Epson suggests an alternative to ink cartridges-- the EcoTank, a range of printers featuring permanent mechanical printheads and a built-in user-refillable tank holding enough ink for around 2 years of printing.
Currently vendors sell printers at a loss, instead making profits through cartridge sales. The EcoTank concept upturns such reasoning, since it involves higher upfront purchase prices and lower replacement ink costs. Refills come in the shape of bottles allowing users to literally squirt ink into the appropriate tanks.
The EcoTank range currently features 5 models-- 2 consumer printers (the basic ET-2500 and wifi-capable ET-2550), 2 SMB options (the ET-4500 and ET4550, both equipped with wifi, ethernet and fax) and a heavy duty enterprise number (the WF-R4640) making use of special, larger ink packs.
“The introduction of EcoTank marks a fundamental shift in the way we think about using colour in business and in the home,” the company claims. “Epson EcoTank sets a new standard for color printing, convenience, and value.”
