Two a3+ ecotank printers Epson ET-18100 [aka L18050] vs the ER-8550

Lots of people looking for an A3+ ink-tank printer have asked if they should get the new ET-18100 - it depends...

Why might an ET-18100 [or L18050] be better choice than the ET-8550 for some people wanting to print photos? A comparison of printer features covering what they will and won't do well.

Hope it's of some interest
youtu.be/I9_ZklV-RW4

I've not finished the detailed 18100 review yet - but for all my ET-8550 videos and the main written review see here:
www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review/

Interesting result of the comparison, and interesting strategy by Epson.

Having bought the ET-8550 I'm admittedly a little irked to hear that the ET-18100 does glossy photos better, but having said that it sounds like a pretty limited one trick pony. Ultimately I have the SC-P5000 as an alternative for my photo prints, while many of the features missing from the 18100 are very useful to me on the 8550, including the front-load options, card abilities, and touch screen.

Yes, it is a slightly odd strategy to me, almost intentionally irritating, in that neither model is a properly satisfying solution, but you feel Epson could quite easily combined the best aspects in one if they'd wanted to.

ET-8550 is region dependent too, I've not see anything like it in Asia. Only the L18050 and the older L1800.

18100 would be perfect if not for the bw. I dont even do a lot of bw, but still could be annoying. "Eco" branding is laughable, as if 70mL bottles are huge, but at least they are upfront about the amount.

Previous printers 1430 and XP 15000 seem a lot cheaper. Just seems a strategy shift away from ink profits towards printer profits. Any real savings for the consumer? At least we save the environment.

If you do the maths, the ET-8550 or ET-18100 are very quickly saving you money. 70ml of ink for £10 vs 9ml for £23, which means after buying just one set of ink bottles for theET-18100 vs the equivalent amount of ink for the XP-15000 you've already made up the additional purchase cost.

Epson has 2 different naming systems for it's printers. For those living in countries where Epson printer names start with an L, the ET-8550 is a L8180.