I'm always on the look-out for great printer deals, and today I've found two. But here's a tip: you'll want to avoid one of them to save some extra cash.

See, right now, Epson's EcoTank ET-2860 is down to £141 (was £240) at Amazon. It's a great printer, I've used it loads of times after buying it for my mum, and it does everything a budget ink tank should do. I'd recommend it any day of the week if you want a refillable printer at a low price.

At the same time, Amazon has discounted the EcoTank ET-2861 to £150 (was £240). And what do you get for the extra nine quid? Absolutely nothing. These are the same Epson printers, identical in every way except one - the model number, which is usually changed depending on the retailer. So, this is my public service announcement. Swerve the ET-2861 and get the ET-2860 instead.

Top EcoTank ink tank printer deals: Spot the difference

I like ink tank printers. They offer way more value for money compared to inkjets (and those pricey inkjet cartridge replacements). That's even more true with both of these Epson EcoTank deals, as they come with four bottles of ink in the box, which Epson reckons should last up to three years before you need to buy any more.

Anyway, I found this printer fast to print - it's around 33 pages per minute in black and white, 15 pages in colour - and while output isn't ultra-high resolution, it's perfect for home printing.

If you're upgrading your home office set-up, this one is an easy recommendation from me. Just make sure to get the ET-2860 if you want the best discount here. Functionally, there really is no difference between them - usually, you'll find those branded as ET-2860 on sites like Argos and Currys. But the chassis and feature-set is exactly the same.

For more options, see my guide to the best home printers and best ink tank printers we've tested and reviewed.

• Shop all ink tank printers at Amazon

If you’re fed up with expensive ink cartridges running dry at the worst possible moment, something I've experienced a few times in the past, an ink tank printer could completely change the way you print at home or in the office.

With that in mind, there's a great deal on the Epson EcoTank ET-2400 Wireless Inkjet All-In-One Cartridge-Free Supertank Color Printer, now $169 (was $190) at Amazon. This is the cheapest all-in-one ink tank printer I can find right now.

I love ink tank printers like the EcoTank range. Instead of constantly replacing tiny cartridges, you simply refill large built-in tanks that last dramatically longer and cost far less to top up.

That means less time worrying about running out of ink and much lower printing costs over the long run. It also cuts down on plastic waste, making ink tank printers an attractive option for busy families, students and home offices that print regularly.

Today's top Epson EcoTank printer deal

Epson says replacement ink bottles can reduce ink costs by up to 90% compared with traditional cartridges, with each bottle set providing enough ink for up to 4,500 black pages or 7,500 color pages. That’s a huge amount of printing before you even need to think about buying more ink.

The ET-2400 also prints, copies and scans, making it a handy all-in-one device for everyday use.

Wireless connectivity works with laptops, tablets and smartphones, while USB support is available for anyone who prefers a wired setup.

A rear paper tray holds up to 100 sheets, and print speeds of up to 10ppm in black and 5ppm in color are perfectly suitable for documents, homework, forms and occasional photos.

The running costs are what make printers like this so appealing. Instead of spending a small fortune replacing cartridges every few weeks, you simply refill the tanks when needed and carry on printing.

If you're looking for an affordable home printer that could save you money for years to come, this Epson EcoTank ET-2400 deal is definitely worth a look at just $169.

For more options, check out our round up of the best ink tank printers you can buy, the best Epson printers and the best home printers.

Also consider: More ink tank printer deals

• Shop ink tank printers at Amazon

I've seen a number of limited-time printer deals on Amazon right now, including a discounted Epson EcoTank ET-2861, which is £150 right now (I've dropped a link at the bottom of the page). That's a great deal on a superb printer, but I'm begging you: don't buy it.

My advice? Save yourself an extra few quid and go for the Epson EcoTank ET-2860 for £137 (was £240). Here's the big secret: they're effectively the same printer. There's no real difference beyond the name, with both able to print, scan, and copy, print from your phone, and the inclusion of three years' worth of ink in the box.

With decent speeds, this printer is perfect for the home or home office. What I particularly like about this model, besides the cost savings you get from an ink tank, is how simple it is to set up (I bought one for my hyper-technophobic mother and even she managed to work out how to use it). So, swerve the EcoTank ET-2860 and go for Epson's ET-2861.

• Shop all printers at Amazon

Today's top Epson EcoTank printer deal

If you're buying a home printer these days, I always recommend opting for an ink tank model. First of all, while not as cheap as an inkjet printer, running costs are a lot lower, with ink bottles costing less than replacement inkjet cartridges.

They boast all the benefits of an inkjet printer - expect vivid, high-resolution photos and highly readable text - with speeds only slightly lower than a laser printer. For me, they're a best-of-both-worlds choice.

And in my experience, and that of my team, Epson still more or less dominates this area of the printing market.

So, what's the difference between this cheap EcoTank and the ET-2860? Nothing. The change in model number is usually specifying which shop you bought it from - typically, I see the ET-2860 at Argos, and the ET-2861 at Amazon. The dimensions, internals, specs, they're all the identical.

I've actually used the EcoTank ET-2860 loads of times, and I came away impressed. It's quick to print, output is perfect for home printing, and contains a generous amount of ink packaged with the printer.

For more top-performers, check out my guide to the best home printers and best ink tank printers we've tested and reviewed.

More printer deals

• See all ink tank printers at Amazon

Amazon is currently running a Tech Week sale on a whole range of goodies - and one particular deal caught my eye. It's for the Epson EcoTank ET-2861 that's now £150 (was £240) at Amazon.

It prints, it copies, it scans. And it comes with with three years' worth of ink in the box (four coloured bottles). This budget ink tank printer is a very simple and straightforward model that's well-suited for home or home office use. And I know this because it's the one I bought my mum a few weeks ago.

It's difficult to describe how technophobic my mum is - even copy-and-paste functions are pitched somewhere between the mysterious, the magical, and the demonic. So, I think it speaks volumes that even she got this one up and running and printed a tonne of documents without needing to call me (if you're also the 'tech support guy' of your family, then hello!).

• Shop the whole Tech Week sale at Amazon

Today's top Epson EcoTank printer deal

Now, I always champion ink tank printers over inkjets - they may be slightly more expensive in the short-term, but they're far cheaper to run using bottled ink, and faster than cartridge-based printers.

The ET-2861 (sometimes labelled the ET-2860 on sites like Argos and Currys, but effectively the same) is no different. I really appreciated the amount of ink you get in the box, letting you start printing right away without spending more money.

It felt quick to print - somewhere in the middle of a fast inkjet and a slow laser printer - Epson lists print speeds on Amazon as 33 pages per minute in monochrome, 15 in colour, and although I didn't time it, that feels about right.

It's not as high-resolution as some of the EcoTank models, especially those aimed at professional photographers and designers, and only carries four tanks, rather than the six that high-end ink tanks possess. But for home printing, I don't think that's a problem at all.

It also has no Apple AirPrint support - although printing via Epson's own app on an iPhone proved no problem at all when I tried it. You can also print direct from places like the Google Drive app, which worked seamlessly.

Set-up is very simple - the longest part of the process was connecting the printer to the Epson app, and that was mostly because of slow Wi-Fi speeds. Once that's done, it's really easy. If my mum can use it, anyone can.

For more top-performers, check out my guide to the best home printers and best ink tank printers we've tested and reviewed.

More printer deals

• See all ink tank printers at Amazon

The Amazon Big Spring Sale is ending at midnight tonight, but there's still a chance to grab this can't-miss Epson EcoTank deal. The Epson EcoTank ET-4950 is now $412.99 (was $500) at Amazon.

Based on comprehensive tests, this is the best printer for the home office we've reviewed, and our senior printer editor Jim Hill said, "I can’t find another mid-price printer so loaded with features and ink."

After putting this EcoTank printer through its pace, Jim called it "a pleasure to print with, thanks to a combination of good design, a responsive touchscreen, prompt print speed and some useful features." That includes a 30-sheet automatic document feeder, auto-duplex mode, and enough bottled ink in the box to last up to three years.

Check out the details below, alongside some alternative Epson EcoTank deals in the Amazon Sale. For more savings on tech, visit our Amazon Big Spring Sale live hub.

• View the full Amazon Big Spring Sale

Today's best Epson printer deal

The Epson EcoTank ET-4950 is one of those printers that immediately rocketed into our best home printer guide, it really is that good. Earning 4.5 stars out of a possible 5, alongside a TechRadar Pro Highly Recommended badge, it impressed our printer editor across a number of factors in his review.

First, the amount of ink you get is pretty much incomparable to similarly priced printers for the home office. It comes with five 464ml ink bottles, which is the equivalent of about 65 inkjet cartridges. That should, Epson estimates, last up to three years before you'll need to top up. And actually refilling the ink reservoirs proved a quick and clean process

Second, the features cover pretty much everything a home office printer needs. So, there's the standard print, scan, copy, and fax here, alongside a 30-sheet ADF, and an auto-duplex mode. During testing, the ET-4950 delivered faster-than-average speeds.

In the review, Jim explains: "It prints quickly for an inkjet with a claimed top speed of 35 pages per minute with simplex monochrome pages or 23 in color... Suffice to say, that it printed a little faster than its predecessor and compares well with other inkjets in its class. The quoted 8.5-second first page out time is accurate."

Print quality was another area where the Epson printer delivered the goods. It offered "strong all-round performance, printing quickly and cleanly," with minimal noise in simplex mode. Jim's review also noted, "dye-based C/M/Y inks are particularly bright and color documents look pleasingly vivid. It also does well with photography for the same reason. The Epson recognizes a range of coated photo paper types and given premium glossy photo paper, my test photos really popped."

All that's missing here are Bluetooth, NFC, a USB Host port for printing and scanning via USB, and a multi-purpose tray (and if we could only have one from the list, we'd want that second paper tray).

Overall, then, a printer deal well-worth snapping up. It does everything a modern ink tank printer needs to do, and beats rivals on features and supplied ink, too.

For more top-performing models, including the Epson EcoTank ET-4950, see our guide to the best ink tank printers.

More Epson EcoTank printer deals

More of today's best Amazon Big Spring Sale deals

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks, Echo & tablets from $18
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods, AirTags & iPads from $17
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Easter: gifts under $50 for all ages
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Toys: 57% off Lego, Tonies & board games
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

I can see why Epson has sold over a 100 million EcoTanks. Being the first to bring the refillable concept to market, Epson hasn’t stopped tweaking the design so that the Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series looks like the slickest all-in-one inkjet in the shop.

I’m testing the white ET-4956 variant, but its also available in black and they both come with a feature-set to suit any small business or home-based professional. It can both duplex print and duplex scan as well as offering an improved automatic document feed (ADF) and a faster print speed than its predecessor.

The main attraction is the huge amount of inbox ink (enough to print for three years), but the asking price is rather high, so let’s see if the new model can maintain Epson’s lead in the increasingly competitive refillable 4-in-1 printer category.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Design and build

The redesign looks fresh to my eye, especially in this white livery. The folding front panel ensures the touchscreen display is always visible, while the new status light encircling the top of the ink tank cover makes it easy to see if and how your printer is responding from the far side of the office. The smooth plastic feels sturdy enough and the motorized paper output glides out smoothly every time you’re ready to print.

The paper input tray can hold an adequate 250 sheets of paper up to letter or A4-size, but it’s a pity there’s no second input tray as this means you’ll need to unload the main tray each time you want to print on different media.

The 2.4-inch touchscreen is somewhat small, but big enough to operate and quite sensitive. The cable ports are easily accessible at the left side and the fairly large 70ml ink tanks are well integrated on the other side. It’s a practical design overall and the whole thing feels well made.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Features & specifications

As the top model in Epson’s three-strong range, the ET-4950 series is a four-in-one multifunction device with print, scan, copy and fax functionality, plus plenty of extras. The ADF on top can hold 30 sheets of paper and copy both sides of each page automatically.

That’s something the previous model couldn’t do. It’s using a PrecisionCore print head with 784 inkjet nozzles to achieve a print resolution of 4,800 x 1,200 DPI. WiFi 5 with AirPrint compatibility is built in and it can print on paper up to 300g/m².

It prints quickly for an inkjet with a claimed top speed of 35ppm (pages per minute) with simplex monochrome pages or 23 in color. That’s slightly confusing as the ISO/IEC 24734 is just 18ppm, but suffice to say, that it printed a little faster than its predecessor and compares well with other inkjets in its class. The quoted 8.5-second FPOT (first page out time) is accurate and also PDQ (pretty darn quick).

The only features missing are Bluetooth, NFC, a USB Host port for printing from or scanning to a USB stick and a multi-purpose tray. The first three items I can live without, but a second paper input tray would have really improved the functionality of this printer. Perhaps Epson will include it with the next update.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Setup and operation

The printed quick-start guide is easy to follow. Just remove all the transport tape, load some paper, plug in, turn on and follow the on-display prompts.

I’d recommend downloading the Epson Smart Panel app onto your Android or iPhone first as this makes it easier to add your new printer to your wi-fi network. I’d also recommend printing out the test pages when offered to ensure all your nozzles are aligned and firing correctly.

Filling the ink reservoirs is a quick and clean process as the bottles hold the same volume of ink as the tanks — 70ml for the three coolers; 127ml for black — and each spout is shaped to fit only its corresponding tank so you can’t muddle them up.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Performance

The Epson EcoTank ET-4956 I tested put in a strong all-round performance, printing quickly and cleanly with only one paper jam where I loaded a photograph into the automatic document feed for copying. Where the manual says that it can handle paper up to 300g/m² (my photo paper was only 200g/m²) it means via the main tray and evidently not via the ADF.

That incident aside, I was pleased with my test pages, although I couldn’t honestly see any improvement over the outgoing EcoTank ET-4850 test pages. That’s unsurprising given it’s using the same heat-free inkjet technology and the same hybrid pigment and dye-based inks.

Plain pages of text print quietly in simplex mode and the paper is turned swiftly in auto duplex mode. The pigment black is applied precisely enough, but it’s not as dark as, for instance, the Canon MAXIFY GX4020, which uses a smiler hybrid ink system.

Switching to color test documents plays more to the Epson’s strengths as its dye-based C/M/Y inks are particularly bright and color documents look pleasingly vivid. It also does well with photography for the same reason.

The Epson recognizes a range of coated photo paper types and given premium glossy photo paper, my test photos really popped. This printer manages an enhanced resolution of 4,800 x 1,200, which is enough for photo printing, but dedicated photo printers, like the Canon PIXMA G3270, produce sharper images for less money.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Consumables

The Epson EcoTank ET-4950 comes with five ink bottles containing a total of 464ml of ink. That’s equivalent to around 65 regular ink cartridges and enough, Epson reckons, to print for around three years before needing to buy refills.

Epson’s bottled ink is cheap compared with cartridge ink and there’s nothing to stop you from buying third party ink, which is even cheaper. Put like that, Epson’s claim that this printer is up to 95% cheaper to run than a cartridge printer seems reasonable.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Maintenance

Epson says its heat-free printing tech means you’ll never need to replace the printhead, which is a cost incurred by plenty of other inkjet owners. This printer is also less prone to clogging in the nozzles thanks to some improved engineering.

However, the settings menu includes several anti-clogging cycles that can be run if (or more likely, when) dried up ink stops you printing. Epson includes a one-year, or 100,000-page warranty with this model.

What you may well have to replace is the maintenance box when it eventually fills up with the tiny amounts of excess ink generated by printing and cleaning. A replacement costs around ten dollars and it looks to me like you could save money by emptying and cleaning the existing one.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Final verdict

The Epson EcoTank ET-4950 and its variants proved that Epson is the brand to beat in this refillable office-friendly mid-price category. I found it easy to set up and operate thanks to the responsive touchscreen and good design and it has all the features I consider essential for the home worker or small shared office.

In other words, it duplex prints pretty quickly, connects readily my 5GHz Wi-Wi and turns out crisp and colorful test pages on all kinds of media. I also appreciated the two-sided scan feature and, of course, the generous amount of inbox ink.

Does Epson still make the best ink tank printers? This category only gets more competitive with new players like the significantly more affordable Brother DCP-T780DW entering the fray, while the excellent HP Smart Tank 7001 comes with larger ink tanks and the Canon MAXIFY GX4020 offers superior print quality.

But with more features than those rivals, and such a strong all-round performance, I can highly recommend the Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series.

For more top-performing models, I've tested the best home printers and the best all-in-one printers.

Looking for that perfect Christmas movie setup at home? Sure, you could get a high-end TV, but if you want a really big display, then it's worth investing in a projector. Right now's a great time to consider one too, as Best Buy has just listed a number of excellent price cuts on Epson projectors - including some of our favorite models.

Examples include the Epson LS800 for $2,799 (was $3,799) at the retailer - a model that impressed us when we reviewed it back in 2023. It's not the latest model anymore, or the cheapest, but it's a fantastic choice if you can afford it, with its super-bright projection, impressive contrast, and versatile short throw. In short, it's a worthwhile investment, especially considering today's $1,000 discount.

More affordable options at Best Buy today include the Epson LifeStudio Grand for $2,199 (was $2,599), and the Epson LifeStudio Flex Plus for $899.99 (was $999). These are very recent models, and in the case of the Lifestudio Flex Plus, this is actually one of the first times the model has been on sale. I've laid out these deals in more detail just down below, including links to our in-depth reviews.

Best Buy Epson projector deals

Shop more top deals at Best Buy

• Apple: deals from $64.99
• Appliances: up to 50% off major appliances
• Cheap TVs: Fire TVs from $59.99
• Gaming: consoles & games from $19.99
• Headphones: Sony, JBL & Beats from $9.99
• iPhone 17: up to $1,100 off with trade-in
• Kitchen: coffee makers + air fryers from $49.99
• Laptops: up to $500 off
• Security cameras: $200 off Arlo, SimpliSafe & Ring
• Smartwatch: up to $140 off Samsung, Garmin & Apple
• Tablets: iPads & Fire tablets from $129
• TVs: up to $800 off QLED and 4K TVs
• Vacuums: Shark from $99.99

As senior printer editor, I've reviewed over 200 of the best home printers and best small business printers - and for the Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday, I've hand-picked my favorite inkjet, laser, and ink tank models all on sale right now.

After scanning all the best Cyber Monday printer deals, I've identified 11 units that performed best in my tests and offer real value for money. That value for money aspect is very important to me. In all my tests, I always look not just at the initial price, but the long-term running costs on cartridges, toners, and ink bottles. Sometimes, the cheapest possible printer in the sales isn't always the cheapest to run.

My favorite printer deal this Cyber Monday is the on the Epson EcoTank ET-4800, now $200 at Amazon (was $300). In the UK, the ET-4800 is down to £218 at Amazon too (was £320). When I used this refillable printer, I found it pretty fast, with excellent print quality across documents and photos.

Check out my full range below, with options for the office, home, printing high-resolution photos, and the top budget printers on sale for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. For more savings, the team is also tracking the latest Cyber Monday home office deals across office furniture and tech.

My top printer deal for Cyber Monday

Top printer deals on a budget

Top printer deals for the office

Top printer deals for home

Top printer deals for photographers

• Shop all printer deals at Amazon.com
• Save on printers at Best Buy
• Save on printers at Walmart
• Shop all deals on printers at Amazon.co.uk
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Epson Pro Cinema LS9000: One minute review

The Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 is the latest, and least expensive, member of Epson's LS series of projectors. At $3,999 / £2,999 / AU$7,299, this entry-level dedicated home theater projector is notably cheaper than comparable options from JVC and Sony, yet still comes with a bevy of great features and performance to match.

Epson’s Pro Cinema LS9000 follows in the footsteps of the Epson LS12000 model that currently sits a the top of TechRadar’s Best Projectors list. The Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 aims to continue this excellence, employing the same 15-element glass VRX lens structure, laser light engine, and 3LCD technology as the LS12000.

Similar to the step-up LS12000, the Pro Cinema LS9000 supports 4K 120Hz signals, has relatively low input lag for gaming, and is compatible with the HDR10+ high dynamic range format. Its motorized lens shift, zoom, and focus make setup adjustments easy, and out of the box in Natural picture mode, it delivers accurate colors and a crisp image.

Even with all the great inclusions, some missing features reflect the LS9000’s entry-level status. The most glaring is a lack of dynamic tone mapping, which is also missing from the other LS series projectors that were originally released a few years ago, but is starting to show up in some less expensive home theater models. With a rated 2,200 lumens brightness (white and color), it’s also best suited for a home theater room with decent ambient light control, as opposed to a multi-purpose living space with light streaming in through windows.

Still, the Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 offers incredible performance for the price. It’s a solid projector that’s easy to set up, but still offers the ability to tweak and play with image settings that a new (or frugal) home projection enthusiast is sure to love.

Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 review: Price & release date

• Release date: July 2025
• Price: $3,999 / £2,999 / AU$7,299

The Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 made its debut in July 2025 at the Audio Advice Live show in Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s the least expensive of Epson’s Pro Cinema laser projectors, coming in at $3,999 / £2,999 / AU$7,299. For comparison, the Home Cinema LS11000 retails for $4,499 (up from $3,999 when released) and the LS12000 now goes for $5,999 (up from $4,999 at release).

Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 review: Specs

Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 review: Design & features

• Motorized zoom, focus, and lens shift
• 4K 120Hz support
• Motorized lens cover

The Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 shares the same look as its bigger siblings, the Pro Cinema LS12000 and Home Cinema LS11000, and the high-lumen Epson QB1000 released in late 2024. The chassis is large and a bit heavy (the Sony Bravia Projector 7 weighs less, but the JVC DLA-NZ5 weighs a little more), but I find the design and its black color to look sleeker than its heft lets on. All connections are on the back panel alongside touch controls if the remote is misplaced.

The look is not where the similarities to the LS11000 and LS12000 end. Inside, the LS9000 uses the same VRX lens with a 15-element glass structure and has Epson’s 4K 3LCD design architecture with three 0.74-inch LCD panels.

As is the case with all Epson projectors, the LS9000 uses pixel-shifting technology to achieve a 4K resolution from 1080p chips. Some enthusiasts complain about this not being “True 4K” and as lesser than the use of native 4K chips, but the 4K image from the LS9000 (and every other Epson that uses pixel-shifting technology) is detailed and crisp, especially from a normal viewing distance. The chip also allows for a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz.

The laser light source is specified for 2,200 lumens of both color (IDMS rated) and white (ISO rated) light output and has up to 20,000 hours of life in all modes. This is where the LS9000’s performance separates from the LS11000 and LS12000, which are rated at 2,500 and 2,700 lumens, respectively, and partially accounts for the difference in pricing. The blue laser diode array emits light through a fixed yellow phosphor (first released with the LS12000), as opposed to a phosphor wheel, to create white light, and the laser light source and fixed phosphor allow it to run silently.

The lower lumen output makes the LS9000 more suitable for a dark room – or at the very least, a light-controlled room — than the more expensive, higher light output projectors. But as I’ll discuss below, it still delivers enough brightness for daytime viewing.

There’s a generous +/- 24% horizontal and +/- 96% vertical powered lens shift on the LS9000, along with powered zoom (a ratio of 1-1.2) and focus that can be controlled from the remote to make setup adjustments easy. The projector’s throw ratio is 1.35-2.84:1. There’s also vertical and horizontal keystone correction (+/- 30 degrees), but with the amount of lens shift available, keystone correction likely won’t be necessary (and should always be avoided, if possible, as it can negatively affect the picture).

The LS9000 is compatible with an anamorphic lens kit (sold separately) and third-party options. A memory feature allows you to save image adjustments and lens positioning for different aspect ratio setups, and the lens is also protected by a motorized lens cover that opens and closes with the power cycle.

The LS9000 supports HDR10, HLG, and HDR10+ high dynamic range, and has two HDMI 2.1 inputs that support 4K 120Hz. While that’s great news for gamers, the projector doesn’t support ALLM, so you’ll need to manually switch the image processing from Fine to Fast for the lowest input lag. HDMI2 also supports eARC, so if you decide to connect a streaming stick directly to the projector, you can send out audio including Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS Master Audio, and DTS:X formats.

One thing missing from the Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 is dynamic HDR tone mapping. Instead, there’s an HDR Dynamic Range slider that allows you to manually adjust the brightness of the HDR image.

The projector’s remote is a bit chunky, but the keypad is backlit and has all the necessary buttons to make easy adjustments while viewing. There are dedicated buttons to call up features like Fine/Fast (for gaming), different lens memory positions, signal information, lens adjustment, and color modes.

• Design & features score: 4.5/5

Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 review: Picture quality

• Accurate image in Natural picture mode
• HDR10+ support
• No dynamic tone mapping

The LS9000 has five different picture modes — Dynamic, Vivid, Bright Cinema, Cinema, and Natural — and they are the same for both standard and high dynamic range sources. Each mode produces a watchable image out of the box, although all of them have some degree of blue tint to the grayscale, with Natural being the most accurate choice for both SDR and HDR.

The default color temperature setting of 6500K is still slightly on the blue side, but switching it to 6000K causes the color temperature to be a little too red. If you choose to do a professional calibration, you can use two different picture modes – one for SDR and one for HDR – and save them with the Image Memory setting.

Out of the box SDR measurements in Natural picture mode had an average Delta E of 2.8, with some grayscale reaching above 4 because of the blue bias. A calibration can get all dE down below 2.1, with many under 1. UHDA-P3 color gamut coverage measured 90.25%, while BT.2020 came in at 66.86%.

Brightness in Dynamic mode with my unit was 2,062 lumens, but that’s still within the measurement tolerance of ISO lumens, and due to the positioning of my projector, the image was zoomed in a bit, which causes the brightness to come down. It’s enough brightness for a watchable image in a room with ambient light (even with Natural picture mode, which is visibly less bright than other modes), but there’s a loss of shadow detail due to the light reflecting on the screen.

Where the projector really excels is when the lights are off. Colors look accurate and inviting, detail in both SDR and HDR is sharp, and the projector exhibits great contrast and shadow detail with the Dynamic Contrast setting at High Speed. The contrast isn’t as impressive as on the LS12000, which I evaluated a few years ago, but for the price, the LS9000 does an excellent job.

The HDR image does require some tweaking at times. Occasionally, bright highlights can cause some clipping — such as when the shark cage is lowered into the water in The Meg, and we can see the bright sun refracting through the ocean water. In this instance, I adjusted the dynamic range slider from its default of 8 to 10 (which slightly backs off the scene brightness).

Through most of my viewing, I played around with the slider, not just to address high brightness clipping, but also to see its effect on image depth. Generally, I found myself setting it between 8 and 10, with the Battle of Pelennor Fields in Return of the King at 8 and day scenes during Mad Max: Fury Road at a 9 for a bit more depth. None of the adjustments were life-altering, and I wouldn’t suggest changing the dynamic range slider mid-movie, but you’ll learn your preferences. This is where dynamic tone mapping is missed.

Home theater projectors have historically struggled to provide input lag low enough for gaming, but with two HDMI 2.1 ports that are capable of 4K 120Hz, the LS9000 is screaming to be used as a gaming projector. The Image Processing menu allows you to select a setting of Fine or Fast (which provides a lower input lag). With the Fast setting and a 4K 60Hz signal, the lag measured at 20ms (it’s 44ms with the Fine setting). Unfortunately, there’s no ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), so you’ll need to manually switch the setting when you game or watch content.

Input lag is low enough on the LS9000 to satisfy a non-competitive gamer (my son still enjoyed his time playing Minecraft). During my second playthough of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which relies on dodge and parry reactions during combat, I was able to still make it through combat without issue. Someone who regularly plays first-person shooter games will likely feel a difference between the LS9000 and one of the best gaming TVs, but for the vast majority of us, the Epson will deliver a great gaming experience.

• Picture quality score: 4.5/5

Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 review: Value

• Great performance for the price
• Solid gaming projector
• Missing an important home theater feature

The Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 is not only the least expensive model in the LS series, it’s one of the most affordable premium home theater projectors – the JVC DLA-NP5, which is a lamp-based model, retails for $6,000, as does the Sony VPL-XW5000ES, which came out three years ago.

Not only is the LS9000 brighter than both of those projectors, it also has a collection of features neither of them has, including a high-quality laser light engine, HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K/120Hz and eARC support, an excellent lens with motorized adjustments and lens cover, zoom and image memory, and 2,200 lumens of brightness.

There are still some compromises that must be made. Its biggest flaw is a lack of dynamic tone mapping, which we’re seeing in projectors half the price of the LS9000, like the Valerion VisionMaster Pro2. The LS9000 also doesn’t have 3D support, isn’t as bright as the step-up options from Epson, and is missing ALLM for gaming. But even so, the projector delivers a detailed picture with accurate color, which looks very engaging in a dark room. Also, the 20ms input lag time and 4K 120Hz support make gaming a joy on the big screen.

• Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Epson Pro Cinema LS9000?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the Epson Pro Cinema LS9000

• Evaluated under various viewing conditions
• Measured and calibrated with professional software and hardware
• I am ISF-certified and have years of experience reviewing projectors

The Epson LS9000 laser projector was connected to my ceiling mount, approximately 11 feet from an Elite Screens CineTension 3 ISF-certified CineWhite screen. Using the Epson’s zoom and lens adjustment controls, the image was adjusted to fit the 100-inch diagonal screen.

I watched a wide range of content with both ambient light from the sun and ceiling lighting during the day and a dark, light-controlled environment at night. Movies and TV shows were streamed with an Apple TV 4K from the Disney+, HBO Max, and Hulu apps. I also used a Kaleidescape Strato V for high-quality movie playback, along with 4K Blu-ray discs played on an Oppo UDP-203 disc player. Games were played on an Xbox Series X.

For objective measurement testing, I used an X-rite i1 Pro 3 spectrophotometer, Murideo Seven-G 8K pattern generator, Konica Minolta LS-100 luminance meter, and Calman calibration software by Portrait Displays. Input lag tests were made with a Leo Bodnar 4K lag tester.

I’ve been testing projectors and other displays for a couple of decades, and am an ISF Level III certified calibrator.

• First reviewed: November 2025
• Read TechRadar's review guarantee

It's the final few hours of Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days, and we've found one home office essential you won't want to miss: the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 cartridge-free all-in-one printer is now $180 (was $240) at Amazon.

• Shop all Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sale

The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 will wirelessly print, scan, and copy, with speeds of around 5 pages per minute, which is about average for many of the best home printers. This deal also bundles in four free bottles of color ink, which should last you up to the two years.

In my experience, ink tank printers like the EcoTank ET-2800 are a great choice for anyone looking to cut down on running costs. They offer all the benefits of an inkjet printer, but with cheaper refills.

See, you don't need to keep buying cartridges or toners. Instead, the printer can be refilled with ink bottles, which is much more cost-effective. And for me, Epson are a standout in the field here.

Check out this printer deal below. And for more savings across technology, visit our hub for all the latest October Prime Day deals before they're gone.

Today's top Epson EcoTank ET-2800 deal

Also consider: More Epson EcoTank printer deals

• See all printers at Amazon.com

On the final day of Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days, I've found the most powerful mini PC you can get for under $300. This Beelink mini PC with Ryzen 7 6800H chip is now $289 (was $429) at Amazon - but you'll need to be fast, though, as October's early Black Friday sale end at midnight tonight.

• Shop all Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sale

Specs-wise, it boasts an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H processor (the 'H' stands for 'High-performance', making it best-suited for heavy or resource-intensive workloads). It also comes loaded with 16GB RAM, 500GB storage, and supports triple 4K displays.

As a veteran deal-hunter, I've been covering seasonal sales for years now, and at this price it's one of the best mini PCs I've seen in October's Prime sales so far. And it's a significant update on a model we previously reviewed here.

For even more savings, I've rounded up all the best Prime Day mini PC deals you can still get right now. And you can on everything from laptops to TVs when you visit our hub for all the latest October Prime Day deals - get 'em while you can.

Today's top mini PC deal under $300

Also consider: More cheap mini PC deals

• See all mini PCs at Amazon.com

• Epson has announced five new Lifestudio projectors
• The budget-priced lineup includes four portables and one ultra short throw
• All models feature Google TV for streaming and Sound by Bose built-in speakers

Epson has been busy lately working on a refresh of its portable projector lineup. That effort has yielded five new Lifestudio models, ranging from a compact 4K ultra short throw to a $679 Full HD projector.

The big news here is Epson’s collaboration with speaker and headphones maker Bose to create the first projectors with Sound by Bose. Along with making the new projectors an all-in-one theater-at-home solution, they will have four 'tuned with Sound by Bose' modes – Cinema, Dialogue, Music, and Standard – to adapt the sound output for a range of content.

Each new projector in the Lifestudio lineup features Google TV, a smart TV platform that's increasingly being added to the best projectors, built in for streaming.

Another first that comes with the Lifestudio lineup is that the Epson Projection Studio app is available for Android and iOS devices. This will let viewers control projector functions, such as adjusting settings and volume, and will let multiple users easily contribute to slideshows for parties and other events.

The setup of each Lifestudio projector is made easy with EpiqSense 2.0 auto-setup, which automatically adjusts focus and image alignment, along with color balance when projecting on surfaces other than a white screen or wall.

Lifestudio Grand Ultra Short Throw projector

The crown jewel of Epson’s Lifestudio lineup is the Lifestudio Grand Ultra Short Throw projector ($2,699.99). This 4K model delivers powerful brightness for the price, with a rated 3,600 lumens of white and color brightness.

The Lifestudio Grand can project a 120-inch picture from a 15.2-inch distance from the wall, and features HDR10 support and 120Hz gaming at 1080p resolution.

Lifestudio Flex Plus portable projector

Epson’s most advanced new portable projector is the Lifestudio Flex Plus ($999.99). This 4K model beams pictures with 1,000 lumens brightness and features ALLM (auto low latency mode) for gaming. It also has a swivel and tilt stand, built-in mood lighting, and a USB-C port to power the projector from a portable charger.

Other models in the Epson portable lineup include the Lifestudio Flex ($849.99), which is a Full HD portable with 700 lumens of brightness and the same swivel base as the Flex Plus. While the Lifestudio Pop Plus ($849.99) and Lifestudio Pop ($799.99) are 4K and Full HD models, respectively, both have 700 lumens of brightness.

Epson Lifestudio projectors are now available on Epson.com and at select retailers. A lineup of accessories, including adjustable floor stands and wireless mics for karaoke, is also available.

Lifestudio is grand

Epson is not a newcomer to the portable projector world – the company released its EpiqVision Flex back in 2023, and followed up with the EpiqVision Mini EF22 in 2024. Both options provided viewers looking for a compact, portable projector in the under-$1,000 range with a reliable Full HD option, and both featured built-in streaming and speakers.

But the company has really stepped things up with its new Lifestudio offerings, adding 4K options, along with built-in Google TV (with Netflix!) across the board for streaming.

A $1,000 projector with 4K resolution isn’t something I’ve seen before aside from the LG CineBeam Q, a laser projector that’s high on style and features, but low on brightness, with a specified 500 ANSI lumens. The new Epson Lifestudio Flex Plus, while priced around the same as the LG, doubles the brightness at 1,000 lumens. With Google TV built in, it will also be an excellent option for streaming.

Gaming performance was an area we found needed work in our Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 review, and the Lifestudio Flex Plus with its ALLM feature should provide an improvement on that front. The EpiqVision Mini EF22’s built-in speakers were also found to be lacking, and I expect the addition of Sound by Bose to the new Lifestudio lineup will have a transformative effect on audio quality.

As intrigued as I am by the Lifestudio Flex Plus, the Lifestudio Grand Ultra Short Throw projector is the one I’m more excited about. This 4K model is priced well below much of its UST competition, while offering 4K resolution and a stunning 3,600 lumens brightness.

At that price, the Lifestudio Grand will provide a more affordable alternative to the Epson LS800, the best for sports option in our best ultra short throw projectors guide, a great all-around projector that’s otherwise hampered by a dated Android TV platform and Wi-Fi 5 for streaming.

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• Four new 3LCD projectors for up to 300-inch images
• Two Home Cinema models and two Pro
• One of each comes with AirPlay on board

Epson has launched four new projectors, and two of them will be of particular interest to Apple users. That's because for the first time, Epson is delivering AirPlay compatibility for retail home cinema projector purchasers – something that's been available in the likes of LG's Cinebeam range for some time.

The four projectors are all 3-chip 3LCD models and they're divided into two products: Home Cinema projectors, and Pro projectors. The AirPlay models also support Miracast.

The Home Cinema projectors are the Home Cinema 1100, which has AirPlay, and the Home Cinema 980, which hasn't.

The Pro models are the Pro EX9270 wireless projector, which is the AirPlay model, and the EX3290, which isn't.

Epson's new projectors: key features and pricing

The $899 (so around £660 or AU$1,370) Home Cinema 1100 with AirPlay is rated for 3,400 lumens of color and white brightness, and the $799 Home Cinema 980 is rated for 4,000 lumens.

Both deliver 1080p Full HD resolution at sizes up to 300 inches, both have picture skew sensors, and both have two HDMI ports. They feature Epson's 3-chip 3LCD technology that delivers "outstanding" images in a wide range of lighting conditions.

The $999 Pro EX9270 with AirPlay is rated for 4,100 lumens and the $649 Pro EX3290 is rated for 4,000. Like the Home Cinema projectors they too feature the 3LCD system and can throw images up to 300 inches; the EX9270 is full HD and the EX3290 is WXGA. There are twin HDMI ports, an image skew sensor and built-in speakers, and the Pro EX9270 also has 1.6x optical zoom.

All four projectors are available now directly from Epson and from authorized retailers.

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• Epson has announced the LS9000, an entry-level model in its Pro Cinema projector lineup
• The LS9000 has a specified 2,200 lumens of white (ISO rated) and color (IDMS rated) brightness
• The LS9000 features dual HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz support for gaming

Epson today announced the Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 4K 3LCD Laser Projector. The new lower-cost entry in the company’s Pro Cinema projector lineup is making its debut this week at the Audio Advice Live show, which takes place August 1-3, 2025, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Priced at $3,999 (around £2,995 / AU$6,135), the Epson LS9000 provides a more affordable alternative to the Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 ($5,999), currently the top pick in our best projectors guide. Like that model, the new LS9000 is a 4K 3LCD model with HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG support. It also uses a laser light source rated for 20,000 hours and has a motorized lens with powered zoom, focus, and +/- 96% vertical and up to +/- 24% horizontal lens shift.

With 2,200 lumens of white (ISO rated) and color (IDMS rated) brightness, the LS9000 isn’t as powerful as the LS12000, which is rated for 2,700 lumens of white brightness. But like that model, it features 4K 120Hz support on its dual HDMI 2.1 ports for gaming (eARC and ARC are also supported).

Epson’s ZX Picture Processor performs real-time frame interpolation and picture enhancement on the LS9000, which also features a powered lens cover that slides into place when the projector is powered off. A memory zoom option lets you use the projector with ultra-wide 2.35:1 screens, and it also supports third-party anamorphic lenses for use with the same.

A cheaper Pro Series? We’ll take it

At CEDIA Expo 2024, Epson debuted the Epson Q-Series, a trio of 4K laser projectors aimed at the high-end residential market. What distinguished these from other Epson projectors was the Q-Series’ high brightness specifications, starting at 3,300 lumens for the QB1000, with up to 10,000 lumens for the flagship Epson QL7000.

Such high light output makes the Q-Series a perfect option for open-format media rooms or living rooms, where some degree of ambient lighting is preferred.

With 2,200 lumens of brightness, the new LS9000 is aimed more at traditional dark-room home theaters, where the projector’s two-speed Dynamic Contrast adjustment will allow it to project crisp 4K movies with powerful contrast (Epson’s contrast ratio specs cite over 2.5 million to one).

The LS9000’s dual HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz support also make it a great option for gaming with next-gen consoles or PCs. And at $3,999, Epson’s latest is a more reasonably priced gaming projector than other models in its lineup, and it’s also one that should capably do double duty for movies.

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• Epson introduces ReadyPrint MAX, bundling printers and ink via subscription
• Plans can be customized based on your printing needs, including number of pages
• Ink ships automatically and the printer must stay online to track usage

Epson has introduced a new way for users to access printing, through a subscription model that closely resembles how many people already pay for phones or streaming services.

The new ReadyPrint MAX plan offers customers an EcoTank printer along with regular ink deliveries, starting from as low as the equivalent of $7.99 per month for a 50-page plan.

The model eliminates the need for upfront costs, making it easier to start printing without a large initial purchase.

A constant supply of ink

After selecting a printer that suits their needs, users choose a page plan based on how much they expect to print. The company sends the printer and keeps track of ink levels remotely, delivering new ink before it runs out.

ReadyPrint MAX is compatible with a range of Epson’s EcoTank printers. Models differ in features and price points, covering basic home printing up to higher-volume office use.

Options like the EcoTank ET-2870U and ET-M1170 focus on low-cost printing, while others like the ET-5850U and ET-16650U are aimed at users who need faster speeds, higher capacity, or A3 printouts.

Plans scale with use, offering monthly allowances from 50 to 3,000 pages. Users can change their plan each month if their needs shift, and once the 18-month commitment ends, subscriptions can continue on a monthly basis.

As you might expect, early cancellation fees apply if a user leaves before the minimum period is up, although Epson does offer a 14-day cancellation window at the start.

To keep everything running smoothly, the printer needs to stay connected to the internet, allowing firmware updates and ink tracking.

Ink is delivered proactively, so users don’t need to worry about ordering refills. If a customer chooses to end the plan, the printer must be returned in good condition to avoid a penalty.

ReadyPrint MAX reflects a shift toward service-based models, giving users flexibility in how they access and manage printing at home or in the office. It’s currently offered in select European countries, including the UK and Germany, and is expected to be launched in the USA, which already has ReadyPrint.

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The most exciting news of the past few days for the TechRadar team is that the launch date for what we expect will be the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge has been officially revealed.

The device is set to be announced at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on May 12, (that's 1am BST and 10am AEST on May 13). We're sure you're on the *ahem* Edge of your seat waiting to hear all about the new handset but, if you can't wait that long to discover some of the latest, greatest tech, we've rounded up some of our favorite reviews from the week below.

• Read all of our previous Review Recaps

There's a whole heap of reviews for you to dive into. First off, we tested Bang & Olufsen's beautifully built new Bluetooth speaker and marveled at its mellifluous yet meaty sound. On top of this, we put Epson's blazingly bright 4K laser projector through its paces, and considered whether Honor's latest pro smartwatch lives up to its 'Ultra' moniker.

1. Bang & Olufsen A1 3rd Gen review

2. Epson QL7000 review

3. Honor Watch 5 Ultra review

4. Fujifilm Instax Mini 41 review

5. De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next review

Epson QL7000: two-minute review

The Epson QL7000 is a projector designed for situations where you normally wouldn’t use a projector: well-lit rooms free of the dark furniture and gray walls typical of home theater environments.

What makes the Epson QL7000 uniquely qualified for such situations is its brightness, which goes far beyond what you get with the best projectors and even matches some of the best TVs. The QL7000 has a specified 10,000 lumens brightness, where a typical home theater projector tops out in the 2,500 to 3,000 range. That’s one of the reasons why the QL7000 costs $29,999 (around £22,400 / AU$47,000), though there are other good reasons as well.

The QL7000 is a 'body-only' projector that needs to be outfitted with a separate lens. Epson offers a range of special lens options, including long-throw ones that let you position it far from a screen, and ultra-short-thow ones that let you install it super-close. This level of installation flexibility is unique for a consumer-grade projector, especially one as small and lightweight as the QL7000. It also has an attractive case design that will let it fit in with your living room’s decor.

The QL7000 uses a laser 3LCD light engine, along with pixel-shifting, to display 4K images. Epson’s 32-bit QZX Picture Processor is used for upscaling and other types of processing, and it supports the HDR10 and HLG high dynamic range formats (but not HDR10+, a format we’re seeing increasing support for in projectors).

A pair of HDMI 2.1 ports on the QL7000 support 4K 120Hz and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), making Epson’s projector, which also has a low 19.6ms input lag, a great option for gaming. But the real draw of the QL7000 is watching sports – its super-bright picture can easily hold up in rooms with the lights on, and games of all sorts have an incredibly immersive quality on a big screen (up to 300 inches max, in this case).

The QL7000 also looks great when you dim the lights for movie time, and with a variable laser light output adjustment, you can create a separate picture mode optimized for more traditional theater-style viewing. Epson’s high-lumen projector lacks the black level refinement seen in some of the top 4K projectors, but with such powerful brightness reserves aided by a dynamic contrast feature, movies watched on the QL7000 pack a strong visual punch.

Ultimately, the QL7000 is a specialized projector designed for multi-use environments, and it serves that purpose brilliantly. Between the projector itself and the separate lens, you’ll pay quite a bit to experience its stunning brightness in your home, but for some, it will be well worth the cost.

Epson QL7000 review: price and release date

• First available: March 2025
• Price: $29,999 (around £22,400 / AU$47,000)
  

The flagship model in Epson’s Q Series projector lineup, the QL7000 lists for $29,999 (around £22,400 / AU$47,000). Prices for Epson projectors generally remain consistent over time, though discounts are occasionally tied to sales events. This price is for the QL7000 projector body only, with four lens options available at extra cost.

Other Q series models include the Epson QL3000 (6,000 lumens, $14,999) and Epson QB1000 (3,300 lumens, $7,999).

Epson QL7000 review: Specs

Epson QL7000 review: design and features

• Compact and stylish for a high-lumen projector
• Multiple lens option, including ultra-short-throw
• Dual HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz and ALLM support

The Epson QL7000 represents a departure from the massive, industrial look of typical high-lumen projectors. It’s not only smaller and lighter than such models, but it has a stylish, angled case that’s available in black or white. This sets it apart as a projector that can blend in with a living room setting rather than dominate.

The QL7000 is a “body-only” projector that requires a separate lens. Epson sells a range of lenses, which allow for everything from long-throw to ultra-short-throw installation options. For this review, the company sent me a middle-throw option with a 1-1.6 zoom, +56 to -56 vertical shift, and +16 to -16 horizontal shift.

A laser 3LCD light engine in the QL7000 uses separate red, green, and blue imaging chips and employs pixel shifting to display a 4K image. Light output is specified at 10,000 lumens (white and color), around four times as high as typical home theater projectors, and the QL7000 also supports Epson’s contrast-enhancing UltraBlack technology.

The QL7000 uses Epson’s proprietary 32-bit QZX Picture Processor for upscaling, frame interpolation, and dynamic HDR tone mapping. HDR support includes HDR10 and HLG, but not the HDR10+ format supported by some home theater projectors, including the Epson QB1000.

Gaming features on the QL7000 include two 40Gbps HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz support and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). A 3.5mm audio output is also provided (like other high-end projectors, the QL7000 lacks built-in speakers), along with dual USB-A, Ethernet, and RS-232C ports. There is also support for Crestron, Control4, and other home automation systems.

The QL7000’s setup features include horizontal and vertical lens shift, keystone correction, and point correction. Since I installed the projector on a table for my testing, the setup was simple, with the trickiest part being inserting the lens into the projector’s front. Four adjustable feet are provided for leveling the projector during setup, though most QL7000 installations will use a ceiling mount.

A full-size, fully backlit remote control comes with the QL7000. The buttons are large and well arranged, but the functions seem mainly aimed at installation, with no controls to make quick adjustments to basic picture settings like brightness and contrast.

• Design and features score: 5/5

Epson QL7000 review: picture quality

• Incredibly bright HDR images
• Impressive HDR tone mapping
• Very low input lag for gaming

First, let’s look at some measurements. With the QL7000 set to Natural mode (the most accurate picture preset) and a 100% laser light output setting, it measured 1,005 nits on a 10% white HDR pattern. It also measured 1,340 nits in Dynamic mode, which is the one I ended up using for most of my picture evaluation after calibrating the grayscale and color points. For the sake of comparison, the DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives, a theater industry trade group) digital cinema specification calls for 300 nits brightness for projectors to properly display HDR.

Contrast ratio in Dynamic mode with Dynamic Contrast on and the laser light output set to 30% was 68,000:1. With laser light output set to 100%, that number was boosted to 253,600:1, an excellent result that many competing projectors, particularly DLP-based ones, would struggle to match.

The QL7000’s UHDA P3 color space coverage was 83.7% in Natural mode, and BT.2020 coverage was 61.8% in the same mode. Those numbers aren’t nearly as impressive as high-end home theater projectors like the JVC DLA-NZ800, which is capable of full P3 coverage, or certain triple-laser ultra-short-throw models like the Hisense PX3-Pro that can fully cover BT.2020. Even so, colors looked punchy on the QL7000.

Input latency tested with a Bodnar 4K Input Lag meter was 19.6ms with the QL7000’s Image Processing menu option set to Fast. That’s an excellent result for a projector, and combined with the QL7000’s ALLM feature, it sets the QL7000 apart as a great option for big-screen gaming.

The most exceptional aspect of the Epson QL7000’s picture is its stunning brightness. Even when watching in a bright room with light streaming in from windows, the crisp, clear 4K image beamed by the QL7000 had a true window-on-reality quality.

A main benefit to all that brightness is getting to watch sports on a very big screen. When I first saw a demo of the QL7000 at the 2024 CEDIA Expo, Epson had paired it with a 200-inch screen in a well-lit room, and the football games they were showing looked clear and bright. For my setup, I used a much more modest-sized 92-inch matte white, 1.1 gain Stewart Filmscreen Cima screen, with the projector’s lens surface situated at a 10-foot distance.

As luck would have it, both the NBA playoffs and the Stanley Cup playoffs were happening during my time with the QL7000. No shortage of sports to watch! Viewing in the daytime with room lights on, the QL7000’s exceptionally bright picture made a Pacers vs Bucks match look incredibly realistic, with the Pacers players' bright yellow uniforms retaining their rich yellow hue even in my brightly lit room. With a typical home theater projector, the same image would have had washed-out-looking colors, but that was not at all the case with the QL7000.

The same held for a Capitols vs Canadiens match, with the large, bright projected image giving me a rink-side seat. The red hue of the Montreal players’ uniforms popped against the rink’s icy, white surface, and the QL7000’s excellent motion handling made fast-action plays look completely solid.

With the lights in my room dimmed for movie viewing, the projector’s picture benefited from reducing its laser light output to 30%, which provided more balanced contrast. Watching a 4K Blu-ray of Dune, in a scene where Paul Atreides is tested by the Reverend Mother, her veil came across as a solid black, and there was good overall detail in the dark background.

The projector’s somewhat elevated black level – not unexpected in a model designed for high light output – caused some shadow details to be obscured. However, both lowering the gamma setting to -1 in the Advanced menu and setting black level to 0% in the Dynamic Contrast menu helped somewhat in this regard.

Watching a reference scene from the Bond film No Time to Die that I use to test motion handling, a panning shot across a craggy hillside cemetery showed only minimal judder and motion blur. With the QL7000’s Frame Interpolation mode set to Low, those artifacts completely disappeared, and there was only a slight motion smoothing penalty seen in the picture.

As a final test, I watched a few scenes from The Elephant Man on 4K Blu-ray. The QL7000 presented the film’s black-and-white image with excellent uniformity – there was no sign of tinting or variable brightness across various sections of the screen.

• Picture quality score: 4.5/5

Epson QL7000 review: value

• Provides a larger picture than biggest-screen TVs
• Picture brightness a match for some TVs
• Unique option for bright-room viewing

At $29,999 (around £22,400 / AU$47,000), the Epson QL7000 crosses over into the money-no-object realm for projectors, making value almost a moot point. Its main benefit is in projecting a 4K image onto screens as large as 300 inches, and with a level of brightness that’s so powerful you can watch during daytime hours with room lights on.

You can now buy super-bright mini-LED TVs in the 100-inch range for substantially less, a reality that would put something of a dent into any consideration of the QL7000’s value. But 100 inches pales in comparison to 300 inches, and yes, people actually exist who want screens that big.

• Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Epson QL7000?

Buy it if...

Don’t buy it if… 

Also consider...

How I tested the Epson QL7000

• Tested at home, in a room with controlled lighting
• Measurements were made using Calman color calibration software
• A 1.1 gain Stewart Filmscreen Cima matte white projection screen was used for evaluation and measurements

When I test projectors, my first step is to use them for casual viewing to assess the out-of-box picture presets. The next step is to select the most accurate-looking preset (typically labeled Movie, Cinema, or, in the Epson QL7000's case, Natural) and measure the white balance (grayscale), gamma, and color point accuracy using Portrait Displays’ Calman color calibration software. The resulting measurements provide Delta-E values (the margin of error between the test pattern source and what’s shown on-screen) for each category, and allow for an assessment of the projector’s overall accuracy.

Along with those tests, I make measurements of peak light output (recorded in nits) for both standard high-definition and 4K high dynamic range using a 10% white window pattern. Coverage of DCI-P3 and BT.2020 color space is also measured, with the results providing a sense of how faithfully the projector can render the extended color range in ultra-high-definition sources. The final measurements are contrast ratio, which is the ratio of the brightest white to the darkest black that the projector can display, and input lag, which is measured using a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI input lag tester.

First reviewed: May, 2025

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If Epson’s EcoTank ET-2830 was a normal inkjet we’d be bemoaning its high price and taking aim at a relatively basic specification. We’ll come back to the latter, but the first is explained by this MFP’s refillable ink tanks. The ET-2830 arrives with about 6,000 pages’ worth of bottled ink – enough to see out a year or two of light use in the home. It’s better value out of the box than a comparable entry-level, cartridge-based device.

And entry-level the ET-2830 is. It’s a three-in-one, able to print, scan and copy, yet there’s no display, no USB port and no memory card slot. Instead, you get a few buttons and LEDs, and a reasonably appealing and uncluttered design. It offers just a single rear paper feed, and a basic scanner with no ADF. The printer can’t flip over pages for double-sided prints, although the driver will help you do it manually.

The ET-2830 arrives with blue tape holding down every conceivable flap. Remove that and it’s time to flip open its ink tanks and empty the supplied black and color inks into the relevant nozzle – they’re physically keyed to prevent a disastrous misfuelling. This is usually the bit where we gripe about waiting for the one-off ink priming to complete, but Epson’s new Smart Panel app lets you join the MFP to a wireless network and get on with installing software while you wait. We found its verbosity annoying, but it worked perfectly and turned out to be a time-saver overall.

Once set up, this MFP offers no real surprises. Despite its basic nature, it will happily get on with regular household or micro-office duties, leaving printed pages in a neat stack. As you might expect, it’s not especially fast, managing only 12.3ppm on our 25-page black text test. However, with the print quality dropped to draft it reached 17.2ppm – significantly more than Epson’s stated 15ppm.

Cheaper inkjets often make a meal of our challenging 24-page colour graphics test, but the ET-2830 chugged along at a steady 4.5ppm – more competitive than it sounds. It wasn’t even that slow when printing larger photos, needing about three minutes for each 10 x 8in shot printed onto A4 paper. Unfortunately, it only offers borderless prints on 10 x 15cm paper, on which it took a beard-lengthening 14 minutes to deliver six prints. Color photocopies provided another opportunity to grow facial hair, with a single copy needing 35 seconds. At least mono copies, at 14 seconds each, were relatively brisk.

The ET-2850’s scanner didn’t hang about at lower resolutions. It completed a preview in 12 seconds, and in the same timeframe could capture an A4 document at 150dpi. At 300dpi, the same job took 22 seconds. Things got slower at middling resolutions, with the scanner needing 37 seconds to capture a 10 x 15cm photo at 600dpi. However, scan speeds remained competitive at 1,200dpi, with the same document needing just less than a minute.

Delightfully, there’s nothing especially entry-level about the quality of this MFP’s prints, scans or copies. Draft text was quite faint, but Normal quality produced crisp and dark results. Colour graphics weren’t the boldest we’ve seen, but they were free of banding, and comfortably good enough for home and internal business use. Photocopies faithfully reproduced the originals – although colour copies were a touch less saturated.

This MFP’s photo prints were a highlight of our tests, combining surprisingly crisp details with vivid colors and realistic skin tones. Only our black and white photo presented a challenge, with the ET-2830 adding a slight green tint and failing to preserve the darkest shade details. We were also very impressed with its scan quality, which combined excellent color accuracy with a wide dynamic range, making the most of office documents and photographs.

The EcoTank ET-2830 may be basic, but it’s not unduly slow, and it does everything well. Yes, it’s missing duplex printing and other helpful features, but it’s about as cheap as refillable inkjets get. Once you’ve used up the generous bundled ink, its ongoing running costs are less than 0.5p per color page. Don’t be fooled by the purchase price: the ET-2830 is a bargain.

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Epson QB1000: two-minute review

The Epson EH-QB1000 is a fantastic projector, and in terms of performance, specifications and features, no other beamer comes close at this price.

The QB1000 uses a three-chip LCD design and laser light source that’s capable of producing an incredibly bright 3,300 lumens, which is higher brightness than many of the best 4K projectors can manage. In addition, thanks to excellent out-of-the-box accuracy the resulting images are not only bright but also naturally saturated. There’s a very low input lag, 4K 120Hz high frame rate support, and even HDR10+ high dynamic range support, making this beamer a cracking all-rounder.

The SDR performance is clean and detailed, with good motion handling and great accuracy. The HDR images are even better thanks to the dynamic tone mapping that gets the most out of the specular highlights and expanded shadow detail. The result is a rich and nuanced image with plenty of visual pop. The same goes for HDR10+ content, with its additional dynamic metadata.

Epson includes a host of higher-end features that are often absent from competing projectors. These include fully motorised lens controls and up to 10 lens memories for those using a ‘Scope ratio (2.35:1) screen. The menus themselves are comprehensive but simple to navigate, plus there are also extensive picture controls if you fancy getting your new beamer professionally calibrated.

The build quality is excellent, with a solid chassis and a choice of matte black or white finishes. There’s an extensive selection of connections, including two HDMI 2.1 inputs, along with a well-designed remote control that has a very useful backlight. There’s even a motorised lens cover to keep out dust, which is important because the light path on an LCD projector isn’t sealed.

Aside from the possibility of dust blobs, the only other limitation is the black level, which could be deeper. It’s also worth pointing out that the Epson isn’t native 4K, but can still produce higher-resolution images thanks to pixel-shifting technology. So when you add it all up, you really won’t find a more highly specified or better performing 4K HDR home cinema projector for the money.

Epson QB1000 review: price and release date

• First available: December 2024
• Price: £4,799 / $7,999
  

The EpsonQB1000 is the new entry-level model in the brand’s range of Premium Residential projectors and is available now in a choice of matte black or matte white finishes. The QB1000 currently retails for £4,799 in the UK but costs more in the US, where it will set you back $7,999.

Epson QB1000 review: Specs

Epson QB1000 review: design

• Fully motorised lens controls
• 10 lens memory positions
• Backlit remote control

The Epson QB1000 looks identical to the earlier Epson LS12000, with the same matte black or white chassis and central lens flanked by large forward-firing cooling grilles. The bodywork is solid and well-built, the motorised lens cover is retained, and there are basic controls at the rear, along with a removable cover to keep things tidy. There’s also an optional ceiling mount if required.

Setup is simple thanks to a generous throw ratio and motorised lens controls that include 10 lens memories for those using a 2.35:1 screen. The QB1000’s increased brightness makes it ideal for rooms with lighter-coloured walls, and as a bonus, the weak contrast ratios won’t be as obvious. There are also various picture modes, along with extensive calibration controls.

The connections are located in a long recess at the rear of the unit, where you’ll find two HDMI 2.1 inputs with support for 4K 120Hz, eARC, HDCP 2.3 and HDR10+, alongside regular HDR10 and HLG. There are also three USB ports, a 12V trigger output, an Ethernet port and RS-232C serial connector, along with support for various integrated control systems when used in a custom installation.

• Design score: 5/5

Epson QB1000 review: features

• Dynamic HDR Tone Mapping
• Support for 4K 120Hz high frame rate
• Support for HDR10+ with dynamic metadata

The Epson QB1000 incorporates the same 3LCD design the brand uses on all its projectors, and this particular technology is limited to Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels). However, the QB1000 can accept and display 4K content (3840 x 2160 pixels) by using pixel-shifting technology that literally shifts each pixel diagonally to increase the perceived resolution and create more detailed images.

Despite using the same laser light source as earlier models it has a claimed peak brightness of 3,300 lumens, which is massive, and an average lifespan of 20,000 hours. As with all beamers that use LCD display technology the black levels are poor, with the QB1000 producing a claimed native contrast ratio of 5,000:1, although the dynamic laser feature can boost this to 5,000,000:1.

New this year is dynamic tone mapping that analyses HDR10 content and optimises the image, allowing the QB1000 to deliver improved performance with HDR compared to the earlier LS12000. As with the earlier model there is also support for HDR10+, which means the QB1000 can use the format’s dynamic metadata to deliver an image optimised to its inherent capabilities.

The QB1000 has improved motion handling and upgraded frame interpolation. As a result, it can deliver smooth and detailed motion with sport, although I’d recommend leaving the frame interpolation off when watching film-based content. The Epson also supports higher frame rates up to 4K 120Hz, which makes this beamer a great choice for any next-generation gamers.

• Features score: 5

Epson QB1000 review: picture quality

• Incredibly bright HDR images
• Impressive HDR tone mapping
• Very low input lag for gaming

The Epson QB1000 impresses right out of the gate, with the kind of bright, detailed and saturated picture that makes big-screen projection so enjoyable. With quality content, primary colours are punchy, while the uniformity of the LCD chipset is good with no signs of patchiness, banding or dust blobs. The latter can be an issue with LCD due to the light path not being sealed.

The out-of-the-box accuracy is excellent in the Cinema mode, with whites that aren’t awash in blue. The same goes for the skin tones, which look suitably natural, while the image itself is pleasingly sharp thanks to effective 4K upscaling and the three LCD panels being well-aligned.

Despite its inherent brightness, the QB1000 is surprisingly quiet, although the noise levels will increase if you use the higher laser settings. However, there’s so much brightness available that you don’t need to move the power up too high to illuminate even a large projection screen.

In fact, the QB1000 has sufficient brightness to handle rooms with light-coloured walls, and the option of a white finish also lends it to more lifestyle-friendly installations. The reflected light in this kind of setup has the added advantage of disguising the Epson’s poor contrast performance.

Black levels are the QB1000’s big weakness, with the contrast ratio only measuring 4,300:1 in my tests. To be fair at least this is close to the 5,000:1 Epson claims in its marketing, but it does mean blacks look more like a dark grey. You can use the dynamic laser feature to improve the contrast performance but in reality this only helps with fades to black and the rest of the time the blacks remain the same.

One area where Epson has improved the performance is in terms of motion handling, even with the frame interpolation turned off. When it’s engaged this feature results in smoother motion, which makes it very effective when watching fast-paced sports. However, make sure it's switched off for movies and TV dramas, so they don't end up looking like cheap video.

The inclusion of HDMI 2.1 inputs means the QB1000 can support frame rates up to 4K 120Hz. This makes it a great choice for gamers, and this appeal is only enhanced by the inclusion of ALLM (auto low latency mode), which automatically selects the Game mode when a console is detected. In Game mode the input lag measures a very impressive 19ms, with only Sony’s VPL-XW5000ES projector measuring lower.

The QB1000 supports high dynamic range, and really impresses with a bright and detailed image where the highlights pop and the shadows reveal more subtleties. The QB1000 doesn’t use a colour filter, which means it only covers 88% of the DCI-P3 wide colour gamut. However, thanks to the increased brightness and new dynamic tone mapping the results are often excellent.

For example, the Alfred Hitchcock classic North by Northwest was shot on the larger VistaVision film format and the resulting 4K disc is stunning. The QB1000 expertly delivers the sumptuous images, fleshing out the fine detail and rich colours with skill. The crop-duster attack is a particular treat, with the Epson’s increased brightness helping to bring the Indiana cornfields vividly to life.

Furiosa is the prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road and enjoys the same epic desert vistas and insanely detailed production design as the earlier film, along with a deliberately stylised colour scheme. The QB1000 handles all these visuals perfectly, while the excellent motion handling ensures all the frenetic vehicular action is delivered smoothly and without any annoying artefacts.

The WW1 thriller 1917 is about a mission across no-man’s land and boasts superb photography and HDR10+ encoding. As a result, the QB1000 can render all the detail in the native 4K image, as well as deliver bright and clean daytime vistas. The nighttime scenes are more of a challenge, and while the blacks could be better, the bright flares really cut through the darkness.

• Picture quality score: 4/5

Epson QB1000 review: value

• Fantastic value for money
• Cheaper than any direct competitor

The Epson EH-QB1000 is fantastic value for money value, especially when compared to its direct competitors. The Sony VPL-XW5000ES is currently £4,499/$5,999, and while it might be native 4K it doesn’t have motorised lens controls, dynamic HDR tone mapping, or HDR10+ and 4K 120Hz support. The JVC DLA-NZ500 is more expensive at £6,499/$5,999 and while it is native 4K, has better blacks levels and does include motorised lens controls, lens memories and HDR10+, it still lacks support for 4K 120Hz and doesn’t have a Game mode, so it’s not the best choice for gamers.

• Value score: 5/5

Should I buy the Epson QB1000?

Buy it if...

Don’t buy it if… 

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How I tested the Epson QB1000

• Measured with Calman calibration software
• Evaluated using SDR and HDR content
• Reviewed in a dedicated home cinema

As with all my TV and projector reviews I use a combination of subjective viewing and objective measurements against the industry standards. For projectors, I also do all my testing in a dedicated home cinema with a completely blacked-out environment and high-quality screen.

The subjective testing is based around watching a variety of familiar scenes, primarily sourced from 4K and 1080p Blu-rays, plus the Spears & Munsil UHD Benchmark 4K disc. Any test scenes have been specifically chosen to evaluate a display’s black levels, contrast performance, colour accuracy, upscaling, image processing, motion handling, and HDR tone mapping.

For the objective testing, I measured the QB1000’s brightness, greyscale and colour gamut in SDR, before doing the same in HDR. I also evaluated the accuracy of the HDR tone mapping, along with the colour gamut coverage for DCI-P3. To do this I used a pattern generator and colour meter combined with Portrait Displays’ Calman calibration software. I measured the QB1000’s input lag in milliseconds using a specialised Leo Bodnar tester.

First reviewed: January, 2025

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Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22: One minute review

Epson’s smaller, portable EpiqVision home projector models were long overdue for an update, and that’s just what it has done with the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22. This introduces the tilting, swiveling stand design that’s proven so popular with many other recent projectors, and it packs in Google TV for streaming, which helps bring the EpiqVision Mini EF22 closer to parity with its competition. Add in a pair of stereo speakers and the EpiqVision Mini EF22 proves an effective all-in-one system.

The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 beams a laser through its 3LCD projection system, providing respectable brightness near 1,000 lumens. It makes for a decent picture, though it doesn’t manage quite the exciting color gamut of triple-laser options like the JMGO N1S Pro. Its 1080p resolution will also have you sticking to smaller projection sizes than you might otherwise opt for with the best 4K projectors like the BenQ X300G or even the older Xgimi Horizon Pro.

While the EpiqVision Mini EF22 is a simple and effective little home theater projector selling for a reasonable $999, it struggles to contend with the market it’s entering. Not only are there many great new projectors in the $1000-$2000 range but there’s also a sea of slightly older models that have come down in price. It’s a good projector, but I’m hard-pressed to find a reason to choose it over the alternatives. I’d snag myself a BenQ X300G or Xgimi Horizon Pro instead, both of which have been seeing some impossible-to-ignore discounts.

Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 review: Specs

Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 review: Prices & release date

• Release date: October 2024
• Price: $999

The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 launched in late 2024 with a starting price of $999 (£799, AU$1,599). It has seen some discounts since then, though these tend to come and go. The EpiqVision Mini EF22 comes in a variety of colors, giving you more options. You can find it in Stone Blue, Opal Green, Quartz Rose, Onyx Black, and Diamond White.

Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 review: Design & features

• Built-in stand makes setup easy
• Google TV and automatic image adjustments
• Built-in 2x 5W stereo speakers

Like many of the new consumer projectors in 2024, the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 comes with a stand built in. This makes it easy to adjust the vertical tilt and horizontal angle of the projector, even supporting vertical projection up toward the ceiling. This provides a simpler setup, though anything but a perfectly lined-up projection will result in some digital corrections that detract from the usable image.

The EpiqVision Mini EF22 makes automatic vertical and horizontal keystone adjustments very quickly, letting you shift the projector around and see the image change shape in real time. It’s also quick to focus automatically. It has an optional setting to avoid obstacles when projecting, and this proves effective, but it is a slower process than the other automatic corrections, taking a few seconds. The EpiqVision Mini EF22 rounds out its smart projection features with eye protection that dims the projector when it detects someone in front of it.

The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 is plenty compact, proving not dramatically different in size from the JGMO N1S I recently tested. That said, projectors can certainly come smaller, as LG showed with the LG CineBeam Q. It’s hard to have small projectors get very bright or offer solid audio, though, and those aren’t sacrifices the EpiqVision Mini EF22 made. It features stereo speakers and is rated to hit 1,000 ISO lumens. It also comes with Google TV. Unfortunately, Epson didn’t make the most of the projector’s size, as it opted to include just one HDMI port (with ARC), a USB-A port, and a 3.5mm audio output jack. It’s providing options, but not many. The focus of the EpiqVision Mini EF22 really is on being a standalone device that doesn’t call for external connections.

The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 comes with a simple remote. It’s all plastic with rubber buttons and nothing too elegant, but it’s effective. It has simple navigation controls, a Google Assistant button, a shortcut to the HDMI input (making the input selection button a bit redundant), dedicated volume and brightness controls, and shortcuts for projection settings, auto-focus, as well as YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video. None of the buttons have backlighting, making it a bit hard to use in the dark, but at least some of the buttons are white, and it’s easy enough to feel out the volume buttons.

• Design & features score: 4/5

Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 review: Picture & sound quality

• Decent brightness
• No unsightly motion smoothing
• Color could use a boost

The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 provides an overall good-looking image, but it’s not the most impressive I've seen in this projector category. While natural content looks solid, with the projector offering a great presentation for Dune, it can struggle elsewhere. In the extremely colorful Mind Game, it didn’t keep up with some of the triple-laser options on the market, like the JMGO N1S, and I noticed some banding in color gradients. That said, the 3LCD technology avoids some of the unsightly swimming-pixel artifacts I’ve seen from DLP projectors displaying large monotone regions, as well as DLP rainbow artifacts.

The EpiqVision Mini EF22 doesn’t keep up with some of its 4K competition either. BenQ’s X300G may have originally been much more expensive, but it’s come down considerably in price, and it has the chops to really threaten the EpiqVision Mini EF22.

I took a rough measurement to overall brightness in the Dynamic profile, which achieved 959 lumens with an ANSI test pattern and a matte white screen. There again, it’s just decent. Competitors like the Dangbei Atom and JGMO N1S offer as much, and slightly more expensive options from BenQ and JMGO take it to another level.

Gaming on the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22, I found the projector added considerable latency if it had any sort of processing going on (i.e., keystone correction or digital zoom). With these disabled, the projector still had a tangible delay between actions and on-screen effects, but it wasn’t significant enough to slow me down as I worked my way through numerous encounters in Hades. Oddly enough, there’s no specific picture profile for gaming that would disable the projector's processing automatically, so you’ll have to manage these settings on your own.

With two speakers on the rear of the EpiqVision Mini EF22, it works reasonably well whether you set the projector up in front of you or at the back of the room. They provide a bit of stereo separation, which adds a touch of depth, though they’re no substitute for a dedicated audio system. They get reasonably loud for a small, quiet room, but the sound gets a bit muddled at higher volumes, making it hard to pick out everything that’s going on in a song, for example. You’ll get clear enough mids and a bit of bass, but higher frequencies tend to suffer when the volume is cranked.

To the EF22’s credit, it doesn’t mess around with any unsightly motion smoothing. Right from the jump, it provides good, clear motion.

• Picture and sound quality score: 3/5

Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 review: Value

• Effective all-in-one package
• Comes up short next to the competition

The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 puts plenty into one package. It’s a decent projector, providing a bright image that can handle impromptu movie nights or let you settle in to binge the next hot series, as long as you turn the lights off. With Google TV, it’s ready to stream a great variety of content with no external sources. And it packs in a good enough set of speakers to make do in quiet, intimate viewing conditions. The built-in stand also proves helpful, making it that much easier to set up in various places without the need to stack up a pile of books or go buy a separate stand.

The biggest thing holding the EpiqVision Mini EF22 back in the value department is the competition it faces. You can get much brighter projectors and ones that offer 4K or provide more vivid color for the same price or just a little more. Compared to these, the EpiqVision Mini EF22 ends up feeling lacking.

• Value score: 3/5

Should I buy the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22

• Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions
• Presented the display with a variety of media and formats
• I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade

I tested the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22 at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it faced with ambient light coming in from numerous windows, in-room lighting, as well as ambient noise that both the projector and speaker systems had to overcome. The projector was tested both against a bare, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite screen. It was presented with streamed content, HDR and non-HDR, and PC gameplay.

My testing evaluates the projector’s performance concerning its price and competition from other models that I and my colleagues at TechRadar have tested.

I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer.

• First reviewed: January 24, 2025
• Read TechRadar's review guarantee

• New TechRadar Pro survey shows many people don't own a printer
• Despite this, HP has cornered a significant portion of the market
• Japanese brands are the most popular to own

The role of home printers might seem to be diminishing to many, as cloud storage, document sharing, and mobile devices, are quickly replacing the many tasks once reliant on physical prints.

However, for millions of people, printers remain an essential tool for everything from school projects to remote work and small business operations.

A recent survey conducted across our WhatsApp community revealed intriguing insights into printer ownership trends. With a sample size of 3,676 respondents across nine brands, the survey’s single question — “What printer do you have?” — yielded both expected and surprising results.

HP and Japanese brands lead the pack

HP emerged as the clear leader in this survey, with 38% of the total sample stating that they own a printer made by the company.

HP’s sheer market dominance is particularly interesting when compared to those who do not own a printer, which accounted for 21% of respondents. While HP has cornered a significant portion of the market, a growing number of people are either opting for alternatives to personal printing or simply choosing not to own a printer at all.

What’s perhaps even more intriguing is the dominance of Japanese brands within the top four. Brother, Canon, and Epson collectively account for 37% of the total, showing the significant influence that Japanese technology has in the global printing market.

Brother in particular commands 11% of the total share, with Canon at 14%, and Epson close behind at 12%. The remaining brands, Kyocera, Oki, Ricoh, Xerox, and Lexmark, collectively make up less than 5% of the responses. This indicates that these brands have their niches but have limited awareness or availability among respondents.

The number of people forgoing printer ownership might also reflect urban living conditions where access to printing services is readily available through libraries or office supply stores. In such environments, individuals may find it unnecessary to invest in personal printers.

Furthermore, high ongoing costs associated with ink cartridges and maintenance might deter potential buyers from investing in printers.

Another recent survey by TechRadar Pro reveals that while the shelf price of many printer cartridges is less than $20, in the long run, printer owners will have to spend between $5,000 to $10,000 per liter of ink.

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In spite of the push to go paperless, SMBs still rely heavily on printers for their day-to-day operations. Choosing the right printer can significantly impact your productivity, budget, and even your environmental footprint.

But with so many options available, how do you know which is the best small business printer for you? Do you need a laser printer for high-volume text documents, or would an inkjet be better for your colorful presentations? Should you invest in a multifunction all-in-one printer, or stick with a single-function printer? And what about those new bulk-ink models - are they worth considering?

These are just a few of the questions you might be grappling with as you search for the perfect printer. The choice can seem overwhelming, especially when you're trying to balance performance, cost, and long-term value.

We'll talk about the various types of printers suitable for SMBs, discuss key features to look for, and provide you with essential questions to ask before making your purchase. By the end of this article, you'll be equipped with all the knowledge you need to choose a printer that will serve your business efficiently and economically for years to come.

We’ve also covered the best small business printers.

Types of SMB printers

When it comes to choosing a printer for your SMB, the underlying technology plays a crucial role in determining its suitability for your specific needs. Let's take a closer look at the main types of printers available:

• Inkjet Printers: These versatile printers are a popular choice for many SMBs. They work by spraying tiny droplets of ink onto paper, making them excellent for producing high-quality color documents and photos. In my experience, inkjet printers are particularly well-suited for businesses that need to print a mix of text and graphics, such as marketing agencies or real estate offices. Modern inkjet printers have come a long way in terms of speed and efficiency, with some models rivaling laser printers in these aspects.
• Laser Printers: If your SMB primarily prints text documents in high volumes, a laser printer might be your best bet. These printers use a laser beam and toner to create sharp, crisp text at high speeds. They're typically more expensive upfront but can be more cost-effective in the long run for businesses with high print volumes. I've found laser printers to be particularly useful in legal offices, accounting firms, and other businesses that produce a lot of text-heavy documents.
• LED Printers: Similar to laser printers, LED printers use light to create an image on a drum, which then transfers toner to paper. They're often more compact and energy-efficient than traditional laser printers, making them a good choice for SMBs with limited space or those looking to reduce their energy consumption.
• Solid Ink Printers: Although less common, solid ink printers are worth considering for SMBs that need high-quality color printing. These printers melt solid ink sticks and apply the liquefied ink to paper. They produce vibrant colors and are generally more eco-friendly than other printer types, as they generate less waste.
• Multifunction Printers (MFPs): Also known as all-in-one printers, these devices combine printing, scanning, copying, and sometimes faxing capabilities in a single unit. For many SMBs, an MFP can be a space-saving and cost-effective solution. In my own small business, our MFP has been invaluable for its versatility, allowing us to handle a variety of document management tasks with just one machine.

Features to look for in an SMB printer

When shopping for a printer for your SMB, there are several key features you should consider to ensure you're getting a device that meets your needs and provides good value for money.

• Print Speed: For busy offices, print speed can be crucial. Look for a printer with a pages per minute (ppm) rate that matches your output needs. Remember, color printing is typically slower than black and white.
• Print Quality: Consider the resolution (measured in dots per inch or dpi) that you need. Higher resolution means sharper text and more detailed images, but it also usually means slower printing and higher ink or toner consumption.
• Connectivity: In today's connected world, you'll want a printer that offers multiple connectivity options. Look for printers with Ethernet ports for network printing, Wi-Fi for wireless printing, and perhaps even NFC or Bluetooth for easy mobile printing.
• Paper Handling: Consider the paper capacity, the ability to handle different paper sizes and types, and whether you need features like automatic duplexing (double-sided printing).
• Running Costs: Don't just look at the upfront cost of the printer. Consider the cost per page, which includes ink or toner and other consumables. Some printers might be cheaper to buy but more expensive to run.
• Duty Cycle: This refers to the maximum number of pages a printer can produce per month without breaking down. Make sure the printer's duty cycle exceeds your expected monthly print volume.
• Energy Efficiency: Look for printers with energy-saving features like automatic sleep mode or ENERGY STAR certification. These can help reduce your electricity bills and your business's environmental impact.
• Security Features: If you'll be printing sensitive documents, look for printers with security features like secure print release or the ability to encrypt data sent to the printer.

Questions to ask when choosing an SMB printer

Before making your final decision, it's important to ask yourself (and potentially the printer vendor) some key questions:

• What is our average monthly print volume? This will help determine the type and capacity of printer you need.
• What types of documents do we primarily print? Text-heavy documents, graphics, photos, or a mix?
• Do we need color printing, or is black and white sufficient?
• How important is print speed to our operations?
• Do we need additional functions like scanning, copying, or faxing?
• What's our budget, both for the initial purchase and for ongoing costs?
• How much physical space do we have for a printer?
• What level of print quality do we require?
• Do we need any special features, like wide-format printing or the ability to print on specialized media?
• How important are environmental considerations in our printer choice?

Creating an ideal printer setup for SMBs

Choosing the perfect printer for your SMB isn't just about picking a single device - it's about creating a printing ecosystem that meets all your business needs efficiently and cost-effectively.

Start by assessing your printing needs thoroughly. Consider not just your current requirements, but also how they might evolve in the near future. If you're a growing business, it might be worth investing in a printer that can handle higher volumes than you currently need.

Don't be afraid to mix and match different types of printers if that's what works best for your business. For example, you might have a high-speed laser printer for bulk text documents, an inkjet for occasional color printing, and a multifunction device for general office use.

Remember, the cheapest printer isn't always the most cost-effective in the long run. Consider the total cost of ownership, including supplies and maintenance, over the expected life of the printer. In my experience, investing in a higher-quality printer often pays off in terms of reliability and lower per-page costs.

Lastly, don't forget about software and support. Look for printers that are compatible with your existing systems and come with good customer support. A printer is only as good as its ability to integrate seamlessly into your workflow and keep running smoothly day after day.

We've featured the best workgroup printers.

Running costs

One of the main concerns with printers is that after their initial purchase price, what will the ongoing cost be over the lifetime of the printer?

For many businesses the cost of ink for their printers is often an afterthought, indeed if this is considered at all. For decades the printer (inkjet printers in particular) have been berated for the high cost of printer ink. Manufacturers cite high R&D costs as the reason, but businesses have understood for several years that ink costs will be high to compensate for the low cost of purchasing the printer itself.

Various schemes have been tried over the years with HP Instant Ink being the latest. Here a compatible printer – for businesses the OfficeJet Pro 8610 all-in-one is a good choice – will automatically order more ink via post to ensure it never runs out.

You enrol your printer and set a subscription level based on the number of pages a month you will be printing. The system is flexible enough to allow businesses to begin at a low subscription rate and up this as print volume increases.

As the cost of replacement inkjet cartridges remains high, the market for unbranded cartridges has become widespread. Should your business use unbranded ink? The inkjet printer manufacturers have used various techniques to stop this practice with the most common being the addition of a microchip to their own legitimate cartridges that the printer reads before accepting the new replacement ink.

The quality of the ink and the attached microchips can be an issue for some printers. Research by Which indicated that it's really a trial and error exercise with some users having little or no problems with unbranded cartridges, with others reporting their printers rejecting the cartridges completely. If your business is looking to save some money on cartridges, it seems you will have to simply try a few from unbranded sellers and see which work. It's worth a try though, as they can cost half the retail price of branded inks.

For several years it has been possible to retrofit an inkjet printer with a refillable ink tank. The ink cartridges in the printer are replaced with new cartridges that have a pipe running to a large external ink tank for each ink colour, which can be refilled.

Windows 11, Microsoft's latest operating system, has been slowly gaining popularity among users for its sleek interface and improved functionality. However, when it comes to setting up peripherals like printers, some users might find themselves scratching their heads.

But adding a printer to Windows 11 is actually a straightforward process, whether you're dealing with a brand-new wireless printer or an older model that's been sitting in your closet for years. The key is knowing where to look and what steps to follow.

Let's explore the various methods available for adding a printer to Windows 11, covering everything from automatic detection to manual setup. I'll also share a few ways you can troubleshoot printer connections and make the most of your printer on Windows 11.

Looking for instructions for Windows 10 instead? Here’s how to add a printer in Windows 10.

Option 1: Using automatic printer detection

Windows 11 comes with a built-in feature that can automatically detect and install most modern printers. This is usually the easiest and most straightforward method for adding a printer to your system.

Here's how to use automatic printer detection:

1. Ensure your printer is powered on and connected to your computer (if it's a wired printer) or to the same Wi-Fi network (if it's a wireless printer).
2. Open the Settings app by pressing Windows+i on your keyboard or by right-clicking the Start button and selecting "Settings."
3. In the Settings window, click on "Bluetooth & devices" in the left sidebar.
4. On the right side of the window, click on "Printers & scanners."
5. Near the top of the Printers & scanners page, click on "Add device."
6. Windows will now search for available printers. This may take a few seconds.
7. If your printer is detected, you'll see it in the list. Simply click on it and then click "Add device."

Windows 11 will now automatically download and install the necessary drivers for your printer. In my experience, this process works seamlessly for most modern printers, especially those from major manufacturers like HP, Canon, and Epson.

Option 2: Adding a printer manually

If your printer doesn't show up in the automatic detection process, don't worry! You can still add it manually. This method is particularly useful for older printers or those with unique connection requirements.

Here's how to add a printer manually:

1. Follow steps 1-5 from the automatic detection method above.
2. If your printer doesn't appear in the list, click on "Add manually" at the bottom of the window.
3. You'll see several options. Choose the one that best describes your printer:
   1. "My printer is a little older. Help me find it." (for directly connected printers)
   2. "Add a Bluetooth, wireless or network discoverable printer" (for wireless printers)
   3. "Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings" (for advanced setups)
4. Follow the on-screen prompts. Depending on your choice, you may need to:
   1. Select the port your printer is connected to (e.g., USB, LPT)
   2. Choose your printer's manufacturer and model from a list
   3. Provide a name for your printer
   4. Decide whether to share your printer on your network
5. Once you've completed all the steps, click "Finish" to complete the installation.

I've found that this manual method is particularly helpful for those stubborn printers that just won't show up automatically. It gives you more control over the installation process and can often solve connectivity issues.

Troubleshooting printer installation

Sometimes, even with the best instructions, things don't go as planned. Here are some troubleshooting tips if you're having trouble adding your printer:

1. Restart your computer: It sounds simple, but a quick reboot can often resolve many issues.
2. Check connections: Ensure all cables are securely connected and that your wireless printer is on the same network as your computer.
3. Update your system: Make sure your Windows 11 is up to date, as newer updates often include improved printer support.
4. Download manufacturer drivers: If Windows can't find the right drivers, visit the printer manufacturer's website to download them manually.
5. Run the printer troubleshooter: Windows 11 has a built-in troubleshooter that can often identify and fix common printer problems.

Productivity tips for using a printer on Windows 11

Now that you've successfully added your printer, here are some tips to enhance your printing experience on Windows 11:

• Set a default printer: If you have multiple printers, set your most-used one as the default to save time.
• Use the Print Queue: Familiarize yourself with the print queue to manage and cancel print jobs easily.
• Create printer shortcuts: Add printer shortcuts to your desktop for quick access to printing options.
• Explore printer-specific software: Many printer manufacturers offer additional software that can unlock advanced features of your printer.
• Use the Windows + P shortcut: This handy keyboard shortcut quickly opens the print dialog in most applications.

We’ve also covered the best home printers.

With paperless options slowly becoming everyone's new favorite, you might think that printing has become obsolete. But the truth is, whether you're a busy professional, a student, or a home user, having the best printer can make a world of difference in your daily life. From printing important documents to creating studio-quality photos, the right printer can be a huge productivity boost.

But with so many options available, how do you choose? Inkjet, laser, LED - each technology has its own strengths and weaknesses. Do you need speed or quality? Are you printing mostly text or photos? And what about those running costs that can sneak up on you?

In this guide, we'll dive deep into the world of printing technologies. We'll explore how each type works, their pros and cons, and help you figure out which one is the perfect fit for your needs. By the end, you'll be equipped with all the knowledge you need to make the right choice for your ideal printing station.

Also check out our complete list of the best all-in-one printers available.

What is an Inkjet Printer?

Inkjet printers are probably what most of us think of when we picture a home printer. These versatile machines are popular for good reason — they're affordable, compact, and capable of producing high-quality color prints.

The technology behind inkjet printers is fascinating in its simplicity. These printers work by spraying tiny droplets of liquid ink onto paper. The print head contains thousands of microscopic nozzles that fire these droplets with incredible precision. As the print head moves back and forth across the paper, it lays down these droplets to form your text or images.

I've always been amazed by the quality inkjet printers can achieve, especially when it comes to photos. The ability to blend colors smoothly makes them a favorite among photographers and anyone who needs to print vibrant images.

Pros:

• Affordable initial cost
• Excellent photo quality
• Compact and lightweight
• Versatile paper handling
• No warm-up time needed

Cons:

• Higher cost per page
• Slower printing speeds
• Ink can smudge when wet
• Not ideal for high volumes
• Frequent ink replacements needed

What is a Laser Printer?

Laser printers have been a staple in offices for decades for good reason. These powerful devices use a technology that's very similar to photocopiers, creating sharp and professional-looking documents at impressive speeds.

Here's how it works: When you hit print, the printer's laser beam "draws" your document onto a drum inside the printer. This drum is coated with a material that becomes electrically charged where the laser hits it. Then, a fine powder called toner is applied to the drum. The toner sticks to the charged areas, creating your image or text. Finally, the toner is transferred onto paper and fused with heat and pressure, resulting in your printed page.

The best thing about laser printers is their speed and efficiency, especially for text-heavy documents. They're the go-to choice for many businesses that need to print out high volumes of paper quickly and consistently.

Pros:

• Fast printing speeds
• Sharp text quality
• Lower cost per page
• High-volume printing capability
• Smudge-resistant prints

Cons:

• Higher upfront cost
• Bulky size
• Less versatile paper handling
• Not ideal for photos
• Warm-up time required

What is an LED Printer?

LED printers might be the new kid on the block, but they're quickly gaining popularity. These printers are similar to laser printers in many ways, but with a key difference in how they create the image on the drum.

Instead of using a laser beam, LED printers employ a strip of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to create the image on the drum. The rest of the process - using toner and fusing it to the paper - is very similar to laser printers. This technology was pioneered by OKI in 1989, and other manufacturers have since adopted it.

The use of LEDs instead of lasers might seem like a small change, but it brings some significant advantages. LED printers tend to be more compact, as they don't need the space for a moving laser and mirror system. They're also often more reliable due to having fewer moving parts.

Pros:

• Compact design
• Reliable performance
• Energy-efficient operation
• Fast printing speeds
• Quiet operation

Cons:

• Limited model selection
• Higher upfront cost
• Less common than alternatives
• Potential color accuracy issues
• Limited availability of supplies

Choosing the right printer for your setup

When it comes to selecting the perfect printer for your needs, understanding the key differences between inkjet, laser, and LED printers is crucial. Let's recap these differences one more time so we can explore how to make the right choice:

How to create your ideal printing setup

Now that we've explored the different printing technologies, let's talk about how you can create the perfect printing setup for your needs. Remember, the right choice depends on your specific requirements, budget, and printing habits.

1. Assess your printing needs: Before you start shopping, take some time to think about what you'll be printing most often. Are you primarily printing text documents, or do you need high-quality photo prints? How many pages do you typically print per month? Understanding your needs will help guide your decision.
2. Consider your budget: While it's tempting to go for the cheapest option, remember to factor in long-term costs. Inkjet printers might be cheaper upfront, but if you print a lot, a laser printer could save you money in the long run due to lower per-page costs. Make sure to research the cost of replacement ink or toner for any printer you're considering.
3. Think about space and placement: Where will your printer live? If you're tight on space, a compact inkjet or LED printer might be your best bet. Also, consider connectivity options. Do you need Wi-Fi capabilities for easy printing from multiple devices, or is a simple USB connection sufficient?
4. Don't forget about paper handling: If you frequently print on different types of paper or envelopes, look for a printer with versatile paper handling capabilities. Some printers offer multiple trays or the ability to handle thicker paper stocks, which can be a real time-saver.
5. Future-proof your purchase: Technology is always evolving, so try to choose a printer that will meet your needs not just now, but for years to come. Look for features like mobile printing capabilities, cloud integration, or the ability to add functionality through software updates.

Remember, the perfect printer is out there waiting for you. By carefully considering your needs and understanding the strengths of each technology, you'll be well on your way to creating your ideal printing setup. Happy printing!

We've listed the best small business printers.

When it comes to printers, the price of ink cartridges often becomes a major factor for both home and office users. While a cartridge might appear affordable at first glance, the real cost lies in how much ink you’re getting for your money.

The price of an ink cartridge can be deceptive - as a cartridge that costs $20 may only contain 2ml of ink, which might print around 100 pages. In contrast, a $50 cartridge could contain 20ml of ink, enabling you to print 1,000 pages. While the $20 cartridge seems cheaper, it may end up costing more in the long run due to the need for frequent replacements.

To help shed light on the true cost of printing, I surveyed 100 ink cartridges using publicly available information from the official websites of four major brands: HP, Canon, Epson, and Brother.

The hidden costs of Ink cartridges

To accurately analyze the long-term cost of printing, we assessed the price per litre of ink rather than focusing on the upfront cartridge cost. This approach provides a clearer picture of how much users will spend over time, as it factors in the volume of ink and the total number of pages each cartridge can print.

Among the 100 cartridges surveyed, 31% were classified as cheap (< $1000 per litre), 51% as affordable (between $1000 and $5000), and 18% as expensive (> $5000). Interestingly, Canon and Epson each held a 35% share of the cheap ink data, with HP making up the remaining 30%. This suggests that all three brands ensure they have affordable options available.

However, Canon emerges as the leader in affordability, offering the world’s cheapest original ink by the bottle.

The Canon GI-290 stands out with a price of only $171.29 per litre, making it the most affordable option on the market. Additionally, Canon’s GI-25 series sells for just $9.99 per cartridge, translating to a price of $270 per litre making it also one of the most affordable in the surveyed data. These low prices highlight Canon's focus on providing cost-effective printing solutions, especially for consumers who print frequently and want to minimize their ink expenses.

While HP is often perceived as a cheap brand, the data tells a different story when you look at the cost per litre of ink.

HP dominates the affordable ink category, with 53% of its cartridges falling between $1,001 and $5,000 per litre. Canon follows with 43% in this range, while Epson and Brother contribute just 2% each. Interestingly, 18% of the surveyed inks are expensive and HP takes the entire 18%. This means that the American tech company produces some of the most expensive ink cartridges in the world.

Although HP cartridges often sell for between $20 to $60, the price per litre can be extraordinarily high, making these cartridges some of the most expensive to use over time. For example, the HP 65 and 67 Tri-Colour cartridges have a staggering price per litre of $9,995 and $9,495 respectively, the highest in the entire dataset.

While some cartridges may seem expensive upfront, they can offer significant savings for users who print in high volumes.

Cartridges like the HP 32XL and Canon GI-290 have an exceptionally low price per page, effectively bringing the cost down to $0.00 in some cases. These cartridges are ideal for consumers who need to print large quantities of documents or photos, as they reduce the need for frequent cartridge replacements and save money in the long run.

High-capacity cartridges such as the Epson T636100 and Canon PFI-1000, which hold between 700ml and 800ml of ink, are also excellent choices for high-volume users. Though these cartridges have a higher upfront cost, their large capacity reduces the frequency of replacements and minimizes long-term costs.

Another interesting trend from the data is that black ink cartridges generally offer a lower cost per page and per litre compared to color cartridges.

Black ink is more commonly used for everyday document printing, which explains its lower cost. However, consumers who require color printing, such as for photos or graphics, face a much higher price per litre. For instance, color cartridges like HP 902 and Canon CL-276 have a much higher price per litre, especially for magenta, cyan, and yellow inks.

Users with frequent color printing needs may want to consider brands like Epson, which offers more affordable options for color ink. The Epson T664220-S cartridges in cyan, magenta, and yellow, for example, are priced at around $177 per litre, making them a reasonable option for those needing a balance between black and color ink costs.

The analysis reveals distinct strategies among the four brands: HP offers products across all three price categories—cheap, affordable, and expensive—but its high price per litre for some cartridges indicates a focus on short-term affordability at the expense of long-term savings. Canon, on the other hand, prioritizes cheap and affordable inks, making it the best choice for cost-conscious consumers. Epson primarily targets the cheap ink market, while Brother plays a smaller role overall, offering fewer options across the price spectrum.

If you print large volumes of document or you run a small business that requires heavy printing, then ink tank printers are the way to go. They are designed for designed for large volume of printing, offer lower costs per page and you do not need to refill regularly.

More from TechRadar Pro

• These are the best all-in-one printers
• Lenovo's Elephant is compact, has cheap consumables and is super affordable
• Take a look at our guide to the best small business printers

After researching 100 ink cartridges across some of the best printer brands, I discovered a shocking fact: the HP 65 Tri-Colour ink cartridge is one of the most expensive inks in the world, costing a staggering $9,995 per litre.

Despite its modest price tag of just $19.99 per cartridge, the cost efficiency of this ink is far from ideal.

Here is a breakdown of the reasons why this HP printer cartridge may feel cheap when purchased but can turn out to be one of the priciest investments for regular users.

The illusion of affordability - cheap but expensive

For only $19.99, you can replace the HP 65 Tri-Colour ink cartridge and continue printing. But here’s the catch: that $19.99 only provides 2ml of ink, just enough ink to print around 100 pages. While 100 pages may sound reasonable, when you do the math, you realize that for every 1,000 pages, you’ll have spent $200 on ink cartridges. And if you were to use a litre of this ink, the total cost would come close to $10,000! What initially seems like an affordable product is, in fact, one of the most expensive items you could purchase for your printer over the long term.

Now, let’s compare this with what other ink options offer. Take, for instance, the Epson T850, which sells for $71 for an 80ml cartridge and can print up to 850 pages. With this printer, the cost of printing 1,000 pages would be just under $85—significantly lower than what you would pay using the HP 65. Another example is the Brother LC75C, which sells for $15.49 for a 12ml cartridge and can print 600 pages. In the long run, for 1,000 pages, you'd spend only around $25.82.

Why is the HP 65 Tri-Colour ink cartridge so expensive? The answer lies in printer economics. Printer manufacturers like HP sell their printers at competitive prices but recoup their profits by selling high-margin ink cartridges. For instance, printers compatible with the HP 65 Tri-Color ink cartridge, such as the HP DeskJet 3755 or HP Envy 5055, are often very affordable. However, once users purchase these budget-friendly printers, they’re tied to the high cost of replacement cartridges like the HP 65. This model ensures that while the printer itself is cheap, the long-term cost of printing is anything but cheap.

For anyone who prints a reasonable volume of documents or images, ink tank printers are a far better solution. Ink tanks offer significantly lower costs per page and allow you to print thousands of pages before needing a refill. Unlike traditional cartridges that hold a small amount of ink, ink tanks are designed for volume printing and provide a much better total cost of ownership over time.

The shelf price of an ink cartridge is not all you should look at when shopping for one. To choose the right ink for your printer, it’s important to consider the total cost of ownership based on how many pages you’ll be printing. For instance, looking at how much it costs to print 1,000 pages can give you a clearer idea of the long-term expenses involved.

With HP's traditional cartridge models, like the HP 65 or HP 67, you could easily spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to meet your printing needs. But with an ink tank printer, you’ll save significantly, as refilling the ink costs just a fraction of the price per page.

More from TechRadar Pro

• These are the best all-in-one printers
• Adobe unveils new AI-powered app for marketing teams
• Take a look at our guide to the best small business printers

The Epson ET15000 all-in- one printer is on sale for Amazon October Prime Day, for just under $500, down from $700, a $200 saving or 29%. And it is the printer I'd buy during this sales event. Now that’s a significant investment but it is totally worth it in the long run especially if you print in a wide variety of paper sizes.

This is no ordinary printer; it is one of the few that can print on tabloid or A3+ paper sizes and comes with ink tank technology, in this case, Epson’s proprietary Supertank system. Now that allows you to bypass cartridges altogether, saving you hundreds of dollars in the long run.

Without the need to buy cartridges every now and then or pay subscriptions that may limit the number of pages you print per period, ink tank printers like the ET15000 can truly feel liberating. And Epson’s wide format all-in-one is feature-laden.

Today's best Epson ET-15000 deal

The bundled ink can deliver up to 7000 pages in black and 6000 in color, according to Epson. And the replacement inks are the cheapest on the market. A 127ml black bottle cost a mere $14.99, it’s so cheap you won’t even think about buying third party ink, let alone flinch at the cost of printing a gorgeous A3 poster for the office party.

As it is compatible with Alexa, you can also print hands-free. Duplex printing is standard, ideal to deliver color double-sided A4 brochures seamlessly (think newsletters). The scanner has a 35-sheet ADF and the ET15000 has a 250-sheet paper cassette.

Remember also that since it is an inkjet, it doesn’t consume as much power as, say, a laser, when in use. And given its paper handling capacity, its footprint - just under 20 x 30 inch - is perfectly acceptable.

There are some minor niggles though; it does come with a fax (who needs them these days!), you can’t do duplex scanning and scanning is limited to A4. Bigger scanning tech would have been too heavy and too expensive, which is a shame. Print speed is also not its forte; it hits 17 pages per minute in mono and just over half that in color. The print speed drops further if you print in duplex. It doesn’t have a memory card reader or a USB to plug in your flash drive.

All in all, it is - on paper (pun intended - a great fit as a small business printer, a home printer and - of course - a wide format A3 printer. Note that you can buy an Assurion-backed 4-year protection plan from Amazon for far less than from Epson direct, at just $78.99.

If you're curious about other offers, check out our Prime Big Deal Days Printer deals guide, which includes the best offers on everything from photo printers to A models. For all your other tech deal needs, you can view our Prime Big Deal Days guide and discover unmissable bargains on anything from air fryers to Bluetooth speakers.

Projector maker Epson has dropped details about a pair of new models joining its “Mini” lineup. The EF-22 ($999.99) and EF-21 ($899.99) are portable projectors designed for easy set-up that beam images as big as 150 inches. These models feature Google TV for streaming – a welcome upgrade over the company’s earlier portable projectors, which used the more bare-bones Android TV platform.

The new Epson pair has better brightness specs than what you typically get with the best portable projectors. Both models are rated for 1,000 lumens (ISO) of white and color brightness. Image resolution is 1080p Full HD, and both support HDR10 high dynamic range.

Epson’s proprietary EpiqSense technology automatically sizes, focuses, and aligns pictures when the projectors are set up and positioned. The EF-22 model also features a 360-degree swivel stand that can tilt to project images at any angle, even on the ceiling.

With a 2x 5W Dolby Audio speaker system, both the EF-22 and EF-21 are all-in-one home entertainment systems. They also feature a 3.5mm audio output for connecting headphones and an HDMI input for connecting one of the best 4K Blu-ray players or a laptop computer. 

Color options for the EF-22 and EF-21 include Diamond White, Opal Green and Quartz Rose, and the EF-22 also comes in Stone Blue and Onyx Black. An optional EpiqVision Mini Custom Travel Case for taking your projector on the go is available for $49.99.

The Epson EF-22 and EF-21 will be available starting in early October.

A promising pair of portables 

Epson is well known for its home theater projectors, including the Epson Pro Cinema LS12000, which tops our list of the best 4K projectors as the best overall model. However, it has only taken tentative steps into portable “lifestyle” projectors. The new EF-22 and EF-21 look to be the company’s best portables yet, with Google TV built-in for streaming and a sleek new design with multiple color options.

The portable projector space has become fairly oversaturated, with projectors like Samsung’s The Freestyle and LG CineBeam Q competing with models from XGIMI, Anker, JMGO, Dangbei, and other brands, including super-cheap projectors on Amazon. Given the crowded nature of the portable market, will Epson be able to make a name for itself in this space as well?

A key advantage Epson has going for it is its reliable, no-nonsense specifications. Epson uses the internationally recognized ISO 21118 standard to create brightness specs for its projectors, portable models included, so when Epson says its projector puts out 1,000 lumens, you can count on that number being accurate. That stands in contrast to multiple other projector manufacturers, a number of which have been sued by Epson for making misleading or downright false projector brightness claims.

We can’t wait to get an up-close look at Epson’s new portable projectors and expect they might just join the ranks of the best portable projectors after we’ve completed our review.

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• Epson has launched a trio of new 3LCD laser projectors
• The new models have 4K 120Hz support and up to 10,000 lumens brightness
• High brightness and a living room-friendly design make the Q-Series an alternative to microLED TVs 

With CEDIA Expo, a showcase for the latest and greatest developments in home theater technology, just around the corner (September 5-7, 2024), related new gear announcements are rolling in. First up is Epson, which just dropped news of the Epson Q-Series, a trio of new 3LCD laser projectors aimed at the high-end custom installation market.

The Epson Q-Series consists of three high-brightness models designed for multipurpose living spaces. However, like the best 4K projectors, they can also be installed in traditional home theater environments and include the contrast-enhancing UltraBlack technology found in previous models such as the Epson LS12000.

The entry-level Q-Series model is the QB1000 ($7,999, around £6,160 / AU$11,900), which features Epson’s VRX Cinema Lens and features dual HDMI 2.1 inputs with 4K 120Hz and ALLM support. Between its HDMI 2.1 connections and specified under-20ms input lag time, the QB1000 could be the perfect big-screen gaming projector.

Brightness on the QB1000 is specified as 3,300 lumens (color and white) and HDR support includes the HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG formats. It uses Epson’s QZX Picture Processor, has a laser light source rated for 20,000 hours, and features a 3-axis motorized lens shift to ease setup and installation.

The QL3000 ($14,999, around £11,550 / AU$22,300) and QL7000 ($29,999, around  £23,100 / AU$44,600) are “body only” projectors that can be paired with any of Epson’s High-Precision lenses. This design enables a wide range of installation options, including floor or ceiling-mounted ultra short throw setups. 

Epson’s QL3000 and QL7000 provide the same features found in the QB1000. They are specced for up to 6,000 and 10,000 lumens and support screen sizes up to 300 inches. According to Epson, these new models are more compact than their high-brightness competition – something made possible by a new, smaller light source with a vapor chamber heatsink – making them a better fit for bright living spaces. Both projectors are available in black or white and have a unique, angular case that should also complement any room they’re installed in.

Epson Q-Series: a cheaper alternative to microLED TVs? 

With its new Q-Series projectors, Epson is taking on a range of display competitors in the high-end custom installation space. The main ones are flagship projectors from brands like Sony, Barco, and Digital Projection, but massive microLED video walls also appear to be in their sights.

Making its new projectors compact and design-forward should give Epson an edge over its competition in the high-brightness projector space, which is dominated by industrial-looking models that don’t exactly blend in with a typical living room environment. 

Projectors such as the Sony VPL-GTZ380, a model that is specced for the same 10,000 lumens brightness as the Epson QL7000, are fairly massive and best hidden away from sight. Equally important, they are massively expensive, with the Sony priced at $80,000 compared to the QL7000’s $29,999.

A compelling feature of Epson’s two new top projectors is the option to pair them with an ultra-short throw lens. This will allow for the projector to be installed close up to a screen in a cabinet or ceiling rather than requiring a long throw distance to project large-scale images. The best ultra short throw projectors, such as the Epson LS800, are already bright enough to be installed in typical living room spaces, but bumping brightness up to the 6,000-10,000 lumens range will make pictures look even more vivid and dynamic. And with prices topping off at $29,999 for the projector, Epson’s new models will also provide a budget-friendly alternative to massive microLED TVs, which currently sit in the $100,000 and up range.

The QB1000 will be available in September 2024, and the QL3000 and QL7000 in October 2024. We look forward to reporting on them further at CEDIA Expo 2024, where TechRadar will be on site for Home Theater Week coverage.

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Some things just take time. While consumers have been bingeing on UST (ultra-short throw) projectors for some time now, the business community has been slower to adopt the technology. 

However, finally we're seeing UST devices ranking among the best business projectors on the market. But what's driving that change, and why is the B2B market finally shifting to embrace the technology?  

We spoke with Tan May Lin, Regional Director of Printer and Visual Products and Regional Director of Brand and Communications at Epson Southeast Asia, to find the answers. 

• UST projectors nearly a decade ago and have made a splash in the consumer market. Why has it taken so long for them to make a similar impact on the corporate/B2B one? 

It's actually interesting to note that the adoption of ultra-short throw (UST) projectors in corporate and educational settings preceded their entrance into the home segment. For instance, some schools in Southeast Asia have been utilising UST projectors in classrooms due to their ability to project large images from a short distance, making them ideal for interactive and collaborative learning environments.

UST projectors were also adopted early on in the corporate sector, particularly in meeting rooms and small office spaces where space optimisation and versatility are crucial. These projectors offer significant advantages in terms of installation flexibility and reduced shadow interference, which are key benefits in professional settings.

With economic pressures now squeezing corporate budgets, businesses now more than ever, are exploring sustainable cost-cutting measures, most notably, reducing physical workspaces. With the advent of hybrid work that is hyper-reliant on technology for collaboration, downsized office spaces and a challenging macroeconomic environment, UST projectors, which project large images from a short distance, are perfectly aligned with these new business requirements.

Within the consumer market, advancements in streaming compatibility and the growing trend of creating home theatre setups have further accelerated their adoption in households. There has been an increased demand for home entertainment solutions that offer big-screen experiences without requiring extensive space.

• What makes UST technology so interesting when it comes to business projectors? What's their USP? 

The UST projector is designed to project a large screen size at a very close distance. Using our recent Extreme Short Throw Projector (EB-810E/815E) as example, it requires less than a 10cm gap between the screen/wall and projector to showcase a 100" display. For small meeting rooms, the short distance between the screen and projector allows the projector to be flushed against the wall or built into carpentry during the interior design process, creating a sleek and modern look. 

This eliminates the need for large distances between the projector and the screen. As a result of this close proximity, there are fewer shadows, glares, or interruptions to the projected image. This essentially challenges the “conventional” perception of projectors, which is that they must be placed far away from the screen/wall. 

In addition, interactive UST projectors offer dynamic features such as wireless connectivity, interactive touch capabilities and multi-location interactivity, making collaboration much more seamless and truly hybrid.

• Are there any business use cases where you would NOT recommend using a UST projector?

While UST projectors are highly versatile, there are certain scenarios where they might not be the best fit. 

For instance, in environments with display size of more than 150” or with high ambient light, such as outdoor settings or rooms with large windows that cannot be darkened, UST projectors might struggle to maintain image visibility and quality. In these cases, standard projectors with enhanced brightness capabilities would be a better recommendation.

For such high-demand environments, Epson's high-brightness projectors are a viable alternative. These projectors offer high brightness levels, reaching up to 30,000 lumens, and are designed to perform exceptionally well in large venues and public spaces. 

A prime example would be the tailored usage of the Epson EB-PU2216B projectors in Sentosa, Singapore’s ‘Wings of Time’ show. This outdoor multi-sensory night show leverages Epson’s cutting-edge 3LCD technology with 4K enhancement and delivers vivid, accurate, detailed and bright images in various versatile environments. The projectors' ability to work in tandem with lasers, water features and pyrotechnics ensures an immersive audience experience.

• How do you see the UST technology in the business projector market evolve over the next few years?

 I am optimistic for the future of UST technology. In fact, the global UST projector market size was approximately US$1.6 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach approximately US$18 million in 2031, at a compound annual growth rate of 27%. 

The increasing demand for space-saving solutions and high-quality image projections for both businesses and consumers will continue to fuel its demand within public spaces, corporate offices, retail stores, home theatres and educational institutions. 

And with further technological updates to come in time, I am confident that UST projectors will be widely viewed as the Swiss army knife of indoor projection technologies. 

• What, according to you, are the main differences between a business projector and one geared towards the consumer market?

The primary difference between business projectors and consumer projectors revolves around their intended use and the features they prioritise. Business projectors are engineered for reliability, versatility and connectivity. They often include features such as higher brightness levels to counteract harsher ambient light in various meeting environments. This ensures that room lights do not have to be dimmed to see the bright and clear projected images, allowing meeting participants to concentrate better and improve productivity. These projectors also offer multiple input options for compatibility with a range of devices and are enhancing their advanced networking capabilities for seamless integration into corporate IT infrastructures. 

In contrast, consumer projectors focus on delivering an immersive viewing experience, often positioning themselves to replace televisions, with features tailored for home entertainment. There are now projectors for gaming, ceiling projection and all-in-one functions such as speakers and smart casting with a larger-than-life projection size to meet a multitude of consumer needs. For instance, the Epson EpiqVision Ultra EH-LS800B comes with an Android TV operating system and built-in Chromecast, along with a simple-to-use remote including voice search via Google Assistant, making it easier to search and stream video content. In addition, the built-in 2.1-audio system by Yamaha delivers powerful sounds.

Consumer projectors also prioritise quieter operations and more compact designs that blend seamlessly into home decor. The EH-LS800B is a prime example – it is the world’s shortest ultra short-throw home projector and is able to project 100” screen size at just 9.8cm away from the wall to the back of the projector. This means it can sit beautifully on normal audio video cabinets while displaying a sharp picture. It provides users with a big-screen experience that promises immersion in the comfort of their homes. 

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• We tested the best portable projectors you can get right now
• See our round-up of the best 4K projectors.
• Epson can't stop suing other projector manufacturers – here's why

Dangbei, XGIMI, Anker, Vava – what do these projector brands all have in common? They all have been on the receiving end of lawsuits in recent years by Epson, which is itself a manufacturer of the best 4K projectors.

Now, there’s one more projector brand to add to the Epson lawsuit list: Formovie.

In each of the above cases, the projector maker settled its lawsuit out of court with Epson, with the settlement requiring them to correct the brightness specifications for its products. But what are projector brightness specifications, and why are they such a controversial – and legally actionable – topic?

Lumens vs Lux, LED Lumens, and Brightness 

Popular home entertainment projector brands such as Epson, Sony, and JVC use an internationally recognized standard, ISO 21118, to measure white brightness levels in their products. That result is typically specified in lumens, such as the 2,700 lumens that Epson cites for the Epson LS12000, the best option for most people in our best 4K projectors guide.

Not all projector makers use ISO 21118 for brightness specifications; however, By way of example, Amazon is filled with cheap projectors, many of them using non-standard brightness specification terms such as “Lux,” “LED Lumens,” or simply “Brightness.” Some makers even provide a lumens brightness specification without performing standardized testing, and that specification can be staggeringly high – 9,500 lumens for a cheap projector selling for $57, for instance.

In the case of Formovie, its Formovie Theater 4K ultra short throw projector had a listed brightness specification of 2,800 lumens, and its P1 portable projector had an 800 lumens specification. As part of the lawsuit settlement with Epson, those specifications have been dramatically lowered to 1,800 lumens and 250 lumens for the Theater and P1 projectors, respectively.

Commenting on the settlement, Mike Isgrig, Epson America’s vice president of consumer sales and marketing, said: “When projector brands use the same internationally developed and published standards, it protects consumers and establishes trust within the industry. Formovie’s commitment to use internationally published and accepted standards (such as ISO 21118 for white brightness) moving forward for their entire product line will provide accurate white brightness information for consumers."

The importance of having standards 

Before Formovie found itself in Epson’s crosshairs, Dangbei was forced to lower the brightness spec for its Mars Pro 4K laser projector from 3,200 lumens to 1,800 lumens to settle with Epson. That’s an even more dramatic brightness spec downgrade than the Formovie Theater projector faced, and it makes the low price Dangbei was charging for the Mars Pro 4K (which appears to have since been renamed DBX3 Pro 4K) make more sense in retrospect.

This brings us to the crux of the matter: competition. Brightness is a key – if not the key – specification consumers use to compare projectors, and having that artificially, or in some cases, seemingly randomly inflated gives certain projector makers an unfair advantage.

You can go to Amazon’s website today and find 1080p projectors selling for a mere $169 tagged with a “20000L” specification (indicating 20,000 lumens, which is higher than that provided by projectors used for large venue installations that cost $20,000 and up). Even in the wake of Epson’s lawsuit and subsequent settlement, Amazon’s listing for the Formovie Theater still has “Brightness” at 2,800 (indicating the previously disputed lumens spec), although Formovie’s global website now correctly specs the projector at “1800 ISO Lumens.”

Clearly, despite Epson’s best legal efforts, it’s an ongoing case of “buyer beware” when it comes to projector brightness specifications. That Amazon Formovie Theater listing might be an oversight, but the many other misrepresentations on Amazon demonstrate that it’s still the Wild West when it comes to projector brightness specifications.

Epson has so far settled lawsuits with eight projector brands and counting, but its lawyers still have their work cut out for them.

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You've only got until the 15 June to bag the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 Wireless Inkjet AIO Color Printer for $99.99 at Office Depot / OfficeMax. 

This incredible deal drops the printer to almost half the original price for a limited time. Additionally, Office Depot / OfficeMax currently has a trade-in event where if you trade in your old printer, you can get up to an additional $30 off of this printer (or up to $75 on other printers), bringing the price even lower to $69.99. To participate in this deal, you must bring the printer you are trading into Office Depot or OfficeMax stores for recycling.

The WorkForce series of printers are designed for professional use. This printer, in particular, is intended to accompany an entry-level business with a smaller office. This could also be helpful for home offices with printing or scanning needs. 

This printer is an excellent choice for a small business or home office. It is an all-in-one printer with exceptional print quality and speed for its size and price, especially the discounted price.

Today's best Epson WorkForce printer deal

We've tested hundreds of the best printers and Epson always scores high for us. The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is designed for home office use and offers efficient, high-quality printing, copying, scanning, and faxing capabilities. 

The WF-3820 has Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth LE, and Ethernet connectivity options, making working with almost any device as easy as possible. It has a 21 ppm black and white printing speed and 11 ppm color printing speed; it can hold up to 250 sheets of paper and a 4800 x 2400 dpi for sharp printing clarity for both text and images.

Its wireless features allow printing from virtually anywhere, and its compact size fits well in any workspace. Due to its compact size, the WF-3820 easily fits on your desktop, in a cabinet, or on a shelf, allowing you to conveniently incorporate a new printer into your current workspace. 

An ideal small business printer or one for the home office, this is a reliable, high-performance machine. Don't miss out on this fantastic deal from Office Depot!

Still looking? We've reviewed all the best Epson printers you can get right now.

The big Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 is a wide-format inkjet printer that uses vivid DURABrite Ultra pigment inks to churn out a high volume of glossy color pages at print-shop quality. With two 250-sheet input trays and XXL-yield ink cartridges available, it could suit a microbusiness or SMB with a busy and varied workflow. 

Despite its impressive capacity, the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 is competitively priced at around US$250 (about £210). There’s no fancy touchscreen interface, but it does have 5GHz Wi-Fi with AirPrint compatibility, a rapid print rate of 25ppm (pages per minute) and the ability to print on any size of paper or card up to A3+. But is it one of the best small business printers? Can it produce just about any kind of brochure or handout with a professional finish? We put it to the test.  

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310: Design & build

What looks like a very large black box is actually a reasonably compact inkjet printer, given that it can handle A3+ size paper and store a whole ream of it in its twin paper trays. To load Tabloid or A3 sheets, you need to extend the paper drawers so it actually gets bigger, but it’s still way smaller than any wide-format laser printer. 

Above the paper trays is the output tray and then the tilting control panel with its 6.1cm color LCD. Unfortunately, that display is not a touchscreen, so you’ll have to press the buttons alongside to operate it. At the back are connections for USB and Ethernet cables and a flap on top at the rear reveals the multipurpose input tray. This is especially useful for one-off print jobs because the paper path from here is quite flat, making it possible to print onto quite thick card. 

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 hinges open to reveal the four DURABrite inkjet cartridges. The supplied setup carts do not contain much ink, as is so often the case, but you can buy XXL carts which contain enough to yield up to 2,200 pages. 

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310: Features & specifications

Being a mid-price print-only device, the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 doesn’t bother with premium features like a touchscreen interface, NFC connectivity and a front USB Host port, but instead concentrates on specifications that will boost productivity and performance, such as the dual paper trays, rapid print speed and high print resolution. 

The PrecisionCore printhead has a more dense nozzle array than cheaper Epson printers, with 256 nozzles per color and 800 for black. They deliver an image resolution of 4,800 x 2,400 DPI. And unlike Epson’s EcoTank range of ink tank printers, which uses soluble dye inks, the inks in this WorkForce printer are all pigment based. That makes printouts more durable and faster drying to better suit a busy office.

There are three paper trays in all, with the two main trays each holding up to 250 sheets of Tabloid or A3. Being an inkjet, it can print on a very wide selection of media, including coated photo paper, envelopes and thick card. 5GHz Wi-Fi is built in, with Wi-Fi Direct and AirPrint compatibility.

It prints quite quickly for an inkjet, with the rate for simplex monochrome pages given as 25ppm (pages per minute) and 12ppm for color pages. That’s slower than a laser printer of course, but the heat-free inkjet technology means there is no warm-up time so the FPOT (first page out time) is faster than your average laser.

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310: Setup & operation

The bundled setup instructions are very clear, but you won’t need them because when you turn on the printer for the first time, messages will appear on its display telling you exactly what to do. Setting the date and time is a bit tedious using the buttons and operating this printer would certainly be quicker with a touchscreen interface. 

However, I didn’t have any problems working with the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310, and its three convenient paper trays and prompt printing made it very easy to use. There’s also a decent companion app called Epson Smart Panel for monitoring and controlling the printer remotely.  

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310: Performance

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 performed well in all of our tests. It printed as quickly as advertised with no paper jams or misprints. In fact, it managed to print on considerably heavier paper than Epson recommends. Thanks to the relatively flat paper path from the rear multipurpose tray, I was able to feed through some pretty thick card with satisfying results.

Pages of plain text emerge at a steady rate in auto duplex mode and the bold black pigment looks very professional on plain paper. Turning to mixed color documents, the results are similarly striking. Using pigment-based C/M/Y inks in suspension instead of the more usual soluble dye-based inks, means the pages dry faster and the colors stand out more. The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 is great for eye-catching brochures. It’s also pretty good at photographs. Feed it some glossy photo paper and you’ll get some near print-shop quality snaps back. It can’t match Epson’s photo printer range for image quality, which tend to use five or six dye-based inks to achieve a more natural finish than this office printer can manage, but it’s still impressive. 

Best of all, it can print on A3+ paper, so turning out vivid posters is quick and easy. However, we burned through the ink in our setup cartridges pretty quickly, so while the performance was undoubtedly strong, it comes at a cost. 

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310: Final verdict

This cartridge inkjet printer might not suit every small business, it’s not the absolute best printer we’ve ever tested, and it’s never going to be competitive when it comes to CCP (cost per page), but for those that need to print large professional-looking brochures on a regular basis, it could be ideal. The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 prints quickly and well. Those fast-drying DURABrite pigment inks look great on a wide variety of media, including the kind of thick card that would choke most printers. 

With two separate paper trays, each of them able to hold 250 sheets of A3/Tabloid paper and another multipurpose tray at the rear, this high-capacity printer is very convenient to use. It’s a pity there’s no touchscreen interface, or NFC reader, but that won’t stop us from highly recommending this capable color inkjet.  

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Amazon and Epson have jointly initiated legal action against companies in Turkey and the UK for allegedly selling counterfeit printing ink.

The lawsuit, which aims to protect the trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation and Epson America, targets traders accused of infringing on the Japanese company’s trademarks. Amazon.com joined the lawsuit to safeguard its customers as well as its own reputation.

According to the lawsuit, as many as 24 seller accounts had been distributing counterfeit Epson products between August 2021 and January 2024.

Epson sues counterfeit ink sellers

Giving context about the joint efforts, Jilana Miller, assistant general counsel for Epson America, said:

“From obtaining General Exclusion Orders in the ITC, to raids and seizures of counterfeit products and regular enforcement through online marketplaces, Epson employs a broad range of efforts to address patent and trademark infringement in the market.”

Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU), added: “Amazon has a zero-tolerance policy for counterfeit products and collaborated with the Epson team on this joint lawsuit to have a direct impact on these bad actors and permanently prevent them from selling counterfeits.”

The complaint asserts that the defendants collaborated in advertising, marketing, distributing and selling inauthentic Epson products, associating them through common business addresses and financial accounts.

The lawsuit seeks to prevent the counterfeit sellers from continuing doing so, as well as the destruction of offending products.

Note that the lawsuit targets sellers impersonating Epson, and not third-party ink sellers. This case is an entirely different one to the pressures that HP has faced in recent years, having blocked many third-party cartridges in its printers via a sneaky firmware update and forcing customers to use authentic HP ink or subscribe to its monthly ink plans – something that CFO Marie Myers previously indirectly admitted had helped the company to secure more revenue.

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Epson is always expanding its hugely popular EcoTank family and this feature-laden four-in-one is aimed at SMB (small to medium sized business) and the home office. The Epson EcoTank ET-4850 is small enough to fit on your desk at home, while offering sufficient capacity and print speed to serve a pretty busy workgroup. 

Like many of the best inkjet printers, it can print on coated photo paper, and while it cannot keep up with the speed of a laser printer, the 15.5ppm (pages per minute) print rate is not bad for an inkjet. Business users might be interested in the fax facility and certainly the ADF (automatic document feed). 

Best of all though, this is a refillable supertank inkjet, so the running cost will be around 90 percent lower than cartridge-based rivals and as usual, there’s loads of bottled ink in the box. Sounds like the all-in-one we’ve been waiting for, so let’s run an in-depth test.  

Epson EcoTank ET-4850: Design & build

In the US, the Epson EcoTank ET-4850 comes in white, while the otherwise identical European model pictured here is black. It’s a pretty compact A4/Letter printer with a paper tray that projects forward a few inches. The high-capacity ink tanks also bulge forward on the right hand side with clear plastic windows at the front. Another advantage over cartridge printing is that you can see for yourself how much ink is left in the tanks and that’s important because if one runs dry, you could damage the print head.

The large 6.1cm touchscreen is mounted in the center of a tilting control panel for easy access, while connections for Ethernet and USB data cables are located at the rear. The flaps of the ADF on top fold flush flat so you might not guess that it has one at first glance. Lift open this upper panel and you’ll see the A4-size scanner platen. It’s a very standard design for a desktop MFP (multifunction peripheral).

Epson EcoTank ET-4850: Features & specifications

As the model numbers suggest, our Epson EcoTank ET-4850 fits in between the basic Epson ET-2850 and the flagship ET-5850. As a middle-money proposition, it comes with all of the features essential to an office printer and few extras. Thankfully it possesses the frontal paper tray, touchscreen and ADF missing from the ET-2850, though it lacks the additional paper drawer, rear input tray and additional inkjet nozzles offered by the big ET-5850. 

An all-in-one printer, Epson EcoTank ET-4850 can auto duplex print, scan and copy a 30-page document using its ADF and send or receive a fax. There’s no USB Host port, or NFC on this model, but it does have a decent touchscreen, Wi-Fi with AirPrint compatibility and the ability to print on any paper up to A4 in size and 300 g/m² in weight. 

The ISO/IEC 24734 print speed is given by Epson as 15.5ppm for monochrome pages, but the same tech-spec sheet also claims a maximum print speed of 33ppm. That’s quite a discrepancy, but suffice it to say, that the Epson EcoTank ET-4850 prints relatively quickly and the FPOT (first page out time) of just 9 seconds is pretty good. The print quality is a step up from the cheaper ET-2850 because the PrecisionCore print head deploys more nozzles per color to achieve a resolution of 4,800 x 1,200 DPI (dots per inch). The stand-out feature is perhaps the amount of ink Epson has included. The five bundled bottles should give you up to 14,000 black and white pages and 5,200 color. 

Epson EcoTank ET-4850: Setup & operation

Getting started is a simple case of connecting the power cable, loading your paper in the main tray and turning on. Then follow the instructions that appear on the color display. After choosing the language, the next prompt suggests downloading the companion app called Epson Smart Panel onto your smart device. Using this app for the rest of the setup is slightly easier than using the printer’s own touchscreen. The app also makes it easy to print and scan remotely.     

Epson EcoTank ET-4850: Performance

We’ve tested a number of the best ink tank printers, and for us the Epson EcoTank ET-4850 printed quite quickly for an inkjet and without a hitch or a jam during our tests. With plain black and white text pages and the print quality set to normal, I was impressed by the sharp clarity of the characters at the smallest point sizes. Reprinting the same pages at so-called best quality causes the printer to slow down and deploy more black ink, which actually reduces the sharpness, so I’d recommend sticking in the default normal mode.

Mixed color documents looked similarly well defined, while photographs on coated paper showed great fine detail. This must be due to Epson’s superior Micro Piezo nozzle configuration which uses 400 black nozzles and 128 for each color compared with the measly 180 and 59 nozzles of the ET-2850. Despite the strong print quality, I still wouldn’t recommend the Epson EcoTank ET-4850 for photographers because the color accuracy seems to be slightly off so that the dye-based CMY inks just don’t achieve the same realism you come to expect from any of the best photo printers we've tried. 

If printing is overall very good, scanning is rather slow and with the ADF being unable to duplex scan, the Epson EcoTank ET-4850 does not make a particularly good photocopier. What it proved best at is churning out pages of monochrome text and mixed color documents. 

Epson EcoTank ET-4850: Final verdict

As an all-in-one inkjet, aimed at small business or a home office, the Epson EcoTank ET-4850 has everything it needs to fill the role well. It’s compact enough to fit on a desk at home, while having the paper and ink capacity to serve a small workgroup. The lack of a front USB Host port, dual scanning and NFC are minor disappointments compared to the fact that this is an EcoTank meaning a very low running cost and a huge amount of bottled ink in the box. And aside from photographs on photo paper looking a little disappointing, as a contender for best small business printer, the print quality with monochrome and color documents is excellent. 

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This all-in-one A4 inkjet is aimed at home workers or a small office, so it’s compact and efficient and comes with essential business features such as auto duplex printing, high-res scanning and integrated wi-fi with AirPrint. It’s also relatively inexpensive for an EcoTank, so don’t expect to find premium features like an ADF (automatic document feed), NFC, or even a touchscreen interface. 

The main selling point of the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 is its super-low running cost and the very generous amount of ink included in the box. The five bundled bottles could give you a staggering 14,000 black and white pages plus 5,200 color, which is the equivalent of 72 cartridges and a consumables cost saving of 90 percent. If you’re looking for one of the best small business printers, that already sounds like a good business plan, but let’s see how it performs.   

Epson EcoTank ET-2850: Design & build

Epson has been selling refillable ink tank printers for 20 years and the design is so refined now that it’s no surprise to see EcoTanks dominating the supertank market. Our EcoTank ET-2850 sits quite low down Epson’s product tree and it actually looks a little lopsided with the ink tanks bulging forward on the right. However, by increasing the tank volume to 127ml in the case of black, you are able to print 7,500 monochrome pages before needing to refill. That’s enough to leave even the best laser printers lagging behind. 

The large control panel tilts upward from the front to make the tiny 3.7cm LCD screen slightly easier to see when you’re standing over it. Below that is the paper out tray, but no paper in tray. You’ll have to shell out for the step-up Epson EcoTank ET-3850 [ https://www.techradar.com/reviews/epson-ecotank-et-3850 ] if you want a front-loading paper tray. All you have on the ET-2805 is the rear paper tray, which can hold a maximum of 100 sheets. 

There’s an A4-size glass scanner bed on top and a USB port for a data cable on the left side, but no other inputs. Again, Ethernet and USB Host ports are reserved for the more expensive models. At least the lack of features makes for a simple and small design. The weight is little more than 5kg. 

Epson EcoTank ET-2850: Features & specifications

There are plenty of the best ink tank printers on the market right now, and the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 is one of the more affordable supertankers, so it is quite light on features and relatively low-spec. There’s no ADF for example and no front paper tray. Nor is there a USB Host Port, NFC, touchscreen or Ethernet port. The print speed is a modest 10.5ppm (pages per minute) for mono simplex printing and has fewer nozzles than other EcoTank printers. The configuration here is 180 black nozzles and 59 for each color, whereas the step-up Epson Eco-Tank ET-3850 we tested has 400 black nozzles and 128 for each color.

What the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 does have are all the features essential for a small office printer. It can auto duplex at a reasonable rate and resolution, it can scan and copy any size document up to A4 and it has Wi-Fi with AirPrint compatibility. Being an inkjet, it can handle a wide range of media, including coated photo paper and card up to 300 g/m² in weight while its Micro Piezo heat-free technology is lower on electricity than a laser too. 

As mentioned, you’re getting enough ink in the box for a total approaching 20,000 pages. And with a set of replacement ink bottles costing around US$51 (£40) and yielding up to 13,500 this is about the lowest cost per page of any printer. 

Epson EcoTank ET-2850: Setup & operation

To get started, simply connect the power cable, load some paper in the rear tray and turn on. Then follow the instructions that appear on the color display. After choosing the language, the next prompt suggests downloading the companion app called Epson Smart Panel onto your smartphone. You can use this app for the rest of the setup instead of peering at the puny 3.7cm display. In fact, this excellent app makes remote operation of the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 very easy.    

Epson EcoTank ET-2850: Performance

The Epson EcoTank ET-2850 passed all our print quality tests with no misprints or paper jams, but it did not excel at any of them. It prints at a reasonable speed in simplex mode, though auto duplexing takes significantly more than twice as long. Epson’s black ink is pigment based, which is generally best for text documents due to its durable and quick drying properties. But while plain text appears smudge-free and clearly legible on plain paper, it’s just not as crisp as the best inkjet printers we’ve tried. This must be due to the lower number of nozzles this printer has to play with. The resolution will probably look fine for most purposes, but at very small point sizes, the letters begin to merge more than they do with rivals like the Canon PIXMA G620/G650. 

With mixed color documents, the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 is more impressive because Epson’s dye-based C/M/Y inks are particularly vivid hues. Soluble dyes bond better than pigment inks on coated paper too, but in reality, the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 is not great at printing photos on glossy photo paper. First impressions are good, thanks to the bright palette, but compared with other inkjets, our test photos lacked depth and fine detail. In a printer that will be primarily used for business, it’s not a big problem, but it’s not in the same league as any of the best photo printers, and we certainly wouldn’t recommend this model for use as such.

The A4 scanner works well and makes decent duplicates, but again, it cannot match other inkjets for sharpness so your copies will always be a bit softer than the original. Simply put, the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 turns out legible text and bright colorful documents, but is slightly below average when it comes to clarity.

Epson EcoTank ET-2850: Final verdict

Arguably, this could be the best all-in-one printer for anyone who prints a lot of documents and the occasional photo thanks to its extremely low running cost and an ability to print on any kind of paper. It’s no photo printer, so don’t expect the highest quality prints, but it prints reliably enough with its pigment black and dye color combo. Once you accept that the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 is a fairly basic business model with no touchscreen, no NFC and no front paper tray, it begins to make sense as a piece of essential and economical office equipment.  

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Epson has launched the Endeavor JT51, a 10.1-inch tablet for sale in Japan that is far from being the fastest on the market. With a price tag of $900, it's not the cheapest either, which may leave many people – myself included – to question why Epson chose to equip it with an outdated Celeron N6210 CPU.

The Endeavor JT51 is designed for a variety of applications, from data entry in factories to inventory management in retail stores. It features a 10-point multi-touch WXGA (1,280 x 800) display.

Under the hood, the standard configuration includes 4GB memory and 256GB storage, running on Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 2021 LTSC.

I feel the need for speed

Storage can be increased to up to 1TB, and if you need more power – although not a lot more – it’s possible to buy a version of the tablet with 8GB of RAM and a Pentium N6415 processor.

Ports include a USB 3.1 Type-C, USB 3.0 Type-C, USB 3.1, a microSD card slot, and audio input/output. It also boasts a 2.07 million pixel front camera and a 5.03 million pixel rear camera, Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth 5.1.

Epson offers a range of optional extras, including a docking unit, charging cradle, and arm stand, which allow for flexible use in various settings such as warehouses and manufacturing sites. A 2-in-1 keyboard is also available.

Epson’s reasoning for using a Celeron CPU in 2024 seems to be because it sees the tablet being employed in business situations where speed isn’t essential – examples include inventory control, on-site work, home visit medical treatment, as a semi-self-service POS register and as a reception/ticketing terminal. Personally I can’t see why the company couldn’t throw in a more powerful processor in case buyers want to use the tablet for more advanced purposes where a little speed could come in handy. Especially given how much they are charging for the new device.

The Endeavor JT51 is priced at 133,430 yen, roughly $900, and is available to buy now.

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Epson ES-C380W: 30-second review

Turning printed material into something easy to store and index is a requirement in many businesses, and a wide range of scanning hardware is available for this purpose.

Epson’s new ES-C380W scanner was designed explicitly with document imaging in mind, and it can hold up to 20 pages on the automated feeder and scan those documents at up to 1200 dpi in colour and monochrome.

The ES-C380W is slightly different from a typical small-footprint scanner is that is has a flat paper path mode that allows reasonably thick, up to 5mm, items to pass through individually, avoiding the need for a flatbed scanner.

With a size of just 296‎ x 104 x 125 mm (Width x Depth x Height) and a weight of 1.9 kg, this scanner is highly appropriate for off-site use that an auditor or solicitor might require.

Scans can be made directly to a USB stick or via a USB-connected computer, and via that host system, the captures can be redirected to popular Cloud-based services, including Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote and OneDrive for business.

You can scan from within Microsoft Office applications, and the ES-C380W is compatible with Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android Mopria, Apple AirPrint and Epson's SmartPanel application.

The caveats of this design are that it only comes with a single year of warranty, is mostly made of plastic, and has a tiny touchscreen only made for child-sized fingers.

Considering the price, most users will be expecting more than a year warranty, and Epson does enable the cover period to be extended for an additional cost.

Epson ES-C380W: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? £370/ €482.90
• When is it out? It is available now
• Where can you get it? It can be bought from Epson or through an Espon dealer.

At the time of writing, the ES-C380W is only available in Europe.

The price of this scanner seems high, considering that it’s mostly made of plastic and only comes with a year of warranty.

A competitor product, like the Fujitsu-made ScanSnap iX1300, comes with a three-year warranty and WiFI for around 70% of the cost.

Another cheaper alternative with a similar specification is the Canon imageFormula R10, which uses a USB connection to a computer and has the same 20-sheet feeder but is nearer to 60% of the ES-C380W price.

For those willing to not have WiFi connections, there are several much cheaper options with a similar scanning specification.

• Value: 3.5 / 5

Epson ES-C380W: Design

• Small footprint
• Two paper paths
• Awkward to configure

Most document scanners use a top-feeder system where documents are preloaded before bulk scanning can be initiated. The ES-C380W follows that basic plan, although the maximum number of sheets it can hold is just 20 in its standard paper path configuration.

This orientation has the smallest desktop footprint and makes this design ideal for the occasional scan job.

With only 20 pages loaded at any time, that’s 175 loading operations to hit the maximum 3,500 pages per day of potential, should anyone have the patience for that.

Frankly, anyone scanning more than 100 pages a day on a regular basis should be looking at a more robust design than this, a design that Epson only offers a single year of warranty on.

It might be more effective for scanning odd and thick content, such as passports, as it offers an alternative scan path mode where the input can be up to 5mm thick.

Using the straight paper path mode, many odd documents will pass through, although it can become fussy if the item isn’t entirely flat.

Alternatively, the normal mode scanning can be single or double-sided, and the paper is sent through a U-shaped path where it ends up in an output bin on the front of the machine. The thick content mode is a straight paper path that ejects the paper from the front of the machine, and offers single-sided scanning only.

Scanning operations can be controlled from the touch screen on the right front of the unit, or through the Epson ScanSmart application.

Scans can be directed to either an inserted USB stick or to a connected computer, with that journey redirected to Cloud storage if required. OCR (optical character recognition) can be performed on the scanned contents to provide an index that can be interrogated to identify the source image at a later date.

The process seems all very slick, and the scanner moves paper through rapidly, though occasionally so quickly that it jams.

What it also offers is a simple means (blank sheets) to separate document runs. Therefore, if you have 20 documents that are the contents of three different letters, for example, then you should put a blank page between the three parts. Alternatively, you can cut them up later using a PDF editor, but that’s yet another process to this workflow that isn’t required with a bit of preparation.

Epson has focused heavily on making the ES-S380W as easy to operate as possible, but it might not fit the scanning workflow of all busy offices where all post is scanned.                                                                      

Other than the scan process, we have two other reservations about this design, the first being the generally flimsy construction of this scanner.

Where this is most noticeable is in the incredibly thin foot that the unit rests, which will easily bend with the minimum of hand pressure applied to it. The paper support arms at the rear also appear remarkably fragile, and when you open the scanner to clear a jam it the inside looks like a stray staple might easily obliterate it.

Our second issue is the size of the touch screen mounted on the right of the scanner, being just 50mm wide by 38 mm high. Many of the icons on this display are less than 4mm high, and yet these are meant to be selectable by an adult finger with a tip that is at least 10mm in width. The user experience is poor, but normally we wouldn’t be concerned about this as everything can be done from a connected computer. Except there are a number of actions, like selecting a wireless AP and inputting the password, that can only be done on the tiny screen.

Epson either needs to put screens on their scanners that are big enough for the job or extend the SmartScan application so it can configure everything.                                                                                                                                                               

• Design: 4 / 5

Epson ES-C380W: Performance

• Hard to hit quoted speeds
• Can jam with uneven stock

The quoted scanning speed for documents is 30 pages a minute for text documents and 60 pages for graphical images. Though, it can’t realistically hit those scores because the sheet feeder only holds 20 pages.

Scanning documents dictates it will hit a reload cycle at forty seconds that will probably take at least another ten seconds, maybe more, since the output bin needs to be emptied and the input slot primed before initiating another scan. That assumes that you have taken the time to carefully count another 20 pages and aren’t just grabbing pages you assume are numbered less than 20.

The scanning of images number is more flawed since the output bin will be filled in just 20 seconds, and if a reload occurs within another ten, a second reload will happen before 60 seconds have elapsed.

What we can confirm is that the ES-C230W can pull paper into the scanner and eject it at the quoted speed, but that doesn’t actually translate into those results in actual use.

When you consider the pre-organisation that the scanning process invariably requires and the post-processing needed, hitting the quoted 3,500-page duty cycle would be a genuine challenge in a working day for one person.

Where its performance is less nuanced is in the amount of power it consumes, with 3.3W in ready mode and only 1.0W in idle. This efficiency is down to the LED light source that the scanner requires and that being exclusively powered when the paper is passing through the scanner.

It also gets another environmental tick for being made from 30% recycled plastic, and as it's mostly plastic, that’s a significant contribution.

There are a few issues with paper feeding on occasion, we noted. The feeder doesn’t like any paper that isn’t perfectly flat, and it often jammed if we tried to send a folded document through. Also, guessing the thickness limit for the straight paper path can be tricky, as exceeding this will rapidly stop the operation.

It’s very noticeable how smoothly this scanner works in ideal conditions, those being fresh copy paper input, and how awkward it can become with thinner or thicker stock that isn’t entirely flat.

For very thick items, like books, this isn’t a substitute for a flatbed scanner.

• Performance: 4 / 5

There are aspects of this scanner that are excellent, and for the most part, it does what Epson claims.

However, in the genre of small portable scanners for limited volume, it is more expensive than an equivalent design by Canon, and it has a worryingly short warranty period.

It is possible to extend the warranty, and Epson does make some replacement roller parts to swap should those become worn, but is that enough?

There is a fine balance here between making the ES-C380W robust enough to provide many years of solid service and light enough to take out of the office, and Epson went with lightweight over resilient.

Therefore, this isn’t a scanner we’d recommend for everyday scanning, but it's ideal for quick jobs of a few hundred pages when required.

And, the design does consider workflow, even if it can only digest 20 pages at a time.

Epson ES-C380W: Report card

Should you buy a Epson ES-C380W?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800: one-minute review

There’s no shortage of ultra short throw (UST) projectors turning up to stake their claim as some of the best projectors on the market right now. Epson has shown solid performance with its laser-lit 3LCD technology in various formats, and the Epson LS800 incorporates it in a powerful UST package. 

At $3,499 / £3,199 (about AU$5,240), it’s amazing that this Epson can deliver 4,000 lumens of brightness, which proves more than enough for viewing in the daytime without covering every window with blackout curtains. Epson could have gone further with eARC support and a wider color gamut, but for what it lacks in those departments, it does a solid job making up for it by simply being usable around the clock with little fuss. The Hisense L9G may still be the better option for those who don’t need the flexibility, and the Hisense PX1 Pro will win for those looking for value and who are willing to invest in blackout curtains. But the LS800 has its place for anyone who wants a simple, powerful projector that lets them beam a huge image they can view at any time of day they want.

Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800 review: price and release date

• Release date: September 2022
• Price: $3,499 / £3,199 (about AU$5,240)

Epson’s LS800 is available for $3,499 (£3,199, about AU$5,240). The projector is available in black or white color schemes. It does not include a screen, though Epson sells its SilverFlex Ultra for $1,999 to pair with it.

Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800 review: Specs

Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800 review: design and features

• Decent, though not elegant, looks
• Adequate selection of ports, but lacks Wi-Fi 6, Ethernet, and eARC
• Focus dial and brightness control are handy

Like the rest of the recent generation of ultra short throw projectors, the LS800 has a subtle design that’s aimed at blending in with its surroundings for a subdued-looking entertainment center. It doesn’t demand the same kind of attention as a 100-inch TV sitting against the wall when it’s powered off, but it does when it’s powered on.

Continuing the similarities, fabric wraps around the Epson’s front in much the same way as the Hisense L9G and LG CineBeam HU915QE. Where the L9G offers a somewhat futuristic feel and the HU915QE has a vintage style, the LS800’s look manages to land kind of flat. The fabric wrap around the corners doesn’t even hit a smooth curve, instead running along a series of small angles. Overall, it detracts slightly from the elegance of the unit. Fortunately, it’s not a glaring centerpiece for the living room, so its underwhelming aesthetics don’t become an eyesore.

The projector measures just 27.4 inches across and 13.4 inches deep. More impressively, it’s only 6.2 inches tall. It’s bigger than a soundbar, but fits in under a screen just like one. At 27.6 pounds, it’s also easy to move around. 

Three adjustable legs — two in the front corners and one in the middle at the back — support the LS800, screwing in and out to raise or lower sections. I found this to be generally effective for getting the image square to a screen, but it required a bit of fuss. Having four adjustable legs would have allowed more options for compensating for uneven floors and tilted screens. Ultimately, any imperfections in alignment are remedied by the projector’s digital keystone correction and multi-point adjustments, though using these digital adjustments effectively crops away some of the usable image. 

The LS800 has an exceptional short throw range, needing very little space between it and a wall to get a huge image. With its front situated just 17.3 inches from a wall or screen, it can project a 100-inch picture. That leaves just a 4.1-inch gap between the projector’s rear and the wall behind it. By contrast, the Hisense L9G leaves an 11-inch gap when projecting the same size image.

Around the right side, a sneaky panel covers up the Epson’s ports and the manual focus dial. The panel is made of two parts, allowing for the port-cover component to detach fully in case you’re using lots of external connections or streaming dongles and can’t fit them all into the small compartment.

Like many of its contemporaries, the LS800 lacks any lens cover. That means there’s no convenient way to protect the lens from settling dust or — worse — curious cats looking for somewhere to lounge. Epson did consider how to protect users from the powerful lasers inside the LS800, though. The system has an aggressive eye-protection system that blacks out the screen when anything gets too near, and it resumes projection just as quickly as it dims once it senses no one is near. This is a step up from the system on the Hisense L9G, which can be slow to react and even slower to revert back to full light output. 

The projector has three HDMI ports, with one meant for gaming and one offering HDMI ARC support. Notably, HDMI eARC is not supported. There are optical audio and 3.5mm analog audio outputs as well. 

The LS800 runs on Android TV, offering up a host of streaming apps right on the device. Netflix is predictably missing — an issue that’s common among many projectors — but that’s the only glaring omission. Unfortunately, the projector relies on the dated Wi-Fi 5 standard, which could result in a suboptimal streaming experience. The enhanced bandwidth and stability of Wi-Fi 6 would have been a welcome improvement for ensuring high-bitrate streaming, especially since there’s no Ethernet port. Connectivity issues were intermittent throughout testing, but notable given the projector was connected to a router separated only by a single wall and no more than 20 feet.

• Design and features score: 3.5/5

Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800 review: picture quality

• Brightness and contrast are a huge plus
• Color is strong but not stunning
• Good built-in sound system

The LS800 doesn’t have all the video bells and whistles of some of its competitors. It notably lacks Dolby Vision, opting instead for just HDR10 and HLG support. While some projectors we’ve tested have received upgrades to add Dolby Vision after release, we doubt the LS800 will get the same treatment. Epson also isn’t boasting the widest color gamut for this projector. But what it may lack in those departments, it makes up for in terms of brightness and contrast. 

Epson’s projector pumps out a bright picture with up to 4,000 lumens. And that brightness applies to not just white light but also color, making for particularly consistent performance. For those sensitive to the rainbow effect from some projectors, Epson’s 3LCD display technology manages to avoid this while also providing high contrast. Even in a modestly lit room, the picture is clear. Bright scenes are easy to see in any condition, and with the shades drawn for a room that’s easy to see in, the projector still offers a serviceable image for very dark movies, like The Batman. Naturally, the best experience will be in a room with all the lights down. 

In a dark room, the projector is so powerful it can merit turning down the brightness. Fortunately, there’s a brightness control right on the remote. While watching Pitch Black, which has an opening sequence with lots of flashing lights, my viewing party was all but stunned by the strobing. Meanwhile, the projector’s high contrast creates a glorious picture for bright and dark scenes alike.

Watching Avatar: The Way of Water, the projector maintained its stride with respectable color alongside ample brightness and contrast for daytime viewing. This film also showed some of the projector’s limits, with its pixel-shifting system adding a little softness to Avatar 2’s 4K visuals.

Color also lacked some of the vibrance that a projector like the Hisense L9G could offer with its RGB laser light source. Overall, the LS800 handles natural color quite well, but when it comes to the sizzling, almost neon, colors a movie like Avatar 2 calls for, it comes up slightly short. The contrast makes up for this slightly, with the glowing dots on the Na’vi standing out a bit more markedly in dark scenes.

The LS800’s built-in Yamaha-designed speaker setup provides a strong complement to its image. It can pack a punch, and is plenty for 200 or 300 square foot rooms. With two tweeters and a subwoofer, it has a fairly full sound, though it doesn’t provide the deep rumble you’ll get from dedicated subwoofers in even affordable sound systems. The virtual sound mode is surprisingly compelling, mixing voices, sound effects, and music with great balance while lending an impression of surround sound. That’s good news for folks planning on relying on the built-in speakers, but anyone hoping for a huge upgrade through Dolby Atmos will be disappointed by the system’s lack of eARC support. You can still get Dolby Atmos if you run sources directly into an external sound system and simply pass the video through to the projector, but that makes for a more cluttered setup – exactly what UST projectors are designed to avoid.

• Picture quality score: 3.5/5

Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800 review: value

• Reasonably priced for the brightness on hand
• Color underperforms competition
• Doesn’t include a screen

At $3,499, the LS800 isn’t too pricey as far as UST projectors go. It cost the same as the Hisense PX1 Pro at $3,499 (about £2,850, AU$5,035) and is quite a bit cheaper than the $5,999 (AU$9,999, about £5,600) LG CineBeam HU915QE and $5,499 (about £4000, AU$7500) Hisense L9G. And despite the pricing, the Epson is substantially brighter than both Hisense models and even edges out the LG. (It’s worth noting that the L9G comes with a special screen that can account for the price difference.)

While its color may underperform here, it’s still a strong option, especially for those looking to do a lot of daytime viewing in rooms with little or no ambient light control. 

• Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800?

Buy it if...

Don’y buy it if… 

Also consider...

How I tested the Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800

• Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions
• Presented the display with a variety of media and formats
• I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade

I tested the Epson LS800 at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it faced with ambient light coming in from numerous windows, in-room lighting, as well as ambient noise that the projector's speaker system had to overcome. The projector was tested both on a bare, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite screen. It was presented with streamed content, HDR and non-HDR, and console gameplay. 

My testing evaluates the projector’s performance with respect to its price and competition from other models I and my colleagues at TechRadar have tested.

I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer. 

No matter what your line of business, sometimes we all need to rely on the humble office printer to help us get the job done.

Despite vast developments in digitisation and the ubiquitous use of smart technologies, a printer is still a vital ally in your office or home workspace, offering you the flexibility to print what you need, when you need it.

If your printer hasn’t aged as you’d hoped, and you feel it's time for an upgrade, then you're in luck. Epson is one of the biggest names in the printing industry, with its products winning awards and garnering stellar reviews around the world, and it's currently running a promotion that could be right for anyone looking to boost their printing game.

In partnership with Currys Business, anyone who buys a selected Epson EcoTank or WorkForce Pro Printer before September 30 can claim cash back when they trade in their old laser printer - so essentially, you're being paid to upgrade.

There are a wide range of printers available in the promotion, including the likes of the Epson EcoTank ET-5150, an all-in-one cartridge-free inkjet printer, ideal for small business and home office use, which offers £30 cash back when you trade in. Equipped with high-capacity ink tanks, the EcoTank ET-5150 eliminates the need for cartridges and has the ability to print up to 7,500 pages in black and 6,000 in colour with just one set of low-cost ink bottles. 

This wireless device also comes with useful interface tools such as a 250-sheet front paper tray, 6.1cm LCD touchscreen and 35-page automatic document feeder, so getting your print jobs set up just how you need them has never been simpler. 

Thanks to the Epson Smart Panel app, the ET-5150 couldn’t be easier to set up and use from your smart device, with the added comfort of offering printer maintenance capabilities. 

Swapping out a laser device for a newer, more efficient product such as an Epson inkjet printer, can bring economical and ecological benefits alike.

Thanks to this device’s heat-free PrecisionCore technology, there’s no heat required in the printing process, which unlike laser devices, consumes low energy and emits significantly fewer CO2 emissions. No warm-up time also means you’re not left waiting for your prints as you would with a laser device, so the first page prints much faster while also using less power and helping with your energy bills.

As an inkjet printer, there's no need to change fiddly toners, and thanks to the high-capacity ink bottles used by the EcoTank, users can significantly reduce the emissions associated with recycling printer consumables. Moreover, empty EcoTank bottles can go into household recycling. 

The EcoTank’s economical ink tank system means it has a super-low cost per page, and can save you up to 90% on the cost of ink

If you’re looking for business printing quality, the EcoTank ET-5150 features all-pigment inks for smudge, water and highlighter resistant prints.

The laser trade-in offer is open now to anyone purchasing a qualifying Epson EcoTank or WorkForce printer between 3rd April and 30th September 2023. Once you trade in, Epson will provide your cash back and will arrange for your old laser device to be recycled.

So, if you're looking for an economic and ecological print and scan solution that can offer you cash back on your laser device, there's literally never been a more cost-effective time to upgrade, so check out what Epson and Currys Business can offer you today. As Epson ambassador Usain Bolt would say, saying goodbye to cartridges means you can “just fill and chill”.

30-second review

Printing A3 photos or illustrations with an inkjet printer was always an expensive exercise, given the pitiful amount of ink that typical cartridges held. Running out was never a good option, making the cost per print extremely high.

People found ways of reducing the cost through ink delivery systems, and the printer makers eventually realized their greed had cooked this commercial goose, launching ink replenishment schemes and EcoTank printers.

The Epson ET-18100 is an A3 EcoTank design that has six reservoirs of ink, each with 70ml of capacity that can relatively cheaply be refilled. With six inks alongside the standard black, magenta, cyan and yellow, light magenta and light cyan are added for a much greater subtlety of colour in lighter areas of a print. These are also all dyes, with no use of pigment for black, which is common on four-tank printers.

Printing on A4, a full-page graphic takes around 75 seconds to print once uploaded to the printer, and an A3 borderless print takes about 150 seconds for the whole process at standard quality. That’s not blinding fast, but it’s quick enough for generating colour proofs or limited photography runs.

The printer can connect via WiFi or USB, although to get WiFi connected needs the use of the Epson Smart Panel software on a phone or tablet.

Our only reservation about this printer is that it has no LCD panel to display errors or instructions, instead relying on software on a computer or phone to relay the status.

Overall, the print quality of the ET-18100 is stunning, the cost of ownership is acceptable, and the ink is affordable.

Epson ET-18100 price and availability

• How much does it cost? £699
• When is it out? It is available now
• Where can you get it? Not available in the USA, but it is in Europe and Asia.

Currently, the ET-18100 isn’t a Global design and has been only released in all EMEA markets, but not Canada, US, Australia or New Zealand.

It’s also the only printer currently using Epson 107 series inks, though that situation might change.

The cost of around £700 seems steep, but it’s the same as the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300, a cartridge printer that can output A3+.

In fact, at the time of writing, neither Canon nor HP makes a tank printer for photos that can print bigger than A4/Legal.

Using cartridges makes for an expensive way to produce output on A3+ paper, and it’s the critical selling point of tank printers.

Each 70ml ink bottle costs just £9.99 direct from Epson, and these official bottles can be bought slightly cheaper online.

The contents of each bottle represent up to 1500 15x10 cm prints in that specific colour, approximately twelve times as much ink as is in a typical cartridge.

Therefore, the unit cost of printing 15 x 10 cm prints is about 5p, and even an A3 poster is much less than £1, excluding the cost of paper.

Therefore, while the hardware isn’t cheap to buy, the cost of using the ET-18100 is remarkably low and is rated for a lifespan of at least 50,000 prints.

Other consumables include a replacement pickup roller for £12.99 and a ‘Maintenance Box’ that is £22.49. The quoted durability of the roller is 50,000 pages, but no specific life is allocated to the box.

• Value score: 4/5

Epson ET-18100 design

• A plastic box
• Ink reservoir system
• No display

I don’t think that we’re being abusive to call the ET-18100 a plastic box. Because, in whatever way that might be dressed up, it's precisely what this printer is.

Out of the box, except for the CD printing tray, the printer comes fully assembled and can be connected to a computer with a USB cable for quick deployment.

Like the other EcoTank designs we’ve seen, the ET-18100 uses large bottles of ink that need to be loaded into the reservoir system prior to printing. These use a clever connector design that stops an ink colour from being loaded in the wrong part of the reservoir, and there are six different colours available, but no white or grey ink.

The ink code for this printer is 107, and replacements for each colour can be purchased for around $10 each, making a complete set around $60.

From the tanks, ink is fed to the print head with 180 nozzles allocated to each colour, giving a total of 1080 nozzles, a print resolution of 5,560 x 1,440 DPI and individual ink droplets of just 1.5 Pico litres.

The quoted print speed is eight pages a minute for both mono and colour based on the 5% coverage of ISO/IEC 24734, but realistically that’s not remotely the type of printing this machine is designed to do.

The single input chute at the rear can take stock from A3+ (329mm x 483mm) all the way down to 10 x 15 cm, 80 sheets at a time, with stock ranging from thin 64 g/m² to much thicker 300 g/m² paper. It can also print on suitably surfaced CD/DVD disks and ID card blanks.

Even at the largest paper size, printing is borderless, and prints arrive on the output tray dry enough to handle most stock.

One inexplicable aspect of this printer is that while it will print borderless at A3, A4, 20x25cm (10 x 8 in),13x18 cm, 10x15 cm, 9x13 cm and Legal, for reasons that defy logic, it won’t at A5, A6, B4, B5, B6 or  5x8 in, or in any of the envelope sizes. This has been an issue with Epson designs before, and it has been possible to circumvent these limits by creating a custom size for A5 as an example and then selecting borderless printing on that. But on this printer, that doesn’t appear possible.

It’s interesting to compare this design with the Epson  ET-8550 model. That model has a colour touch display, faster quoted print speeds, a scanner, an Ethernet port and some extra firmware features, like Apple AirPrint.

In the USA, the ET-8550 is $799.99, and in the UK, it is £729.99, making it only £30 more than the ET-18100. The trade-off is that the ET-8550 only has three coloured inks, two blacks (a dye and a pigment) and a grey. That might make it better at mono photo output but inferior in colour reproduction.

What the ET-18100 needed was the display that the ET-8550 gets, so feedback about any potential errors or setting up WiFi requires external software either on a computer or via a mobile device.

But even with that feature annoying missing, the ET-18100 has the critical functionality to perform the job it was designed to do. Namely, producing A3+ or smaller full-colour output to a reasonable colour accuracy in an acceptable timescale and affordably.

Design score: 4/5

Epson ET-18100 printing costs

• Ultra-low cost prints
• Easy Ink installation

Printer makers have become masters of diversion when it comes to the cost of ownership in regard to ink supplies.

What helps them in this is that ink won’t last a specific number of pages since we’ve no idea how many colours each page will contain and the balance of the dyes required.

What we can say with some certainty is that cartridges are a much more expensive way to print, and the chance of having a failure due to a cartridge running dry mid-print is significantly higher than with a tank printer.

Printer makers all still make environmentally unfriendly cartridge designs, but the newer EcoTank products (Smart Tank, whatever), like the ET-18100, do make some effort to make the cost less for those that are likely to be printing large full coverage output.

The quoted yield for each 70ml bottle of ink is 1500 pages, irrespective of colour, based on ISO/IEC 29103 pattern with Epson’s methodology printing photos in 10x15cm format.

A photo this large is about a quarter the size of A4, reducing that page count down to 375, and A3 would reduce that to about less than 100 pages.

However, at $60 for that number of A3 pages, the unit cost is only around 70 cents, which is very reasonable when compared with cartridge costs.

Depending on what you specifically print, it may be that some inks are more likely to be used, but as you can buy those inks specifically, that’s not an issue.

The only flipside to reservoir systems is that the printer has no idea how much or little ink is in each colour tank, and therefore it is up to the operator to make sure that ink levels aren’t allowed to get too low, allowing air to get into the supply lines.

The way the ink bottles operate, it isn’t possible to overfill, so keeping it filled is easy as long as you have ink on hand.

Without the chip tracking annoyance of cartridges, this printer can also take ink that wasn’t made by Epson, which they warn the customer will invalidate their warranty.

Third-party dyes are available that can cut costs further, and these sources also allow this printer to use dye sublimation inks, turning the ET-18100 into an A3 capable production platform for short-run T-shirt design printing.

A limitation of doing this is that once the printer has sublimation inks installed, and it must be done from empty, it is not easy to convert it back to conventional use or vice versa.

These aren’t the types of inks that Epson is offering right now on this product, but it is likely that sublimation printing is one of the jobs this printer will be used for.

For those curious, the warranty on this printer is 50,000 pages, or a year, whichever comes first. There doesn’t seem to be an option to replace the printhead, which may be a part of this printer that fails first.

However, Epson appears to think it will last longer, as they make a roller wheel replacement that has a life of 50,000 pages, and there would be little point in replacing it if the printhead was destroyed after this much use.

It may be the cost of ownership balance has moved from the ink to having to replace the printer after 2 or 3 years, but only extended use of this machine would reveal that.

• Hardware score: 5/5

Epson ET-18100 performance

• 8/8 print speeds
• 2 minutes 45 seconds for A3

Printer makers are infamous for quoting speeds owners don’t usually see by using obscure ISO standards where pages have only 5% or less coverage.

That might be relevant for document printing, but for a photo printer, those numbers are largely irrelevant, as photos and designs usually have, or are close to, 100% coverage of the paper.

Epson quotes that the ET-18100 can print a 15 x 10 cm photo (as defined by ISO/IEC 24734) in 12 seconds. That seems implausibly fast to this reviewer.

In our tests, to output to gloss paper at this size took around 72 seconds, although a good portion of that was the sending of the data to the printer prior to actual printing. This is faster over WiFi than USB in most cases.

In a sequential print run where the same print was printed repeatedly, the difference between the end of one print and the end of another was 27 seconds, although this printer probably only spent 18 seconds printing and the rest loading and unloading paper.

As gloss paper was used in our test, this is automatically printed using the better-quality ‘standard’ setting. The quicker option is draft mode, possibly explaining where Epson came up with 12 seconds.

It’s tempting to extrapolate those numbers and assume an A4 or A3 print will take a very long time, but curiously that’s not the case.

In our tests, a full A3 graphic at high quality onto glossy paper took around 165 seconds (2 mins 45 seconds) to complete, with at least one minute of those process being the computer preparing our 7424 x 10496 resolution image and sending it to the printer over USB.

The actual print process lasted only around 90 seconds, which seems more than acceptable given that not every print is likely to be at this scale.

What works in favour of the larger prints is that paper handling is effectively a constant, irrespective of size, and therefore a smaller portion of the overall print time.

In conclusion, the quoted speeds of 8 ppm for both black and colour are a little unrealistic, but the performance for a photo printer is more than acceptable. Although, it is worth noting that the Epson ET-8550 is rated at double the speed for mono and 50% faster for colour output.

But, and this is the head-scratcher, Epson quotes 25 seconds per 10 x 15 cm photo on Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper. An identical time Epson predicts for the ET-18100.

The bottom line is that the ET-18100 isn’t the fastest A3 printer in the world, but it’s quick enough for a design environment printing, mostly outputting A4 and A3.

For those using colour professionally, it should be possible to calibrate the ET-18100 to sync with the controlled colour metrics of the computer displays used by the designers. With six inks, graduations and colour transitions are largely seamless, and the dyes seem well-balanced for delivering subtle shades and punchy chromatics.

We need to say that while the strength of colour in dyes is superior to pigments, they are conversely less durable, and you might not want to use them to create images for archiving or long-term display.

Many users of these printers will use perceptual colour representation rather than absolute colour metrics because that’s fine for their purpose. Those needing more accurate colour representation should expect to pay much more for the printer and the output cost than the ET-18100 and its inks.

• Performance score: 4/5

We might argue that not having a display was a cost-saving Epson didn’t need to make at this price, and it would have made the printer easier to configure. But that point aside, what the Epson ET-18100 does brilliantly is print photos, and even at A3+ they don’t take a long time to print.

The other weaknesses of this offering are a missing Ethernet port, and the grey ink reservoir that the ET-8500 and ET-8550 both got. Maybe Epson has a seven or eight-tank variant planned that would be ideal for B&W photos in addition to colour.

For those that print entirely in colour, that difference is less important, though the lack of a screen and Ethernet port might be more relevant.

When we first looked at this printer and its rather cut-down model, it was tempting to think that it was overpriced for what it is. But on further reflection, there isn’t an obvious alternative to the ET-18100 in either the HP or Canon ranges that doesn’t use cartridges.

And, given how expensive printing on A3+ is with those, those costs could be rapidly recovered by this design, even if it only lasts a few years of service.

While tank printers are now starting to dominate the home and small office space, the ET-18100 might become the breakthrough photo printer that makes EcoTank the norm for the photo enthusiast slice of the market also.

Epson ET-18100 score card

Should I buy a Epson ET-18100?

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Also consider 

We've rated the best A3 printers.

Epson has released what it calls its “most seriously sustainable, feature-rich range of business color copiers.”

The company's new WorkForce Enterprise AM-Series inkjet printers claim to be more energy efficient, less wasteful, and overall a better long-term commitment for buyers and the environment.

Despite the green claims, Epson’s AM-Series printers look to be ready for business offering modular designs that can be tailored to the needs of individual companies, and speeds to match.

Epson WorkForce Enterprise AM-Series inkjet printers

The launch comes fewer than six months after Japanese electronics company and printing giant Epson announced plans to end the production of laser printers by 2026.

According to third-party Keypoint Intelligence research, Epson says its new AM-Series business printers promise to use a quarter of the energy a typical laser printer would use; that’s comparing its AM-C4000 to 34 laser-based rivals.

Besides the 40ppm AM-C4000, there are 50ppm and 60ppm versions, each with a 2,000-sheet paper cassette capacity and support for up to 60ppm/120ipm scanning.

All of this, the company says, fits into the “most compact footprint in class” that also benefits from weight-saving improvements, in theory making it slightly less damaging to the environment to manufacture.

The primary interface consists of a 10.1-inch panel, with optional finishers for compiling and stapling documents, hole punching, saddle stitching, center folding, and tri-folding. Its high-capacity ink cartridges are also said to provide enough juice for up to 50,000 black pages, or 30,000 color pages.

Overall, Epson emphasizes the greater potential that inkjet printers provide in terms of sustainability advancements compared with laser printers. It also slates laser printers for their heat requirement for printing thus higher energy usage, and their typically higher number of moving parts that make them more susceptible to failure and increased maintenance requirements (negatively impacting downtime).

TechRadar Pro has asked Epson for more information on availability and pricing.

• Here’s our roundup of the best hybrid working tech and hardware you need

In the face of climate change and the increase of the environmentally conscious business, we're all responsible for doing our bit to help the planet.

Office life can be a significant burden to the environment, with large amounts of energy being used to keep us warm, keep the lights on, power equipment, and so on.

So, if you're looking to help your business be that bit more eco-conscious, there are a number of steps you can take – some which you may never have considered before.

Sustainability challenges

Printing remains a key part of everyday business life for most of us, as even with mobile devices now being ubiquitous, it's often good to have a physical piece of paper with all the information you need held in your hand.

However, the printing industry hasn’t exactly been a paradigm for eco-friendliness, with its heavy requirement for paper, chemical-based inks and low yield ink cartridges. Sustainable manufacturing, non-harmful inks and commonplace paper recycling have certainly offered environmental improvements for this technology, but the humble office printer still has a few ecological tricks up its sleeve.

Epson has long been one of the most innovative players in the printing space, constantly investing in developments to help businesses and consumers alike save on their energy, costs, and consumables.

The global manufacturer’s EcoTank offerings mark a significant benchmark for sustainable business printing, providing an eco-conscious proposition that is affordable and hassle-free to run, energy efficient, while offering high quality output when needed.

Available for both small and larger businesses alike, Epson EcoTank printers use heat-free inkjet technology, which generates minimal energy and subsequent CO2 emissions compared to traditional laser printers.  

Epson EcoTank choices

Epson’s business portfolio includes the EcoTank ET-5800, a 4-in-1 (print, scan, copy and fax) A4 device that can print up to 7,500 pages in black and 6,000 in colour with one set of inks, offers a 500-sheet tray capacity, and a first page out time of just 5.5 seconds. Users can make the most from this device by interacting with the user-friendly 10.9cm LCD touchscreen interface, enjoy fast print of up to 25 pages per minute and scan speeds of up to 27.5 images per minute, meaning you aren't hanging around waiting for your work.

As opposed to traditional ink cartridges, which can often be frustrating to source and replace – particularly if you need printing done urgently – EcoTank printers feature large ink tanks that you fill with the included ink bottles. It is thanks to this innovative technology from Epson that allows users to enjoy an ultra-low cost per page, with bottles that are more easily recyclable than conventional cartridges.

You can even break free from your desktop PC with the Epson iPrint app, which allows you to print from mobiles, tablets and laptops via Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct.

Make the right call

Sustainability shouldn't be a compromise for cost, as businesses of all sizes are facing a wide range of financial issues in addition to the climate crisis. But if your company picks an Epson EcoTank printer, you can be sure that you’re siding with a technology designed with the interests of the customer and the environment in mind. 

Learn more about Epson EcoTank

The last few years have been challenging for businesses and workers all over the world. The pandemic has forced many to reevaluate their working patterns and habits, with the end result being millions of workers opting for hybrid working and permanently working from home.

With this new hybrid regime now a firm fixture of our global working fabric, it’s becoming increasingly important that everyone embracing it has the proper equipment at home, and a printer is a must. 

Printers need to be simple, reliable and affordable to run and Epson is empowering users to choose how they want to pay for their ink. One can buy ink cartridges should they choose to do so, but two new ways of printing have emerged recently. 

ReadyPrint is all about flexibility 

ReadyPrint Flex is an ink-only subscription scheme that charges you only on a per-page basis, regardless of the amount of ink you use on one page. It eliminates the need for buying new cartridges outright. Think printing-as-a-service; it’s great value for money when printing photos or heavy-print graphics, as these use more ink, but also for day to day and ad-hoc printing requirements. With prices as low as 3.3p per page, ReadyPrint Flex represents exceptional value for money and members can swap between ink plans seamlessly, depending on usage.

What’s more is that new ink cartridges are automatically delivered to your door before the old one runs out and you can even recycle your empty cartridges for free. You can roll over unused pages for two months and extra pages cost as little as 3p.

Save money with EcoTank 

EcoTank goes a step further and bundles the equivalent of up to 72 cartridges in one set of inks with your printer. Unlike previous generations’ continuous ink systems, Epson’s proprietary technology is a hassle-free ink tank system with easy mess-free refills, key-lock bottles and front-facing tanks. Refilling has never been so easy.

The price of the EcoTank ink refills are also far cheaper than your normal ink cartridges. No wonder Epson claims you can save up to 90% off traditional cartridge-based printing costs when you switch to EcoTank.

Go further with ReadyPrint EcoTank 

Beyond the financial benefits, ReadyPrint and EcoTank are central in Epson’s plans to build on its already stellar position in the print industry and position itself as leading the pursuit towards sustainable, innovative technology in print. While EcoTank technology reduces the footprint of recycling consumables and minimises the time and hassle spent replenishing your printer ink from a store or online, ReadyPrint eliminates the need to buy new ink thanks to its automatic delivery of ink once you’ve run out. 

Professionals can go even further by combining the benefits of ReadyPrint and EcoTank, particularly if monthly print volumes go beyond one standard ream of paper. The printing quota of ReadyPrint Ecotank’s highest plan is a whopping 3,000 A4 pages per month, which makes it particularly enticing for those working in accounting, legal, media or creative industries.

Recommended home office printers

Ideal for home workers, the ET-2850 does automatic duplex printing while the ET-4800 has an Ethernet port, fax capabilities and an automatic document feeder. As for the ET-4850, it offers all these features plus has a bigger 250-sheet paper tray.

Find out more about these printers on Epson UK.

I've tested over 200 printers including the best Epson printers around - and from EcoTank models to portable units, these are my top recommendations for home and business use.

You'll find plenty of Epsons in my round-ups of the best home printers and best small business printers. I'm a big fan of this brand, which tends to offer fast, accurate printing with low on-going running costs.

For most people, the Epson EcoTank ET-4850 is the best Epson printer around (and tops the list of home printers, too). It's quick, cheap to run, and comes with just about every feature and function you'll need. You can see what I really thought in my review below, and I've also added some great alternatives for photos and documents, too.

Best Epson printer overall

The Epson EcoTank ET-4850 is my favorite home printer, and for most people, it's the Epson printer I'd recommend. This four-in-one unit prints, scans, copies, and faxes without any trouble at all, and also has plenty of what I'd consider core features, including ADF and auto-duplex mode.

For what you get, it's pretty well-priced, too - especially when considering it's a refillable ink tank model, which works out cheaper in the long run. Epson has bundled this printer with five bottles in the box, which roughly translates to around 20,000 pages.

There's no NFC or single-pass dual scanning, and I would've liked to see a multi-purpose tray to complement the main tray, which holds 250 sheets. However, these are issues I can easily ignore when balanced against the excellent touchscreen, the reasonably quick print speeds. In my own tests, I also found it's more than accurate for most people's needs, whether used at home or the home office.

Read our full Epson EcoTank ET-4850 review

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Best Epson printer on a budget

The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 (known as the ET-2850 outside the US) is a relatively inexpensive EcoTank that does away with features like a front input tray and Ethernet port in order to bring you a basic budget all-in-one with an unbeatable cost per page (CPP).

Epson’s bottled ink costs around 90% less than cartridges. It still has what I consider to be the essential ingredients of an office all-in-one, such as auto-duplex printing, high-res scanning and integrated wi-fi with AirPrint, but it’s using a simpler printhead with fewer nozzles in the Micro Piezo array than the more expensive Epson EcoTank ET-4800.

That said, the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 managed to pass all my print quality tests for a printer in this price category. And though there’s no touchscreen, I still found it fairly easy to set up and operate. It won’t take up too much desk space and it looks pretty good in either white, as it comes in the US, or black, as it’s sold outside the US.

The real selling point though, is the wildly generous amount of inbox ink. The five bundled bottles should yield up to 20,000 pages before you need to buy more. I’d recommend this model to anyone working in a small or home office who wants to minimize their ink expenditure.

Read our full Epson EcoTank ET-2800 / 2850 review

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Best Epson printer for photos

The Epson EcoTank ET-8550 is a wide-format photo printer featuring an impressive six refillable tanks instead of four - meaning greater clarity and quality to images, and being a tank printer means substantially reduced running costs.

Its design is sleek, with a small footprint roughly the size of a sheet of tabloid paper, and only 16cm tall, making it much easier to accommodate than other tabloid/A3 printers I’ve tested. The printer is also generously kitted out with features, including auto-duplex (with A4/letter paper), the ability to enlarge A4 photocopies to A3, and printing to a variety of blank media. Paper sizes up to A3+ are supported, and I found I could even print 2m banners via the rear tray. However, the ET-8550 is more home than office-focused, so it lacks an ADF and fax facilities.

The print speed is reasonable with mono A4 pages emerging at a rate of 32ppm (pages per minute). Auto duplex and colour printing is slower, but I won’t complain about a photo printer putting quality ahead of speed. With an impressive 5760 x 1400 dpi print resolution and a scan resolution of 1200 x 4800 dpi, I printed remarkably accurate duplicates of photos.

In all of my tests, in fact, the Epson EcoTank ET-8550 performed well, with crisp quality prints across the board. But its real strength is in printing photos on glossy photo paper. Colors pop and photographs are always vibrant. In short, the Epson EcoTank ET-8550 succeeds on all fronts and while the upfront cost is rather high, the running cost is refreshingly low.

Read our full Epson EcoTank ET-8550 review .

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Best Epson printer for the home office

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 is a capable, high-capacity business printer designed for the home or small office. Like all of Epson’s WorkForce printers, it comes with a lot of office-oriented features and crucially, it’s also a wide-format inkjet device, so it can print on a broad variety of media up to size A3+.

If you think it looks a little bulky, it’s actually quite compact considering it can hold a whole ream (500 sheets) of Tabloid or A3 paper in its two paper trays and I particularly appreciated the multifunction tray at the rear which expands the media compatibility still further by allowing you to print on quite thick card.

There’s no touchscreen on this model annoyingly, but I found it easy enough to operate using the tilting control panel with its 6.1cm LCD. Wi-Fi and AirPrint connectivity are built in, while the motorized output tray is a nice touch. It prints pretty quickly for an inkjet and its all-pigment inks make for fast-drying, durable and vivid printouts.

The only real catch is the cost of the DURABrite cartridges, which push the CPP (cost per page) over 12 cents (or 10 pence) for color pages. But if you need to produce large professional-looking brochures regularly, this printer is well worth the expense.

Read our full Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7310 review

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Best Epson printer for business

The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 is so good, when the team the at our sister site Tom’s Guide tried the printer out, they called it “our new favorite office printer”

Controlled by a 4.3-inch touchscreen that effectively operates like a phone, this is a very accessible all-in-one that means serious business. And it proved the perfect balance with high-quality prints at impressively fast speeds.

In tests by the Tom’s Guide team, the ET-5850 printed a five-page text document in 19.6 seconds (approx. 15.3ppm). Double-sided text printing was recorded at 14.5 ppm A six-page color PDF with text and graphics printed at a similarly quick 32.8 seconds (11 ppm). Copies and scans are lightning fast, too. However, scans do come out slightly too dark by default (and the packaged software is somewhat lacking).

Print quality is just as good as you’d expect. Text documents are crisp, clear. Graphics were sharp and detailed, although the testing team did spot very mild banding visible in parts. Otherwise, there’s little to complain about, with colors appearing natural and well-saturated.

The 4.3-inch touchscreen effectively operates like a phone, making it very accessible. With an outstanding performance and low ink costs, the Epson ET-5850 is ideal for the busy office or home office.

Read what Tom’s Guide thought in their Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 review

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Best portable Epson printer

The WorkForce WF-110 is Epson’s smallest printer - with built-in Wi-Fi and rechargeable battery, it’s designed for total portability for business users who need print capabilities on the go.

Epson has distilled all the elements of a good desktop printer into something small enough to fit in a briefcase. Once I had the four smaller-than-usual ink cartridges installed, the Epson WorkForce WF-110 was easy to operate and worked a charm. It’s using pigment ink instead of dye-based ink to deliver smudge-resistant pages up to 5,760 x 1,440 dpi.

The results look crisp and colorful on all kinds of media including coated photo paper. The plastic casing is textured for improved grip, and when unfolded, the plastic body becomes the paper input tray, which can hold up to twenty sheets of letter-sized plain paper.

The lithium-ion battery can be fast charged with the bundled charger or more slowly by connecting the supplied USB cable to any powered USB port. With a top speed of 7ppm, the Epson WorkForce WF-110 prints slowly and, unsurprisingly, there’s no auto-duplex mode. For fully mobile wireless printing, however, the quality and convenience are hard to beat.

Read our full Epson WorkForce WF-110 review .

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Best Epson printers: FAQs

How to choose the best Epson printer for you

Before buying a new Epson printer, consider these key questions…

Inkjet or laser?

With thousands of nozzles applying liquid ink dots onto plain or coated paper, inkjets achieve superior image quality, while being generally smaller and cheaper than lasers. However, the dry toner used by laser printers is more efficient and allows for faster, cleaner and more consistent printing at higher capacities. Epson only makes inkjet printers, so if you need a laser printer, you should check out our best laser printers guide.

Monochrome or color?

Monochrome inkjet printers are uncommon, but Epson sells some black and white EcoTank models which are even cheaper to buy and run than their color counterparts. They’re also simpler and have more space for ink.

Print-only or multifunction?

The essential difference between a pure printer and an MFP (multifunction printer) also known as an AIO (all-in-one) is the integrated scanner. Naturally, this feature adds size and cost, but a flatbed scanner will capture documents more satisfyingly than an app on your smartphone and it effectively turns any printer into a photocopier. The more expensive MFPs will also offer an ADF (automatic document feeder) for passing a stack of pages over the scanner for you. We tested out the best all-in-one printers.

Home or office?

Printers Epson has designed for domestic use tend to be compact and affordable inkjets which can print family photos as well as work documents. In the office, printing at faster speeds and higher volumes is more important than size and operating noise. Business printers usually have stronger security and can be accessed by whole networked workgroups.

What features do I need?

All of Epson’s printers now have dual-band Wi-Fi built in, but not all have an Ethernet port. Also consider the type of media you will be using and the quantity. If you print a lot, it will be worth avoiding inkjet cartridges in favour of refillable EcoTank models. If you want to print on card, check the specifications for the maximum compatible paper weight. A printer offering manual duplex is unable to print on both sides of the page automatically, so unless you don’t mind turning over every sheet by hand, make sure it can auto duplex.

What’s my budget?

The best cheap printers are usually inkjet models, but their expensive cartridges are the catch. Always check the price of your printer’s consumables before you buy. Bottled ink costs around eighty percent less than cartridges, so a more expensive ink tank device will give you long term savings. We've come across some excellent Prime Day printer deals and Black Friday printer deals when the sales are live, so keep your eyes peeled around that time.

Have a preferred brand? We’ve tested, reviewed, and rated the best HP printers, the best Epson printers, and the best Brother printers.

How we test the best Epson printers

I’ve been the senior printer editor at TechRadar Pro long enough to have tested hundreds of printers and plenty by Epson. My methodology follows a series of repeatable tests and comparisons and the process starts right from the unboxing and initial set-up, which is timed. If there’s a problem with unsustainable packaging or a baffling user manual, I’ll call it. If it’s a pleasure to use, that’ll be reflected in the final score too. I always test both wired and wireless connections and explore the various remote printing companion apps as these often enhance the user experience.

For the performance tests, I have a folder of test cards, photos and text documents designed to assess detail resolution, contrast, color accuracy and gamut. Some test images are particularly good for spotting feathering and smearing among inkjets. A ten-page text document is useful for measuring print rates because I never take manufacturer's claims at face value. Having said that, the quoted print and scan speeds are usually accurate enough that I rarely contradict them.

I print each test page on a range of standard paper stock from cheap 75gsm sheets to 600gsm card, as every printer has its limits and preferences when it comes to paper quality. And if the manual claims you can print on envelopes, labels or t-shirts, I test that too.

Features such as auto-duplex scanning or copying multi-page documents via an ADF (automatic document feed) are evaluated, and an assessment of build quality and design contributes to the overall rating. I pay particular attention to the COO (cost of ownership) because cheap printers can often give lower value for money when you calculate the ongoing consumables cost.

You can find out more about our comprehensive testing process in our guide to how we test, review, and rate printers on TechRadar Pro.

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Epson is set to stop the manufacture of laser printers entirely by 2026, citing sustainability issues. 

The printer giant claims that laser technology has a “limited ability” to make significant steps towards improved sustainability “due to its requirement for heat during the print process and therefore increased energy use”.

The company plans to pivot its printers entirely towards inkjet technology, claiming this “can reduce energy consumption compared to laser” and that the “compact footprint and a lightweight design” of these inkjet printers can help "limit resources used during production and shipping".

What makes Inkjet different?

In a blog post citing its own data, Epson claims its own inkjet printers use less than 85% less energy than a comparable laser printer and 85% less carbon dioxide.

Inkjet printers use wet ink and nozzle assembly to print onto paper, whereas laser printers use a laser and dry ink (also called tonner) to print 

In general, inkjet printers tend to be somewhat smaller in size than their laser counterparts, but also have a slightly higher cost per page. 

This news comes a year after Epson announced a ¥100 billion investment into sustainable innovation. But despite the latest public commitment to sustainability, Epson has attracted some intense criticism regarding its environmental practices in recent years.

Epson confirmed in July 2022 that some of its printers are designed to stop working after a certain period of time, forcing customers to either replace the hardware or pay for it to be survived by an authorized repair person. 

The timecoded limit was reported to impact Epson’s L360 L130, L220, L310, and L365 model printers. 

Commenting on the news to the Fight to Repair blog Harvard professor Jonathan Zittrain said:

“A printer self-bricking after a while is a great example of 'you think you bought a product, but you really rented a service.”

• Check out our list of the best cheap printers right now

September turned out to be a banner month for oversize TV announcements, with LG first rolling out its 97-inch G2 OLED at IFA 2022 followed by Samsung with its 98-inch QN100B Neo QLED 4K TV, a high-brightness model capable of 5,000 nits, at the CEDIA custom installation tech show. 

If you’re wondering about the cost for each, it is unsurprisingly high. The LG is priced at $25,000 / £22,000 / AU$38,400, and while an official price for the Samsung hasn’t yet been announced, we expect it to be in the $31,000 range. In both cases, the cost gap between the new sets and the best 75-inch TVs and best 85-inch TVs that buyers typically turn to to scratch their oversize TV itch is dramatic enough to push the new models well out of reach for most of us.

But the LG OLED and Samsung Neo QLED were only part of September’s big TV news rush. Visitors to CEDIA 2022 were also treated to the vision of LG’s 136-inch Magnit, a 4K micro-LED “residential display” priced at a sky-high $300,000.

Never to be outdone at a trade show, Samsung had its own MS1A 110-inch 4K micro-LED TV on view. This is one of the company’s “Monolith” designs, so-called because it’s sold as a complete, ready to view unit rather than a collection of modular tiles that professional installers assemble into even larger-sized micro-LED TVs. And at $150,000, the Samsung looks to be the bargain of the two TV behemoths.

Micro-LED is a relatively new TV tech that combines the high brightness of mini-LED with the endlessly deep blacks characteristic of OLED – something it can manage as a self-emissive tech where the pixels in the display are individually controlled.

And while micro-LED has a bright (no pun intended) future as a next-gen TV technology, it’s still many years off from being something regular buyers would ever consider as a potential alternative to regular LED and OLED sets.

Samsung had previously announced plans to produce micro-LED TVs in a wide range of configurations, with the smallest being 76 inches – a common big-screen set size. Those smaller offerings have yet to materialize, although an 89-inch version is reportedly now in production and could be introduced as early as CES 2023.

Are micro-LED TVs the new projectors? 

Another product shown at CEDIA 2022 was Sony’s VPL-GTZ380, a 4K projector capable of 10,000 lumens light output. Given typical dim home theater lighting conditions, along with a typical 100- or 120-inch home theater screen size, the Sony’s staggering brightness would appear to be overkill – which is a good reason why it’s priced at $80,000 / £74,700 / AU$122,900.

That’s because Sony’s projector isn’t aimed at typical home theaters, but rather “luxury” ones with even larger screens or open, well-illuminated layouts. 

Such rarified spaces are the kind that LG and Samsung are seeking to place their massive micro-LED TVs in. As if to drive that point home, Samsung issued a press release around CEDIA time talking up the home theater of record mogul Clive Davis, which houses the company’s 146-inch The Wall micro-LED TV (see image above).

Will smaller-scale micro-LED sets eventually compete with regular LED and OLED TVs? Only time will tell. In the meantime, anyone looking to get set up with a truly big-screen TV would have been interested in the more modest projector offerings shown at CEDIA 2022 such as Epson’s impressive EpiqVision LS800 ultra short throw projector, a model previously shown at IFA that is priced at $3,499 / £3,080 / AU$5,375 ($4,500 with a 120-inch screen included).

Check out our guide to the best 4K projectors for other more affordable big-screen micro-LED TV alternatives.

Some Epson printers have been displaying a mysterious “service required” warning message, leaving users scratching their heads. But the company has now come out with an explanation.

As reported by The Register, the error message is a result of the ink sponges built into the printer, which absorb excess ink that gets released during a number of processes like cleaning cycles.

In a statement on its support page, Epson claims that “depending on the level of use, the product may reach a condition where satisfactory print quality cannot be maintained, or components have reached the end of their usable life.”

Epson printer end of service life

According to The Register, Epson had previously said the message acts as "a warning that certain parts have reached the end of their usable life and that your printer will no longer work until it is serviced,” which led many users to critique the clarity of the company's communication.

Previously, Epson documentation steered customers towards buying a brand new device when the error message appears. But facing criticism from customers on platforms like Reddit, the company is now advising users to take advantage of its "low-cost ink pad replacement service".

Reportedly, however, the ink sponges’ saturation is measured with a simple cycle count, which can be reset manually with the Epson Maintenance Reset Utility for some additional lifespan, though only on Windows machines. 

Epson has been in the firing line previously, after allegedly having released a firmware update that would stop its printers from accepting third-party ink replacements, which resulted in a class-action lawsuit. It is understood that there have also been concerns with the company’s ink subscription service, which works in a similar way to HP’s Instant Ink.

• Prepare for your next printer with the best laser printers or the best inkjet printers

Via The Register

Two-minute review

The Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K is not your average compact projector. It’s packing in some considerable brightness and a laser lamp that make for a high-quality image in a form factor you can pick up and bring from room to room. With built-in speakers and an included streaming stick that stashes away behind a cover, it even has the skill to power the entire entertainment setup for whatever space you bring it into. That’s not a bad offer for a $2,199 gadget.

2,400 lumens is plenty for a lot of scenarios, such as a dark backyard, a living room with a bit of ambient light, and even a well-lit room as long as you’re watching bright content like cartoons and sitcoms. With good control of your ambient lighting, you can enjoy an excellent picture out of the Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K that does an impressive job of balancing brightness with contrast while providing that poppy HDR color we’ve been getting used to. It doesn’t hold a candle to the theater-level performance of the Epson LS12000 or match the color of the triple-lasered Hisense L9G, but it’s not falling too many steps behind for a projector that costs well below half of those competitors. 

There are some projectors that you can get in the same ballpark with a brighter 4K picture, but you’ll struggle to find any that have the flexibility of the Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K at $2,199 (about £1,740, AU$3,055). Some may be cheaper, but they’ll often use a traditional projection lamp instead of the much longer-lasting laser light source Anker has used here. Anker gets notable competition from the Optoma CinemaX P2 which we’ve recently seen running for $2,299 while providing an even brighter, laser-based picture, though it’s an ultra-short-throw model that isn’t as portable or flexible in setup but would make a better dedicated home theater display.

The Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K has some quirks to be aware of. Action is handled poorly when there’s camera movement, making this an unideal option for action movie aficionados. Latency is also an issue for gamers. It’s not so bad that casual gaming is out of the cards, but it’s too slow for competitive or serious gaming. We also see some strange behavior with HDR, but it’s very intermittent and the kind of thing that a hardware update might resolve. 

The Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K has plenty of competition, but if you want a projector that will regularly work in a lot of different places around your home, there are few options that will do it as well and as easily as this one. 

Price and availability 

The Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K is available for $2,199 (about £1,740, AU$3,055), while a 1080p model is available for $1,699.

Design and features

• Compact, easy-to-carry design
• Projector, speakers, streaming stick all in one

The Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K is a surprising package. The unit is about the size of a small picnic basket and really feels like one with its boxy shape and handle cutting across the top. It’s a projector that’s made to be easily carried. 

On the front are a number of sensors and a considerably large lens for projection. Built-in sensors provide automatic focus and keystoning, making it easy to get the projector set up without having to dial through settings to finagle the exact positioning. The lens doesn’t have optical zoom, though, so you’ll have to settle for digital zoom to shrink the image down to fit a space, and that means lost pixels and picture detail. The keystone is also digital, meaning they’ll cost you some of the picture quality if used, so it becomes a question of quality or convenience. Theoretically, automatic framing is on deck as well, but we couldn’t get it to work in our testing. 

Since this is a bright, laser-based beamer, Anker has included an eye-guard feature that dims the lighting if it detects someone too close to the front of the projector. Given the number of times people got caught looking directly into the beam during our testing, that’s a handy feature to have.

The Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K is a complete package. It’s housing four speakers – two full-range speakers powered by 10 watts and two tweeters powered by 5 watts. It also has a streaming stick that slots into a small compartment on the back of the projector. That’s convenient when moving the unit around, as it’s not a loose dongle sticking off the back, and it’s potentially upgradeable or replaceable later on down the line. Replacing may be the more palatable move, as the streaming stick isn’t all that impressive. It often left us waiting for it to respond to inputs for far too long. On the other hand, it does come with proper Netflix support, something many high-end projectors (like the Hisense L9G and every projector from Xgimi) continue to lack.

In addition to the HDMI port used for the included streaming stick, there’s an HDMI port on the back for an extra video source. The streaming stick can link wirelessly to audio devices over Bluetooth 5.0 or the projector can connect to other speakers with a 3.5mm Aux cable. External audio is a good idea in general, though the speakers on the projector sound fairly well balanced and do a decent job in a small, quiet room. They won’t be enough to power through a noisy room with people talking or a fan going, though.

While the projector can have its picture’s keystone and zoom adjusted, it would have been handy to have adjustable feet to change the angle of projection. As it is, we used a stack of small books to prop up either end for testing. 

The Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K comes with a remote control, but it is oddly limited to just controlling the streaming stick functions. Adjustment of picture settings like focus, zoom, color modes and such doesn’t get handled by the remote. That means inconveniently using the projector’s built-in buttons or its smartphone control app to navigate. 

Picture Quality

• Bright, 4K picture
• Some HDR stumbling
• Long-lasting laser light source

The Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K brings stunning performance for a projector so compact. While a number of other projectors we’ve tested like the Hisense L9G can serve as a home-theater-in-a-box, the Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K is a home theater to-go option. It peaks out at 2,400 Lumens, which is sufficiently bright for a semi-light-controlled environment. Drawing the blinds in a living room and dimming the lights is enough to make for a pleasant viewing experience in the middle of the day, while complete darkness results in a fantastic image that lets contrast and color come through more robustly. It’s passable for casual viewing even with darker content in a somewhat dim room, while sitcoms and cartoons come through quite well without managing the ambient light. And this is from our experience with the picture stretched well over 100 inches across our wall. Using a projector screen or reducing the size can make the picture even better.

Now there are cheaper projectors that can get this bright, but Anker is bringing a 4K picture (still through pixel shifting) that’s sufficiently sharp even when blown to large proportions and even if the image pixel count is shrunk down through digital zoom and keystoning. That brightness is also coming from a laser light source with a specified longevity of up to 25,000 hours. There can be a little rainbow effect, but we hardly noticed it. 

We were happy to see that the projector doesn’t come with abhorrent motion interpolation running out of the box. Curiously, we didn’t see any motion interpolation options. That may be happy news for some, but it may stem from a lack of prowess in this area. Watching Captain America: Civil War, we actually noticed the projector struggling to keep the playback smooth during action sequences with a lot of character and camera movement going on. It wasn’t experience-ruining, but it was certainly falling short of its competition and would make it one to avoid if you’re all about action movies. That goes double for serious gaming, where the motion and noticeable input lag would stand in the way. 

This wasn’t the only issue we noticed in the picture. With HDR enabled, we saw some strange quirks with how it processed certain content. Namely, Amazon’s Sneaky Pete would occasionally have scenes with the colors handled wrong, leading to some bizarre posterization and color banding. The issue didn’t crop up in any other content we saw, but it persisted across episodes from all three seasons of Sneaky Pete from both the included streaming stick and a Chromecast with Google TV, and it would happen the same way if we rewound to watch the scene again. This suggested that certain HDR signals are going to be misinterpreted. The issue went away with HDR disabled, but that leads to a significantly duller picture with a lot of the life sucked out of it. HDR also can deepen shadows, which may make it harder to see content without reducing ambient light in the room.

It’s not all bad for the HDR picture, though, which most of the time can be fairly lush. The throne room fight scene in Star Wars: The Last Jedi was rich with the reds of the scenery and characters, and the assault on the rebel base shortly after kept up the excellent picture quality.

Should I buy the Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K projector? 

Buy it if...

You want a powerful projector you can carry around

The Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K is a bright little beast that’s easy to tote. It may make some trade-offs in the name of portability, but ultimately has a lot of merit. It’s only too bad it can’t run on battery power.

You want easy picture settings

Anker’s hardware handles a lot of the fuss for you. It can keystone and focus automatically and shrink the picture down manually, making it a set-it-and-forget-it device.

You don’t want to replace the bulb

The 25,000-hour lifespan of the Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K’s laser light engine means you will never need to swap it out. By the time that bulb has burned out, we’ll probably all be watching 32K content with AR glasses.

Don’t buy it if… 

You’re an action movie junkie

The projector has a weak spot, and it’s intense motion. Whether that’s video games or action movie sequences with lots of camera movement, it won’t recreate that motion quite as well as we'd like.

You want an option you can really take anywhere

Without battery power, the Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K isn’t exactly portable. It’s easy to bring from place to place, but you’ll still need AC power to use it. Anker and Xgimi have some alternate options for battery-powered projection.

You’re not too picky about 4K

The brightness and resolution sure do pair well together, but if the 4K picture isn’t as crucial, you can save wads of money going with the Xgimi Horizon (the 1080p variant) or even the 1080p Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser projector. 

Editor's note

• Original review date: June 2022
• Current flagship Epson 4K projector
• Launch price: $4,999 / £4,499 / AU$8,999
• Target price now: $4,999 / £4,499 / AU$8,999

The Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 has remained the company’s flagship long throw 4K projector since we first reviewed it back in 2022. A 3LCD model with a laser light engine, the LS12000 delivers stunning picture quality for movies and gaming and still sits at the top of our best 4K projectors guide as the best overall option. The LS12000 doesn’t get discounted on a regular basis, although we did see it drop to £3,999 in the UK during Black Friday, so expect to pay full price outside of major sales events. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Epson Pro Cinema LS12000: One-minute review

If you’re looking to find one of the best 4K projectors out there, you don’t have to look further than the Epson Pro Cinema LS12000. This machine is delivering powerful technology that shines an almost unbeatable image. It comes at a predictable high price, though, and Epson has gone all-in on the picture-side of the equation, leaving you to fend for yourself when it comes to video sources and audio.

The LS12000 is a beefy (we’re talking 50 pounds) laser projector with a 3LCD system inside. This combination provides a bright light source for both color and white output, powerful contrast, and no artifacts we could detect. It’s an immaculate picture that doesn’t struggle to overcome bright lighting conditions in a room and then can step up to simply blow us away when we turn out all the ambient light. 

The sharp and colorful visuals are also easy to get just how we want them. With zoom, lens shift, focus, and keystone controls, all we have to do is set the projector where we want it and then move and adjust the image to our ideal size and position. There’s a lot of flexibility for big rooms and even bigger rooms, though we wouldn’t recommend going all out like this for a small space — this is a serious home theater projector.

The Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 won’t make sense for a lot of people. But those who want the best and will set out to complement it with a capable AV receiver and robust sound system will likely be pleased as a peach with the LS12000. 

Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 review: Price and availability

The Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 is available for $4,999 (£4,399, about AU$7,090), while the company’s lower-spec LS11000 (2500 lumen brightness and 1,200,000:1 contrast ratio) is available for $3,999 (£4,099, about AU$5,670).

Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 review: Design and features

• 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 ports (1x eARC) with 4K/120Hz support
• No Smart TV platform or speakers
• Hardware zoom and lens shift

 The LS12000 is a bit of a beast. This isn’t your little shelf-top projector you set at the back of the room for a casual home theater. This is a purpose-built machine for a next-level home cinema. It comes in a substantial housing that feels well-built, looks elegant, and is actually not overwhelmingly heavy despite its size.

The LS12000 is ready for a variety of setups and flexes to meet its positioning. We set our unit up on a mantel at the back of a living room, roughly 14 feet from the opposite wall. Thanks to the projector’s optical zoom, we can easily squeeze down the image to fit in the available space on our wall without sacrificing detail (as with digital zoom). From there, the wide vertical and horizontal lens shift range lets us further center the picture all without having to move the projector. Essentially, it’s easy to find a convenient place to set the projector and then use its powerful adjustment tools to project the image where it fits best. The projector doesn’t do this automatically, nor does it auto focus, but it makes the process fairly accessible without having to dive too deep into menus. 

The package is pretty bare-bones for anyone expecting an all-in-one entertainment device. It’s a centerpiece, for sure, but you’ll have to build around it. The kit includes just the projector itself, a beefy remote control, a port cover that can snap onto the back, and a ceiling mounting kit. There’s no Smart TV operating system running onboard, and there aren’t even speakers. This is just your display, and you’ll very likely want to run it to an AV receiver because it only has two HDMI ports. Thankfully, they’re both high-bandwidth, 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 ports capable of 4K/120Hz (which the projector actually supports) as well as eARC on one of them.

The projector naturally has extensive support for the kind of high-quality cinema features you'd want from a device like this. It handles HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG with 10-bit HDR color processing. It has preset color modes as well as options to dial them in just how you prefer. It can send through a variety of Dolby and DTS audio signals over eARC. It will even let you turn motion interpolation on or off as you like.

The cherry on top is the powered lens cover that slides open when the projector turns on and shuts back up when it’s turned off, helping keep the optics clean and protected.

Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 review: Picture Quality

• 3LCD system with laser light source
• Huge, bright 4K pictures with vivid color
• Rich detail across the spectrum

 We’re inclined to say there’d be almost no reason to go out to a movie theater anymore when you can have a picture like this at home. The Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 provides a staggeringly brilliant image that hardly cares whether we’re watching in the daytime but will reward us greatly for watching at night with the lights off. Epson isn’t playing games with its brightness claims. It has the projector rated for 2,700 lumens whether it’s showing all white or showing color. You’d think that brightness might mean a machine that runs hot and has loud fans as a result, but we don’t hear a peep of fan noise while running the LS12000. 

Brightness is an important metric for a projector, but oftentimes they can manage an acceptable brightness while struggling to present compelling shadow details, making for an image that lacks in contrast. The LS120000 doesn’t. This thing is virtuoso for challenging imagery. In The Batman, even in a dark scene, the details on Batman’s and Catwoman’s black outfits are discernible. The fact the projector can provide such rich detail in shadows while blasting out vivid color is simply astounding. Given how bright the projector can get, it even impresses during daytime without doing much to subdue ambient light. If the sun is blasting through our windows, we’ll draw the blinds, but otherwise the picture is still stunningly acceptable even without ideal conditions. Mind you, this is all without a projection screen, which will dial up the visuals even further. 

We recently tested the Hisense L9G, a premium ultra-short throw projector that performs stunningly. It’s a remarkable product that we can readily recommend, but even it looks feeble next to the sheer might of the picture coming from the LS12000. Where the L9G had to balance its $5,500 budget on the projection, audio, smart TV platform, and included projection screen, the LS12000 has all of its cost going toward the picture.

Given how bright the projector is and the fact it can support a wide variety of image sizes, it naturally has to be sharp. While the projector is using three LCDs with a native 1080p resolution, Epson’s dual-axis pixel shifting creates a proper 4K UHD image with no artifacts that we can pick up such as the dithering we’ve seen on some cheaper DMD-based projectors.

Now, the LS12000 provides a lot, but it comes at a steep price. Assuming a $15 ticket, you could go to the movie theater about 333 times before the LS12000 made more financial sense. But, the LS12000 could still be more practical than it seems at first. If you’d go every weekend for six years, you’ve evened out, and the 20,000-hour light source lifespan ought to last well beyond that. If you’ve got kids or a spouse coming along to the theater, you reach that return-on-investment even sooner. If you have to pay for parking at the theater, don’t forget to factor that in. And the fact is you’re getting more than just movies from your home movie theater. You can’t go to the theater to watch Law & Order SVU. You can’t go to the theater to stream every season of The Office. You can’t go to the theater to play 500 hours of Elden Ring’s New Game+.

The Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 is definitely an investment, and one you’ll have to build around with a decent sound system and potentially a setup that makes it easier to switch sources given the meager two HDMI ports. But for those looking to have the ultimate home theater, this machine will handily deliver the picture.

Should I buy the Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 4K laser projector?

Buy it if...

 You want the ultimate home theater visuals

The Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 might not stream or output audio, but its picture is undeniably brilliant. Rich shadows, vibrant color, and dazzling highlights all come through wonderfully. 

You don’t want to fuss with placement

If you’ve already got the perfect spot for setting a big projector, the LS12000 can likely adapt to that space. It has a wide zoom and lens shift range, letting you frame the image just where you want it. 

You want it all

The Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 brings the 4K picture, blasts the HDR visuals, explodes with brightness, sinks into darkness, goes smooth at up to 120Hz, tightens down to 50 inches or scales up to 300 inches. It’ll likely be some time before you’ll feel like this projector is missing something you’ve got to have.

Don’y buy it if… 

 You only have $5,000 to spend on a home theater

The LS12000 is amazing, but it is just a display. You don’t get sound and you don’t get a streaming or broadcast platform out of it. If you’re just starting an entertainment setup, you’ll need those as well. 

You want more flexibility

The LS12000 can flex to a variety of setups, but it’s really the kind of projector you want to leave in one place. It’s big and hefty, so not likely one you’ll want to move frequently or tote along with you on a trip.

You’re not a die-hard cinephile

The LS12000 is a splurge when compared to the many projectors out there that you can get a large 4K picture from. Many do a great job for a night of entertainment and casual viewing if you remember to draw the blinds and dim the lights. Epson even has a $1,000 cheaper option in the LS11000 that sacrifices only a little.

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