Epson EcoTank ET-3950 Review
Lower-cost EcoTank alternative with useful office functions and strong consensus.
At a Glance
This model is best suited to value-focused home offices with steady color-document printing. Its strongest buying points are very low running cost, compact office-oriented design, and ADF, fax and automatic duplex printing.
Technical Assessment
The ET-3950 preserves the ET-4950’s core print engine, 250-sheet tray, Ethernet and duplex scan workflow while omitting fax and using a non-touch color display. It is therefore the cleaner technical fit for buyers who want high-volume tank economics and double-sided document capture without paying for fax hardware.
Performance
Compact refillable-tank all-in-one with automatic duplex printing, ADF and fax for home-office documents. Independent review evidence supports the principal output and workflow strengths represented in the scoring, with confidence reduced where the second source was qualitative rather than laboratory-based.
Features and Workflow
The feature set combines Automatic Duplex Print Speed: 7 ppm black; 5 ppm color, paper handling of 250-sheet plain-paper input; 30-sheet output; up to legal 8.5 x 14 in; automatic duplex printing, Interfaces: Hi-Speed USB, 10/100 Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi Direct, and Network Security: WEP (64/128-bit), WPA2-PSK (AES) with WPA/WPA2 Personal support, WPA3-SAE (AES), SSL/TLS for HTTPS server/client and IPPS, TLS 1.3 and 1.2, with SNMPv3 available. Together, these capabilities support more complete day-to-day workflows and reduce reliance on a single headline specification.
Reliability and Ownership
Refillable ink lowers consumable cost, but regular use remains relevant to inkjet nozzle health.
Buyer Fit and Trade-Offs
Best For & Key Strengths
Best For
- Value-focused home offices with steady color-document printing
Key Strengths
- Very low running cost
- Compact office-oriented design
- ADF, fax and automatic duplex printing
Not Ideal For & Key Trade-Offs
Not Ideal For
- Large teams or very occasional printers
Key Trade-Offs
- Modest control interface
- Regular use is advisable for nozzle health
- Not built for heavy workgroup volumes
Technical Specifications
| Summary | Compact refillable-tank all-in-one with automatic duplex printing, ADF and fax for home-office documents. |
| Evidence Id | epson-et-3950-official |
| Official Summary | Compact refillable-tank all-in-one with automatic duplex printing, ADF and fax for home-office documents. |
| Technology | inkjet |
| Functions | Print, copy, scan |
| Printing Technology | 4-color CMYK drop-on-demand MicroPiezo inkjet with PrecisionCore 1S printhead |
| Iso Print Speed | 18 ppm black; 9 ppm color |
| Automatic Duplex Print Speed | 7 ppm black; 5 ppm color |
| Maximum Print Resolution | 4800 x 1200 dpi |
| Scanner | Color CIS flatbed plus 30-sheet ADF; 1200 x 2400 dpi hardware; automatic 2-sided scan |
| Paper Handling | 250-sheet plain-paper input; 30-sheet output; up to legal 8.5 x 14 in; automatic duplex printing |
| Monthly Volume | 10,000-page maximum duty cycle; up to 1,600 pages recommended monthly |
| Controls | 2.4-inch color LCD |
| Ink System | 502 refillable ink bottles; replacement yields 8,500 black and 6,500 color pages |