Epson EcoTank L3550 Review

I honestly haven’t used a printer in ages, and the last time I did, it was an exercise in frustration. I’ve always thought of printers as the relics of tech: laptops have evolved, phones are incredible, but printers? They’ve felt stuck in time. That was my thinking, until now. After a week with the Epson EcoTank L3550, I can say this: if you need a home printer, or even one for light office use, you might want to stop your search right here.

Unboxing & Setup

You take it out of the box and you’re greeted by a surprisingly modern-looking, lightweight machine. At 4.1kg, it’s not bad at all for a home office printer, easy enough to move around if you need to.

That modern feel continues into the setup experience. You can go the traditional route with the manual, or take the quicker, smoother option: set it up on your phone. I went with the latter. Once you download the Epson Smart Panel app, it’s just a few simple steps to get connected. The app walks you through everything, from installing the ink to connecting the printer to your Wi-Fi, in a clear, no-fuss way.

In the box, you get four 65ml individual ink bottles (Black, Cyan, Yellow, Magenta) plus a bonus extra black ink bottle.

If you want to go beyond office documents, Epson’s Creative Print app opens up a whole new side to this machine. Think birthday cards, greeting cards, collages, or even arts-and-crafts projects where you can really go wild with colour.

Connectivity

In terms of ports, it’s as minimalist as it gets, just a USB connection. But honestly, that’s all you need. The wireless connectivity is solid and reliable, so you won’t be scrambling for cables mid-print. Wi-Fi connection stays put, even during longer jobs, which means you’ll rarely (if ever) find yourself needing that USB cable.

Other Features

It’s not just a printer, it can also scan and copy, so you can handle the usual “I need a copy of this right now” moments without fuss. One neat trick is that, through the Epson Smart Panel app, you can scan a physical document using your phone’s camera and send it straight to the printer. 

Running Costs

Printers have a bit of a reputation: the real cost isn’t the machine, it’s the constant buying of ink or cartridges. That’s usually where they get you. But with the EcoTank L3550, I’m not sure that’s going to be a problem. I can’t compare it to dozens of other printers, but here’s what I do know, after two weeks and around 500 printed pages, the yellow, cyan, and magenta tanks are still completely full.

The black ink is about halfway down, but that’s expected since almost every page uses black in some form. So, by my very unscientific but still convincing maths, you could get roughly 1,000 pages from one black ink bottle. 

The design also means you can always see your ink levels at a glance, no guessing, no pop-up warnings out of nowhere. 

At R3 799, the Epson EcoTank L3550 delivers more than you’d expect from a compact all-in-one. It’s quick enough for everyday tasks, efficient with ink, and versatile enough to handle printing, scanning, and copying without fuss. For small offices, home businesses, or anyone tired of feeding their printer new cartridges every month, it’s a solid, low-maintenance choice.