Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Every bone in my body wanted to love this printer. Who doesn’t hope for the day when we’ll never have to load another ink cartridge into a printer? At 11,000 black pages per bottle, Epson has come closer to this dream than any other manufacturer to-date.
We liked
By adding storage space for additional ink, and lowering the cost of its ink bottles, Epson has made printing easier and more cost effective.
If your main concern is how cheaply you can print documents, and how seldom you have to refill your tank, then the ET-4550 is the right printer for you.
We disliked
Unfortunately, given how long it takes for each print to come out of the printer, and how poorly each image is produced, the ET-4550 is only ideal for specific situations. For example: if you’re a student or you have a home office and simply need to produce documents at an affordable rate, then try this device out.
But if you’re in a fast-paced office where documents need to get run off quickly between meetings, you’re better off going for a device that can deliver faster results.
Final verdict
Like most printers on the market, the Epson ET-4550 forces you to compromise. However, instead of compromising quality for speed, or vice versa, you’re compromising quality and speed for low print costs.
For some, this may make sense. But, for those of us who value our photos and documents (not to mention how quickly we get them) more than we value a few extra cents per page, the ET-4550 leaves a lot to be desired.
