The Epson EcoTank ET-4700 is a good printer for a variety of uses. Due to its small and compact size, most students will be able to fit this printer on their desks or small home offices. Thanks to its EcoTank system, it's able to yield a large number of black and color pages, leading to an exceptionally low cost-per-print. The scanner comes with an Automatic Document Feeder, making it easier to scan multi-page documents, and the lid can be extended so you can scan larger items like textbooks or magazines. Unfortunately, if you're a last-minute student looking to get your project in on time, this printer takes incredibly long to print, especially if you need to print photos.
This model is discontinued, and it's been replaced by the Epson EcoTank ET-4800.
Our Verdict
The Epson ET-4700 is a very good family printer. The photo printing quality is decent with minimal color in the grayscale. Thanks to its high yield for both black and color pages, you will not need to refill the ink tanks often. It also has a great scanner with an Automatic Document Feeder. Unfortunately, if you want to print photos from your camera's SD card directly, this printer doesn't include external storage support.
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Great scanner with Automatic Document Feeder.
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No external storage options.
The Epson ET-4700 is a good small and home office printer. The build is compact enough to be able to fit on most common desks and office spaces. It has an excellent black and color page yield for printing large documents and projects. The Automatic Document Feeder on the scanner makes scanning long documents easier for a busy office. It also includes an ethernet connection.
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Outstandingly low cost-per-print ratio for black and color documents.
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Exceptionally high black and color page yield.
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Very slow printing speed, especially for photos.
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No external storage options.
The Epson ET-4700 is an excellent printer for students. Thanks to its high yield for both black and color pages, you will not need to refill the ink tanks often, meaning its cost-per-print is low. It has a great scanner with the option to extend the lid so you can scan thicker documents. Unfortunately, it doesn't support any external storage devices.
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Outstandingly low cost-per-print ratio for black and color documents.
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Exceptionally high black and color page yield.
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Great scanner with Automatic Document Feeder.
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Very slow printing speed, especially for photos.
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No external storage options.
The Epson ET-4700 is a good black and white printer thanks to its excellent black page yield and low cost-per-print. The first page out print time is decent, but pages after the first one can take quite a bit of time to print. It has a small, compact design but can be difficult to clear paper jams through its small slot in front of the printer. Again, the Automatic Document Feeder is a nice addition to this printers scanner.
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Outstandingly low cost-per-print ratio for black and color documents.
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Exceptionally high black and color page yield.
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Very slow printing speed, especially for photos.
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No external storage options.
The Epson ET-4700 is an ordinary casual photo printer. The photo printing quality is decent but the color accuracy is only mediocre. It's good enough for casual color printing but might not be accurate enough for professionals. The build and design quality is also unremarkable, with access to paper jams only provided through a small opening in the front of the printer, making it difficult for users with large hands to maneuver.
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Reasonable photo printing quality.
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Mediocre color accuracy.
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No external storage options.
- Family
- Small/Home Office
- Student
- Black & White
- Casual Photo
- Updated Dec 03, 2020: We now consider that the Epson mobile app is capable of printing .txt files.
- Updated Jul 10, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Jul 07, 2020: Early access published.
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Compared To Other Printers
The Epson ET-4700 is a good printer for small or home offices. A supertank printer is slightly more expensive than most laser printers, but it's exponentially cheaper to refill its ink over needing to buy toner cartridges.
For other options, you can also check out our recommendations for the best photo printers, the best all-in-one printers, and the best cheap printers.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4800 is the updated version of the Epson EcoTank ET-4700. They look and perform nearly identical, but the ET-4800 has higher page yields and prints nicer-looking photos. Neither can print double-sided sheets automatically.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4700 and the Epson EcoTank ET-2720 are quite similar, but the ET-4700 performs a little bit better for most uses. It has a sheetfed scanner and an Ethernet port, which the ET-2720 lacks. On the other hand, the ET-2720 yields more pages before needing to refill the ink tanks.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4760 and the Epson EcoTank ET-4700 are both very good supertank printers, but the ET-4760 is slightly better. The ET-4760 has a higher page yield with a lower cost-per-print, a faster printing speed, and slightly better color accuracy. The ET-4700 has marginally better photo quality, but it isn't worth buying for this reason alone.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4700 and the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 are very similar supertank printers. The ET-2850 is a better choice if you print a lot since its page yields are much higher, especially for black-only documents. Also, it prints double-sided automatically, while on the ET-4700, you need to flip over the sheets yourself. However, the ET-4700 has an Ethernet port, an automatic document feeder, and built-in fax, meaning it's a better choice if you need these features for your office work.
The Epson EcoTank ET-3760 and the Epson EcoTank ET-4700 are two similar supertank printers. They both have very high black and color page yields, but both suffer when it comes to color and photo printing speeds. However, the ET-3760 has a much quicker printing speed for black text documents, while on the other hand, the ET-4700 has faxing capabilities.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4700 is a slightly better printer than the HP Smart Tank Plus 551. They both have excellent cost-per-prints and high yields for black and color documents like most supertanks. The Epson has a better display screen and the scanner has an Automatic Document Feeder.
The Epson Expression Premium ET-7750 EcoTank is a better family printer than the Epson EcoTank ET-4700. The ET-7750 yields many more black pages, resulting in a lower cost-per-print for black printing, it prints significantly quicker, and it performs automatic duplex printing. It also lets you print directly off an SD card or USB key. On the other hand, the ET-4700 has an automatic document feeder and yields more color pages.
The Brother MFC-J6945DW is designed for small or home offices and performs better overall than the Epson EcoTank ET-4700. The Brother feels solid and much better built, has an outstanding display interface, and prints much faster. Also, it can print 11" x 17" sheets and scan them using both its flatbed and duplex-scanning automatic document feeder and can print directly from USB flash drives. On the other hand, the Epson has better page yields and a cheaper cost-per-print since it uses tanks instead of cartridges.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4700 is a much better overall printer than the Brother MFC-J895DW. The Epson has a much better cost-per-print and black and color page yield. They both have great scanning features, but the Epson includes an Automatic Document Feeder. However, the Brother does print documents faster.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4700 is a better printer than the Epson WorkForce WF-7720. Like most supertank printers, the cost-per-print on the ET-4700 is much better than the WF-7720. It has an incredibly high black and color page yield, so the ink won't need to be refilled as often as a cartridge. The ET-4700 also has a better photo printing quality and includes an Automatic Document Feeder for its scanner.
The Brother MFC-J805DW INKvestment Tank and the Epson EcoTank ET-4700 are both all-in-one color inkjet printers, but the Epson uses a refillable supertank ink system that gives it double the color page yield over the Brother, which uses a proprietary hybrid cartridge-tank system. The Epson is also better for office use, as it prints black text documents faster, produces more accurate colors, has a much cheaper cost-per-print, and also has an Ethernet port. On the other hand, the Brother can automatically duplex print, and it produces better-looking photos.
The Epson ET-4700 is an all-in-one color printer, while the Epson WorkForce ST-M1000 is a monochrome printer-only model. If you need a more versatile model, the ET-4700 is a better choice since it has a flatbed scanner, an automatic document feeder, color, and better photo printing quality. On the other hand, the ST-M1000 is a good model if you're looking for a simple supertank model to only print in black and white with. It has a higher black page yield, a significantly faster printing speed, automatic duplex printing, and a larger input tray.
The Epson Expression ET-2750 and the Epson EcoTank ET-4700 are all-in-one color inkjet printers with supertank ink systems for very high page yields and a very low cost-per-print, but the Expression is a better printer for students. The Expression yields a superior number of pages and has a slightly better cost-per-print, prints more quickly overall, and produces better-looking photos. It can also automatically print double-sided. On the other hand, the EcoTank has an automatic document feeder, faxing capability, and an Ethernet port, making it better for the office. It also produces much more accurate colors.
The Epson EcoTank ET-2760 and the Epson EcoTank ET-4700 are both good family printers. The ET-4700 has an automatic document feeder and an Ethernet port if you want to plug it directly into your router. On the other hand, the ET-2760 has a higher page yield and a slightly lower cost-per-print, and it supports printing off a USB thumb drive. Also, unlike the ET-4700, the ET-2760 can print double-sided pages automatically.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4700 and the Canon PIXMA G7020 are all-in-one color inkjet printers with supertank ink systems for outstanding cost-per-print and page yields. However, the Canon is better for casual photos, with a better cost-per-print and higher page yields, faster photo printing speed, and much better image quality. On the other hand, the Epson prints documents more quickly, so it might be better for students and small or home offices.
Test Results
The Epson ET-4700 has an adequate design. It's easy to access the ink tanks and to load paper. However, the output tray is flimsy and if you have a paper jam, there isn't any rear access. To access a paper jam, there's a panel underneath the display screen, but it can be difficult to maneuver if you have larger hands. On the plus side, the scanner lid for this printer can extend so that you can scan larger items like books or magazines.
The Epson ET-4700 is a compact and lightweight printer. It has very similar dimensions to the Epson EcoTank ET-2720 but is a little taller due to its Automatic Document Feeder. The printer should fit well on most desks and office spaces.
The Epson ET-4700 has a mediocre display panel. It has good visibility whether you're seated or standing thanks to its vertical tilt. Navigation is easy; however, the LED screen is still quite small, so if you want a similar printer with a bigger screen, check out the Epson EcoTank ET-4760. Unlike other Epson EcoTanks, this model comes with a physical numeric pad beside the display screen to make faxing easier.
- User manual
- Epson EcoTank 522 ink bottles
- 1x Cyan
- 1x Magenta
- 1x Yellow
- 1x Black
- Installation CD
- Power cable
The Epson EcoTank ET-4700 has an excellent supertank system. Just like the HP Smart Tank Plus 551, it uses four high-capacity ink tanks that you refill yourself, which yields a lot of both black and color pages before you need to refill the tank again. For a nearly identical and upgraded model, check out the Epson EcoTank ET-4800.
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.
The Epson ET-4700 includes an impressive scanner. There's a flatbed scanner with an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for processing paper documents quickly. This printer also includes a fax, which can be useful in an office setting. On the downside, if you have double-sided documents, you must scan each side manually as there's no duplex scanning. If you'd like an automatic double-sided scanning feature, check out the Epson Expression Premium ET-7750 EcoTank.
The Epson ET-4700 has a remarkable cost-per-print. For large families that need to print a lot of photos, this printer has extremely cost-effective photo printing. If you need to refill the tanks, you can purchase a multipack ink package or each ink bottle separately.
Unfortunately, this printer has bad printing speed. It might not be expensive to print family photos, but you will need to wait quite a while before they are ready. Both black and color documents are also slow to print, but photos take the longest. If you're looking for a similar printer with a quicker printing time for black-text documents, check out the Epson EcoTank ET-3760.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4700 has a mediocre color accuracy. The accuracy might be good enough for simple color documents, but might not be enough for professionals.
The Epson ET-4700 has decent photo printing quality. The colors are clear, and there's only a small presence of color in the grayscale.
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 printer that prints higher quality photos, check out the Brother MFC-J995DW.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4700 has an adjustable input tray that fits most popular paper sizes.
The Epson ET-4700 has great connectivity options. Unlike the Epson ET-2720, this printer has an ethernet connection, making it a more suitable office printer. If you're using a mobile device, you can also use Apple AirPrint or Mopria Print Service. Unfortunately, this printer doesn't include any external storage support, so you won't be able to print from a USB thumb drive or SD card.
Update 12/03/2020: We've changed our testing methodology. We now consider that the mobile app is capable of printing .txt files, it just needs to convert them into PDFs first. The score has been updated accordingly.
The Epson ET-4700 uses the Epson iPrint app, which is a remarkable piece of software. 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.
