Epson EcoTank ET-2840 Review: Rear Feed Fixed It
Our old printer jammed constantly and claimed it had no paper while sitting on a full tray. We homeschool four kids, so the printer runs all day. Here's what changed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1z0JcAkkZI
THE VERDICT
Not the sharpest printer you can buy, and a laser will beat it on quality. But it's cartridge-free, the ink costs a fraction of what cartridges do, and the rear feed fixed the jamming that drove us off our last printer.
I didn't come to this Epson EcoTank ET-2840 review looking for the best printer. I came looking for one that would stop wasting my time.
We homeschool four kids. That means the printer isn't a gadget in our house, it's infrastructure. My wife Cindy prints something, the kids run down and grab it, and everyone carries on with their day.
Which is exactly why the old one had to go.
The problem I was actually buying my way out of
Our previous HP tank printer had a front-loading tray, constant paper jams, and a habit of announcing there was no paper while sitting on a full tray.
Every single time it failed, someone had to stop what they were doing and go and fix a printer. In a homeschool day that happens at the worst possible moment, every time.
A printer that needs a technician isn't a printer. It's a chore with a power cable.
Rear paper feed is the whole reason to buy this
The ET-2840 loads from the back, not the front. That sounds like trivia. It isn't.
Why the feed direction matters
A rear feed gives the paper a straighter, shorter path to the rollers. Fewer bends, fewer chances to skew, fewer chances to jam. That was the single thing I was hoping would give us consistent printing without a person standing over it.
If you've been fighting a front-loading printer that jams, that one spec is the reason to look at this machine, and honestly it's the reason I bought it.
Cartridge-free is the money argument
No cartridges, no print heads to replace. You fill the ink tanks and go, and the ink comes in the box.
The honest trade
An EcoTank isn't as sharp as a laser printer. Epson don't claim it is. If you need crisp professional output, buy a laser and pay for it.
What you get instead is ink that costs a fraction of what cartridges cost. For a household printing schoolwork every day of the week, that's the number that actually decides things.
Specs
Model Epson EcoTank ET-2840
Ink Cartridge-free refillable tanks. Ink included in the box
Paper feed Rear input
Functions Print, copy, scan
Connectivity Wi-Fi and USB, plus mobile printing
Display 1.44" LCD
Print heads None to replace
Setup took about five minutes
Download the app, plug it in, power on. Hit the plus button, choose set up a new product, continue, allow. It finds the ET-2840 on its own and you confirm. That's the whole process.
Wi-Fi or wired
We run it over Wi-Fi. There's a USB port on the back if you'd rather wire it to a computer, but the whole point for us is printing straight from a phone. Send the document from wherever you're standing and it's downstairs waiting.
What I liked
✦ Rear paper feed. The reason I bought it, and the fix for the jam-and-lie behaviour of our last printer.
✦ Cartridge-free. Fill the tanks and forget about it. Ink included.
✦ Ink cost. The whole EcoTank pitch, and it's real if you print a lot.
✦ Mobile printing. Genuinely the feature we use most. Send it from your phone and walk away.
✦ Copy and scan built in, which for homeschool paperwork gets far more use than I expected.
✦ No print heads to replace. One fewer consumable to think about.
What I didn't
✦ Print quality isn't laser quality. Epson don't claim it is. Know what you're buying.
✦ The LCD is 1.44 inches. It's a status light with ambitions. You'll use the app for anything real.
✦ It's a budget printer and it feels like one in the hand. That's the deal at this price.
Who should buy the Epson EcoTank ET-2840?
Buy it if
You're a household that prints constantly and doesn't need perfection. Homeschool, school runs, forms, boarding passes. The ink savings compound, and the rear feed means you stop being the printer's technician.
Skip it if
You need professional-quality output. Buy a laser. This isn't the machine for you and Epson would tell you the same.
Six months in, nobody in this house has had to go and fix the printer mid-lesson. For $200-ish, that's what I was actually buying.
What printer are you fighting with? Tell me in the comments. If enough people name the same one I'll go and test it.