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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Build Quality
    2. Dimensions
    3. Expected Maintenance
    4. Display Screen
    5. Cartridge
    6. Scanner Features
    7. Scan Quality
    8. In The Box
    9. Battery
  5. Document
    1. Black & White Documents
    2. Color Documents
    3. Cost-Per-Print
    4. Printing Speed
    5. Document Printing Sizes
  6. Photo
    1. Color Gamut
    2. Color Accuracy
    3. Small Details
    4. Photo Printing Sizes
  7. Mobile App And Connectivity
    1. Connectivity
    2. Mobile App
    3. OS Compatibility
  8. Comments

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 vs Epson EcoTank ET-3850

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550
Epson EcoTank ET-3850

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated Feb 14, 2025 08:51 PM

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Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated Feb 18, 2025 08:43 PM

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Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Picture
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Picture
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Variants

  • EcoTank Photo ET-8550 (Black)
  • EcoTank Photo ET-8550 (White)
  • EcoTank Photo ET-8500 (White)
  • EcoTank ET-3850 (Black)
  • EcoTank ET-3850 (White)

Our Verdict

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550

Epson EcoTank ET-3850

The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 and the Epson EcoTank ET-3850 are both all-in-one inkjet printers with a refillable ink tank. The main difference is that the ET-8550 is a photo printer but can also serve as an office printer, while the ET-3850 is an office printer that can print good-quality photos. If you want the best photo printing quality, the ET-8550 is a better choice as it has a wider color range and better color accuracy. Otherwise, the ET-3850 is better for everyday use. It has an automatic document feeder, which the ET-8550 lacks, and it's more cost-effective because it yields more prints, and its replacement ink is cheaper.

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Black
EcoTank Photo ET-8550
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Black
EcoTank ET-3850
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White
EcoTank Photo ET-8550
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White
EcoTank ET-3850
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White
EcoTank Photo ET-8500
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Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Family 

8.6
8.3

Expected Maintenance 
 

8.0
6.5

Color Accuracy 
 

6.8
4.7

Full Comparison

Design

Build Quality 
 

8.0
6.5

Build Quality Close Up  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Build Quality Close Up
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Build Quality Close Up

Type  

All-In-One
All in One

Show text

Dimensions 
 

ISO View Picture  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 ISO View Picture
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 ISO View Picture

Height  

6.5" (16.6 cm)
9.0" (22.8 cm)

Width  

20.6" (52.2 cm)
14.7" (37.4 cm)

Depth  

14.7" (37.3 cm)
13.7" (34.7 cm)

In Use Picture  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 In Use Picture
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 In Use Picture

Height When In Use 
 

16.5" (41.9 cm)
9.8" (25.0 cm)

Width When In Use 
 

20.6" (52.2 cm)
16.3" (41.5 cm)

Depth When In Use 
 

30.3" (76.9 cm)
20.7" (52.5 cm)

Weight 
 

25.2 lbs (11.4 kg)
15.6 lbs (7.1 kg)

Expected Maintenance 
 

8.0
6.5

Ink Related Maintenance 
 

Expected
Expected

Drum Unit 
 

No Drum Unit
No Drum Unit

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Display Screen 
 

9.5
6.5

Display Screen Picture  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Display Screen Picture
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Display Screen Picture

Display Screen  

Yes
Yes

Display Screen Size 
 

4.3" (10.9 cm)
2.4" (6.1 cm)

Touchscreen  

Yes
No

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Cartridge 
 

10
10

Cartridge Picture In The Printer  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Cartridge Picture In The Printer
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Cartridge Picture In The Printer

Technology  

Inkjet
Inkjet

SuperTank 
 

Yes
Yes

Photo Cartridge 
 

Yes
No

Color  

Yes
Yes

Number Of Color Cartridges 
 

5
3

Black Cartridge Model 
 

Epson 552 Black
T502 Black

Tested Black Page Yield 
 

262 prints
415 prints

Estimated Black Page Yield 
 

4,978 prints
7,885 prints

Color Cartridge Model 
 

Epson 552 C/M/Y/Pk/Gy
T502 Multi-Color

Tested Color Page Yield 
 

156 prints
220 prints

Estimated Color Page Yield 
 

3,319 prints
4,681 prints

Third Party Cartridge 
 

No Cartridges
No Cartridges

Ink Type 
 

Dye And Pigment
Dye And Pigment

High Yield Cartridge 
 

No Cartridge
No Cartridge

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Scanner Features 
 

6.2
7.1

Scanner Flatbed Picture  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Scanner Flatbed Picture
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Scanner Flatbed Picture

Scanner 
 

Flatbed
ADF + Flatbed

ADF Capacity 
 

N/A
30 pages

Scan Speed 
 

2 PPM
3 PPM

Duplex Scanning 
 

No
No

Max Flatbed Scan Size 
 

8.5" x 14"
8.5" x 11"

Max ADF Scan Size 
 

No ADF
8.5" x 14"

Flatbed Hinge Adjustability 
 

0.59" (15 mm)
0.43" (11 mm)

Fax 
 

No
No

Copy 
 

Yes
Yes

OCR Included 
 

Software
Software

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Scan Quality 
 

9.5
9.5

Scan Quality Photo  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Scan Quality Photo
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Scan Quality Photo

Max Scan Resolution 
 

1,200 DPI
1,200 DPI

Max Scan Color Depth 
 

24Bit
24Bit

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In The Box  

In the Box Picture  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 In the Box Picture
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 In the Box Picture

Show text

Battery 
 

Advertised Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Tested Charging Time 
 

N/A
N/A

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Document

Black & White Documents 
 

8.0
9.0

B&W Document Picture  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 B&W Document Picture
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 B&W Document Picture

Color Ink Needed For Black & White 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Color Documents 
 

8.0
7.5

Color Document Picture  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Color Document Picture
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Color Document Picture

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Cost-Per-Print 
 

10
10

Printer Total Cost 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Black Cartridge Price 
 

19.99 US$
19.99 US$

Color Cartridge Price 
 

87.45 US$
38.95 US$

Black-Only Printing Cost 
 

0.004 US$/print
0.003 US$/print

Color Printing Cost 
 

0.026 US$/print
0.008 US$/print

Photo Printing Cost 
 

0.070 US$/print
0.022 US$/print

Ink Subscription 
 

No
No

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Printing Speed 
 

7.8
7.2

Printing Speed Video  

Black Only Text Document 
 

15 PPM
15 PPM

Color Document 
 

10 PPM
7 PPM

Photo Printing Time 
 

48.1 s
95.0 s

Single Page Out Time (Black Only) 
 

12.0 s
14.9 s

Duplex Printing 
 

Automatic
Automatic

Input Tray Capacity 
 

170 pages
250 pages

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Document Printing Sizes 
 

Letter (8.5" x 11")  

Yes
Yes

Legal (8.5" x 14")  

Yes
Yes

Tabloid (11" x 17")  

Yes
No

A6 (105mm x 148mm)  

Yes
Yes

A5 (148mm x 210mm)  

Yes
Yes

A4 (210mm x 297mm)  

Yes
Yes

Max Paper Weight 
 

300 g/m²
297 g/m²

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Photo

Color Gamut 
 

9.0
8.0

Parrots Picture  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Parrots Picture
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Parrots Picture

Color Range Picture  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Color Range Picture
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Color Range Picture

Show text

Color Accuracy 
 

6.8
4.7

Friends Picture  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Friends Picture
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Friends Picture

Color dE Picture  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Color dE Picture
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Color dE Picture

Color dE Graph  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Color dE Graph
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Color dE Graph

Average Color dE 
 

6.48
10.40

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Small Details 
 

9.5
8.5

Small Details Photo  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Small Details Photo
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Small Details Photo

Max Print Resolution (DPI) 
 

5760 x 1440
4800 x 1200

Show text

Photo Printing Sizes 
 

10
9.5

Glossy Paper (4" x 6")  

Yes
Yes

Glossy Paper (5" x 7")  

Yes
Yes

Glossy Paper (8" x 10")  

Yes
Yes

Glossy Paper (8.5" x 11")  

Yes
Yes

Glossy Paper (13" x 19")  

Yes
No

Borderless Printing 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Mobile App And Connectivity

Connectivity 
 

9.0
8.0

Inputs Picture  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Inputs Picture
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Inputs Picture

Ethernet 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Input To Computer 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth 
 

No
No

Wireless 
 

Yes
Yes

Wi-Fi via Router 
 

Yes
Yes

Wi-Fi Direct 
 

Yes
Yes

External Storage Support 
 

Yes
No

Apple AirPrint 
 

Yes
Yes

Mopria Print Service 
 

Yes
Yes

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Mobile App 
 

10
10

App Printscreen  

Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 App Printscreen
Epson EcoTank ET-3850 App Printscreen

Mobile App  

Yes
Yes

App Name  

Epson Smart Panel
Epson Smart Panel

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

Photo (JPEG, PNG) 
 

Android and iOS
Android and iOS

PDF 
 

Android and iOS
Android and iOS

Microsoft Office Files 
 

Android Only
Android Only

Text Files (TXT) 
 

Android Only
Android Only

Webpages (HTML) 
 

Android and iOS
Android and iOS

Show text

OS Compatibility 
 

Windows  

Fully
Fully

macOS  

Fully
Fully

Chrome OS  

Fully
Fully

Show text

Check Price

Black
EcoTank Photo ET-8550
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Black
EcoTank ET-3850
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White
EcoTank Photo ET-8550
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White
EcoTank ET-3850
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White
EcoTank Photo ET-8500
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Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550

Epson EcoTank ET-3850

Comments

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Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 vs Epson EcoTank ET-3850: Main Discussion

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