Epson EcoTank ET-16600 by Seiko Epson Corp. - high-volume inkjet for office teams

Epson EcoTank ET-16600 sits heavy on a shared office desk, its front ink tanks glowing faintly as the cyan bar drops after a long color report run. One touch on the 10.9 cm touchscreen, a quiet whirr, and a stack of A3 sheets slides out, still warm.

High-volume A3 without cartridges

The EcoTank ET-16600 is a business inkjet multifunction printer that handles A3 print, scan, copy and fax for workgroups looking to cut running costs. Epson rates print speeds at up to 25 pages per minute in black and 12 pages per minute in color, using PrecisionCore printheads. With the included ink bottles, the device can print up to 7,500 pages in black and 6,000 pages in color before refilling.

Instead of cartridges, the printer uses large refillable tanks that are topped up via screw-cap ink bottles, which product manager Yoshiaki Nomoto highlights as a way to reduce plastic waste in office environments. The front-facing tanks let users visually check ink levels, while Epson’s EcoFit bottle design aims to prevent misfilling by only fitting the correct color tank. The recommended monthly duty cycle targets small to medium teams rather than industrial print shops.

Connectivity and office integration

The ET-16600 supports Ethernet, USB and dual-band Wi-Fi, plus Wi-Fi Direct for direct printing from phones and laptops without a router. Epson positions the device firmly in managed office environments by including compatibility with Epson Open Platform for print management and offering support for standard network security features. A 50-sheet ADF on top handles A3 and A4 scanning, with automatic duplex scanning to streamline multi-page digitization.

On the spec sheet, Epson lists maximum print resolution of up to 4,800 x 2,400 dpi, using pigment black ink for sharper text and dye-based color inks for graphics and images. Driver and app support extends to Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, with the Epson Smart Panel app providing a mobile interface for setup and daily tasks. In practice, office users can queue up slide decks from a tablet while someone else scans signed contracts, keeping the device busy throughout the day.

Cost per page and TCO focus

In Germany, the EcoTank ET-16600 currently lists on Epson’s own site in the region of 1,100 to 1,200 euro including VAT, depending on retailer and promotions. That up-front price is higher than many cartridge-based A3 office inkjets, but the key selling point is the lower running cost per page once the tanks are full. Epson calculates that EcoTank ink bottles can reduce average ink costs by up to 90 percent compared with many cartridge printers, depending on usage patterns.

For finance departments, the predictable ink bottle spending and large page yields simplify budgeting for print-heavy teams. Analyst coverage notes that EcoTank sales in both consumer and office segments have become an important contributor to Epson’s profit mix, shifting emphasis from low-margin hardware to higher-margin consumables. Office buyers weighing upfront capex versus operational expenditure see the ET-16600 as part of that transition.

Positioning inside Epson’s portfolio

Within Epson’s EcoTank line-up, the ET-16600 sits above smaller A4 models such as the EcoTank ET-3850, offering A3 support and higher duty cycles for business use. It shares design ideas with the WorkForce Pro business series but relies on the EcoTank reservoir system rather than replaceable ink packs. The device targets companies that need regular A3 color output for plans, charts and posters, but that do not want to step up to much more expensive office lasers.

Company president Yasunori Ogawa has repeatedly highlighted EcoTank and other high-capacity ink devices as strategic focus products in Epson’s medium-term business plan, aiming for more stable, recurring revenue from ink sales. This aligns with a broader industry shift away from cheap printers with expensive cartridges toward more transparent lifetime cost structures. For Seiko Epson, keeping the EcoTank range competitive in features and reliability is central to retaining share in office printing.

Stock context and investor view

For investors, the EcoTank ET-16600 is one piece of a larger EcoTank ecosystem that spans home and business devices, all designed to lock in long-term ink bottle demand. Analysts tracking Seiko Epson highlight growth in high-capacity ink models as a buffer against weaker traditional cartridge sales. On the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Seiko Epson Corp. share (ISIN JP3415000005) reflects expectations about how sustainably EcoTank margins can support earnings amid macro and currency swings.