Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 right for you?

The ET-8500 is the A4 photo EcoTank that serious hobbyists have been waiting for: six 552 inks including a gray channel, a 4.3-inch touchscreen, CD printing and a replaceable maintenance box that removes the sealed-pad lifespan worry. Print quality on glossy paper approaches Epson's dedicated photo printers while running costs stay tiny. The pigment black for documents and dye colours for photos share one head, so occasional users should run a nozzle check monthly to keep all six channels flowing.

Best for: Photo hobbyists who want gallery-quality A4 prints at bottle-ink prices

Setting up the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500

Fill all six 552 tanks before power-on; the initial charge is longer than on four-colour models. Use Epson Print Layout with the bundled ICC profiles for colour-accurate photos and Smart Panel for Wi-Fi on 2.4 or 5 GHz. Load photo paper glossy side down in the dedicated tray and plain paper in the main cassette.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the ink bottles (fill each tank to the upper line), and load paper in the tray.
2. Join your Wi-Fi. Keep the printer close to the router for setup. Most printers only connect to the 2.4GHz band, so if your router broadcasts one merged network name you may need to split the bands temporarily. See our Wi-Fi guide if it will not join.
3. Install the setup app. Use Epson's official app rather than a driver you found on a search result — third-party driver sites are the most common source of printer malware.
4. Add the printer. On Windows 11: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Add device. On macOS: System Settings › Printers & Scanners › Add Printer.
5. Print a test page and run a scan if this is an all-in-one, so you find any problem now rather than when you are in a hurry.

Ink, toner and supplies

The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• Epson 552 Black (pigment)
• Epson 552 Photo Black/Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Gray ink bottles
• Epson T04D0 maintenance box

High-yield (XL) versions almost always cost less per page if you print regularly. On third-party ink and toner, read our honest assessment first, and note that some manufacturers push firmware that rejects non-original chips.

Full specifications