Head to head
Epson EcoTank ET-2800 vs Canon PIXMA G3270 (2026)
Epson EcoTank ET-2800 vs Canon PIXMA G3270: two entry tank printers compared on colour, simplicity, and running costs.
#3 in our rankings · Best tank printer for light use
Epson EcoTank ET-2800 All-in-One Supertank Printer
Best for: Families that print steadily through the school year and want ink costs to stop being a recurring worry.
#4 in our rankings · Best Canon tank value
Canon PIXMA MegaTank G3270 All-in-One Printer
Best for: Households that print colour documents and photos and want Canon output without cartridge costs.
Our recommendation
Buy the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 if you want the simplest tank decision and a proven entry tank for family documents. Buy the Canon PIXMA G3270 if Canon colour output for photos and school projects matters most, and you like front-facing tanks that show ink levels at a glance. Both end the cartridge habit at a similar position; the choice is about colour character and brand familiarity.
Colour character
The G3270 leans on Canon colour handling, which suits photos and colourful school work. The ET-2800 prints colour documents cleanly and reliably, with Epson tank maturity behind it, but photo specialists tend to prefer Canon output.
Simplicity and tanks
The ET-2800 keeps controls simple and its tank system is well understood after years on the market. The G3270 puts tanks at the front with visible levels, which makes checking ink a glance rather than a menu dive.
Limits they share
Neither has a document feeder or fax, and neither is fast for long documents. Buyers who need those features should step up to the ET-4850 or the OfficeJet Pro 9015e instead of choosing between these two.
Choose Epson EcoTank ET-2800 All-in-One Supertank Printer if…
- You want the simplest entry tank printer
- You print mostly documents and schoolwork
- You value Epson tank familiarity
Choose Canon PIXMA MegaTank G3270 All-in-One Printer if…
- You print photos and colourful projects often
- You like visible front-facing ink tanks
- You prefer Canon colour output
Spec-by-spec comparison
| Spec | Epson EcoTank ET-2800 All-in-One Supertank Printer | Canon PIXMA MegaTank G3270 All-in-One Printer |
|---|---|---|
| Price tier | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Functions | Print, scan, copy | Print, scan, copy |
| Ink system | EcoTank refillable tanks, 522 ink bottles | MegaTank refillable tanks, GI-21 ink bottles |
| Input tray | 100 sheets | - |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB | Wi-Fi, USB |
| Duplex | Manual two-sided printing | Manual two-sided printing |
| Design | - | Front-facing ink tanks with visible levels |
| Best for | Families that print steadily through the school year and want ink costs to stop being a recurring worry. | Households that print colour documents and photos and want Canon output without cartridge costs. |
| Skip if | You need a document feeder, fax, or Ethernet, all of which the ET-4850 adds. | You need fax or a document feeder, or you print mostly black text where a laser is cheaper to run. |
Strengths and limitations
Epson EcoTank ET-2800 All-in-One Supertank Printer
Strengths
- Bottled ink included in the box covers a large volume of printing before any refill is needed, which changes how a family thinks about printing.
- Wireless printing from phones and tablets is straightforward, and the control panel stays simple enough for occasional users.
- Running costs stay low for years, since a bottle of ink costs far less per page than a set of cartridges.
Limitations
- There is no automatic document feeder, so multi-page scanning and copying means lifting the lid for each page.
- Print speeds are modest, so long documents take their time compared with a laser or a faster OfficeJet.
- The input tray holds 100 sheets, so heavy users refill paper more often than on office-style machines.
Canon PIXMA MegaTank G3270 All-in-One Printer
Strengths
- MegaTank bottles give the same low-cost-per-page logic as Epson tanks, with Canon colour handling that suits photos and school projects.
- The compact body fits a home desk better than larger office tank machines, while still covering print, scan, and copy.
- Wireless printing from phones works through Canon's app, and the front-facing tanks make ink levels easy to see at a glance.
Limitations
- There is no fax and no automatic document feeder, so office-style multi-page work is slower than on the ET-4850.
- Print speeds are unhurried, which shows on long colour documents.
- Tank setup takes longer than slotting in cartridges, with an initial ink-charging step that needs patience on day one.
How they fit the wider field
- Epson EcoTank ET-2800 All-in-One Supertank Printer: ranked #3 (Best tank printer for light use) in The Best Home Printers. Read the full Epson EcoTank ET-2800 All-in-One Supertank Printer review.
- Canon PIXMA MegaTank G3270 All-in-One Printer: ranked #4 (Best Canon tank value) in The Best Home Printers.
Neither one quite right? The full rankings cover 10 picks matched to different buyers.
Made your call?
Questions, answered
Which tank printer is cheaper to run?
Both are cheap to run compared with cartridge printers, and the difference between them is small for most families. Bottle costs and page yields are similar in spirit, so running cost alone should not decide between them.
Which is better for a family with school children?
Both suit families well. The ET-2800 suits document-heavy schoolwork, while the G3270 suits families that also print photos and colourful projects regularly.
Do both work from a phone?
Yes. Both support wireless printing from phones and tablets through their makers' apps, so children and parents can print without a computer.