- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Compared to others
- Discussions
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is an excellent printer for students. It's a small and compact printer with an ink supertank which can print a lot of black and color documents and provides an exceptionally low cost-to-print ratio. On the downside, this printer prints slowly, and even simple black text documents take some time to fully print. It also lacks a sheetfed scanner and those who need to scan multiple-paged documents may find the flatbed scanner limiting.
Our Verdict
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is good for family printing. Its photo printing quality is alright. However, it only has a flatbed scanner so you're able to only scan one page at a time. Its cost-to-print ratio is exceptional and it yields a lot of black text and color documents before needing to be refilled.
-
Exceptionally low cost-to-print ratio.
-
Small, lightweight body.
-
High black and color page yield.
-
Slow black, color, and photo print speed.
-
No Bluetooth or external storage support.
-
Only has a flatbed scanner.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is mediocre for home office use. This compact printer has a supertank system that yields a lot of pages before the tank needs to be refilled. It also has an exceptional cost-to-print ratio for both black and color ink. However, it's slow to print black text documents, there's no fax feature, and some may find only having a flatbed scanner limiting.
-
Exceptionally low cost-to-print ratio.
-
Small, lightweight body.
-
High black and color page yield.
-
Slow black, color, and photo print speed.
-
Only has a flatbed scanner.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is excellent for student use. Its cost-to-print ratio is exceptional and you're able to get a lot of black text or color documents out of this printer before you need to refill the ink tanks. The printer is also fairly compact and you can connect it via Wi-Fi to your router or use your mobile device to print things. On the downside, it takes a while to print documents, which isn't so good when you're in a rush.
-
Exceptionally low cost-to-print ratio.
-
Small, lightweight body.
-
High black and color page yield.
-
Slow black, color, and photo print speed.
-
No Bluetooth or external storage support.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is decent for black and white use. It yields a lot of black text pages before you need to refill the tank and its cost-to-print ratio is exceptional. On the downside, this printer takes its time to print out your documents.
-
Exceptionally low cost-to-print ratio.
-
Small, lightweight body.
-
High black and color page yield.
-
Slow black, color, and photo print speed.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is decent for printing casual photos. It doesn't produce particularly vibrant yellows, though, and there's a small amount banding present on grayscale images. It also has disappointing color accuracy, but it should be precise enough for home use. It supports glossy photo paper, and you can print out 4" x 6" as well as 5" x 7" photos too.
-
Exceptionally low cost-to-print ratio.
-
Small, lightweight body.
-
High black and color page yield.
-
Slow black, color, and photo print speed.
-
Disappointing color accuracy.
- 7.5 Family
- 6.2 Small/Home Office
- 8.7 Student
- 7.3 Black & White
- 7.0 Casual Photo
- Update 7/7/2020: We've retested this printer's duplex printing capabilities.
- Update 6/8/2020: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.1.
Check Price
Test Results
The Epson ET-2720 has a mediocre design. It's easy to access the ink tanks and load paper. However, the output tray is flimsy and if you have a paper jam, there isn't any rear access. There's a door underneath the display screen but it can be difficult to get at paper jams from here if you have larger hands. It's also hard to scan bulkier items like books as the scanner lid can't extend to accommodate them.
Epson ET-2720 is a compact and lightweight printer. Although the supertank slightly juts out, the footprint should be small enough for most home offices or student dorms.
Update 05/19/2020: We updated the display screen size and raised the score. This review has been updated to reflect these changes.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 has a mediocre screen. The display console swivels to allow you to see the screen better and it has good visibility whether you're seated or standing. While there isn't a touch screen, push buttons surround the screen, but you may need to press them several times to get to the command you're looking for.
- User manual
- Epson EcoTank 522 ink bottles
- 1x Cyan
- 1x Magenta
- 1x Yellow
- 1x Black
- Installation CD
- Power cable
The Epson ET-2720 has an exceptional supertank system. It uses four high-capacity ink tanks that you refill yourself and yields a lot of both black and color pages before you need to refill the tank again. There's also a pop-up message on PC to periodically check your ink levels, which is great if you aren't keeping a close eye on your ink tanks.
While it's technically possible to fill the supertank with any third-party ink, we didn't try it and don't recommend doing so as low-quality ink could damage the print heads and, unlike regular cartridges, they can't be removed if there's a problem. Using third-party ink could also void your warranty.
This printer's scanning features are mediocre. It only has a flatbed scanner so documents have to be scanned page by page and if your documents are double-sided, one side after the other, which can be a pain if you need to scan a lot of pages. This printer also doesn't have a fax. The Epson EcoTank ET-4760 is a similar printer with a sheetfed scanner and a fax.
The Epson ET-2720 has an exceptional cost-per-print ratio. Black, color, and photo printing are all extremely cost-effective. If you need to refill the tanks, you can purchase a multipack ink package or each ink bottle separately.
Update 07/07/2020: We've updated the 'Duplex Printing' results to 'No' and lowered its score. This review has been updated to reflect these changes.
This printer has a poor printing speed. Although the first page doesn't take too long to print, additional black text pages aren't much quicker. Color pages are slow to print and it takes almost a minute and a half to print off one 4" by 6" photo.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 has disappointing color accuracy. While it may be okay for the occasional pop of color on an assignment or work document, it won't be suitable for those who need accurate color from their printer.
This printer's photo printing quality is decent. There's a bit of banding on the grayscale and the yellow lacks vibrancy.
These results are based on the actual physical photo, not the scanned image provided for reference above, which may not be representative of the printer's photo print quality.
If you want a supertank printer with better photo printing quality, check out the Canon PIXMA G6020.
The Epson ET-2720 has one adjustable input feed in the back of the printer and it supports most popular paper sizes.
The Epson ET-2720 has alright connectivity features. You can hook it up wirelessly by using your Wi-Fi via your router or you can use Wi-Fi Direct. If you're using a mobile device, you can also use Apple AirPrint or Mopria Print Service. On the downside, you won't be able to use an ethernet cable with it and it lacks any external storage support. If you want a similar printer with external storage support, check out the Epson EcoTank ET-2760.
The Epson iPrint app is good. Accessible on Android and iOS devices, you can print, scan, and copy photos and PDF files directly from the app. You can also perform maintenance tasks.
Compared to other printers
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 is a very good printer for everyday home use; however, there are other printers in the same price range that perform better and have more features, such as the Brother MFC-J995DW. For other options, check out our recommendations for the best all-in-one printers, the best home printers, and the best inkjet printers.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 and the Epson Expression ET-2750 are similar printers but the ET-2750 is slightly better-performing overall. The ET-2750 has a bit better build quality, it can print black-text documents quicker, and it has duplex printing. It also has slightly better photo printing quality and external storage support. However, although it's still sub-par, the ET-2720 has better color accuracy.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2720 and the Epson EcoTank ET-2760 are very similar printers and they even have almost the same features, but the ET-2760 is slightly better performing overall. The ET-2760 is a bit better built, it can do duplex printing, and it has external storage support. However, the ET-2720 has slightly better color accuracy and photo printing quality.
Overall, the HP Smart Tank Plus 551 and the Epson EcoTank ET-2720 have very similar performance. The Epson has a better display screen, it prints higher quality photos, and its replacement ink is cheaper. However, the HP yields more black and color pages per cartridge and it has much better color accuracy.
The Brother HL-L2390DW and the Epson EcoTank ET-2720 are two very different printers. The Brother is a monochrome laser printer with better build quality and quicker printing speed. However, the Epson is a color inkjet supertank that can yield more pages from its ink tanks before they need to be refilled. The Epson's cost-per-print is more affordable and its photo printing quality is quite decent. If you print only black-text documents, the Brother is a good choice, but if you need color printing and don't mind the slower print time, go for the Epson.
Epson EcoTank ET-2720 Price
Recommended Articles
Gain early access to all tests results for new products
Prices will now be listed directly in reviews and tables
Have 5 votes per product category to choose which product we’ll review next
Gain unlimited access to detailed test results in tools and results (no blurred results)
