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Whether you’re looking for refillable inkjet printers, super tank inkjet printers, or office printers with refillable cartridges, the two major printers you’re going to find now are HP Smart Tank and Epson Ecotank. These two are very similar, so choosing the right one is a matter of comparing the models directly. That’s exactly what we’re doing with our HP Smart Tank 7001 vs Epson Ecotank 3850 review.
Our Epson Ecotank 3850 vs HP Smart Tank 7001 review will compare these based on functions, printing speed, paper sizes, smart features, and any other differences we can find.
While HP 7001 Smart Tank has some advantages, we found that Epson 3850 Ecotank was better overall due to its document feeder and better output tray, but read on to see which printer is right for you.
| HP Smart Tank 7001 | Epson Ecotank 3850 |
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Are Refillable Printers Better?
If this is your first refillable printer, then you might be wondering: are refillable inkjet printers better? The short answer is yes. Not only do you save money, but you can print many more sheets without the downtime of changing out ink cartridges. They’re also more environmentally friendly since cartridges waste a tremendous amount of plastic.
This is especially true for homes or offices where printing is the norm. The more printing you do, the more savings you see. These printers are specifically designed for people who are printing on a regular basis.
What is the disadvantage of refillable printers? The only disadvantage is that these printers aren’t great for those who rarely print. The ink can dry and may cause a jam, but this is easy to fix. If you print at least several times a week, then refillable inkjets are amazing.
Check Price: HP Smart Tank 7001 ->
Epson Ecotank ET-3850 vs HP Smart Tank 7001: Functions
In terms of basic functions, these two are very similar as they share many features. However, Ecotank wins by being much more efficient with copying and scanning. But, if you rarely copy and scan, then it is basically a tie here. At the same time, since they are at a similar price point, getting a more efficient machine is always better.
So, what features do you get with these printers? Both of them come with the ability to print, copy, and scan. They have flatbed scanners both for scanning and copying, and they also both feature duplex printing (also known as double-sided printing).
So what is the difference with HP Smart Tank 7001 vs Epson Ecotank ET-3850? The major difference is that Ecotank 3850 comes with an automatic document feeder. This allows you to place a small stack of paper in the feeder for faster copying and scanning.
You can only copy or scan one sheet at a time with 7001 Smart Tank, but you can do many sheets at once with 3850 Ecotank. This is what makes it significantly better, especially since they are a similar price.
Check Price: Epson Ecotank 3850 ->
Epson Ecotank 3850 vs HP Smart Tank 7001: Printing Speed
Which refillable printer is the fastest? While there is a slight difference here, this section is basically a tie between Ecotank or Smart Tank. One is somewhat faster at color printing while the other is a little faster at monochrome printer. However, the difference is so slight that one really isn’t better than the other in this area.
Printing speeds are most often measured in PPM, or Pages Per Minute. A higher PPM rating means that the printer is faster, but keep in mind that this is the per page measurement, not the entire sheet. While duplex printing is slightly faster than printing two single-sided pages, it’s not by a huge margin.
HP Smart Tank 7001 has a 9 PPM rating for color printing and 15 PPM for monochrome printing. Epson Ecotank 3850 on the other hand has an 8.5 PPM rating for color printing and 15.5 PPM rating for monochrome printing.
As you can see, this is hardly a significant difference. If you only do color printing, then HP is better while Epson is better at monochrome, but we think these will pretty much balance out.
| HP Smart Tank 7001 | Epson Ecotank 3850 |
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HP Smart Tank 7001 vs Epson Ecotank ET-3850: Paper Size
Another important factor to check before buying any printer is the paper size. You want to make sure that you can print the sizes that you need, especially if you print smaller or larger sheets. While neither of these can print large ledger sheets (11×17), they can both print a variety of American and European sizes, and they can both print cards, photos, and envelopes.
In general, we would say that these are about the same in this regard. Read below for the support paper types.
HP Smart Tank 7001 Paper Sizes
- Letter 8.5×11
- Legal 8.5×14
- Cards and Photos: 4×6, 5×7, 8×10
- Envelopes
- European Sizes: A4, A5, A6, B5
Epson Ecotank 3850 Paper Sizes
- 3.5×5
- 4×6
- 5×7
- 8×10
- 8.5×11
- 8.5×14
- A4
- A6
- Executive
- Half Letter
- No. 10 Envelopes
Check Price: HP Smart Tank 7001 ->
HP Smart Tank 7001 vs Epson Ecotank 3850: Smart Features
Both of these are smart refillable inkjet printers that have very unique features. While they have some similar features, they also have some very distinct features. Be sure to consider both of these to see which is right for you. Some will prefer HP’s ability to monitor supplies while others will like the voice commands from Epson.
HP Smart Tank 7001 has a variety of smart features. It comes with the ability to monitor your ink and paper to ensure you never run out. You can automatically have supplies ordered for you, and the HP Smart app allows you to cloud print, scan and print from your device, and it syncs your printer and phone so they work seamlessly together.
Another great benefit is that this printer uses dual-band WiFi that’s self-healing, which means that it’s one of the most stable wireless printers you can buy.
On the other hand, Epson Ecotank 3850 smart features include the Epson Smart Panel app, which syncs with your printer and also allows for printing and scanning from your device. It also provides wireless printing for any device connected to your network, and it allows you to use voice commands from Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant.
Both are great. It really comes down to whether you want supply monitoring from HP or voice commands from Epson since the other features are very similar.
Check Price: Epson Ecotank 3850 ->
What is the Difference Between HP Smart Tank 7001 and Epson Ecotank 3850?
Curious about what is the difference between Epson Ecotank 3850 and HP Smart Tank 7001? We found that while they are similar in numerous ways, they are also very different in other ways. Let’s go through everything we found to see which is best for you.
In terms of similarities, both are refillable inkjet printers that are simple to fill, and they have very similar functions with printing, scanning, and copying. They have basically the same printing speed and supported paper sizes. Another similarity is that they have numerous smart and wireless features.
In terms of differences, Epson 3850 includes an automatic document feeder for more efficient copying and scanning. HP 7001 includes supply monitoring and the HP Smart app is a little more robust, but Epson has a similar app and includes voice commands.
| HP Smart Tank 7001 | Epson Ecotank 3850 |
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Final Thoughts
So, which is better in terms of Epson Ecotank ET-3850 vs HP Smart Tank 7001? They are similar in many ways, but the major difference of the document feeder gives Epson a big advantage here. While some people will like HP for the supply monitoring and it’s honestly a great printer, we found that Epson was more useful overall.