Epson ET 8550 vs Epson ET 15000 for Sublimation: Find The Best Printer!

Surprisingly, 4 out of every 5 crafters recommend the Epson EcoTank series as a convertible sublimation printer. You’ll notice most people prefer them over regular sublimation printers. 

And with the launch of the Epson ET 8500 and Epson ET 15000, the hype is getting larger!

It’s the perfect balance of print quality and budget that makes these printers undefeatable. However, you can still run a battle between Epson 8550 vs 15000 for sublimation. 

In this article, we’ll unfold that truth drawing head-to-head comparisons. Keep reading to find out which printer is the best for your sublimation project. 

The Core Difference Between Epson ET  8550 vs ET 15000

The core difference between Epson ET 8550 and ET 15000 is the printing quality. Using 6 colors, the ET 8550 can add more depth to the output than the ET 15000 printer’s 4-ink usage. 

Topped with a higher print resolution, the Epson ET 8550 surpasses most of the capabilities of ET 15000. 

Epson ET 8550 vs Epson ET 15000 Specifications

To understand the technical differences better, here’s a table on the Epson ET 8550 vs Epson ET 15000 specifications.

Specifications	Epson ET 8550	Epson ET 15000
Printing Technology	Inkjet	Inkjet
In-Built Tanks	6	4
Ink Type	Pigment-Based (Black)Dye-based (Gray, Photo Black)Dye-based (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow)	Dye-Based
Ink Color	Black, Photo Black, Gray, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow	Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black
Print Resolution	5760 x 1440 DPI	4800 x 1200 DPI
Color Depth	48-Bit (Internal)	48-Bit (Internal)24-Bit (External)
Print Speed	16 ppm (monochrome) 12 ppm (color)	17 ppm (mono) 9 ppm (color)
Paper Handling	3 input trays 1 output tray	2 input trays
Duplex Scanning	None	Yes
Sheet Capacity	120 sheets	250 sheets
Maximum Print Size	13” x 19”	13” x 19”
File Formats	BMP, JPEG, PDF, PNG, TIFF	BMP, JPEG, PDF, PNG, TIFF
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, Ethernet, NFC, AirPrint, Alexa, USB	Wi-Fi, Ethernet, NFC, AirPrint, Alexa, USB
Extra Features	Scan, Copy	Scan, Copy, Fax
Display	4.3” LCD color touchscreen	2.7” touchscreen
Dimensions (W x H x D) [Fully Assembled]	29.8 x 20.6 x 16.9″ / 75.7 x 52.3 x 42.9 cm	19.6 x 14.1 x 9.6″ / 49.8 x 35.8 x 24.4 cm
Item Weight [Fully Assembled]	24.5 lb / 11.1 kg	26.5 lb / 12.02 kg

What Comes With The Box? 

Now, when you order the Epson ET 8550, you’ll get a  Quick Setup Guide, a CD-ROM for setup instructions, and 6 ink bottles. 

The Epson ET 15000 also comes with the same elements except the Setup Guide. But you can use the CD-ROM for the initial setup.

Moreover, ET 15000 only comes with 4 refillable inks as there are only 4 ink tanks in the printer. 

Note that you’ll receive 70 mL of ink (each color) for both of the printers. Only the black ink of ET 15000 comes more in quantity (127 mL).  

Setup Difficulties

It’s a simple process to set up both of the Epson printers. You have to follow the instructions on the screen of the printer. However, you might find it a bit stressful to use the display screen of Epson ET 15000. 

It’s almost half the size of the Epson ET 8550’s screen which makes the navigation difficult. Again, it takes more time to charge the ink tanks in Epson ET 15000 than in Epson ET 8550.  

Now, in the case of sublimation, converting Epson ET 8550 and ET 15000 isn’t difficult at all. They don’t require any syringe to fill in the tanks. However, you can struggle with printhead alignment with Epson 8550 instead of Epson 15000.  

Paper Handling

The Epson ET 15000 can handle 2.5 times more sheets at a time than the Epson ET 8550. But the ET 8550 surpasses the ET 15000 paper handling features with its 4 paper tray options. 

You can not only print small photo papers with 20 sheets at a time but also print 1.3 mm thick papers via the additional rear tray. Conversely,  the ET15000 only has 2 paper tray options where you can feed papers a maximum of 13 x 19 inches. 

However, both printers tie in the case of printing on glossy, matte, and fine art photo papers for sublimation. 

Here’s a snapshot of the paper handling differences between the Epson ET 8550 and Epson ET 15000.

Specifications	Epson ET 8550	Epson ET 15000
Number of trays	3 x Input Tray, Output Tray	2 x Input Tray
Sheet Size (Minimum)	Input Tray 1: 4.1 x 5.8″ / 10.4 x 14.7 cm Input Tray 2: 4.1 x 5.8″ / 10.5 x 14.8 cm Input Tray 3: 4.1 x 5.8″ / 10.4 x 14.7 cm	Input Tray 1: 2.13 x 3.39″ / 5.41 x 8.61 cm Input Tray 2: 2.13 x 3.39″ / 5.41 x 8.61 cm
Sheet Size (Maximum)	Input Tray 1: 5 x 7″ / 12.7 x 17.8 cm Input Tray 2: 8.5 x 14″ / 21.6 x 35.5 cm Input Tray 3: 13 x 19″ / 33 x 48.3 cm	Input Tray 1: 8.5 x 14″ / 21.59 x 35.56 cm Input Tray 2: 12.95 x 47.24″ / 32.89 x 119.99 cm
Borderless Printing	Up to 13 x 19″ / 33 x 48.3 cm	Up to 11 x 17″ / 27.94 x 43.18 cm
Number of Sheets	Input Tray 1: 20 x Sheet Input Tray 2: 100 x Sheet Output Tray: 50 x Sheet	Input Tray 1: 250 x Sheet Input Tray 2: 20 x Sheet
Sheet Thickness	3.9 to 51.2 mil / 0.1 to 1.3 mm	Not specified
Special Media Support	Envelopes, CDs	Envelopes
Accepted sheet types	Epson Bright White Paper, Brochure & Flyer Paper Matte Double-sided, Ultra Premium Presentation Paper Matte, Premium Presentation Paper Matte, Premium Presentation Paper Matte Double-sided, Presentation Paper Matte, Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster, Ultra Premium Photo Paper Glossy, Premium Photo Paper Glossy, Photo Paper Glossy, Photo Quality Adhesive Sheets, Iron-on Cool Peel Transfer paper, Matte Scrapbook Photo Paper (letter).	Epson Bright White Paper, Brochure & Flyer Paper Matte Double-sided, Ultra Premium Presentation Paper Matte, Premium Presentation Paper Matte, Premium Presentation Paper Matte Double-sided, Presentation Paper Matte, Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster, Ultra Premium Photo Paper Glossy, Premium Photo Paper Glossy, Photo Paper Glossy, Photo Quality Adhesive Sheets, Iron-on Cool Peel Transfer paper, Matte Scrapbook Photo Paper (letter).

Print Quality and Speed

Speaking of printing quality, the Epson ET-8550 is better than the Epson ET-15000. Though the graphic looks almost identical, the Epson ET-8550 has a 44% higher print resolution than the ET 15000. 

Even it’s 8x higher than ET 15000 regarding optical scan resolution. It’s all possible because Epson ET 8550 uses 2 additional colors (Grey and Photo Black) in printing.

Take a look at the image of the Epson ET 8550 sublimation print. You can tell how rich the colors are with fine details.

Image: Epson 8550 Sublimation Print

Now, check out the sublimation print done using an Epson EcoTank 15000 printer. Though both images look vibrant, the ET 8550 looks more pigmented and neatly done.

Image: Epson 15000 Sublimation Print

However, the printers don’t differ much in printing speed. You’ll only get 2-3 more color pages per minute using the ET 8550 than the ET 15000. 

But for monochromatic prints, the ET 15000 has more speed compared to the ET 8550. So, for print texts or monochromatic tones, you should choose the ET 15000. 

But if your goal is to speed up colored prints, you need to select the Epson ET 8550.  

Here’s a comparison table between the Epson EcoTank 8550 and Epson EcoTank 15000 in terms of print quality and speed. 

Type	Epson ET 8550	Epson ET 15000
Ink Type	Pigment-Based (Black) Dye-Based (Gray, Photo Black) Dye-Based (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow)	Dye-Based
Compatible Cartridges	Epson T552	Epson T502
Print Resolution	5760 x 1440 DPI	4800 x 1200 DPI
Fax Resolution	N/A	203 x 98 dpi (Black)200 x 200 dpi (Color)
Copy Resolution	600 x 600 DPI	N/A
Print Speed (Photo Printing)	12 ppm; 5 ppm (Duplex)	9 ppm; 5 ppm (Duplex)
Print Speed (Black and White)	16 ppm; 6 ppm (Duplex)	17 ppm; 7 ppm (Duplex)

Printing Cost

As for the printing cost the Epson ET 15000 is slightly more affordable than the ET 8550. However, both of the printers almost cost the same. 

They cost somewhere between 13 cents to 22 cents per page. The print per page can differ based on the sublimation ink and paper you’re using. 

What you need to remember is that Epson ET 8550 requires 6-kit sublimation inks whereas the Epson ET 15000 only needs 4 sublimation ink bottles. 

That’s why the ink cost per sheet for Epson ET 8500 is more than that of Epson ET 15000. But considering the yield, the ultimate cost per print mounts to the same result. 

Here’s a full breakdown of the printing cost of Epson ET 8550 and Epson ET 15000 for more transparency. 

Expense Factors	Epson ET 8550	Epson ET 15000
Printer Cost	$700 – $800	$600 – $750
Sublimation Ink (100mL bottles)	$50 – $100	$20 – $50
Average Page Yield	8500	6000
Sublimation Paper (120 sheets)	$15 – $25	$15 – $25
Per Sheet Ink Cost	0.05 – 1.2 cents	0.33 – 0.83 cents
Per Sheet Cost	12.5-21 cents	12.5-21 cents
Per Sheet Print Cost	13-22 cents	12.83 – 21.83 cents

Note that the price of each item is susceptible to change. So, the final cost per print can change depending on the current price of the sublimation ink, sublimation paper, and the printer. 

Connectivity and Others

Well as for connectivity options, the Epson ET 8550 is slightly better than the Epson ET 15000. The reason is that Epson 8550 has a built-in SD card port which ET 15000 doesn’t have. 

However, both printers work with wireless connectivity options like Wi-Fi and Ethernet. Though both of them have USB ports, the ET 15000 has one extra connectivity option (RJ11 connector) than the ET 8550. 

The Epson EcoTank 8550 only has USB-B and RJ45 Input/Output options. Note that both of the printers support Mac and Windows Operating Systems. 

Now, if you’re thinking about power consumption, the Epson ET 8550 uses 5 Watts more power than the ET 15000. 

The 4.3” LCD color touchscreen also makes the ET 8550 a better choice than the 2.7” touchscreen of the ET 15000. 

So, you can navigate and adjust the printer settings better with ET 8550 than with ET15000 for sublimation projects. 

Which One Is Best For Sublimation? 

So, considering all the factors, the Epson 8550 is the best printer for sublimation. As both of the printers have almost the same page per cost, the Epson ET 8550 is the perfect fit having competitive print quality and connectivity options. 

However, if sheet capacity and power consumption are important factors to you, you shouldn’t choose the Epson 8550.

Here’s a glimpse of the pros and cons of Epson ET 8550 for your ease. 

Well, the ET 15000 isn’t the worst after all. It has decent features for producing a high-quality sublimation print at a lesser price than ET 8550.

You can check out the pros and cons of this printer below so that you’re open to all options. 

What Do Other People Say About The Winner? 

Now, we’re not the only ones calling the Epson ET 8550 the winner. Hundreds of people agree with us. Here are a few social comments and reviews from Epson 8550 to show you how satisfied people are with Epson ET 8550.  

Well, these are proof that ET 8550 deserves to be on the top list of converting Epson EcoTank printers. 

Conclusion

So, that’s our take on Epson 8550 vs 15000 for sublimation. The Epson ET 8550 provides the best features. 

But if you’re on a tight budget and don’t require much professional printing, you can also choose the ET 15000. 

Either way, they are extremely professional in converting sublimation printers. So, you have nothing to lose! 

That’s all for now. Take care!