The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 is a supertank all-in-one printer. It uses refillable ink tanks instead of traditional ink cartridges, which are compatible with Epson 542 Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow ink. The ADF-equipped scanner supports dual-pass duplex scanning, and it also offers fax functionality. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB, and Ethernet, and it can also print directly from a USB flash drive. It's compatible with the Epson Smart Panel app, which allows you to perform tasks such as printing and scanning, perform remote maintenance tasks, and order ink and supplies.
There are several variants of this printer, each with different features and performance. See the Differences Between Variants section below for more details.
Our Verdict
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 is a good printer for home use, but it's not its intended purpose. It's very big, which makes storing it a hassle. That said, it prints sharp-looking documents and good-looking photos. Its photos aren't particularly color-accurate, but they're fine for casual photo printing. Its feature-rich scanner offers great versatility, from scanning long documents with its ADF to digitizing material from textbooks thanks to adjustable flatbed hinges; however, scan quality is only okay. Scans tend to look oversaturated and lack some fine details. However, on the bright side, this printer supports a wide range of connectivity options, making it convenient and easy for the whole family to use.
Produces sharp documents.
- Superb page yields and cost-per-print.
- Produces good-quality photos.
Numerous connectivity options.
- Mediocre color accuracy.
Scanning image processing culls background elements.
Can clog if it's left unused.
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 is an excellent printer for small offices. Its refillable ink tanks yield thousands of pages, and it prints sharp-looking documents quickly. The feature-rich scanner boasts an ADF with dual-pass duplex scanning, making it easy to process multi-page and double-sided documents. There are also many wired and wireless connectivity options, making it convenient to use regardless of your office's setup.
Produces sharp documents.
- Superb page yields and cost-per-print.
ADF-equipped scanner with double-pass duplex scanning.
Fast printing speeds.
Numerous connectivity options.
Scanning image processing culls background elements.
The Epson EcoTank ET-5850 is a decent option if you want a printer that requires minimal maintenance and is always ready to print when needed. Like other inkjet models, it can clog if left unused, so regular printing is recommended to keep the printheads clear. Although the printheads are not replaceable, the high flushing volume helps resolve most clogs without requiring an ink refill. Its large ink tanks provide outstanding page yields, making it a very cost-effective choice. It's also quick, especially compared to most other EcoTanks, which tend to be slower performers.
- Superb page yields and cost-per-print.
Fast printing speeds.
Numerous connectivity options.
Can clog if it's left unused.
Printheads aren't user-replaceable.
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 is good for casual photo printing. While this printer has a fairly wide color gamut, capable of reproducing saturated tones and hues, its color accuracy is only okay and not suitable for use in a professional environment. Despite some graininess, photos look great for at-home use. The cost-per-print is superb thanks to this printer's refillable ink tank system, which yields thousands of prints. Finally, there's wide support for photo paper sizes.
- Superb page yields and cost-per-print.
- Produces good-quality photos.
Wide color gamut results in detailed prints.
- Doesn't support 2" x 3" format paper.
- Mediocre color accuracy.
The Epson EcoTank ET-5850 boasts an exceptional page yield, similar to other supertank printers in this line. It's an ideal choice for those with high printing needs.
- Superb page yields and cost-per-print.
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 prints quickly. It can produce 25 black or color pages per minute, and the first page will be ready in nine seconds. Its photo printing speeds are also impressive, as it completes a 4" x 6" print in just over 29 seconds.
Fast printing speeds.
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 produces outstanding documents. Text is sharp, and fine elements, like lines on a graph, are clear. There's a bit of banding present.
Produces sharp documents.
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 offers a feature-rich scanner. Its ADF is capable of double-pass duplex scanning for processing long, double-sided documents, and the flatbed scanner's hinges are slightly adjustable to accommodate larger items, such as textbooks or magazines. As for the scan quality, it's just okay. Text is clear, and colors are vibrant, but the image processing is too aggressive in trying to remove artifacts; it also removes background and fine elements like lines on a graph or watermarks.
ADF-equipped scanner with double-pass duplex scanning.
Scanning image processing culls background elements.
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 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.
- Updated Sep 21, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 in white. There are two other variants, the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5800 and the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5880, with different features and performance. See the differences in the table below.
| Name | Advertised Printing Speed | Maximum Advertised Print Resolution | Color | Additional Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5800 | 25 black/12 color ppm | 4800 x 1200 dpi | Black, White | N/A |
| Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 | 25 black/25 color ppm | 4800 x 2400 dpi | Black, White | N/A |
| Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5880 | 25 black/25 color ppm | 4800 x 1200 dpi | Black, White | PostScript and PCL print language support |
See our unit's label.
Popular Printer Comparisons
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 is an outstanding all-in-one supertank printer for small or home offices. Its supertank ink system has incredible page yields and a very low cost-per-print. Compared to most other supertank printers we've tested, it prints very quickly, and its photo printing speed is especially impressive. That said, this isn't the best choice for photo printing; while the photos look detailed, they're not color-accurate enough for professional photo printing.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best printers for small businesses, the best office printers, and the best all-in-one printers.
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 and the Canon MAXIFY GX7020 are all-in-one color inkjet printers with supertanks and are outstanding for office use. The Epson prints documents and photos much more quickly, and it can print slightly more black pages. On the other hand, the Canon can print three times as many color pages as the Epson at a lower cost-per-print for color documents and photos. Additionally, its ADF supports single-pass duplex scanning, which is much faster than the Epson which requires two passes.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4950 and Epson EcoTank ET-5850 have similar capabilities, but the ET-5850 is better suited for larger workloads. While their print capabilities and page yields are similar, the ET-5850 is much quicker, and its input drawers have much larger capacities.
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5180 and the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 are both supertank inkjet printers with similar features. Choosing between these two models depends on what you care about more. The ET-5850 prints faster and has a larger input tray, but the ET-5180 yields significantly more pages, resulting in a lower cost per print. The ET-5850 has automatic duplex scanning, while the ET-5180's is manual, meaning you need to rearrange the pages through software.
Although the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 is much better overall than the Epson EcoTank ET-4850, they're two different classes of printers. The ET-5850 is designed for business settings with high print loads, while the ET-4850 is a home-office printer. To this end, the ET-5850 offers more features and better performance; it can dual pass duplex scan at up to 9 pages per minute, print up to 25 black or color pages per minute, and produce sharper color documents. By contrast, the ET-4850 has higher color and black page yields but prints slower at 14 black and seven color pages per minute.
Test Results
The Epson ET-5850 feels very well-built with a sturdy body, which provides good access to paper jams from either the rear or inside by lifting the flatbed. The two front input cassettes feature sliders for various paper formats, while the rear input tray has a cover that closes and conceals it when not in use; however, it can feel flimsy or cumbersome to close. The ink tank levels are clear and visible, and the output tray slides out automatically when printing. You can also press the dedicated output tray touch button to slide it back in when the print job is complete. The scanner lid stays open on its own, and the hinges can raise, but only slightly, for scanning thin objects like magazines. The power cable is removable, making it easy to replace if it becomes damaged.
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 features a great display, complete with a quick and easy-to-navigate menu that provides good tactile feedback. There are dedicated touch buttons on either side for Home, Output Tray, and Help (which launches how-to videos on the screen for different tasks). The screen has good visibility whether you're seated or standing, and it can also tilt up and down.
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 has a fantastic supertank ink system that uses large, refillable ink tanks instead of disposable cartridges. The incredibly high yield for both black and color documents means that you shouldn't need to refill them often, even if you print frequently. Note, however, that if you run out of one color of ink, the printer won't let you continue printing until you refill the empty tank. If you're looking for a laser model with even higher page yields, consider the Xerox VersaLink C500/DN.
While you can technically fill the supertanks with any third-party ink, we don't recommend doing so. Low-quality ink could damage the print heads, and unlike standard inkjet printers, you can't simply remove the ink if there's a problem. Using third-party supplies could also void your warranty.
This printer requires little upkeep, largely because its high page yield means you won't need to refill the ink tanks often. Refilling is straightforward since each bottle has a unique nozzle that fits only the correct tank, though spills are still possible if you are not careful.
Like any inkjet printer, the printheads can clog if the printer remains unused for extended periods, so it's helpful to print occasionally. The printer features several tools to address clogs and print quality issues, including printhead cleaning, nozzle checks, power cleaning, printhead alignment, and paper guide cleaning. Also, the ink tanks should never run completely dry. This can introduce air bubbles into the ink lines, potentially damaging the printer.
Paper jams are simple to clear thanks to good access points. The large rear cover comes off completely, giving you direct access to the cassette rollers. Both cassettes and the output tray can be easily removed, and the scanner's sheet rollers are accessible by opening a large panel located on top of the ADF.
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.
- Start Here guide
- Power cable
- CD-ROM for Epson software
- Epson 542 ink bottles:
- 2x black
- 2x cyan
- 2x magenta
- 2x yellow
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850's cost-per-print is superbly low, as its large ink tanks yield many black and color documents and don't need refilling often.
Even if you print only in black, most inkjet printers continue using the color tanks for servicing tasks, so you may still need to refill them eventually.
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 has excellent printing speeds. It doesn't take long to print the first page, and subsequent pages are even faster.
During our initial test, we measured speeds significantly lower than advertised. However, after unplugging the printer overnight and retesting, we experienced the speeds listed above. We don't expect this to be an issue, as our unit has since been working as intended. However, if you own this printer and are experiencing similar problems, let us know in the comments.
The black and white print quality is outstanding overall, but faint vertical lines are visible across our test document when using the default settings. That said, using the high-quality completely solved the issue. Here's a sample using that setting.
The color document print quality is excellent. There's a lot of detail throughout, and the printer can keep all the fine elements on the graphs in our test document.
Epson specifies that the front input cassettes of the Epson EcoTank ET-5850 can hold up to 250 sheets each for a total of 500. The rear feeder can hold an additional 50 sheets. Along with the preset sizes, you can also print user-defined sizes from 2.52" x 5.0" to 8.5" x 47.24". This allows you to print on A5-sized paper if you manually set the measurements.
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 features a flatbed with hinges that raise slightly for scanning items such as magazines or notebooks. It also has an automatic document feeder with double-sided scanning, capable of scanning Letter or Legal-size paper, with a capacity of up to 50 sheets. However, it needs two passes to scan double-sided sheets, which is noticeably slower than models like the Canon MAXIFY GX7020 that can do so in a single pass. Using the Epson Scan 2 software, you can convert your documents into a searchable PDF.
While Epson advertises that the ADF can hold 50 pages, the paper kept getting jammed, or the scanner would take in two pages at once. After removing ten pages, the ADF didn't have any issues, so the ADF capacity maximum is listed as 40 pages.
The Epson EcoTank ET-5850's default scan quality is only okay. The scanner's aggressive processing tends to remove a lot of the smaller details. The lines on the graphs and the sample watermark are all missing on our test document. This is surprising because other, more affordable printers in this line, such as the Epson EcoTank ET-3850, produce impeccable scans.
The Epson EcoTank ET-5850's color gamut is good. It's able to produce very saturated colors, but the result is slightly grainy throughout the color spectrum.
The Epson EcoTank ET-5850 reproduces colors with mediocre accuracy. It should be fine for documents and casual photos, but it isn't recommended for tasks that require professional-grade color reproduction.
This printer produces outstandingly detailed prints. Even more difficult to resolve portions, like the top of this tower and the building in the background, are very discernible.
The Epson ET-5850 can print directly from USB flash drives. If you want an EcoTank printer that supports SD cards, check out the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550.
The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 is compatible with the Epson Smart Panel app, a refreshed and updated version of their Epson iPrint app meant for use with their latest printers. From there, you can print a variety of file types, scan directly from your phone's camera, perform maintenance tasks such as printhead cleaning, alignment, and firmware updates, and even order ink and supplies. You can even share access to the printer with guests without requiring them to connect directly.
While you can print all file types through the Android app, you can't print Microsoft Office files or TXT files from the iOS version, as the formatting isn't converted properly.