But the Japanese company said users would save 60-65 per cent from using a printer with a tank compared with buying cartridges, and are free to refill the tank with non-Epson-branded ink. The tank adds about a quarter to the size of the printer.

The move comes amid a consumer backlash that has resulted in many switching to cheaper generic cartridges, and declining sales as users share images on social media rather than print them. Print-at-home tickets for things such as airline boarding or cinema entry are being rapidly replaced by apps on smartphones and tablets.

In 2012 Lexmark quit the home printer market after heavy losses, swiftly followed by Kodak.

About 90 per cent of global sales are accounted for by Epson, Canon and HP.

Households have also balked at rising ink prices. An investigation by last year into branded inkjet cartridges found that manufacturers had progressively reduced the amount of ink in each cartridge, forcing consumers to buy more.

The investigation found that some colour cartridges came with as little as 2ml of ink.

There is an intense battle between the main manufacturers - HP, Epson and Canon - and "remanufacturers", who refill cartridges to sell at a discount. Remanufacturers have grabbed a third of British sales, at the same time as counterfeit cartridges from China are flooding into the country.

Epson said that households that are relatively heavy users of cartridge inks would find themselves making significant savings by ditching their printer and buying one with a tank.

It will continue to manufacture cartridge models.

But Epson's product manager, Simon Hanley, believes the tank model will prove popular "for home and small office customers who want to print everyday documents such as recipes, homework, emails and maps, and for whom price and convenience are key factors".

Hanley said: "With two years' worth of ink included, users know where they stand."