, making navigation easier than some older models.

Cons

•Setting up and installing the printer can be a complicated and timonsuming ordeal, sometimes taking several hours.
•Warranty registration issues are common, with claims of premature expiration requiring multiple calls or emails to resolve.
•Customer support, although friendly, tends to be slow in response, adding frustration during troubleshooting.
•Handling ink during setup requires care to avoid messes.
•Frequent use is recommended to prevent ink drying or clogging, especially in color tanks.
•Deep cleaning procedures consume a lot of ink and fill a waste tank that isn’t useeplaceable, potentially causing interruptions if it overflows.
•The document feeder feels cheaply made and does not support automatic duplex scanning, meaning manual flipping for twided originals.
•Connecting to newer Chromebooks can be tricky, often requiring manual IP configuration due to outdated or unhelpful instructions.
•The printer is noisier than previous models, with noticeable gear noise before and after printing.
•Printing at higher quality slows speeds down, and normapeed color prints can appear lighter or less vibrant.

Bottom Line

If you want a *cost-effective, cartridge-free, and high-quality* all-in-one printer with great device compatibility, the Epson EcoTank ET-3850 is a solid choice — especially if you’re printing regularly and can invest the necessary time to get through the initial setup. However, don’t buy this expecting a quick or painless installation, and be prepared for some warranty and support headaches if issues arise. If ease of setup and faster support response are must-haves, you might want to explore other EcoTank models or competitors with simpler setup processes and better duplex scanning, but this one shines when budget-conscious quality is your top priority.

How we researched this

About this review: We pulled together findings from professional reviews and hundreds of user reviews, and cross-referenced them with ShopSavvy's pricing data from 3 retailers to give you the short version.