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ValVashon · Sep 16, 2003, 09:37 PM

What experiences have others had with Epson printers? Mine was new in November of 2001, and now it has stopped printing (back in May, actually). Multiple cleanings and new ink cartridges have not helped. Neither has reinstalling the driver or trying a different machine. Every time what I get out is a blank sheet of paper.

Epson agreed that it might be the print head and referred me to several vendors; one said that they have had luck cleaning these with a special cleaning solution provided by Epson.

1) I think that is sucks that a print head can go bad and or clog up just because that it wasn't used for several months.

2) What might be the charge for such a repair? While it makes a good picture, I'm a little hesitant to throw money at an $80 printer I got on a MacMall clearance.

3) Is any brand of printers better than any other? I'll throw in my 2 cents by saying never ever buy an Epson...

Val

Socially Awkward Solo · Sep 16, 2003, 09:56 PM

Nothing new..

Junk the crap and then read this.

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...ighlight=canon

maxintosh · Sep 16, 2003, 10:30 PM

Most inkjets tend to fall apart after a while. Epson print heads tend to go, HP paper feeders like to jam up, and Lexmark printers just like to explode. Never had any experience with Canon, though.

That said we had an Epson 860 that lasted for a very long time, and I like my new CX5200 very much.

mindwaves · Sep 16, 2003, 11:10 PM

I have an Epson 740i...3.5 yrs and still going...

Diggory Laycock · Sep 17, 2003, 03:46 AM

My cheapo epson died very quickly - about a year.

I suppose you get what you pay for.

scottiB · Sep 17, 2003, 08:48 AM

In Jan/2000 I purchased a refurbished Photo EX. Still going strong under heavy usage.

schk · Sep 17, 2003, 09:04 AM

Epson printers, unlike others, have permenant printheads. So once those clog, you are stuck with a doorstop. Like someone previously mentioned, Canon printers are the way to go imo.

OldManMac · Sep 17, 2003, 10:12 AM

I've owned several Epsons in the last three years, and they get fairly heavy use. No problems whatsoever.

Epson 740; 1 year use
Epson Photo 870; 2 year's use
Epson Photo 960; 6 month's use so far.

You don't mention what model you have. If you don't use it for several months at a time, Epson's may clog. The solution to that is simple; print a web page or something else once a week, and you're set.

BTW, I've also owned HPs and Lexmarks; if you don't use them for a couple of months, the same thing can happen.

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Sep 17, 2003, 10:23 AM

Epson 700 Photo: Always clogged. Epson never came out with OSX drivers. Junked.

Epson C80: Would clog and smear all the time. After 6 months of LIGHT use the paper started to jam and just about every page had lines on it. Not to mention is printed horribly on glossy paper. Sitting in the corner.

scottiB · Sep 17, 2003, 10:30 AM

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
Epson 700 Photo: Always clogged. Epson never came out with OSX drivers. Junked.

My Photo EX didn't either, but I used CUPs, GhostScript, etc. It works without a hitch and saved me from buying a 1280.

In the next month or so, I'll be buying an Epson Photo 960--solely for the CD/DVD printing.

Immortal K-Mart Employee · Sep 17, 2003, 11:36 AM

Originally posted by scottiB:
My Photo EX didn't either, but I used CUPs, GhostScript, etc. It works without a hitch and saved me from buying a 1280.

In the next month or so, I'll be buying an Epson Photo 960--solely for the CD/DVD printing.

Not worth it. The cost of refilling the ink carts once you can get an outstanding Canon printer that slaughters it in every way.

mbryda · Sep 17, 2003, 12:02 PM

Stylus 880 - 2 years now
Stylus Photo 875DC - 2 years
ActionLaser 1500 - going on 11 years...

They say the new Canons are good, but previous reliability of their inkjets has been poor.

drissa · Sep 17, 2003, 12:08 PM

As I've reported elsewhere on these pages, my Epson 830 wound-up in a skip. An absolute piece of junk.

While some seem to be happy with their Epson printer, the general consensus on the web seems to be that they aren't worth bothering about. We use a cheap HP all-in-one at work and it's much better than the 6 colour 830 was.

mbryda · Sep 18, 2003, 08:41 AM

Originally posted by drissa:
As I've reported elsewhere on these pages, my Epson 830 wound-up in a skip. An absolute piece of junk.

While some seem to be happy with their Epson printer, the general consensus on the web seems to be that they aren't worth bothering about. We use a cheap HP all-in-one at work and it's much better than the 6 colour 830 was.

What is this "general consensus"? Never heard that one - if anything, people were/are gaga over their Epsons that print photos (the new Canons are great as well) and make a living with their printers. Home users tend to be a mixed bunch.

I assume you don't print photos much, as that's an area where HP comes in dead last...

tooki · Sep 18, 2003, 09:43 AM

Originally posted by scottiB:
In Jan/2000 I purchased a refurbished Photo EX. Still going strong under heavy usage.

Which is why it still works. Epsons don't take kindly to occasional use -- they'll clog. They need constant use to prevent clogging.

Originally posted by mbryda:
What is this "general consensus"? Never heard that one - if anything, people were/are gaga over their Epsons that print photos (the new Canons are great as well) and make a living with their printers. Home users tend to be a mixed bunch.

Well for the longest time, Epsons were the best. And since professional users use their printers constantly, they seldom have clogging problems. The other thing is that until relatively recently, Canon wasn't making particularly compelling printers. They've now leapfrogged over Epson and HP, and I'm sure that many pro users will be getting Canons for their small-format printing needs. Epson printers haven't increased in speed in YEARS, and that's something professionals definitely care about...

tooki

Socially Awkward Solo · Sep 18, 2003, 03:42 PM

Originally posted by mbryda:
What is this "general consensus"? Never heard that one - if anything, people were/are gaga over their Epsons that print photos (the new Canons are great as well) and make a living with their printers. Home users tend to be a mixed bunch.

I assume you don't print photos much, as that's an area where HP comes in dead last...

I have seen more people complain about clogged Epsons more then any other printer.

Lexmark are all junk
Epsons look great when they WORK
HP's are low end consumer printers and highest cost per page
Canon right now is the best on the market.

drissa · Sep 20, 2003, 07:01 PM

Originally posted by mbryda:
What is this "general consensus"? Never heard that one - if anything, people were/are gaga over their Epsons that print photos (the new Canons are great as well) and make a living with their printers. Home users tend to be a mixed bunch.

I assume you don't print photos much, as that's an area where HP comes in dead last...

The general consensus is derived from the comments I could find re. Epson inkjets - the majority of posts on the forums I searched were negative. Perhaps this isn't totally accurate, as people are more likely to complain on foums than comment on how happy they are, but it says quite a lot.

Indeed, home usres are a mixed bunch, but I suspect this is because products designed for them are too. I stated in my first post that I'm sure there are plenty of happy Epson users, but this post alone shows there are many who aren't happy. At the least, Epson are inconsistent.

I do print photos, and the HP probably can't compete with an 830 that is actually working at it's best. However, the general feel of the printer - it's speed, the rate at which is gets (or DOESN"T get) through ink, the consistency of it's operation (my Epson could never pull paper through straight and usually pulled the whole paper stack through at once, despite all the routine procedures) all make me feel much better about it.

However, whatever works for you, etc.

hyteckit · Sep 20, 2003, 07:31 PM

3 Epson 740. All over 3 years. All going strong.

reynard · Sep 20, 2003, 07:43 PM

2 Epson 740i s. One quit after a year, the other still going after about 4 years, despite needing some occasional fiddling. Go figure.

On a tangent here, does it seem that HP printers are suffering in comparison to Epson, Canon, etc.? This includes ink jet and laser. At least in the consumer range. However, HPs do have a reputation for reliability. But recently they don't seem to "win" any comparison tests in print quality for the $. My subjective impression only, I havent made a study of this.

G4ME · Sep 20, 2003, 10:08 PM

epson 740, going on 4 and half years, and about 5 reams of text paper along with about 100 8X10 glossy pics