E: Business 8/18/19, 6(18 PM

Epson Ecotank printers are the way to go

SOUND ADVICE SOUND

Q I would like to start printing photographs at home. Can I get the same quality at home as I get from the
drugstore or an online service? What about the expense?

— J.T., Bethel Park, Pa.

A When I first started writing the column back in 2002, I got lots of questions about printers, especially
color inkjets for printing photographs. In recent times, people tend to get photo prints from the store, and
yours is the first printer question in a good while. My recent columns about cameras and photography
generated a lot of questions about the subject, and I am glad to see the renewed interest.

A professional-quality photo printer that uses eight ink colors can easily exceed the image quality you get
from most stores and services. This was the case years ago, and it still holds true today. I have a beautiful
Epson Stylus Photo 2200 printer from 2004 that still makes some of the best photographic prints I have ever
seen, and one of these days I am going to clean and restore the printhead so I can use it again. Such
professional printers require a significant upfront investment, typically over $500, and it requires a certain
amount of skill to get the best results with them.

Many consumer printers can also make great prints. Last year my sister purchased an Epson Expression
Premium XP60
00 upon my recommendation, and she was thrilled when I wirelessly connected it to her smartphone and
printed beautiful photographs. She still gets most of her photo prints from the drugstore due to the speed,
ease and low cost, but the convenience of printing at home can’t be beat. The printer was a big hit at my
niece’s graduation party, as we printed out pictures taken by the guests and posted them on a big display
board for everyone to see. The XP-6000 is currently on sale for $79.99, and it’s a great deal at that price.

Although a $79.99 XP-6000 is an appealing proposition, I am convinced Epson Ecotank printers are the way
to go and the wave of the future. Prior to Ecotank, my inkjet printers collected dust from lack of use because
I preferred to print my documents on a black-and-white laser printer and have my photographs printed by a
lab. The cost and inconvenience of buying ink cartridges drove me away, and though my laser-printed pages
were fine, I still missed documents with bright, beautiful color, as well as the convenience of being able to
print out an occasional photograph at home.

Thanks to my Ecotank printer I am looking at lovely color documents again. Epson Ecotank printers come
with refillable ink tanks and a set of ink bottles that hold the equivalent of 80 ink cartridges, enough to last
most users for years. (Do the math: How much would 80 ink cartridges cost?) When you do need to replace
the ink bottles, it is 90% less expensive than buying cartridges. Although you spend more for the printer
upfront, you will quickly recoup the cost in ink savings, and you will always have the security of knowing
you will not run out of ink when you need it most.

The Epson Ecotank ET-2720 all-in-one printer is only $199 and is a good place to start. Now it is my laser
printer that collects dust as I enjoy color printing at an even lower cost per print than my black-and-white
laser. Information: epson.com. Contact Don Lindich at soundadvicenews.com and use the “submit question”

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E: Business 8/18/19, 6(18 PM

link.

Don Lindich

Sound advice

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