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How do you choose the right Epson Ecotank? There are so many models right now and many of them seem nearly identical. While we have compared many models so far, this review is going to focus on two very different printers. Our Epson Ecotank 2720 vs 4800 review will compare the affordable 2720 against the more expensive and robust 4800 to see which is right for your home office.
Our Epson Ecotank 4800 vs 2720 review will focus on functions, printing speed, paper sizes, printing options, and any other differences we can find.
Read on to see which supertank printer you should buy.
Epson Ecotank 2720 | Epson Ecotank 4800 |
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Is Epson Ecotank Worth It?
The Epson Ecotank supertank printers are unique because they don’t use conventional ink cartridges. Nearly every inkjet printer uses plastic ink cartridges that have just a small amount of ink. This means they are bulky, costly, and don’t give you that many prints or copies.
The Epson supertank printer changes that. This is a change that should have happened years ago, and we’re surprised more inkjets aren’t like this. You just squirt the Epson Ecotank ink right into the printer. Not only does this save on plastic, but it’s much cheaper and allows you to print significantly more sheets before refilling.
Now, you might have noticed that these printers are more expensive than others. Is it worth buying an Epson Ecotank printer? That really depends on how often you print and copy. If you’re commonly printing, at least several times a week, then the savings really add up. Unlike most other printers where you spend the bulk on ink cartridges, you’ll save more and more as you continue printing with this model.
However, if you infrequently print, then you might get better savings with another printer. We think the Ecotank is worth it because you’re getting a tremendous value, and the savings keep piling on.
Check Price: Epson Ecotank 2720 ->
Epson Ecotank ET-4800 vs ET-2720: Functions
Epson Ecotank multifunction printers come with several different functions. They are similar, but 4800 offers one function that you won’t find with 2720 or many other Ecotanks.
Let’s start with the shared functions.
Both of these printers offer printing, copying, and scanning. You also get faxing capabilities with the Ecotank ET-4800.
Normally we could stop here, say that 4800 is better because it adds another function, and move on. But, there’s a few other things we need to discuss.
You get copying and scanning with the Epson Ecotank ET-2720 due to it having a flatbed scanner. This type of scanner is convenient for one or two sheets of paper, but it’s too slow if you need to copy dozens of sheets.
While the 4800 offers flatbed scanning as well, we think you’ll be more impressed with the document feeder. This allows you to load sheets for faxing, copying, and scanning. Not only is this faster, but it also allows you to scan documents that are 8.5×14. The flatbed scanner for both models only allows you to scan up to 8.5×11.
Due to these many enhancements, we have to give the win to 4800 here. It offers an extra function, and the document feeder is far more convenient and efficient when compared to a flatbed scanner.
Check Price: Epson Ecotank 4800 ->
Epson Ecotank 4800 vs 2720: Printing Speed
Both of these are listed as having identical printing and copying speeds. That being said, we found that one model was faster with real-world tests.
If you checked the printer specs, then you would notice that both of these offer 10PPM black and 5PPM color speeds. That’s not bad. They also offer 8PPM black and 4PPM color for copying.
However, that’s only a part of the picture. Not only does it take longer for 2720 to start printing and copying (especially if you’re using the flatbed instead of the document feeder on the 4800), but we found that this printer is slower in general. You won’t notice with smaller documents, but we found that the 4800 finished larger documents minutes before the 2720.
While they are similar with smaller documents, we have to give the win again over to 4800. It’s faster, especially with copying because you can use the document feeder instead of the flatbed scanner.
Epson Ecotank 2720 | Epson Ecotank 4800 |
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Epson Ecotank ET-2720 vs ET-4800: Paper Size
Our Epson Ecotank ET-2720 vs Epson Ecotank ET-4800 review found that both of these carry the same paper sizes and also have the exact same capacity. Due to that, we have to call this section a tie.
So, what type of paper can you load in an Epson Ecotank? The available paper sizes include:
- 3.5×5
- 4×6
- 5×7
- 8×10
- 8.5×11
- 8.5×14
- A4
- A6
- Executive
- Half Letter
- No. 10 Envelopes
You may recall us saying before that 2720 cannot copy 8.5×14 paper. That’s true. This is only available for printing. The 4800 can both copy and print at this size.
While that might be a good feature for some, we believe it’s a fairly niche size for most people. If you find yourself copying lots of 8.5×14 documents, then you’ll need 4800. If you mostly print and copy 8.5×11 and smaller, then it’s a tie.
Check Price: Epson Ecotank 4800 ->
Epson Ecotank 2720 vs 4800: Printing Options
Like with many modern printers, the Epson Ecotanks have wireless and wired printing options. But, are there any differences between them? We’ve seen some models that offer unique printing options, so let’s compare them and find out.
In terms of wired printing, both of them connect to a compatible desktop, laptop, or other device via a USB cable. Wireless printing is available through compatible devices with the Epson Ecotank app. Another unique option is voice command printing. Both of these connect with Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa so that you can print, copy, and scan with a simple voice command.
Really the only difference between them is that 4800 has the document feeder, which makes it much easier to copy. That aside, these are virtually identical.
If you want a document feeder for faxing along with bulk scanning and copying, then 4800 wins here. If that doesn’t matter as much, then our Epson Ecotank ET-4800 vs Epson Ecotank ET-2720 review found that they are basically the same.
Check Price: Epson Ecotank 2720 ->
What is the Difference Between Epson Ecotank 2720 and 4800?
Curious about what is the difference between Epson Ecotank 4800 and 2720? Unlike with some other Ecotank Epson reviews where they are very similar, we found that these models are quite different. Thanks makes sense since they are at different price points.
Read our other Epson Ecotank 2720 reviews here:
- Epson Ecotank 2720 vs 2760 (Best Inkjet for Home Use)
- Epson Ecotank 2720 vs 2850 (Best Inkjet for Bulk Printing)
- Epson Ecotank 2720 vs 15000 (Which Ecotank is the Best Value?)
- Epson Ecotank 2720 vs 4800 (Best Supertank Printer)
- Epson Ecotank 2720 vs 2800 (Best Epson Ecotank Printer)
In terms of similarities, they both print, copy, and scan, they have similar speeds, work with the same paper sizes, and offer most of the same printing options.
However, we found that ET-4800 Ecotank offers several features you don’t get with ET-2720 Ecotank. It can fax, has a document feeder for bulk copying and scanning, and the speed is slightly better with larger documents.
If you don’t need to fax, do lots of copying, or intend on using this for business purposes, then 2720 might be better because it’s more affordable. However, you’re getting much more value from 4800 and it’s honestly the better of the two.
Epson Ecotank 2720 | Epson Ecotank 4800 |
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Final Thoughts
So, who wins our Epson Ecotank 2720 vs 4800 review? Both are great, but we found that 4800 is better overall. It offers faxing, has a document feeder for better copying and scanning, prints faster, and can also copy 8.5×14 sheets. If price is your priority and you don’t intend on doing my faxing or copying, then 2720 is good, but 4800 is far better.