Computer Shopper - UK (2019-12)

PRINTERS

ISSUE 382|COMPUTER SHOPPER|DECEMBER 2019 77

THEEPSONECOTANKET-M3180 is the
latest model inarange of inkjet devices
designedto competewith entry-level mono
lasers in small and homeoffices: arange
that also includes the EcoTank ET-M2140.
As we’ve just seen, that MFP’s strengths
were dilutedby the lackof essentialoffice
features, such as an automatic document
feeder,network interface andfaxmodem.
The ET-M3180 has them all, so does that
make it strong all round?

EFFICIENCY SAVINGS

While acompeting laser device might cost
less thanathird as muchto buy as the
ET-M3180, its higher running costs would
soon leave you worseoff ov erall. This MFP’s
sole ink tank is refilled without fuss from
high-capacity bottlesof black ink. There are
two 120ml bottles included, which Epson says
will lastforabout 11,000 pages–atl east four
times as many as you’d get from the startup
toner of acompeting mono laser.Once the
bundled ink is gone,replacement bottles work
out at less than 0.2p per page,far cheaper
than the 2-3p per page typicalof cheap lasers.
Like most inkjets, you can’t set up the
M3180’s wireless network connection until it’s
finished priming its ink system–afrustrating
wasteof10minutes that
could otherwise be spent
installing software.The same
problem doesn’t applyto
USB and wired Ethernet
connections, at least.
Once installed, it’s clear
that this isaserious
alternativeto entry-level
mono lasers. It could produce
afirst pageof black text from
standbyinj ust nine seconds,
before going onto hit almost
20ppmover our 25-pagetext
test. Mono graphics printing
was also quitespeedy,
reaching 14.8ppmover 24
pages, but at7.3ipm, duplex
graphical prints were slower
than most lasers. The same
could be saidformultipage
photocopies, witha10-page
copytaking nearly two-and-
a-half minutes. Sadly,the
ADF doesn’t support duplex
scanning, so automatic
double-sided photocopies
and faxes aren’t possible.

EPSON EcoTank

ET-M3180

★★★★★

£406•From http://www.printerland.co.uk

VERDICT

Ifyouwantthebenefitsof amonolaserMFP,
Epson’sEcoTankET-M3180isagoodpick

While the qualityof scans is upto Epson’s

usual high standards, scan speeds are

comparatively slow.There’s not much wrong

with apreview timeof 11 seconds, but taking

nearly 30 secondsto scan an A4 page at low

or medium resolutions isn’t particularly

impressive.Wew ondered if the 100Mbit/s

network interface was acting asabottleneck,

but scan times were unchangedover aUSB

connection. The speeds were all the more odd

given that the cheaper ET-M2140 was

fractionallyfaster across our printtests, and

significantly more so when scanning.

FEEDINGTIME

Even so,this is arguably the better printer

overall, and definitely the better-featured.

The additionof an ADF is particularly

valuable,asthis will allow youto make

copies of long documents much more easily.

It doesn’t have duplex

printing capability,but

there’s still much more

here than the ET-M2140.

As such, the ET-M3180 is

amore sensible buyeven

with its higher price.It’s as

fast when printing as a

typical entry-level mono laser,

its print quality isamatch in

most ways, and its scans are

better than we would expect

from atypical laser MFP.

Despiteits high purchase

price,itd estroys competing

mono laser printers when it

comes to running costs, with

the added bonusesof less

plastic wasteand lower

electricity consumption.

Apart fromfaster scanning

and aduplexing ADF,the

ET-M3180 haseverything

ahome office or micro

business needs from a

mono MFP,and we’d

choose itover any entry-

⬆You can set up single-sided printsto get going quickly,while duplexing slows things down level laser equivalent.