Product Description

Experience the power and speed of the Epson Stylus® Photo R800. Print brilliant archival quality glossy and matte photos! The world's first printer with 1.5- picoliter ink droplets and up to 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi, this revolutionary performer gives new meaning to quality and detail. And, it provides eight individual cartridges, including matte black ink and a unique gloss optimizer, for professional results every time - no matter what the paper type.Durable Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss pigment inks deliver long-lasting portraits, landscapes and more on virtually any media, including ink jet printable CD/DVDs and 4" and 8.3" 13" roll paper. It also prints borderless photos in convenient, frame-ready sizes. And, with innovative PRINT Image Matching II technology, you'll get brilliant prints automatically from popular digital cameras.The Epson Stylus Photo R800 offers groundbreaking quality and performance, for perfect prints made to last. With Epson Software Film Factory Epson Print CD software, and premium ICC Profiles, all included in the box, this affordable ink jet offers a complete photographic solution for many creative projects. Whisper-quiet operation and fast built-in connectivity make it an ideal fit for any home or studio, while high-speed performance makes it the perfect printer for quickly creating show-stopping high-gloss prints. ... Read more

Features

• USB 2.0 and FireWire interfaces; PC and Mac compatible
• Up to 5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi resolution
• 4-by-6-inch photos as fast as 42 seconds, 11-by-14 as fast as 1 minute 51 seconds
• Prints directly onto inkjet-printable CDs and DVDs
• Supports poster prints up to 13 by 44 inches

Reviews (3)

Amazing to say the least!
I bought my R1800 two weeks ago and it's fabulous! I've been doing quite a bit of photo retouching in PhotoShop and was anxious to see some of my work in large format. The resulting output totally exceeded my expectations! I was also surprised at the speed at which such fine output was generated. I was somewhat concerned about the cost of maintaining an 8-color system as the cost of replacement cartridges ranges between $12.99 and $14.99, but I've done quite a bit of printing and the color levels have barely budged (and I use the setting for the highest print quality). This is truly a great printer for digital photographers, scrapbookers, and PhotoShop enthusiasts like me. It's an incredible piece of equipment.

printer arrived dead
I ordered the eagerly awaited R1800 on first day of availability from Amazon.When shipped, item arrived dead.Printer carriage did not move into position, soink cartridges could not be loaded. Defective printer was returned to Amazon (which promptly credited the return, including postage).

On this single anecdotal incident, I do not fault either Epson or Amazon. Stuff happens.Perhaps damage in shipping.I merely provide this information for consumer information, in case other buyers have the same problem.

My star rating is nominal, since unit received did not function at all

Beats any lab prints
The Epson R1800 is built like a tank.Upon first inspection out of the box, you will be suprised at it's size.Set-up out of the box was a breeze.About 10 minutes of unwrapping everything and software installation and I was ready to print.

The first prints came out amazing.I used to work in a one hour photo lab with a Noritsu QSS-3011, basically the Cadallic of mini-lab printers.The best of the best.I am college student majoring in photography so quality is #1 to me.I would always print my pictures at the lab and fine tune each print so I would get the best.With this printer, I get nearly the EXACT SAME QUALITY.Which is nothing short of amazing considering we are talking about a lab machine that is in the costs of tens of thousands of dollars.The prints that I have printed from the R1800 rival the quality of that from the Nortisu lab printer.

The 8 inks provide a cost effective method instead of replacing one expensive color tank when just one color runs out.You can just replace whatever color you run out of.

The R1800 prints bordless sizes up to 13" in width.It can print panoramics from 4" to 13" from rolls of paper. Imgaine having a 13" by 44" panoramic on your wall!With the R1800, it's just that easy.

The R1800 can also print on CD's, which is a neat feature, but one that I probably won't use too much until I get ready to graduate and create portfolio CD's with my work on them.

5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi resolution is what makes these prints so amazingly crisp in quality.

The speed of the printer is pretty impressive too.11x14's in under 3 minutes?4x6's in under 45 seconds?Yes please!

I believe the best paper I've used with R1800 is Epson's Premium Luster paper.It's semi glossy with a sheer luster to it that makes the color and contrast hold of the paper look amazing.

If you are even an amatuer photographer and care about the quality of your printers and are in the market for an at home studio printer, you cannot go wrong with the R1800.I would reccommend nothing else. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Compact yet powerful, the Epson Stylus Pro 4000 desktop inkjet printer features the latest (2004) inkjet, print-head, and printer-engine technologies in order to meet the needs of the most demanding graphics professionals. With Epson's UltraChrome Ink technology, the Stylus Pro 4000 will produce archival-quality prints with high color fidelity while providing consistently stable colors designed to significantly outperform standard-dye inks.

To maximize the use of its ink technology, Epson developed a unique print head capable of handling eight separate ink cartridges simultaneously. This lets the Epson Stylus Pro 4000 handle both photo-black and matte-black inks at the same time so it can maximize the black density on virtually any media type. Even better, the printer's high-performance, one-inch-wide print head produces an astonishing resolution of 2,880 x 1,440 dpi, setting a new Epson standard for quality and speed.

Handling virtually any media type in roll or cut sheets up to 17 inches wide, the Stylus Pro 4000's built-in high-capacity paper tray holds up to 250 sheets of plain letter-sized paper or up to 50 sheets of 17-by-22-inch photographic media. Choose from four different ways to load media, including a front-loading straight-through path for media up to 1.5 mm posterboard. A built-in automatic media cutter greatly simplifies roll printing.

What about print speed? For graphics and prepress proofing, the printer can produce everyday production-quality 13-by-19-inch prints in 2 minutes, 23 seconds and contract-quality proofs in just 7 minutes, 49 seconds. For professional photography, the Stylus Pro 4000 produces photo-lab quality 8-by-10-inch prints in 3 minutes, 48 seconds and 16-by-20-inch prints in 10 minutes, 25 seconds. And, for CAD and GIS, you'll get draft-quality 17-by-22-inch prints in 90 seconds and photo-quality 17-by-22-inch prints in 5 minutes, 58 seconds.

Enjoy the benefits of two user-exchangeable ink modes (photographic or dual CMYK). The photographic ink mode is ideal for any photographic or graphic design project where image quality is important. It uses cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, photo black, light black, and matte black. The dual CMYK ink mode takes advantage of Epson's Matte Black ink technology to produce outstanding photographic prints on plain paper. It uses two of each primary color to deliver speeds up to 98 percent faster than the photographic ink mode. Plus, exclusive "light black" ink significantly improves the printer's gray balance while eliminating color casts and improving the midtones and highlights for smooth transitions.

What's in the Box
Printer, eight 110 ml UltraChrome ink cartridges (Photo Black ink cartridge T543100, Cyan ink cartridge T543200, Magenta ink cartridge T543300, Yellow ink cartridge T543400, Light Cyan ink cartridge T543500, Light Magenta ink cartridge T543600, Light Black ink cartridge T543700, Matte Black ink cartridge T543800), user's manual, registration information; printer cable not included ... Read more

Features

• 2,880 x 1,440 dpi maximum resolution, 3.5-picoliter droplet size
• Handles wide-format media up to 17 inches
• 7-color Epson UltraChrome Ink with 8-channel print-head technology
• Prints on both sides without damaging the previously printed side
• USB and FireWire interfaces, optional networking

Amazon.com Product Description

With the R800 inkjet photo printer from Epson, you can print professional quality photos from the comfort of your own home. With its fine 1.5-picoliter droplet size, the R800 delivers resolutions up to 5,700 x 1440 dpi for exceptionally detailed and accurate prints. You can also print directly onto inkjet-printable CDs and DVDs, adding a professional look and feel to your media.

Print speeds are as fast as 17 ppm, while a 5-by-7-inch photo can take as little as 45 seconds. The R800 can print borderless photos in a number of popular sizes, and accepts a wide variety of plain and photo papers, as well as transparencies and envelopes. The input tray holds up to 100 sheets of regular paper, up to 20 sheets of photo paper, up to 10 envelopes, one transparency, or one printable CD/DVD.

Designed to last, Epson's UltraChrome Hi-Gloss pigment inks deliver photos with an expected life of up to 80 years. The software bundle includes Epson Software Film Factory as well as the PRINT Image Matching II Photoshop plug-in, designed to optimize prints from a wide variety of popular digital cameras.

The R800 connects to your computer via either USB or FireWire and has a 25,000-page monthly duty cycle. Compatible with both PC and Mac operating platforms, the R800 comes backed with a one-year parts and labor warranty.

What's in the Box
Epson Stylus Photo R800 inkjet printer, one cyan ink cartridge (T054220), one magenta ink cartridge (T054320), one yellow ink cartridge (T054420), one photo black ink cartridge (T054120), one matte black ink cartridge (T054820), one red ink cartridge (T054720), one blue ink cartridge (T054920), one gloss optimizer cartridge (T054020), CD print tray and Epson Print CD software, roll paper holder accessory, printer documentation, Premium ICC profiles, CD-ROM containing printer drivers and software (Windows and Macintosh); printer cable not included ... Read more

Features

• Up to 5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi resolution, 1.5-picoliter droplets
• Up to 17 ppm black text, 5-by-7-inch photo as fast as 45 seconds
• Prints directly onto inkjet-printable CDs and DVDs
• True border-free photo printing in popular photo sizes
• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed and IEEE 1394 FireWire interfaces

Reviews (13)

Outstanding capabilities, Remarkable Results!
I love this printer! I bought it for two reasons - the reviews it received for its photo printing quality, and for the simple fact that I can print directly on my CDs and DVDs. Skipping the labeling part of burning a CD is such an amazing thing - and the quality of the picture burned on the CD/DVD is nothing short of Outstanding. It takes a bit longer to print on the CD, because the printer draws the CD into the housing and checks the alignment of the CD for a few seconds before printing. The result is worth the wait, as I did not have to even manually adjust the print position on the CD (using the software-based adjustment within Epson Print CD). The box included 3 of the Epson Borderless Glossy 4X6 photo paper, and this is an awesome idea. I took my favorite picture, and printed it in under a minute in amazing quality. The picture is a dead giveaway for a standard developed photo, and did not need to be cropped or otherwise cut after being printed - It went straight into my 4X6 frame with no other manipulation. I love it!
The things left to be determined are: 1. How long will I be able to go before having to buy ink, and 2. Will the ink on the photo last as long as Epson claims it will last.
In short, if you do a lot of CD or DVD burning, or you want a printer that can handle photo printing and give you a borderless, effort free 4X6, %x& or 8X10, this printer is for you!

Fantastic !!!
Awesome photo quality prints! Not the fastest printer for word processing, etc, but certainly fast enough. Multiple ink cartridges helps save $$ on ink. R800, along w/ Epson glossy photo paper = professionally developed-looking prints, that are waterproof as well !!! Can't go wrong w/ this printer. I use it for photo prints, as well as, a general all-purpose printer, which I have hooked up to a wireless print server in my home, for all to use. DVD/CD printing has also worked flawlessly since I got it (about 3 months ago) No problems. Just awesome!

I'm in love!
I have owned many printers...but I have to say I love this printer the best so far. It's so versatile. The prints on Epson photo glossy paper look like they just came from the lab. I'm still amazed after two weeks.

Prints on coated inkjet CDs are a bit under saturated. Also if you want the best quality and water proof photos you have to use Epson paper.

This is a wonderful printer for photo enthusiasts and the geek who wants the novelty of printing on CDs. However if you do not intend to print on a regular basis do not buy this printer. The pigmented ink will clog the head with infrequent use.

I would give it five stars if it were a bit faster. I still love it though.

Photos and CD/DVD Printing -- This thing is Awesome!
I have had my r800 for around two months now and let me tell you this thing is awesome (and I have had quite a few printers in my day).

CD/DVD printing is really why I bought it but the photos are top notch. I have printed over 300 Cd-R and DVD-R and they just look Terrific. I also have printed DVD Cases and 8x10 photos that just amaze me at the clarity.

Price for cartridges are still kinda of high (was supposed to be $8 each but they are $12-$15) -- Eight cartridges so if you want the most bang for your buck I think Canon has some nice choices(This can be expensive). Overall I feel this is the best photo and cd/dvd printer under $1000 --

Very pleased
I am very pleased with my Epson R800. This is my second Epson and I am retiring my HP photo printer for this one. I have had it for about 3 weeks and it is wonderful. Prints are gorgeous, very fast with printing documents and extremely quiet. My only problem is I cannot get it to properly print envelopes (#10). Could someone who owns this printer be of assistance? Other than that, it is a great printer. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Epson's Stylus Photo 1280S is a large format, photo-quality printer perfect for a wide variety of professional and home uses. With a high 2,880 x 720 dpi resolution, six-color ink palette, and Epson's Micro Piezo inkjet technology, the 1280S produces exceptionally crisp and detailed prints. This printer also offers BorderFree printing--the image goes right to the edge of the paper.

Supported photo sizes include 4-by-6, 5-by-7, 8-by-10, letter, 11-by-14, and 13-by-19 inches. A wide variety of paper types are also supported, including photo papers, roll papers (with included roll paper holder), inkjet transparencies, self-adhesive sheets, greeting cards, banner paper, labels, and envelopes. Media sizes range from 3-by-5 cards up to large-format 13-by-44-inch posters. Epson claims that when stored under normal conditions, images are water and light resistant for up to 25 years.

Compatible with both Mac and PC platforms, the 1280S's software bundle comes with both Epson's Film Factory and Adobe's Photoshop Elements 2.0 to help users get the best possible prints. Epson also provides a one-year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
Epson Stylus Photo 1280 inkjet printer, one black ink cartridge (T007201), one color ink cartridge (T009201), roll paper holder accessory, printer documentation, Epson Software Film Factory, PRINT Image Matching Plug-In for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0; cable not included ... Read more

Features

• 6-color photo ink system
• True borderless photo printing in 6 popular sizes
• 2,880 x 720 dpi maximum resolution
• 4-picoliter variable-sized ink droplets for fine detail
• USB and parallel interfaces; PC and Mac compatible

Reviews (21)

One of the best Photo Printers Available
I've read all the prior reviews with interest. I bought my 1280 over a year ago based on reviews on several well known and trusted Digital Photography sites. I have been very pleased with the output of this printer. Yes, the printer takes more work to get a really GOOD print then the HPs. But then I have the HP printers also and they do not measure to pure quality of print. Yes, the ink cartridges are small and do not last long if you print alot of 8x10, 13x19 like I do. But, for 250 bucks you can buy a CIS (continual inking system) that pays for itself in 3 months. Yes, the Epson ink will jam the heads IF you do not use the printer at least once every few days. Again, the printer is for PHOTOGRAPHS, not text, not the occasional print job and certainly not the occasional picture. This printer is for the professional or serious amateur photographer. I have seen alot of prints from other printers and even with the flaws, this printer is the best. I wish a few things. Epson would update the drivers more often. The supplied software is marginally usable and they ding you 30 bucks for the real package. At 400 dollars for a printer, Epson could have given us the software given the price tag of the ink cartridges. I have run Epson, Illford and Inkjetart paper through this printer will very good success.

Pro Quality Printer for serious Users w/Deep Pockets
I teach digital photography and computer graphics for a living. The community college I work for has had a 1280 for 2 years now. Students beat the heck out of this machine and it keeps chugging along with few complaints. We really put this machine through its paces by running water color paper and all sorts of media through it.

And yes, we use MACs for graphics, which is the way it should be! Epson has a great driver for OS X Jaguar. Download it from their website. Don't blame Epson if you're crummy Windoze XP goes belly up. It's NOT the printer....

That said, it's not a perfect printer. It really does suck ink like Kool-Ade. I'll be looking into the Lysonic inkset for this problem. Epson should have put individuals ink tanks on this thing the way Canon did on the i960.
It really is designed for high volume. The more we print, the better it seems to work. So do not buy this printer if you only occasionally print 4x6 snapshots. If left to sit, the nozzles clog and you need to ship it back to Epson fro repair. It should have a user replaceable head like the Canon i960.
As for software, you should have Adobe Photoshop 6.0 or later. If you think you'll get a decent print from Jasc, Corel, or some other silly program, you'll be frustrated.
Some of the best Photo Quality inkjet papers are made by Ilford. Give them a try with this printer and you'll be impressed. It can even output negatives onto transparency material that you can contact print in a darkroom. Although I use this printer at the college where I teach, for my money the Canon i960 is a better value. Print quality is just as good, and the individual ink tanks will save you much cash.
So my recommendation for the Epson 1280 is with reservations. Make sure you really need a large format printer at home, and be prepared to shell out the bucks and toss out ink carts that are 75% full. Otherwise, look into Canon's printers.

I just got it...
I just set up my new Epson Stylus 1280 printer. It works great with my iMac computer. The only drawback I can see is that I was looking for a printer that used separate cartridges, and this one doesn't. Otherwise, it prints beautiful pictures, although I like the ones I printed on the Matte paper better than the ones I printed on the Glossy paper. It prints great documents, too. I think I'll keep it, for awhile.

Save your $$
These inkjets are OK but you can get superior results at a cheaper cost by taking your digital images to someplace like Walmart or CVS or Walgreens. Ink is way over-priced and the photos are not as good as what you can get elsewhere.

Driver issues and OS 10.3.3
I have been using this printer for about 2 years now with a Dual PowerMac G4 with 1GB RAM. Most of the time it delivers good prints, therefore it receives at least 2 stars. I said most of the time because the printer works a bit unpredictably. On upgrading to OS 10.3.3 and upgrading the driver to 1.6bA (release date March 6, 2004), the printer refuses to finish prints once they begin. I have been printing 13x19 pages and it works fine about 50% through the document. It will then stall, stop the print, extract the paper, put the print on hold and when you go to the printer utility to the start print button, it will print from the beginning again and stall midway.
I contacted Epson about the situation and they emailed me back with their copy and paste email response with the generic (condenesed version): go to the macintosh HD and delete your Epson Driver Folder and go to support.epson.com and download the driver, follow the instructions and reinstall. And of course, it did not work. The problems persist which means the printer is not compatible yet with OS 10.3 no matter how much Epson swears it does. I have resent Epson emails and they have not responded. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Designed with the serious graphics user in mind, Epson's Stylus Photo 2200 is stylish and fast and comes packed with user-friendly features. With Epson's new seven-color UltraChrome inks and three times as many nozzles as the popular Stylus 2000P, the 2200 is able to print 8-by-10-inch color photos in under two minutes (in fine mode). The UltraChrome inks are formulated to resist water and light damage and to ensure longevity, all while providing more colors than any other pigment ink on the market.

The versatile 2200 makes it easy to print on envelopes, roll paper, and many types and sizes of single-sheet paper.

A maximum resolution of 2,880 x 1,440 dpi (both color and black and white) results in amazingly accurate prints. The 4-picoliter droplets are the equivalent of 2-picoliter droplets in ordinary dye-base systems, resulting in ultrafine detail and clarity. Interchangeable standard and matte black ink cartridges help you get the best quality from black-and-white prints, while the included Film Factory(TM) with PRINT Image Matching Support software ensures that prints from compatible digital cameras are true to the original image.

The 2200 supports a wide variety of paper types, including glossy, semi-glossy, luster, matte, and Epson's velvet fine art paper, as well as large-format sizes up to 13 by 44 inches. With the included roll paper holder and built-in automatic cutter, you can print borderless images easily, while a photo catcher neatly stacks multiple prints as they are cut.

Compatible with both Mac and PC systems, the 2200 comes backed with a one-year Epson exchange warranty.

What's in the Box
Printer, AC power supply and cord, seven ink cartridges (cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, light black, photo black), roll paper holder accessory, roll paper cutter and catcher; printer cable not included

... Read more

Reviews (59)

Do you need a semi pro photo printer?
I've had my Epson 2200 for about six weeks. With free shipping Amazon's price was best on the net. Looked at Canon's and Epson's lower end models. I thought the Epson outperformed the Canon tonally. Have done about 45 8x10 glossies with medium grade Epson paper. Not disappointed in the output. Two pics were banded and short colored. Did a basic head cleaning and that corrected the problem. The light toned inks are used at slightly more than twice the rate of the dark tones. Am just now looking for a replacement for light magenta cartridge. I figure amortized cost per pic is about 1.25 per print with ink paper and printer costs combined. If you demand quality output for your pics with a fairly low volumne output, this is a hard printer to beat right now. If you're not too concerned about darker toning and flatter colors you can probably get by with something half as pricey. I'm delighted with mine.

BEWARE: Archival Inks are TERRIBLE for glossy
The Epson 2200 uses archival inks that supposedly will last for 80 years...but the inks sacrifice the overall quality of the glossy prints...creating a 'bronzing issue'...which is to say that the prints have annoying reflections depending upon how they are viewed. There is also a dull sheen over the premium glossy photos that are distinctly inferior to the prints of the Epson 1280 or 820.

There are other annoyances...like having to switch black ink cartridges when switching paper types from matte to glossy. Also, this printer cannot print borderless matte photos! Once the matte black cartridge is inserted, the software won't allow borderless. Using the glossy black will really sacrifice image quality.

The matte photo results are very impressive, the colors are accurate and vibrant,this is where the printer outshines the competition. However, amongst Epson's own printers, the matte prints are no better than what you will achieve using the Epson 1280 or 820. The extra resolution is absolutely meaningless. I have scanned Medium Format film...so there was plenty of detail to be distinguished when I ran a side by side comparison test of the 820 versus the 2200. Upon close inspection the lowly stylus 820 was as good and possibly even better in the resolution department. Absurd...but true! And those printers (1280 and 820) are far less expensive, more versatile and give incomparably better glossy photos. So what's the deal? If large matte is all you print, then the printer is excellent. If you want premiums glossy as well then don't make the same mistake I did. Get the 1280 instead.
I would also add that the 2200 is of course considerably faster than the others(1280,820) when set at 720dpi(all things being equal). And it does an excellent job with text as well. So it is a bit more professional in that sense.

Prints as good as Ofoto
I researched photo printers for weeks and read all the reviews. I wanted a dedicated photo printer for the best prints so I did not care about text or speed. I had decided on the Epson 960 based on the PC World review that rated it just below the 2200 and above the Canons. I went to Compusa and they did not have a 960 and were sold out of the 2200 for weeks. While I was looking at the other printers a shipment of 2200's rolled in, so I bought one. I compared identical prints from the 2200 to an Ofoto print on photographic based paper and I can say they are equivalent. The 2200 had a little less contrast but better shadow detail. With magnification the the grain was about the same on both prints. I used Premium Glossy paper. You do get some obscuring sheen when you look at the 2200 prints at an angle due the pigment based ink, but it is not a problem in my opinion. I then compared these to prints from my Epson Photo 780. With the naked eye there is not much detectable difference, but with magnification you can see the ink pattern on the 780 prints. The skin tones were not as realistic. I expect with various photos the differences would become more readily apparent. I think the 2200 is a great printer but a bit expensive. The 960 may be a good choice for less $$. I wish I could have compared them side by side.
Addendum: Upon more research I've learned a big advantage of this printer over the 960 is the Ultrachrome pigment ink, which is water resistant and good for 80 years. All of the dye based inks apparently will start to fade in just a few years (or some in just a few months). There are also compatible generic papers (try Redriverpaper.com). This printer uses the same inks and has similar quality to Epson professional printers ... Getting the best prints with the 2200 may require a little tweaking of the settings and adjustments in Photoshop or the like, where you can set the contrast and color saturation to suit your eye. Plan to use some paper and ink experimenting. Professional photographers and artists like this printer a lot. It is outstanding for black and white and for artistic papers such as matte and card stock, and of course it prints pics up to 13 inches wide and 40+ long. If you want the best and have the know-how (or want to learn), this is the printer to get.

My Epson Experience
My Epson Experience

Let me begin by saying that I have over ten years of experience with all things computer related. During that period I have worked in almost every aspect of computer support. I have personally cleaned out countless numbers of inkjet printers with q-tips distilled water and alcohol. I kept my own Epson 740 going for 5 years without too much difficulty. I only got rid of it because I had a client that was desperate for a printer that would accept a Mac serial port. Boy due I miss that Epson 740.

I bought a C82 a little less than a year ago, after reading good reviews. I assumed it would be built at least as well as the Epson 740 I was using before.

Even after ten months my C82 still appears in almost brand new shape inside and out. Heck, I've only used it about thirty times or so. I keep it inside of cabinet shielded from dust. Plus as a matter of standard practice, I turn off all inkjet printers as soon as I finish using them, and I always change ink cartridges as quickly as possible to prevent ink from drying out inside printers.

So was I ever surprised when my printer stopped working. It had worked fine with the first set of cartridges I had installed. However, as soon as I changed cartridges the printer stopped working. I tried cleaning it at least fifty times, but it did nothing to improve the situation. So I did the natural thing and googled my problem. I was shocked by the sheer number of search results.

After reading through the reviews at Amazon and the hundreds of messages at fixyourownprinter.com I've come to realize that Epson has built and continue to build a printer that is so poorly designed one must question their integrity as a company. To think that so many people would experience the same problem and that their only solution is to continue to send people refurbished printers until their warranty expires.

Oh, and the part that will really get you, is that they require you to purchase and install a new set of four Epson branded ink cartridges to insure that your currently installed cartridges are not what is defective. So before you can even have your printer replaced you must invest at least sixty dollars on ink. Of course they offer to send you new ink with the replacement printer. Still to ask me to sink my time, energy, and sixty dollars into having my printer replaced with another one, which will simply get me right back to where I began. I mean really, the nerve. Is this what our present day world has come to? Have we set ourselves up so that these large corporations can totally take advantage of us in this way? Is there no recourse? Are there no standards of business ethics that they can be held accountable for?

The experience has left me feeling unusually sad. Epson has made me realize just how much I am at the mercy of these large corporations. I mean, if you want to print, who else can you buy a printer from?
I know that even if Epson would own up to this, they would argue that they had to make the printers so cheaply to remain competitive. Without doing so they would go out of business tomorrow. We've heard all that before. Haven't we?

Still though, this printer is made by someone in a Chinese factory. I know I'm going out on a limb here, but I would guess that that person is not well paid. Perhaps they are even exploited to some extent or at the very least we could guess that they are taken advantage of to some extent. Then as they role off the Chinese production line, Epson sends these defective printers all over the globe, wrapped up in fancy magazine advertisements. People like me buy the printer, use the ink, put in new ink, discover it no longer works, call Epson, ship the printer back to Epson, get the refurbished printer in the mail, and . Once the warranty is up we move our broken printer into the garage for a year or so, and then throw it away. It all seems so pointless.

Don't think me a luddite either. I love computers, printers, and gadgets as much as the next person. It's just that it disgusts me that I am forced to deal with a corporation that is not held to any kind of moral or ethical principles. As long as they are making money and growing we think of them as a good thing, without worrying about who they are taking advantage of. What are we doing here? How can we let Epson get away with this? Really!

Well it's not difficult for me to say I will be boycotting all Epson products in the future. I mean I'm sort of doubtful of their quality anyways. Oh and I haven't even mentioned the very unhelpful tech support and customer service representatives that I called long distance at my own expense. What a waste! Really what a waste!

Sincerely,

- Mark Whitney -
Hollywood, CA

P.S. I know the solution is to buy myself a do-it-yourself printer cleaning kit. If you google it you'll see that many companies sell them specifically for the Epson C80/C82. However, if you try to buy one you'll soon discover that they are all sold out, as I mentioned before I'm not the only one with this problem.

WOW!!!! THIS THING IS AWESOME!!
I just bought this thing from Amazon and all I can say

is WOW!!!!

This is probably the best purchase I have ever made.

This thing is everything I ever expected and more!! It's

very easy to use as well!

I have bought other brands before, and this one just

blows everything else out of the water! I have to say,

everyone out there who is thinking of buying this, stop

thinking. I bought it and I am extremely happy with it

the moment I powered this thing on. YOU ABSOLUTELY

POSITIVELY CANNOT GO WRONG WITH THIS PURCHASE! I

GUARANTEE IT!!! ... Read more

Product Description

This versatile printer includes a color monitor to view, select and crop photos. Print from popular memory cards or PictBridge-enabled digital cameras ... Read more

Features

• 6-color photo printing at 5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi
• Up to 15 ppm black print speed; 4-by-6-inch photo in as little as 39 seconds
• Accepts wide range of digital-camera memory cards
• Supports inkjet-printable CD and DVD media
• USB 2.0 interface, built-in preview LCD; PC/Mac

Features

• 5,760 x 1,440 dpi maximum resolution, 3-picoliter drop size
• Up to 15 ppm color, 15 ppm black
• Economical printing with 6 individual ink cartridges
• Complete, easy-to-use CD and DVD face printing solution
• USB interface, PC and Mac compatible, 1-year warranty

Reviews (12)

CD/DVD Printing Makes It Worth The Price Alone
When I first read about this printer in a computer magazine, I was immediately impressed by its functions and price point. CD/DVD printers cost $100's more and even then, they usually just serve that single function. Later that day, I went out and bought one.

The R200 not only prints directly onto the discs, but is also a quality photo printer. You can print out crisp images with that function as well as carry out normal day-to-day tasks like homework and other documents. It's great because the printer has an extra USB port on the front of the machine for easy hookup to a laptop. The software for the printer is easy to install and there really was no printer alignment necessary. It did all the work for me.

The only thing you really need to buy, if you don't already have one, is a USB cable because it doesn't come with one packed in the box. Yeah, I know. I was disappointed in that too, but the features made up for that. Speaking of features, in order to successfully print onto a disc, you must use an Ink-Jet printable disc. Otherwise, you'll have a disc with a pool of ink on it.

Not what it claims to be by any stretch
The good news.... OK it prints on white paper, and if you set it to its highest quality (slowest printing) it will turn out pretty decent photos. And on the off chance that you are able to load the CD/DVD tray into it exactly the way it wants, it will print on CD's relatively well.
Now for the real review of this printer: Text is abysmal, even on its best setting. I have a Canon i860, which in every way (text and graphics/photos) blows the doors off this Epson. Printing CD's which really is the ONLY actual reason anyone would buy this over ANY Canon, is a chore at best. You must print them one at time (choosing more than 1 copy craps out the tray alignment for the next copy, which brings on the error message) and it takes a REALLY LONG TIME. Don't get me wrong, the quality in "Best Photo" on CD's is pretty great.... but the hassle with the tray never being happy and the S L O W print speed is just not worth it. WAAAAAAAAYY better results are achieved using the Avery Afterburner kit and printing labels with ANY Canon printer. I had an Epson several years ago, and upon buying Canon, will never go back to Epson. The quality difference is measured in light years. But alas Canon has no CD printer in the U.S., only Europe. So if you're contemplating this as your primary printer, and just every once in a while will print to CD's... move on to another brand that is actually capable of printing clean black text. If you just need a printer to print 2 or 3 CD's a week, this will suffice.

Buy This Product! It's Amazing!
I needed to purchase a color inkjet printer for photo printing. I have been a die hard HP fan for years (my HP LaserJet 4L is still my workhorse for B&W). My photographer recommended Epson for quality and multiple ink cartridges and I also read the online reviews. This printer had 5 star reviews because of quality and ease of installation, so I purchased it.

The installation was truly a snap (and not intrusive like users complained about HP's installation) and literally took about 2 minutes. The photo quality of the pictures are out of this world. I bought Epson photo paper in bulk at Costco ($20 for 120 sheets) to insure good results. Yes, after printing out about 100 8x10 full color, best quality images, I have to go and buy a Yellow Toner Cartridge, but what can you do? A photo lab here in L.A. wanted to charge me $2 per 4x6 print!

I have had to play with calibrating my color management with Photoshop to match what's onscreen with what prints out, but that's a Photoshop issue and not an issue with the printer. Just read your Photoshop manual or get a Visual Quickstart Guide for Photoshop.

This printer is quiet, compacts nicely (when not in use) on my jam packed desktop and installation and the quality of prints is amazing! I cannot recommend this printer enough!

Didn't expect much but WOW!
I bought this printer and didn't expect much considering the price, $99.99 for a printer that prints on CD's and DVD's and supposedly a good photo printer too? Well, I figured that I could always return it if it didn't seem worth even the small price.

Boy, was I ever shocked!!! The first task I gave it was to print on a DVD that I burned. I couldn't believe the quality! Wow, was what I said and I didn't even have the printer set on the high quality. To say the least I was impressed. I found that the included software that you use to print on the DVD/CD works fine but is a little confusing but okay once you figure it out. Converting the printer from printing paper to printing on media takes about 10 seconds and is so easy that even the most inexperienced user will master it quickly. All you do is flip down a plastic hinged part and you're in business. You then lay the media on the included tray, slip it in and start printing, and you won't believe the quality.

I bought this printer to print on CD's and DVD's exclusively as I have another printer for daily paper use. But I can see now I'll use it to print CD's and DVD's and for all my photo printing.

After printing on a few media, I decided to try the photo print. I put in an 8 X 10 photo paper and printed a photo out. I tried the borderless option which this printer offers. I was again impressed in the quality printing out on photo paper.

After all of this printing, my cartridges are still plenty full so it doesn't seem too greedy on the ink use. I did increase the print color correction to +1 while printing on a DVD and it's plenty dark enough.

Printing directly on media is really nice and beats the heck out of printing labels and then sticking them on, hopefully straight. Finding printable DVD's was a little tough but I see they're becoming more common now. You can easily get them here on Amazon and a lot of other places on the net. I don't think it will be long until most all media are printable.

Once you print on the media, you'll want to keep this printer and never print a paper lable again.

Not a great value considering black and white problems!
Before you buy this printer, beware: if you run out of color ink, but just want to print black and white, too bad! The "black ink only" function doesn't work if there are any empty ink cartridges (the printer has 6 total). Epson says, "To keep the print head clear, the printer uses a small amount of ink from all the cartridges whenever it prints. Even if you set the printer software to print black only, some color ink is still being used."

So, if you just want to print that text document, best run to the store and spend another $50-$60 for color ink. Que ridiculo!

Reviewers, please BUY the product and USE it more than once or twice before writing a review. ... Read more

Features

• Optimized resolution up to 5,760 dpi
• Prints up to 22 ppm monochrome, 12 ppm color
• Individually replaceable ink cartridges
• EPSON PhotoQuicker 3.5 software
• USB interface, PC and Mac compatible

Amazon.com Product Description

Bypass your computer system and print photos directly from your digital camera's memory card, with the Epson R300. Just choose the photos you want from a proof sheet and press a couple of buttons, and then enjoy your borderless 4-by-6-inch photo in as little as 37 seconds. With clear border definition and

Printing directly on CDs and DVDs is a snap.

color separation and genuinely realistic skin tones, the prints will be suitable for framing, as if they had come from a professional photo lab.

The R300 also does a splendid job on standard text documents, envelopes, labels or transparencies--you can even print on CDs and DVDs in both 8cm and 12cm sizes. When you're in a hurry, churn out draft-quality sheets at 15 pages per minute, or take your time and achieve the ultimate perfection of 5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi photos.

Wireless connectivity: Print directly from your digital camera or, using the separately sold Bluetooth adapter, from other Bluetooth-equipped devices

Six individual ink cartridges keep the cost of consumables low; yields of 630 black pages and 430 color pages (based on 5% coverage) mean you won't have to replace any of them too often. A convenient USB port allows you to connect a Zip drive or PictBridge-equipped camera directly to the front panel.The sleek black and silver finish adds a streamlined modern look to your desktop, and the paper trays fold away when not in use to keep the area tidy. Epson includes a one-year warranty with the Epson exchange program.

What's in the Box
Epson Stylus Photo R300 inkjet printer; one each of a black ink cartridge (T048120), cyan ink cartridge (T048220), light cyan ink cartridge (T048520), light magenta ink cartridge (T048620), magenta ink cartridge (T048320), and yellow ink cartridge (T048420); CD print tray; CD-ROM with documentation, printer drivers, and CD printing and imaging software for Windows and Macintosh; printer cable not included

... Read more

Features

• Up to 5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi resolution
• Slots for digital-camera memory cards
• Prints 4-by-6 photos in just 37 seconds
• Accepts inkjet-printable CDs and DVDs
• 2 USB ports; supports DirectPrint and PictBridge cameras

Reviews (32)

A pure pleasure to use
I spent months evaluating printers before picking the r300. I am very satisfied with my choice.

I'll start out with the negatives. I have 4 criticisms about the printer:
1. The ink warning light comes on long before you are out of ink.
2. The default print settings appear to be designed around (dark) Adobe Gamma PC video
3. It is not designed to make borderless prints on 3rd party (Kodak) photo paper
4. While the CD printing produces gorgeous images, the ink will smear if it gets wet.

Each of these issues is addressed very easily:
1. Don't change the ink cartridges until you really run out.
2. Use the advanced options to tweak the gamma, brightness and contrast and save the settings. Pros will make their own curves anyway.
3. Epson paper is better than anything else, but if you have to use other paper, you can "fake" it to get borderless prints with a custom paper setting.
4. Don't get the CD's wet. Excepting my own tests, I've never had the slightest smear on a CD that I printed from the Epson. Odds are that it'll never get wet, so don't worry.

I should add that when I print on quality Epson and Kodak photo paper, the ink sets very well, so that it won't smear EVEN if it gets wet. I swear, my friend dropped one of my photo-prints in my fishtank and it looks just as good today as it did before it got wet.

I've left prints in the sun in the back of my car. The r300 ink hasn't faded (on Kodak and Epson photo paper). The prints that I had from my old Epson and HP printers are very faded. This ink is durable!

I've discovered that I can even get superior iron ons from crummy inkjet iron on paper when I use this printer. It's more than just the resolution. Where other inks tend to vaporize under the iron, producing fuzzy edges, the r300 images remain sharp.

I've tested the output on this thing every way from Sunday and I haven't found the flaw yet.

I tried the smart memory slots and I hooked up a USB zip drive and yes, it all works although I'll probably never use those features for more than contact sheets. The uncorrected prints were exceptionally good.

Basically, what I'm saying is that the printer is vastly superior to any other inkjet that I've used in my home or at work -- and I do graphic design for a living. I find it hard to believe that anyone who tries an r300 won't fall in love with it.

Ink Sucking Box on my Desk
Prints great and is quiet. Sucks ink like a hungry baby on a bottle.

20 8"x10" prints = $100+ in ink. Epson would give this printer away for free, but they're smart enough to know that buyers would suspect a catch. I know - charge the buyer for the printer AND continually drain there wallets in ink expenses.

Epson doesn't make money on printers- they make money on repeat sales of ink. To make more money on ink they make a printer that blows through it. A WIN-WIN for Epson! Hoo-ray Epson!

Oh....but like I said, it does print nice...but should't it anyway?

Outstanding Photo Printing
I am VP of Technology for a large professional photo company (not Epson) and I highly recommend this printer for home digital photo reproduction. With Epson ink and Premium Glossy Photo Paper the results are stunning.

With each ink cartridge replacable separately you no longer need to replace a $25 cartridge just because one color ran out. Individual color cartridges are about $12, although black costs more. Although not cheap, the quality of the Epson supplies are worth it. Off-brand inks and papers do not last anyway.

Great Photo Printer
I used a Lexmark printer until it finally died and replaced it with a the epson 6 ink tank printer which I found to have much better print quality and ink use has been great. I have printed over 200 4x6 borderless prints and less than half the ink in the color carts is gone. I also use the best settings for printing. highly recommend this printer for amature and professional photographers. the prints are photo lab quality for a fraction of the cost. It seems to work great for scrapbooking as well.

great image quality
Don't know what Gideond is talking about in his/her review. Ink lasts a long time and since it is individual carts, it is much more economical than HPs 3-colors in one cart. Pictures are phenominally vivid, especially if you use Epson premium glossy paper and at $15 per 100 sheets of 4x6, it will not bankrupt anyone. IMHO, print quality is better than photo lab and I have compared results. Overall, a steal at $170 with six carts included. Even if you only keep it a few years, it will still prove to be a bargain. A pox on all of the negative comments. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

If you love to play with your digital camera but also need a serious printer that can get your office reports looking great, consider this Epson all-in-one. Based on the engines of the popular Epson Stylus Photo R300 printer and the Epson Perfection 2400 scanner, the Stylus Photo RX500 adds standalone copying (no PC required) and saves valuable desk space compared to separate components. It is both versatile and reliable, enabling you to scan photos, text, or negatives; to make copies; and to print anything from borderless 4-by-6-inch photos to business envelopes.

The flatbed scanner offers 2,400 dpi optical (9,600 dpi interpolated) resolution and 48-bit color to bring your scanned images rich detail and crisply defined color separation. Archive your family photos, save your favorite articles on your hard drive, or assemble a slide show. You can also save your scans directly to a compatible memory card, even without a PC.

Instant copies can be created in four different resolutions--top speed for black copies is 10 copies per minute. When printing from your system, the RX500 produces black documents in draft mode up to 17 ppm, 16 ppm for color. Take your time and seek perfection with the optimized 5,760 x 1,440 dpi mode, for beautifully sharp photos. In a faster mode, borderless 4-by-6-inch prints appear in as little as 37 seconds. Insert your digital camera'scompatible memory card and print your evening's shots while bypassing your system. Just use the photo proof sheet mode to select only images you need.

Consumable costs are low, thanks to six separate high-yield ink tanks--you can expect up to 630 pages from the black cartridge and 430 pages from the color cartridges, based on 5% page coverage. The modern silver and black casing adds a sleek touch to your office space, while the included USB cable couldn't be more convenient. Epson provides a one-year warranty covering parts and service; Epson Exchange service is included.

What's in the Box
Epson Stylus Photo RX500, one cyan ink cartridge (T048220), one light cyan ink cartridge (T048520), one magenta ink cartridge (T048320), one light magenta ink cartridge (T048620), one yellow ink cartridge (T048420), one black ink cartridge (T048120), one USB cable, all-in-one documentation, CD-ROM containing all-in-one drivers and software (Windows and Macintosh), transparency unit, film holder, document mat, paper tray, paper guide ... Read more

Features

• Digital-camera memory card slots for PC-free printing and scan-to-card
• Up to 5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi printing
• Up to 17 ppm draft print speed; 10 cpm copy speed
• Up to 2,400 dpi optical scanning, 9,600 dpi interpolated
• Built-in transparency unit for 35mm negative and slides

Reviews (24)

Not Ink Thrify, but Superb Photos
I wanted the best affordable multifunction photo printer I could buy, and I believe that I got it. Using epson borderless photo paper most people can not tell the photos were printed at home, or even from a digital camera, even with 5x7's, (I have not been printing 8x10's). USE EPSON PHOTO PAPER, DO NOT USE KODAK! The photo's I have been printing were taken with a Pentax Optio330, 3.34 megapixel. I can only imagine how good they would be with a better camera.

The photocopy functions work very well, just make sure you select the right setting, (photo, text, ect.). You can also scan negitives and slides. They come out great. It can scan at a resolution higher that my computer can handle, and I have a fairly good computer. Don't worry, you set the resolution and can get a very good scan with most computers.

It does go through a lot of ink, and the ink is on the expensive side. I have kept my old printer for text and everyday use. All in all, I love this printer!

*The photos on the much more expensive Kodak Premium Picture Paper looked like digital prints. It did not even look like I used the same printer. Plus the paper is not as glossy, much thinner, does not print borderless, and everybodys skin looked rather blue. Use Epson premium photo paper, it is much better, at least with this printer. Also Epson paper has the same look and feel as quality glossy prints from a photo lab.

Great color, Great scanner, really just great.
I researched heavily. I needed a GOOD scanner that would also do film scanning. I have a large collection of negatives - 35mm and even super8 movie film. I have been most impressed with the quality of the scans, everything from old photos to negatives to slides comes out very well. This unit is advertised at an OPTICAL resolution of 2400x4800, and I believe it. I am able to scan a single frame of super8 movie film (which is about 1/4" square, if that) at 2400dpi and see film grain. Scanning higher res reaches the limits of the film before the scanner.

The printer: Awesome. That's all I have to say. The first test print on 4x6 epson photo paper blew me away. It looks BETTER than any photolab I have ever seen. This using only a 2.1MP Canon S330 digital camera as source. Simply amazing. Pretty quick too, about 30-45 seconds for a 4x6 in photo mode. Speed when printing "Regular" documents is VERY impressive. Draft is downright scary fast.

Software: Here's where Epson fell down for me. The CD that came with the printer would not install all the applications correctly. It would fail saying "unable to find file setup.exe" After beginning the install. I uninstalled everything and began anew, to no avail. Wound up digging into the CD with explorer and running all the installs by hand, except the scanning software which still gave the message.

Downloaded an older version from Epsons site, and it works adaquately. However, I cannot scan in "simple" or "home" mode, it fails after doing the preview scan with a memory error. Professional mode (manual control) works fine, and that's all I personally care about. I am awaiting a newer version of everything from epson.

The photo management/printing/project software (arcsoft photoimpression) is quite good. I've evaluated a lot of photo management/printing packages, and this one is a really easy to use and reasonably powerful package. I especially like the easy to use cropping to format tools (a digital format image almost never fits a 4x6, 5x7, 8x10 exactly), easy printing, and templates/projects. Free trial version can be had at arcsoft website for the curious.

Copying features are good, I haven't used it as a copier much, but it works well. Copying photos works very well, even enlarging or changing them. I prefer to scan/photoshop/print on most things, but for a quick copy it works very well.

Bonus for me is the USB card reader built in. You can use it independant of the printer as a regular card reader (Drive E: in my case). Nice thing is it's usb2.0, and VERY fast compared to my old one (You need USB 2.0 on your PC to get the most from this printer. Get a USB 2.0 card, they are about $10 or less)

All in all, 5+ start, minus a star for the failed software install (That would definitely ruin a lot of people's day).

Excellent for photos, decent for text.
I bought this printer after doing a thoroug search on the net. I rate is as quite good, but there are things that could be improved.

Software installed great; it was fast, and not too big.

Copying photos as a stand alone is excellent, but I noticed some greenish overcast. But I intent to scan everything into photoshop first, so I can live with that.

OCR software is quite effective and user friendly. I already like this one.

Cartridges are quite expensive, and it seems to be going through them rather quickly, but still acceptable.

The scanner is perfect. It has more resoulution than I can use.

The software works quite good, and it's user friendly, but there could be some more explanation in the manunal - for example I could not turn on the "dust and scratches option" in the scanner software, but I have to try higher resolution and see if the function becomes enabled.

The only major drawback I noticed was the text quality - I compared it to the printout from my HP cp 1700 at work, and Epson does not even come close.... mind you, the HP is a pricey unit able to print 13X17 pages. Having said that, the print quality is decent enough, but I feel a bit dissappointed.

I am using a USB 2.0, but the time it takes to start printing is not too impressive (on the other hand, some files are huge)

the unit is compact, appears to be well made and mechanically works very well.

I love it so far! I couldn't wait for the newer model.
The newer model of this item I couldn't find anywhere or was priced too high. I was also going to go for the R800 but that was pricey or out of stock. I couldn't wait any longer to get a color printer to compliment my high res camera so I figured I get this one for now since it was pretty cheap. Well I love it so far! Pictures are better than photo quality with the photo and I am totally satified so far. I love it and it doesn't take up alot of space with the built in scanner.

Super All-In-One!
This Epson all-in-one is great! It replaces an older scanner and separate printer. I do "low budget" digital photography and digital art. This machine will do my artwork as well as text documents. ... Read more

Features

• Optimized resolution up to 5,760 dpi for sharp photos
• Up to 17 ppm monochrome, 9 ppm color print speed
• Individual DURABrite ink cartridges for cost-effective quality
• 32 MB RAM buffer; manual 2-sided printing
• USB interface; Epson PhotoQuicker simplifies photo printing

Features

• 5,760 x 720 optimized dpi resolution for superior photo quality
• High-speed 14 ppm black printing, 10 ppm color, 4-by-6-inch photo in 90 seconds
• Prints high-quality documents, photos, cards, flyers
• Ideal for Web photo printing
• Convenient USB connectivity

Reviews (33)

Great product!
I recently bought this printer and enjoy the quality output it produces. Setup was a snap (I use Windows XP) and everything installed beautifully. I snapped the accompanying print cartridges in and I was off to the races. I quickly printed out a webpage and then some color photographs on inkjet index cards which came out decent. Then I popped in a 4x6 glossy, used the software that came with it and with minimal maneuvering, came out with a beautifully printed photo. I am impressed that this printer can practically do it all: it supports many paper sizes, envelopes, stickers and iron transfers.

For this price, this printer is a dream. I do admit though it is quite noisy and it takes a minute or so to print a 4 x 6 glossy photograph but these are not issues for me.

Good printer but note the cons
I bought this printer in February 2003 ... after discount and bonus. I kept track of the number of copies I achieved from the second black & white cartridge (the first uses more ink while the new printer is setting up). From this second cartridge I got a total of 400 black copies including 75 in "economy" mode... So, it cost me 6.25 cents per page. However, one has to add the price of part of of the color cartridge since even while printing with black some of the color cartridge is used by the printer e.g when it cleans the print head. Although I made only 21 color prints since I got the printer six months ago, the color cartridge is getting low... So all in all, I figure that the black printing cost me about 8 cents per page. Print quality is very good, and for color and photos it is excellent.
The printer is fast when actually printing (there is periodic cycling time for print head cleaning). It is noisier than other printers, but although I am very sensitive to noise I don't find it as annoying as other reviewers have observed. But I wouldn't want to be in a room with more than one C62.
When placing envelopes care must be taken that the slide is tight against the left side of the envelope or the address might come out slightly crooked. For placing sheets, I find the C62 slightly more inconvenient than it was in my old Epson 740. Since I use several different letterheads and qualities of paper, I am constantly putting 8.5 x 11 sheets on and off the machine. My 740 was a snap, but on the C62 I sometimes have to fiddle a bit more to get the paper to lay properly. That is no problem for someone who uses the same paper most of the time.
Overall, I am satisfied with this printer even though ink usage appears higher than I would like. I don't know how other printers stack up against the price figures of my estimate.

My Epson Experience
My Epson Experience

Let me begin by saying that I have over ten years of experience with all things computer related. During that period I have worked in almost every aspect of computer support. I have personally cleaned out countless numbers of inkjet printers with q-tips distilled water and alcohol. I kept my own Epson 740 going for 5 years without too much difficulty. I only got rid of it because I had a client that was desperate for a printer that would accept a Mac serial port. Boy due I miss that Epson 740.

I bought a C82 a little less than a year ago, after reading good reviews. I assumed it would be built at least as well as the Epson 740 I was using before.

Even after ten months my C82 still appears in almost brand new shape inside and out. Heck, I've only used it about thirty times or so. I keep it inside of cabinet shielded from dust. Plus as a matter of standard practice, I turn off all inkjet printers as soon as I finish using them, and I always change ink cartridges as quickly as possible to prevent ink from drying out inside printers.

So was I ever surprised when my printer stopped working. It had worked fine with the first set of cartridges I had installed. However, as soon as I changed cartridges the printer stopped working. I tried cleaning it at least fifty times, but it did nothing to improve the situation. So I did the natural thing and googled my problem. I was shocked by the sheer number of search results.

After reading through the reviews at Amazon and the hundreds of messages at fixyourownprinter.com I've come to realize that Epson has built and continue to build a printer that is so poorly designed one must question their integrity as a company. To think that so many people would experience the same problem and that their only solution is to continue to send people refurbished printers until their warranty expires.

Oh, and the part that will really get you, is that they require you to purchase and install a new set of four Epson branded ink cartridges to insure that your currently installed cartridges are not what is defective. So before you can even have your printer replaced you must invest at least sixty dollars on ink. Of course they offer to send you new ink with the replacement printer. Still to ask me to sink my time, energy, and sixty dollars into having my printer replaced with another one, which will simply get me right back to where I began. I mean really, the nerve. Is this what our present day world has come to? Have we set ourselves up so that these large corporations can totally take advantage of us in this way? Is there no recourse? Are there no standards of business ethics that they can be held accountable for?

The experience has left me feeling unusually sad. Epson has made me realize just how much I am at the mercy of these large corporations. I mean, if you want to print, who else can you buy a printer from?
I know that even if Epson would own up to this, they would argue that they had to make the printers so cheaply to remain competitive. Without doing so they would go out of business tomorrow. We've heard all that before. Haven't we?

Still though, this printer is made by someone in a Chinese factory. I know I'm going out on a limb here, but I would guess that that person is not well paid. Perhaps they are even exploited to some extent or at the very least we could guess that they are taken advantage of to some extent. Then as they role off the Chinese production line, Epson sends these defective printers all over the globe, wrapped up in fancy magazine advertisements. People like me buy the printer, use the ink, put in new ink, discover it no longer works, call Epson, ship the printer back to Epson, get the refurbished printer in the mail, and . Once the warranty is up we move our broken printer into the garage for a year or so, and then throw it away. It all seems so pointless.

Don't think me a luddite either. I love computers, printers, and gadgets as much as the next person. It's just that it disgusts me that I am forced to deal with a corporation that is not held to any kind of moral or ethical principles. As long as they are making money and growing we think of them as a good thing, without worrying about who they are taking advantage of. What are we doing here? How can we let Epson get away with this? Really!

Well it's not difficult for me to say I will be boycotting all Epson products in the future. I mean I'm sort of doubtful of their quality anyways. Oh and I haven't even mentioned the very unhelpful tech support and customer service representatives that I called long distance at my own expense. What a waste! Really what a waste!

Sincerely,

- Mark Whitney -
Hollywood, CA

P.S. I know the solution is to buy myself a do-it-yourself printer cleaning kit. If you google it you'll see that many companies sell them specifically for the Epson C80/C82. However, if you try to buy one you'll soon discover that they are all sold out, as I mentioned before I'm not the only one with this problem.

Printer is Dope!!
It's perfect for me. Some complain of noise. But to me its not that noisy. It's not like your sleeping anyway, so why be quiet. It seems to go through ink fast though

Very sorry for previous praise in review.
First I should note that I have previously written a glowing review of this printer. Now I am filled with guilt as I realize how many people I may have steered wrong with that praise. Yes, it was a great start, but oh was this printer a disappointment in the longer term!

Everything I stated in my previous review was correct, but I could not forsee what happened - what has happened to so many others... The ink started clogging regularly. When they do, you can remedy the situation by simply running the head cleaning feature... 20 consecutive times! The first time it happened I was disappointed. I had just installed two new cartridges ($60 worth) and couldn't get it to print without running this function over and over. By the time it was printing fine, I had run it at least 15 times and the brand new ink cartridges were down to about 30%.

Well I took that for one bad experience. However, I soon ran out of ink in those carts and replaced them (another $60), only to find it did the same thing. Again, I ran the cleaning function until it came out clean and again the ink is down to about 20-30%. UGH!

I never thought I'd recommend HP printers again, but at least when you change those cartridges, you are changing the print heads with them. My advice - look for a good HP, but be sure to check its cartridge prices before you buy, so there will be no surprises. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Designed for versatile printing of both photos and text-based documents, Epson's Stylus C84 is stylish and fast and packed with user-friendly features. With Epson's water-resistant, light-resistant, and smudge-resistant DURABrite inks and 357-nozzle design (monochrome plus color), the C84 can print an 8-by-10-inch color photo in less than two and a half minutes (in Photo mode). The printer's 5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi ensures photo-quality clarity and detail for your bordered or borderless pictures, text, or graphics. Of course, higher-quality settings result in longer print times.

The C84 supports a variety of paper types, including glossy, semigloss, double-sided matte, and inkjet transparencies, as well as large-format sizes up to 8.5 by 44 inches. For photos, DURABrite photo paper gives amazing prints with vibrant color, fine detail in high light and dark areas and smooth graduations. For everyday printing, you can enjoy the same exceptional quality on plain or recycled papers. Due to the special nature of EPSON DURABrite inks, you can print on both sides of the paper without fear of leak-through or page wrinkle, and you can handle the prints as soon as they're printed.

Convenient individual ink cartridges make ink replacement simple and cost-effective, and USB and parallel connectivity facilitates quick setups on both Windows and Macintosh computers. The C84 is backed with a one-year warranty that includes the Epson exchange program.

What's in the Box
Epson Stylus C84 ink jet printer, one cyan ink cartridge (T044220), one magenta ink cartridge (T044320), one yellow ink cartridge (T044420), one black ink cartridge (T043120), and printer documentation ... Read more

Features

• Up to 22 ppm black text and 12 ppm color; true BorderFree printing in popular photo sizes
• 5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi with ultra-fine 3-picoliter ink droplets
• Water-resistant, smudge-resistant, light-resistant DURABrite inks
• Cost-saving individual ink cartridges
• PC and Macintosh compatible; networking and wireless options

Reviews (26)

One of the best inkjets!
Epson C84 comes with a high capacity (900 pages @ 5% coverage, but about 500 pages in real life) black ink and 3 color ink tanks but no printer cable. The size is compact, it looks cool, has good build quality and installation was quick.

The print quality for text is very good for an inkjet (slightly better than Canon i320) and speed is pretty fast 5-6 pages per min (faster than i320). Both the photos printed on the supplied paper sample were annoying skewed (even after we made sure paper was put in properly). The quality didn't look impressive for photos.

Printer and cartridges have smart chips in them (as do new hp's). This will ensure that you can't put in generic ink but pay Epson each time ink runs out. Also there are reports that the printer declares ink over well before it really is. To make things worse Epson seems to use different cartridge models for almost every printer it makes (Canon & hp use same cartidges in many printers).

One good thing about C84 is that its very silent, even while printing. I guess this is about as silent as you will get with printers. Also the text prints look better than on hp, significantly clearer & blacker.

In short, if you want a text only printer get a Samsung (ML-1710) or Minolta (PagePro 1250W) laser printer for similar price. For good photo printers look at the Canon line up or even better get prints at local stores. Epson C84 is recommended for medium text printing & occasional photo printing.

Ink problems make this printer very expensive
The quality of the print is not a problem; it's good. But it's not good enough to neutralize the expense and frustration caused by the requirement to replace ALL of the ink cartridges every time one runs out.

When the cyan ink ran out, I tried to print in black only. It would not.

I replaced the cyan ink, and it still would not print. It indicated it needed black. Back to the store, and I bought a whole set this time. After replacing black, it called for the other two. Finally, after replacing all, it printed again--in black only or in color. The ink was Epson ink. Epson Help just figured they all ran out together. Even the first time, I knew they wouldn't all run out, by coincidence, at exactly the same time.

This has happened twice more now, and I am replacing the printer. It will be cheaper. I will not want to risk another Epson product, although I liked them a lot years ago.

Printed great at first - then died
I bought my Epson printer with my new PC. It was loud and jerky, but the print quality was good. The factory ink cartidges have almost nothing in them, so you have to replace them pretty quickly. When I installed all new cartidges my printer quit printing in black. I contacted Epson and they indicated I might have to buy new cartidges again. I searched on the web and found there are thousands of people who experience the exact same problem I have and Epson knows all about it, but they won't fix it. My Epson printer, new as it is, is now sitting in the trash. I put my old HP 722C back on my desk and have had no problem with it ever. I will never buy another Epson product again. And from what I've read of other user's reviews they feel the same way. Epson is junk.

Great Photo Printer without the bells and whistles
I am very impressed by the photo quality this printer turns out, even with generic ink. My 4 megapixel camera's pictures come out BEAUTIFULLY on photo paper from this printer. It doesn't have the fancy features that more expensive photo printers have (card reader, preview monitor, etc.) but it gets the job done. I went an entire semester of college (read: many many many papers) on the double capacity black cartridge it came with. It's also very quiet. I highly reccommend this printer, and don't be afraid to put generic ink in- it's cheaper and just as good.

Worked fine at first, then declined
The printer worked fine at first, printing beautifully. Set up was a breeze. I've had the printer for several months now, however, and I've noticed the print quality slowly decline.

I keep regular maintanence on the inkheads, cleaning and aligning them as necessary. I only use Epson ink, I've never refilled or damaged the ink cartridges in any way. I am unsatisfied with this product, and will not purchase another Epson. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The high-performance Epson Stylus C82 speeds through black text at 22 ppm and provides superior plain-paper printing. It includes four-color Epson DuraBrite inks and offers 5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi using Resolution Performance Management technology.

Ultrafine 3-picoliter ink droplets deliver sharp black text and vibrant colors, even on plain paper. Epson DuraBrite inks are resistant to water and fading, so users get long-lasting, smudge-proof photos. For convenience and cost savings, the printer comes with individual ink cartridges.

Versatile and easy to install, the Epson Stylus C82 provides USB and Parallel connections, making it ideal for any Windows or Macintosh system.

What's in the Box
Printer, black ink cartridge, individual color ink cartridges, setup instructions, software CD-ROM, power cord ... Read more

Features

• Up to 22 pp