The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is an all-in-one photo printer with refillable ink tanks. In addition to the usual cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink, it uses gray and photo-black ink; it's compatible with Epson 552 inks. It's a wide-format printer that supports up to 13" x 19" paper size, and its flatbed scanner supports up to Legal-size paper but lacks an ADF and fax functionality. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB, and Ethernet. You can also print directly from an SD card, and there's mobile support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service. This printer is compatible with a special version of the Epson Smart Panel app, which offers additional functionality for photo printing.
A few variants offer different performance and features, as well as regional naming. See the Difference Between Variants section below for more details.
Our Verdict
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is great for home use. A full ink tank yields thousands of pages, and replacement ink is fairly inexpensive, so your maintenance cost remains low over time, even if you print a lot. Although it lacks an automatic document feeder, the scanner produces exceptional scans, which is great for digitizing your old family photos. It also prints high-quality documents and detailed, colorful pictures. It offers numerous connectivity options, enabling every household member to access the printer easily, and is compatible with Epson's mobile app, allowing you to print directly from your smartphone. While it's not huge by any means, this printer is on the larger side, so be sure to have enough space for it.
- Prints detailed and colorful photos.
- Prints high-quality documents.
- Refillable ink tank yields thousands of prints.
Exceptionally low cost-per-print.
- Can print borderless photos up to 13" x 19".
- Produces high-quality scans.
- Some colors are visibly inaccurate.
Can clog if it's left unused.
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is very good for office use. It's a well-built all-in-one with plenty of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi and Ethernet. It prints high-quality black-and-white documents at a decent speed, and its ink tank yields thousands of pages, requiring very little maintenance. It has a scanner but lacks an automatic document feeder, which isn't ideal for offices that often scan long, multi-page documents.
- Prints high-quality documents.
- Refillable ink tank yields thousands of prints.
Exceptionally low cost-per-print.
- Produces high-quality scans.
- No automatic document feeder.
The Epson Photo ET-8550 is an alright printer to set and rely on whenever you need to print. It's an inkjet printer, so regular use is recommended to prevent dried ink from clogging the printheads. When a severe clog occurs, the printheads are not replaceable, which limits your options in cases where maintenance tasks are insufficient to resolve the issue. Its high flushing volume usually clears blockages and supports multiple deep cleaning cycles without needing a refill, but severe clogs can be difficult to fix. Aside from this, the large ink tanks provide excellent page yields, so refills should be infrequent. It's also very versatile when it comes to connectivity, making it easy to print from almost any device whenever needed.
- Refillable ink tank yields thousands of prints.
Can clog if it's left unused.
Printheads aren't user-replaceable.
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is excellent for photo printing. It prints very detailed pictures with reasonably accurate colors and supports borderless printing up to 13" x 19". Its ink tank yields thousands of prints, resulting in a remarkably low cost-per-print and reduced maintenance.
- Prints detailed and colorful photos.
- Refillable ink tank yields thousands of prints.
Exceptionally low cost-per-print.
- Can print borderless photos up to 13" x 19".
Prints photos quickly.
- Some colors are visibly inaccurate.
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 delivers excellent page yields, thanks to its supertank system, which allows it to print thousands of pages before requiring a refill. This makes it well-suited for high-volume printing.
- Refillable ink tank yields thousands of prints.
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is fast for photo printing. It can output a 4" x 6" print in just over 48 seconds. However, document printing speed is slower, pushing out 15 black or 10 color pages per minute.
Prints photos quickly.
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is great at printing documents. Text is clear, and fine details are present. However, some vertical lines appear when printing in Standard Quality mode. Using Best Quality mode resolves this issue, but it requires more ink.
- Prints high-quality documents.
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550's scan quality is outstanding. Text looks sharp, and all the fine details are present. The image processing boosts the contrast and makes colors look more saturated, which is helpful when scanning documents. Still, it might not be ideal if you want to digitize photos and expect them to look exactly like the originals. However, this printer has mediocre scanner features. Its lack of an ADF means you'll have to scan each page manually, which isn't ideal if you often scan long, multi-page documents. However, its flatbed hinges are adjustable to accommodate larger items, such as textbooks or magazines.
- Produces high-quality scans.
- No automatic document feeder.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Dec 16, 2025:
We've updated text throughout the review after converting to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Dec 16, 2025: We've updated the review to Test Bench 1.3, which adds a number of test boxes including Risk of Clogging and Ease of Unclogging. We also updated the Usage and Performance boxes at the top of the review to better integrate the new aspects covered. See the changelog.
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Updated Aug 05, 2025:
Added a reference to the Epson SureColor P700 as another alternative with better color accuracy in the Color Accuracy test box.
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Updated Feb 14, 2025:
We've rewritten the Introduction, verdict boxes, and the 'Compared To Other Printers' box to bring them in line with our current standards for printer reviews.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 all-in-one inkjet printer. It has one other variant, the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500; the differences are outlined in the table below. In Europe, the ET-8550 is known as the Epson EcoTank L8180, while the ET-8500 is known as the Epson EcoTank L8160.
| Model (Regional Name) | Paper Support | Max Flatbed Scan Size |
|---|---|---|
| Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 (Epson EcoTank L8180 - EU) | Up to 13" x 19" | 8.5" x 14" |
| Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 (Epson EcoTank L8160) | Up to 8.5" x 11" | 8.5" x 11.7" |
See our unit's label.
Popular Printer Comparisons
The Epson EcoTank ET-8550 is an all-in-one inkjet photo printer with a refillable ink tank and wide-format printing capabilities. It stands out for its photo printing quality and exceptionally high page yield. While there are significantly cheaper printers with better color accuracy, like the Canon PIXMA TR8620a, this printer's color gamut is among the best we've tested, which helps it produce detailed and saturated prints. Its scan quality is also excellent for digitizing photos, but it isn't well-suited for office environments that need to process long, multi-page documents, as it lacks an ADF.
For other options, see our recommendations for the best photo printers, the best home printers, and the best inkjet printers.
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is better than the Canon PIXMA PRO-200S for most uses. The Epson is more versatile as it has a scanner and prints documents much faster. In terms of photo printing quality, the Epson isn't as color-accurate, as it tends to oversaturate colors, but it can reproduce finer details with better clarity. The Epson is also the better option if recurring cost is a concern because it's a supertank model that yields significantly more prints.
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 and the Epson SureColor P700 are both excellent photo printers, but they serve different purposes. The P700 offers better overall photo quality, with more accurate colors out of the box and a slightly wider color gamut. It also uses pigment ink, which typically lasts longer and is more resistant to smudges. However, it's a print-only device designed specifically for photo printing. In contrast, the ET-8550 is far more versatile: it includes a competent scanner, prints much faster, and has significantly lower ink costs thanks to its supertank system. Unless you are aiming to get the very best photo quality printing, the ET-8550 is likely to be a better choice.
The Canon PIXMA PRO-200 and the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 are excellent photo printers, although they're suited for different environments. The Canon is the better choice if you only print photos in a professional environment. It has much better color accuracy and a wider color gamut. However, the Epson is a much more versatile printer; it has a scanner and prints documents much faster. It's a great choice for office settings that need to print a variety of color media from documents to posters.
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 is better than the Epson EcoTank ET-15000. The ET-8550 produces significantly higher-quality documents and photos, and it prints a little faster overall. The ET-8550 also produces higher-quality scans, but unlike the ET-15000, it lacks an automatic document feeder. Regarding the cost per print, the ET-15000 yields more prints, and its replacement ink is cheaper, so it costs less to maintain over time than the ET-8550.
Test Results
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 feels very well-built, even though it's entirely made of plastic. Unlike most supertank printers, the ink tank's tubing mechanism is in a protected area, so it's out of the user's way when removing paper jams. The power cord is removable, making it easy to replace in case of damage. The scanner lid features a thick foam backing to smooth out uneven sheets and extendable hinges to accommodate thicker items, such as textbooks. There's also a separation down the middle, allowing you to hold the document in place while lowering the lid.
You can access paper jams through the back panel, the front (by removing the input trays), or by lifting the scanner. However, there isn't much space from the front and under the scanner, so it may be hard to grab jammed sheets. The input trays have spring-loaded covers that can sometimes get in the way when loading paper, as they bounce back on their own, closing the trays. The output tray retracts, but it doesn't do it automatically, and you can only retract it by clicking on the 'Output Tray' icon on the display.
The display is outstanding. You can adjust the tilt to make the screen easier to see when standing or sitting, and it also offers good viewing angles, allowing for visibility from the sides. The user interface is very responsive and user-friendly.
This printer has six tanks for cyan, magenta, yellow, gray, black (pigment), and photo black (dye) ink. The printer always displays a message during print jobs as a reminder to monitor ink levels, as emptying the tank can introduce air bubbles into the tubes and damage the printer. Another message pops up to indicate the current ink level. You do get a message when the ink starts to run low, but the printer will continue printing. When it's time to refill the tank, the printer stops printing and will only resume when you've refilled the tank or reset the ink levels in the settings menu.
This printer requires minimal maintenance. Like most inkjet printers, the printheads can clog if left unused for an extended period of time. There are maintenance functions built in to resolve any clogging issues, such as printhead nozzle checks, printhead cleaning, and power cleaning. You can also perform a paper guide cleaning and check on the remaining capacity of the maintenance box, which stores surplus ink collected during printing or printhead cleaning. You don't need to refill the ink tank often because a full tank yields thousands of pages. You can easily access the ink tanks by lifting the printer's top and the tank's cover; the printer doesn't need to be on for the refill. However, you need to set the ink level after refilling (the menu appears when you open the tank cover). There are two front input trays; the first holds 20 sheets of 5" x 7" photo paper, while the second holds 100 sheets of plain or A4 paper. The rear input tray holds 50 sheets of plain or 5 sheets of A3+ photo paper. The rear straight pass can only take one sheet at a time. You can see the user guide.
This is an inkjet printer, which means it can clog if left unused for an extended period. Inkjet printers use liquid ink that flows through extremely fine printhead nozzles. During extended periods of inactivity, this ink can evaporate, thicken, or dry out, potentially blocking the ink flow. Environmental factors such as dry air, dust, temperature fluctuations, or direct sunlight can accelerate clog formation. Clogs may cause missing lines, faded colors, or complete print failures. To reduce the risk, we recommend printing periodically and storing the printer in a cool, stable environment. If clogs occur, most inkjet printers include built-in maintenance routines to help clear the printheads, which are detailed in the Expected Maintenance test box of this review.
If you don't want to deal with unclogging, laser printers use a different system with dry toner and a drum instead of ink and printheads, which avoids this issue.
This printer has non-replaceable printheads paired with a high ink volume, which helps resolve most clogging issues without needing a refill or a new cartridge. The large flushing volume partially compensates for the lack of replacement options for the printheads. However, if a clog exceeds what printhead cleaning tasks can handle, you will most likely need professional help to resolve the issue, which can be quite costly.
- Quick Setup guide
- Power cord
- Six Epson 552 ink bottles:
- 1x Photo Black
- 1x Black
- 1x Cyan
- 1x Magenta
- 1x Yellow
- 1x Gray
The cost-per-print is remarkably low because a full tank lasts a long time, and replacement ink is relatively inexpensive. Although the printer uses black and photo black ink when printing black-and-white documents, the black (pigment) ink runs out faster than the photo black (dye).
The overall printing speed is good. It doesn't take long to initialize and get a single-page document out. It prints documents fairly quickly, and it can print double-sided documents automatically, meaning you won't have to flip the pages yourself. Epson advertises that it can print a 4" x 6" photo (Draft Quality on glossy paper) in 15 seconds; however, it's closer to 36 seconds from the moment you initiate the print job.
The Epson ET-8550 is great at printing black-and-white documents. There are some vertical lines when printing in the Standard Quality mode, but they aren't present when printing in the Best Quality mode. Emptying the tank completely can damage the printer, so we consider color ink necessary for black-and-white printing.
The Epson EcoTank ET-8550 prints color documents well. Some colors look a little muted, but all the fine details are present, and the text looks clear.
In addition to the listed paper sizes, this printer also supports 11" x 14", A3 (11.7" x 16.6"), and A3+ (13" x 19") paper sizes. However, the smaller Epson ET-8500 variant only supports paper sizes up to A4. You can use the rear paper feed (Straight Pass) to print on specialty paper or long paper, up to 1.3 mm in thickness.
The Epson ET-8550 has mediocre scanner features. Its lack of an ADF means you'll have to scan each page manually, which isn't ideal if you often scan long, multi-page documents. To use the optical character recognition feature, you need to scan the document as a searchable PDF via the Epson Scan 2 application. It works well, but occasionally makes mistakes when encountering special characters. The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 variant has a smaller 8.5" x 11.7" flatbed scanner.
The scan quality is outstanding. Text looks sharp, and all the fine details are present. The white text on a red background is a little harder to see, but still not too bad. The image processing enhances the contrast and makes colors appear more saturated, which is beneficial when scanning documents, but it may not be ideal if you intend to digitize photos and expect them to retain their original appearance.
The Epson ET-8550 has an outstanding color gamut. It only struggles with darker shades of blues and yellows. It prints bright, saturated blues and yellows well, but less so with bright purples and greens. There's no banding, and color transitions look relatively smooth.
This printer's color accuracy is okay. The printer tends to oversaturate colors to make photos look more vibrant. The pictures are still visually pleasing; just don't expect the colors to be exactly like the originals. If you're looking for an alternative with better color accuracy, consider the Canon PIXMA PRO-200 or the Epson SureColor P700.
The Epson ET-8550 prints small details exceptionally well. Fine details look clear, and the halftones (dots) aren't overly distracting or obscuring smaller elements. It has the same print resolution as the Epson Expression Premium XP-7100, but the image appears more detailed, thanks to the use of gray ink, which helps create better shading.
The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 variant only supports paper sizes up to 8.5" x 11".
This printer can print directly from an SD card. You can find the SD card slot above the USB port on the printer's front left side.
The Epson ET-8550 is compatible with Epson's Smart Panel mobile app; however, it's a special version with a different look and functionalities from other Epson printers. This special version loads as soon as you connect the printer. You can use it to print, scan, copy, and perform maintenance tasks, as well as access how-to videos and the user guide. You can also print both sides of an ID card on a single page, create borderless copies of documents, and generate a QR code to allow guests to connect to the printer. It features Google Classroom integration, allowing you to log in to your Classroom account and print assignments. It contains links to the Creative Print app and Epson's Gallery website; the former allows you to create collages and apply effects to your prints, while the latter provides access to a collection of patterns and templates. The iOS version of the app features an additional 'Professional Printing' tab that opens the Print Layout app, enabling you to print photos and adjust various settings, including paper type and size, paper source, and color space (Adobe RGB vs. sRGB).