JusTech'n » Epson

Epson’s New Artisan All-in-One Printers Offer Superior Performance, Image Quality, Convenience, and an Eye-Catching Design

Ryan McLaughlin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:45:23 +0000

Artisan 835 and Artisan 725 Deliver Unbeatable Features and Fit the Décor of any Room

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Aug. 4, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Epson America, Inc., a leading provider of superior performing desktop printing solutions, today introduced its new line of Artisan® all-in-ones – the Artisan 835 and Artisan 725. With image quality preferred by consumers 3-to-1 over the competition1 and a host of unique features, the new Artisan all-in-ones are a perfect match for today’s active, digital families that require one solution for various printing needs.

835

725

“These latest Artisan all-in-ones continue to redefine the standard for image quality, print speed and unique creative capabilities,” said Julie Ernest, product manager, Consumer Ink Jet Printers, Epson America, Inc. “From family photos and creative projects to school work and household documents, these versatile all-in-ones deliver the quality, reliability and performance consumers have come to expect from the Artisan line.”

The flagship Artisan 835 boasts a 7.8-inch smart touch panel, a 3.5-inch color LCD, built-in fax, and a 30-page Automatic Document Feeder to quickly copy and fax documents. The Artisan 725 features an enhanced touch panel for easier navigation. Both feature 2.5 times faster wireless connectivity with Wi-Fi n2, wireless printing from an Apple® iPhone3 and the world’s fastest 4”x6” photo print speeds4. In addition, the Artisan 725 and Artisan 835 deliver vibrant colors and crisp, clear text with Epson’s six-color Ultra Hi-Definition Claria® ink.

Additional Features of the Artisan Series:

Delivers fast ISO print speeds of 9.5 ISO ppm black and 9 ISO ppm color5
Offers built-in wireless and Ethernet networking
Saves up to 50 percent of paper supply with automatic two-sided printing
Creates personalized greeting cards, coloring book pages, elegant stationery, and note paper
Creates professional-looking discs by printing images and text directly onto ink jet printable CDs/DVDs with easy-to-use Epson Print CD software
Features built-in Auto Photo Correction to automatically evaluate and correct images and red eye
Prints applications wirelessly from an iPhone, including PDF files, photos, photo calendars, business documents, and more, through applications available on the iTunes App Store
Prints images directly from digital cameras, mobile phones and USB Flash drives with PictBridge®
Accommodates various printing needs with individual ink cartridges at affordable prices (standard and high-capacity sizes)6
Delivers vivid, true-to-life photos with Epson’s exclusive MicroPiezo® print head with DX5™ technology
Offers a range of eco features and environmental qualifications including, ENERGY STAR® and RoHS compliance, and is designed to be recycled7

Pricing and Availability

The Artisan 725 ($199.99*) and Artisan 835 ($299.99*) will be available in mid-August through major computer, office and electronic superstores, a variety of retail stores nationwide and Epson’s retail site, www.epsonstore.com. An all-white “Arctic Edition” Artisan 725 ($199.99*) will also be available in mid-September exclusively through Best Buy to allow consumers more options to match the décor of their home and computer equipment. All models come with a one-year limited warranty and free lifetime phone support8 with quick and convenient product exchange. For more information, please see the Artisan 725, Artisan 835 and Artisan 725 Arctic Edition fact sheets.

725 White

About Epson America Inc.

Epson America, Inc. is a leading provider of an extensive range of printers, 3LCD projectors, scanners and point-of-service printers that are renowned for their high quality, functionality, innovation and energy efficiency. Epson America is a U.S. affiliate of Seiko Epson Corporation, which employs more than 70,000 people in 106 countries around the world. Seiko Epson is committed to its ongoing contributions to the global environment and for the second year in a row has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, an indicator for leading companies in economic, environmental and social criteria. To learn more about Epson America, please visit: www.Epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EpsonAmerica), Twitter (http://twitter.com/EpsonAmerica) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/EpsonTV).

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_{Specifications are subject to change without notice. Epson and Claria are registered trademarks, and Epson Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark. Artisan is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks.}

_{Compared to photo all-in-ones priced at $300 or less as of 11/1/08 in testing by Newman-Stein, Inc.}
_{Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n certified; level of performance subject to the range of the router being used. Visit www.wi-fi.org/files/11nbasics_glossary.pdf for more information.}
_{See www.epson.com/mobileprinting for more information on optional phone applications.}
_{Compared to ink jet, photo all-in-ones priced at $299 or less as of April 1, 2010, based on independent testing.}
_{ISO ppm is based on the new international standard for measuring print speed. Black and color print speeds are determined in default, single-side mode, in accordance with ISO/IEC 24734. Actual print tiems will vary based on system configuration, software, and page complexity. See www.epson.com/printspeed for details, including complete ISO reports.}
_{Cartridge yields are based on continuous printing of a suite of five black and color pages as required by ISO/ IEC 24711 and 24712. Actual yields will vary considerably for reasons including images printed, print settings, temperature and humidity. Yields may be lower when printing infrequently or predominantly with one ink color. A variable amount of ink remains in the cartridges after the “replace cartridge” signal. Part of the ink from the first cartridges is used for priming the all-in-one. Ink is used for both printing and print head maintenance. All inks are used for both black and color printing. For more information about yields for this all-in-one, see www.epson.com/cartridgeinfo.}
_{See our website for convenient and reasonable recycling options at www.epson.com/recycle.}
_{Epson provides phone support, without charge, for the life of the product. Telephone toll charges may apply}

_{*Estimated street price}

Epson Kicks-Off Great American Movie Night

Ryan McLaughlin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:37:51 +0000

Epson Kicks-Off Great American Movie Night

Host a Movie Night Under the Stars to Win $2,500 Towards a Backyard Theater Makeover

LONG BEACH, Calif. – April 19, 2010 – Epson America today announced the Great American Movie Night, a campaign to bring friends and family together to watch their favorite movies projected on a large screen or wall space under a starry sky. Inspired by the Epson MovieMate™, a portable projector featuring excellent image quality up to eight times larger than a widescreen 40-inch TV, high brightness, CD/DVD player and speakers all built-in, the Great American Movie Night program kicks off on April 19 and runs through June 13.

During the campaign, people can visit the Great American Movie Night Web site for lots of fun tips needed to host an outdoor movie party, including equipment checklists, pointers for setting-up outdoor viewing areas, ideas for fun movie party themes and kits complete with film suggestions, snack recipes, party music playlists, and even downloadable invitation templates. After hosting fun-filled movie night, creative backyard movie-goers are encouraged to return to the Web site to share their stories and photos.

“With Memorial Day weekend right around the corner, the Great American Movie Night program is designed to help people across the country jump start the season of backyard barbecues and family movie nights,” said Marge Ang, senior product manager, Epson America. “Sharing movies on the big screen under the stars is easy and affordable with Epson’s unique MovieMate all-in-one projector.”

As part of Great American Movie Night, Epson is offering a Projector-A-Day Giveaway from May 17–23 where consumers can win an Epson MovieMate 60 just in time to host their own movie night over Memorial Day weekend. Consumers can register until May 23, 2010 at 9 a.m. PT to be eligible. For anyone that hosts their own movie night with family or friends, Epson invites them to share a photo of the event to enter the Makeover Your Backyard Sweepstakes. Consumers who upload a photo of their movie night on the Great American Movie Night Web site can enter for a chance to win $2,500 towards a backyard theater makeover. Photos need to be uploaded by June 1, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. PT to enter.

To learn more about Great American Movie Night and hosting your own event, please visit: www.Epson.com/GreatAmericanMovieNight or connect with Epson on Facebook and Twitter.

More About Epson MovieMate 60

The Epson MovieMate 60 combines a high-quality projector, CD/DVD player, microphone input, and stereo speakers in one portable unit for an affordable, easy-to-use and versatile solution for home entertainment. With MovieMate 60, family and friends can enjoy their favorite movies up to eight times larger than a 40-inch widescreen TV. MovieMate 60 features a bright, energy efficient lamp that delivers 2,000 lumens of color and white light output[i] and Dolby® Digital audio and big-screen image quality in a portable and convenient home theater solution. Featuring a sleek, compact design with a built-in handle and cushioned carrying case for portable convenience, MovieMate 60 makes it big screen home entertainment easy, whether inside or out.

About Epson America, Inc.

Epson America, Inc. is a leading provider of an extensive range of printers, 3LCD projectors, scanners and point-of-service printers that are renowned for their high quality, functionality, innovation and energy efficiency. Epson America is a U.S. affiliate of Seiko Epson Corporation, which employs more than 70,000 people in 106 companies around the world. Seiko Epson is committed to its ongoing contributions to the global environment and for the second year in a row has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, an indicator for leading companies in economic, environmental and social criteria.

# # #

Note: Epson is a registered trademark and Epson Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark of Seiko Epson Corporation. Epson MovieMate is a trademark of Epson America, Inc. All other product brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these trademarks.

Review: Epson MovieMate 60 Projector

Ryan McLaughlin — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:39:57 +0000

I have always wanted a projector for my house because they are a great way to get the big screen experience without having to go to the theater, or pay out big bucks for a super large TV. The reason I have never purchased one is because I would have to take the time, and expense, to setup one of my rooms just for the projector. This really means I would not be able to use the room for anything else. Epson makes this easier with their MovieMate line of projectors which include built-in speakers, and a DVD player.

Features

Up to 8x larger than a 40″ TV
Built-in progressive-scan DVD
Two 10W speakers with microphone input
Easy setup – plug, load & play
HDMI connectivity
Works with game consoles, iPods

One of the best features of a projector is that the screen size is only limited by the size of the room it is in. With the MovieMate 60 it is possible to have a an 80″ widescreen display by placing the projector only 7.8 feet away from the wall, or 120″ display at 11.8 feet.

The MovieMate 60 has a built-in DVD player. This DVD player is progressive scan, so you can expect good output, but as far as I can tell it does not upscale.

The Projector also has two built-in 10W stereo speakers. These speakers are used for playing all the audio from this projector. However, there is also an audio out so that the audio can be sent to better speakers if you have them.

There is no setup required to play movies with the MovieMate 60. Since it contains a DVD player and speakers, it just needs to be plugged in and a movie inserted. However, if you want to display content from another device (like an Xbox or iPod) then the MovieMate 60 includes all the most popular connectors, including HDMI, and USB.

Design

One of the joys about this projector is the simple design. This projector is aimed at individuals that do not have a dedicated theater room, or don’t know how to wire up a DVD player and speaker system, so simplicity is very important.

The front of the MovieMate 60 simply has the projector lens, and the DVD player. This DVD player is of the slot load variety so there are no drawers that might break off. To the right of the DVD slot is the eject button. To the right of the projector lens is an IR port for the remote control.

Front

The top of the projector is where the manual controls, ambient light sensor, and lamp door are located. Starting at the very front is the lens cover which needs to be open or else the projector will not turn on. Just below that is the focus adjustment. Below that is the light sensor which is under a small clear window. The power button is directly below the light sensor and to the right of that is the source button. Pressing the source button starts the projector searching for an active video signal. The next two buttons are Play/Pause and Stop. These two buttons work directly with the built-in DVD player. Next to that are the volume up and down buttons. The right most buttons are all the menu and navigation buttons. Finally to the right of the buttons is the lamp door. The lamp door is very simple to remove because it only has one screw. Inside you can see the lamp, which has another two screws. Once those are removed the lamp lifts up easily for replacement.

Top

The right side has a handle and a intake vent with air filter. The cover and filter are easy to remove and replace.

Intake

Filter

The left side has the exhaust fan.

Output fan

The back is where you will find all the connectors and the speakers. The MovieMate 60 has just about any connector you could want. These connectors include Component, Composite, HDMI, VGA, and USB. At the bottom, on either side, are the speakers. There is also an IR port of the back for when you are sitting behind the projector.

Back

The remote is fully featured and well labeled. You will know by reading past reviews that having a poorly labeled remote is a pet peeve of mine. The only feature that I would have wanted to add to the remote is zoom, but it is fairly easy to get to in the menus so it is not a big deal.

Performance

So how does it perform? I have been using it for about two weeks now and I think I have tested most of the features. Since this is made for people that don’t have dedicated theater rooms, I tested it in my living room at a distance of 10′ from the wall, at that distance the picture was about 9′ diagonal. I also did not use a screen, instead I displayed it on a normal light colored wall.

Projector

Projected Image

Like I said above, setting up the MovieMate 60 is a snap. Because there is only one cord (power) I was able to get a movie going in a matter of minutes. The hardest decision I had to make was finding a suitable place to put the projector so that it would shine directly against the wall. I ended up using a chair from my dining room and then using the feet to adjust the angle. The projector has the ability to adjust the keystone so you don’t have to worry about it being the correct height, however there is no way to compensate if the projected is off to one side, so it is very important that the projector be directly in front of the wall or screen it is shining on.

The projector is very bright, especially in my small living room. I was able to watch several movies and play some games from my Xbox without any trouble. I did notice that during the day, or when I had lights on, the picture would be washed out and it was difficult to see the dark scenes.

With the speakers in the back it is really important that you sit behind the projector if you want to get the best sound. However, in my living room that is difficult because the room is not very large and I wanted the screen to fill up the entire wall, so I had the projector far away from the wall. With this setup the projector was only about 4 feet from the back wall and that makes it very difficult to sit behind.

Even though I could not sit behind the projector the sound from the speakers was still loud in my living room; however, it was not always clear. Because of the small size of the speakers I was not surprised, but I was still a little disappointed. How is anyone suppose to be happy with this if they cannot hear their movies and TV shows clearly. The maximum volume is 40 and I would regularly have it around 35. I think the ability to change the direction of the speakers would be a helpful feature, but so far that is only available on the MovieMate 72.

The projector does have a zoom feature, but by default it is already zoomed out as far as it can go. So for all intents and purposes it only zooms in and this is of little use to me. I was hoping to be able to place the projector closer to the wall so I could sit behind it, and then zoom the picture larger so it would fill up the wall.

Another issue I had to take into consideration is the max resolution of the projector. The max resolution of the MovieMate 60 is only 540p (960 x 540), which does not stretch to 9′ very gracefully. This again emphasizes the fact that you want to sit behind the projector, because the closer you are to the screen, the more pixels you are going to see. For example, with my setup above (9′ diagonal screen size) each pixel was about 1/16 of an inch wide and easily visible. This gives us the projector an effective PPI (pixels per inch) of 16. For comparison sake, my 24″ computer monitor which has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 has a PPI of 94.

Pixels

As a side thought, I wonder if this projector would work with 3D shutter glasses. I could not find any information about refresh rates, so I don’t know if it meets the 120Hz minimum.

Support and Warranty

The Epson MovieMate 60 includes two years of toll-free, priority technical support, plus a two-year limited warranty and a 90-day limited lamp warranty.

Epson also offers their Preferred Plus Protection plans which will extend service for your projector, and best of all they don’t start until the standard warranty ends. This means if you buy a 1 year extension, you get a total of 3 years of warranty coverage. The cost of these plans is a little high, but if you want the coverage here is how much it will cost:

1-Year Extended Depot Repair Service Plan $199.00
1-Year Extended Exchange Warranty $299.00
2-Year Extended Depot Repair Service Plan $299.00

Conclusion

Overall I am happy with this projector. Yes it is missing a few nice features and the audio and video quality is not the best, but that is how Epson is keeping the price down. With a retail price of $699 ($603 on Amazon), built-in DVD player and speakers, the MovieMate 60 easily falls into the entry level market. Higher resolution projectors with more capabilities can easily cost double or triple this price. The bulb is also reasonably priced, at $159.99, a replacement lamp will not break the bank when it is time for a new one. If you spread that cost over the 4000 hour life span (5000 hours in ECO mode) of the bulb, the cost of the bulb is only $.039 an hour. The Air filter which also needs to be replaced regularly only runs a paltry $13.99.

If you are looking at getting your first projector and you don’t have a dedicated theater room or a huge budget, you should take a look at the MovieMate 60.

Print and Display Your Images with Epson PictureMate Show, The Ultimate Two-in-One Digital Frame and Compact Photo Printer

Ryan McLaughlin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:32:25 +0000

LONG BEACH, Calif., Dec. 3, 2009 – Today Epson announced a breakthrough in the compact photo printer market with the introduction of PictureMate^® Show, the ultimate two-in-one digital photo frame and 4” x 6” photo printer. Designed for the photo enthusiast, PictureMate Show is a versatile hybrid that offers consumers one convenient solution for displaying, sharing and printing better-than-lab-quality photos in the convenience of their homes all year round.

Boasting a seven-inch, 16:9 tilt digital photo display with 800 x 480 dpi WVGA resolution, PictureMate Show makes an incredible display of your favorite photos. It also offers 12 unique and entertaining slideshow formats for digital images, as well as a remote control to conveniently view and display photos in your home or office. Combined with the best quality 4” x 6” photo printer, it offers the highest maximum print resolution in its class (5760 x 1440 dpi) to produce beautiful photos with incredible detail and true-to-life skin tones in as fast as 37 seconds¹.

“Perfect for everyone in the family, Epson’s PictureMate Show combines the best in design and performance while offering a unique way to instantly print and share cherished memories,” said Stacey Tieu, associate product manager, Consumer Ink Jets, Epson America Inc. “PictureMate Show is not only an exceptional gift to give this holiday season, but also a great product to have year round because nothing on the market compares in terms of quality, speed, reliability, and value. This convenient, portable printer makes it easy to instantly print and share photos at parties, special events or family gatherings.”

Additional Features and Benefits of PictureMate Show:

Offers a large 270 MB internal memory to automatically store hundreds of photos, run slideshows and reprint images any time
Prints from all popular memory cards via built-in card slots², USB thumb drives, PictBridge^® devices, and PDAs or digital cameras with optional Bluetooth^® adapter³
Delivers durable, smudge, scratch, and water resistant photos that resist fading up to 96 years under glass and over 200 years in dark album storage – up to four times longer than traditional, film processed photos⁴
Prints custom sizes from 0.3” x 0.3” to 4” x 6”,great for passport photos, filling unusual frame sizes, photo key chains, photo bracelets and more
Offers versatility with various layouts and color effects, such as classic borders or borderless options, mini-wallet, wallet, and 4”x 6”, as well as black and white, sepia, or color
Get perfect prints every time with easy and convenient photo editing features, including Auto Photo Correction that automatically adjusts photos for optimum color and balance, cropping capabilities, red-eye removal, and more
Delivers affordable prints on glossy and matte paper with Epson’s PictureMate Print Packs, which include ink and either 150 sheets of 4” x 6” glossy paper or 100 sheets of 4” x 6” matte paper

Pricing and Availability

PictureMate Show ($299.99*) is currently available through a variety of online retail stores and Epson’s retail site. For more information, please see the PictureMate Show[CS1] fact sheet or visit www.mypicturemate.com.

PictureMate Show

About Epson America Inc.

Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Seiko Epson Corporation and a leading provider of digital imaging products that exceed the vision of its customers. The company’s extensive range of printers, scanners and 3LCD projectors are renowned for their high quality, functionality, compactness, and energy efficiency. The Seiko Epson organization is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and for the second year in a row is part of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, an indicator for leading companies in economic, environmental and social criteria.

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¹Color photo without a PC in borderless layout measured from start of paper feed. Actual print time will vary based on system configuration, software, and page complexity. See www.epson.com/printspeed for details.

²Prints from CompactFlash^® (Type I/II), Secure Digital (SD^™), SDHC,^™ MMC, xD-Picture Card^™ (Type M/H), Microdrive^® and Memory Stick^®.

³Bluetooth adapter sold separately; please visit www.MyPictureMate.com for ordering information.

⁴Based on accelerated testing of prints displayed under glass in indoor display conditions. Actual print stability will vary according to media, printed image, display conditions, light intensity, temperature, humidity and atmospheric conditions. Epson does not guarantee the longevity of prints. For maximum print life, display all prints under glass or UV filter or properly store them.

* Estimated street price

Review: Epson WorkForce 610 All-in-One Printer

Ryan McLaughlin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:18:50 +0000

Printers come in many shapes and sizes, but there are really only two different types, consumer and office. I just finished a review of Epson’s high end consumer printer, and I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at one of their office printers. The WorkForce 610 currently sits at the top of Epson’s Small & Home Business list.

Features

Laser quality up to 2x faster
Maximum 38 ppm black/color
Laser quality 15 ppm/9.3 ppm
Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking
Extra High-capacity black and High-capacity color cartridges
Uses up to 70% less power
PC Fax – directly from PC

One of the features I am anticipating the most is the laser quality printing. All the other Inkjet printers have had a really hard time producing laser quality text.

The printer is also fast. With a maximum print speed of 38 pages per minute this printer can spit out a lot of pages. This is obviously not laser quality, but it is still fast.

This printer can connect to either a wireless and wired network, which is great if you have more than one computer and you want to share the printer.

The black cartridge is actually twice the size of the colors. Since this is a office printer there is a good chance that printing text will be the most often performed task. Having a lot of black ink will keep the printer from running out quickly and keep your office productive.

Fax is another great feature for an office. Most offices need a fax and since this printer has one you don’t need to buy a separate one.

Design

The WorkForce 610 has a lot of features so it really should be a lot bigger than it really is. The printer has dimensions of 18.1″ W x 22.1″ D x 12″ H, which is really quite small.

The front of the WorkForce 610 has all the controls, buttons, and inputs you need when printing or faxing. On the left side is all the memory card slots and PictBridge. These are used for printing without using a computer. This printer supports CompactFlash, Microdrive, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, MagicGate Memory Stick, MagicGate Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Pro Duo, Secure Digital (SD), SDHC, mini SD, mini SDHC, micro SD, micro SDHC, MultiMediaCard, xD-Picture Card, xD-Picture Card Type-M, and xD-Picture Card Type-H.

Flash slots

To the right of the card slots is the control panel. The control panel is split into 3 sections. On the left are the power and function select buttons. In the middle is the screen and the buttons that control it. Finally, on the right is the keypad, fax buttons, and the start and stop buttons. When I first saw the control panel I thought it was funny how similar it is to the Artisan 700.

Console left side

Console right side

The control panel lifts up, much like the Artisan 810, however, getting it to go back down is a bit of a challenge. To lower the control panel the WorkForce 610 has a hidden handle that is behind the control panel. To use the handle you have to reach behind the control panel, pull down on the handle, and also push in the control panel. Contrast this with the Artisan 810 where all you have to do is press a button that is on top of the control panel, and a spring inside lowers it into place.

Console down

Console up

IMG_5275.JPG

Below the control pad is the paper output tray. This tray is a bit different from other printer trays, and in this case it is not an improvement. The paper tray on the WorkForce 610 is quite heavy duty (probably so you can print lots of pages), but this also makes it hard to move in and out. I actually prefer the thinner paper output tray that the Artisan 810 has.

Paper output tray

On top of the WorkForce 610 is the scanner and automatic paper feeder for the scanner. I really like how the paper feeder can be hidden when not in use. There isn’t very much to say about the scanner, except that it has 48-bit color / 24-bit output, a maximum document size of 8.5″ x 11″, and a maximum resolution of 9600 x 9600 dpi interpolated.

Scanner

Finally, on top, in the back, is the paper input tray. There is nothing special about this input try and it is nothing like the Artisan 810. The Artisan 810 has a paper cartridge that goes under the printer and hides the paper so it is not out in the open. this really helps the printer look cleaner and more professional. I am surprised that the WorkForce 610 does not also have a paper cartridge, especially since paper cartridges have usually been a feature in office printers.

Paper input tray

Under the scanner is another lid that when lifted reveals the inside of the printer. The first thing I noticed is that the printer cartridges sit directly on top of the print head. I liked the way the Artisan printers had the cartridges off to the side and I think all Epson’s printers should do it that way.

Inside

Print cartridge

In the back are the connectors. The connectors include Phone in and out, Ethernet, and USB at the bottom.

Connectors

Performance

Now we get to check out how the printer performs. One of my favorite and one of my first tests is with photos. Even though this printer is an office printer, and not a photo printer, I still like to see how it does with photos. This gives a good idea on how well it will do with other graphics, like graphs, presentation slides, and documents with images. When I first printed the picture I thought it didn’t look too bad. Then I compared it with the Artisan 800, and I could clearly see the difference.

Original

610 photo

810 photo

Where this printer is suppose to shine is with printing laser quality documents. So my next test will be comparing the quality of the text that is printed with the WorkForce 610 against my trusty HP Laserjet 5L. To help with configuring the Workforce 610 to print laser quality text the software provides an few presets. The setting in question is Letter Document – High Quality and it configures the printer to photo, with text smoothing, and the results? Better than any other ink jet. As you can see from the images below the text from the WorkForce 610 looks very similar to the text from the HP 5L, but not quite as good. I also included an image of what the non high-quality text looks like, as you can see it is quite a bit worse.

HP 5L text

610 Laser text

610 Fast text

The speed of the printer is also something to consider. Printing high quality text certainly takes a bit longer than printing normal text. To find out how much longer I setup the printer to print 21 pages of text and I timed it. I started the timer after the first page finished so I am really only testing 20 pages, skipping the first page gives the printer time to warm up and receive the entire job. So with normal text it took 63 seconds to print 20 pages (~19 p/m), and when it was set to high quality it took 779 seconds (~1.5 p/m). On my Laserjet that same print job took 295 seconds (4 p/m). So the WorkForce 610 is quite a bit faster than my Laser jet with normal quality text, but much slower when printing laser quality text.

Scanning is the next test. I don’t do anything fancy other than scan a few color charts. As you can see from the image, the colors scanned fairly well and I could not find any major flaws in the images.

Color chart

This printer is also capable of printing lined and gridded paper. As with the Artisan 810 the lined and gridded paper is great.

Faxing is also very easy to do and the results are just as I expected them to be.

Warranty and Support

The Workforce 610 includes a two-year limited warranty with toll-free support, but this requires you to register your printer. If for some reason you don’t want to register your printer you will get a one-year limited warranty with toll-free support.

Epson also offers their Preferred Plus Protection Plans. These plans extend service for the printer beginning when the standard warranty ends. You can purchase either a one or two year extension and they can be bought no matter where you bought the printer from. The one year plan is only $19.95 and the two year is $29.95. I don’t really like the idea of having to pay for service on a product that you have bought, but it is nice to have the option. I highly recommend getting one of these, because you never know what kind of problems your printer may have and they are really inexpensive.

Conclusion

The Workforce 610 worked perfectly in all its tasks. However, after reviewing the Artisan 810 I felt like I was taking a step down with the Workforce 610. It may be that I am spoiled or it may be that Epson left features out to keep keep costs down. The WorkForce 610 is less expensive than the Artisan 810, but only by about $70. As of this writing Amazon is selling the Workforce 610 for $129 and the Artisan 810 for $199. So what do you get for the extra $70? How about CD/DVD printing, a duplexer, much better photos (7 color cartridges), a hidden paper cartridge, and a really nice touch screen control panel. I personally think all that would be worth at least $70.

So here’s the bottom line, if you want a printer that can do great photos and print on CDs then get the Artisan 810. However, if you are more concerned about saving a few bucks and getting really great text then get the WorkForce 610. Either way, you are going to enjoy whichever choise you make.

Review: Epson Artisan 810 All-In-One Photo Printer

Ryan McLaughlin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:52:32 +0000

At the beginning of the year we reviewed the Epson Artisan 800 All-In-One Photo Printer. It performed so well that it got our Editors Choice award. Recently Epson released the Artisan 810, which has a few upgrades. We are going to take a look at the new printer and see if lives up to the 800′s excellent performance.

Since the Artisan 810 and the Artisan 800 are almost exactly the same, this review is going to be very similar to the Artisan 800 review that I did earlier.

Features

5 in 1 with Wi-Fi: Print / Copy / Scan / Fax / Ultra HD Photo
Up to 38 ppm, photos in as fast as 10 sec
Built-in fax and Automatic Document Feeder
Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking
7.8-inch touch panel, 3.5-inch LCD
Professional quality CD/DVD printing
Automatic two-sided printing
Create coloring books and personal note paper
Two-year limited warranty with registration
Ultra Hi-Definition photos last 4x longer than photo lab prints
Two paper trays always ready to print photos and documents

When it comes to printing options, the Artisan 810 has a pluthera. This printer can print on just about any type of surface meant for printing, from photo paper, to printable DVDs. With the included duplexer, two-sided printing is a snap. Even without the duplexer you can still print on two sides, it just takes a little more effort.

This printer uses Claria Hi-Definition Ink which is currently one of the best and longest lasting inks you can get. Because of this, Epson claims that the photos that come out of this printer will last 4x longer than photos that are printed in a photo lab.

The Artisan 810 has at least five ways to connect it to a computer. First, you can connect it directly to the computer with a USB cable, this is good if you only have one computer. If you have more than one computer and a wireless network, then you can use the second way which is WiFi, or if you have a wired network then you can use the third way which is an Ethernet cable. The fourth way is using an optional Bluetooth adapter, so if you have a phone or camera with Bluetooth then you can print directly from those devices. Finally, the last way is to plug in a memory card or USB stick into one of the memory slots or the PictBridge port.

Not only can you print directly from a memory card or a USB stick, but the printer can enhance and fix those photos if they have problems like red eye or are too light or dark.

Printing photos and text is not the only thing this printer can print. The Artisan 810 is also able to print lined, grid, and coloring pages. All of these things worked out really great. I would only make one comment. The coloring pages can only be printed from a scanned source, or memory card and not from a picture on a PC.

Grid paper

Coloring Page

The printer has a built-in paper tray that functions like two paper trays. The bottom part of the paper tray is for larger paper, it can hold up to 8.5″ x 14″, and the top tray can hold up to 5″ x 7″ paper, which is great for photo paper.

Design

The printer is very compact. On top is an Automatic Document Feeder and the scanner. The ADF can hold up to 30 pages and the maximum size that can be scanned is an A4 document. I really like the design of the ADF because when you are not using it, you can close it up.

ADF Open

ADF Closed

The controls for the Artisan 810 are very unique. On the front is a very large 7.8″ touch panel with a 3.5″ LCD right in the middle. This is a very high resolution screen, and is great for not only displaying the menus and options, but also for showing photos that will be printed. If you are printing from a memory card or USB stick then you can use the screen to preview the images and see what they will look like before they are printed. The screen is not large enough to see a lot of details, but you will get a good idea about the results.

Screen

To the left of the screen are six touch panel buttons. Those buttons are Display/Crop, Menu, Home, Left arrow, Auto, and Back. The Display/Crop button is for printing buttons from a flash card. With this button you can choose how to display the pictures (full, thumbnails, or full with details) and you can also crop the images for printing on photo paper. The menu button will display the menu for whatever screen you are currently viewing. The Home button will always take you back to the main screen. The left arrow is used to scroll through each menu’s screen. The Auto button turns on and off the Fax auto answer. The back button takes you back one screen.

Left Buttons

To the right of the screen are another 7 buttons. The buttons are plus and minus, Clear Settings, right arrow, Start, OK, and View Auto Correct. The plus and minus buttons are for increasing and decreasing the number of copies of each picture you print. Clear settings is self explanatory. The right arrow is just like the left arrow in that it moves through screens. The Start button will start a copy, or fax. The OK button accepts any setting changes. View Auto Correct turns on the auto correction and displays it on the screen.

Right Buttons

To the left of the touch panel are two additional buttons. The top button is the power button, and obviously it is used for turning on and off the printer. Below that is the CD tray button, and it is used for ejecting the CD tray so a CD can be placed on it.

The whole control console lifts up freely. This serves two purposes that I have found so far. The first is to give you a better viewing angle, and the second is to open up a space so you can get to the CD/DVD tray. As you lift the controls up they will lock into place. To get the console to go back down you need to press the unlock button, which is at the top left of the controls, above the power button (it has a yellow stripe). Pressing the Unlock button will lower the display automatically, do not press it down or it will damage the lock and you may not be able to lower it ever again (trust me, I know from experience).

Below the control console is the CD/DVD tray, paper output, and input trays. The first one closest to the top is the CD/DVD tray. Pressing the CD/DVD tray button causes this tray to come out, but the tray does not come out very far, so before you can put a disk on it you must lift the control console up. This opens up a space so you can reach in and place the disk on the tray.

CD Tray

Blank CD

Below that is the paper output tray. It pulls out and can support anything from 4″x6″ all the way up to 8.5″ x 14″.

Output Tray

To the right of the paper trays are the memory card slots and the PictBridge port.

Memory Card slots

At the very bottom is the paper input tray. Actually it is two paper trays built into one. There is an upper and lower section, the lower section is for large paper, up to 8.5″x14″ and the upper section is for smaller photo paper, up to 5″x7″.

Paper Tray

The back of the printer has a spot for power, USB, Ethernet, and phone cables. There is also a rather large Duplexer attached to the back. This is responsible for automatic two sided printing. The Duplexer can be removed if you are trying to squeeze the printer into a tight space. However, I don’t know why you would, because the Duplexer is one of the new features of the Artisan 810 and if you cannot use it then you might as well buy an Artisan 800.

Connectors	Power Plug
Back	Duplexer

If you open up the top and take a look inside there are really only two spots of interest and one is the ink cartridge holders. Almost all of the previous printers that I have reviewed have had the ink located right on top of the print head, but not with this printer. On this printer they are located off to the side. The small green tab that you see is a kind of lock. It is used to lock the print head into place while being transported. It must be moved before you plug in the printer, failing to do this may damage the printer. The Printer has a special place for it just above so it does not get lost.

Inside	Ink compartment	ink Installed
Print Head Lock	Print Head Lock Removed

Performance

Testing the printer is the fun part. It is where I get to print off and scan tons of different things and see how well it does. The printer comes with a full set of standard ink cartridges and I planned on using it all. The first thing I always like doing is printing out lots of pictures. Printing with the 810 is extremely quick, the Artisan 810 can print up to 38 pages per minute and a single photo can be printed in as little as 10 seconds.

The photos that printed are fantastic. As you can see from the images below. I printed off several photos from different printers to compared the quality of each. I printed photos from the Artisan 810 and the Artisan 800. The first picture is the original from my camera, the second one is from the Artisan 800 and the third one is from the Artisan 810. As you can clearly see for yourself they are identical. This is good for those of you that wondered if the 810 would have better photo printing.

Original

Artisan 800

Artisan 810

One of the features of the Artisan is that it will auto correct photos that are printed from a memory card or USB stick. It can also automatically remove red eye. The first image is the original from my camera, the second one is an auto corrected photo and the third has red eye turned on. I could not see a difference between the auto corrected and regular photos. The red eye reduction, also worked reasonably well, except that it missed one of the red eyes. If you want everything perfect, it is always best to do the touch-ups yourself.

Original

Auto Correct

Red Eye Remover

Printing documents is also very fast. I was able to print 7 full color pages in 55 seconds. By default the pages print in order, which means the first page is on the bottom. Luckily, I found a reverse option which prints the last page first. I think this option is in the word processing software and not the printer drivers. Either way I appreciate having it and I wish it was the default.

Printing DVDs is a lot of fun. I have bought printers in the past just because they could print on CDs and DVDs. The Artisan 810 makes the process really easy because it is all built-in. The quality is also superb, as you can see from the images, it is very easy to see even the smallest detail.

Printed CD

Next, I wanted to test the printing of text. This is where most inkjet printers have the hardest time. I compared the Artisan 810 against my HP 5L laserjet printer. The first image is the 5L and the second one is the Artisan. As you can see the 5L does a better job with text, but the Artisan 810 is not far off. I think you will find that no matter what inkjet you buy, a laserjet is always going to do better with text, that is why I have one of each.

HP5L	Artisan 810 Text

In addition to just printing text I also tried out the Duplexer. I am happy to report that double sided printing completed without a problem. The only thing I would mention is that the printer pauses for about 5 seconds after it prints the first side. This may make you think it is done, but do not remove the paper otherwise the second side will not print. The printer will pull the paper back in and flip it over so it can print on the other side.

To test scanning I have some professional color charts that I like to scan. This gives me a good idea of how well the scanner performs. As you can see it did a decent job, the colors are not perfect, but they are really good.

Charts

Last, but not least, is faxing. To test this I sent a 7 page document to myself. I was very happy to see that the fax did not actually dial until all the pages had been scanned into memory. The scanning was quick, taking about 5 seconds per page. Once they were all scanned the fax dialed the number and sent them to the destination. I was sending black and white pages so it was fairly quick. The whole process took about 5 minutes. I don’t have a second color fax, but I imagine that it would take quite a bit longer, because it takes longer to scan color and color documents would also have more data to send to the destination.

All during these tests the printer was really quiet. Sometimes I had to watch the printer just to make sure it was printing. The scanner is also really quiet and fast, so if you are not paying attention you will miss it.

The Artisan 800 and the 810 both use the same ink. So if you upgrade you can keep your old ink and use it with the new printer. The ink is not super expensive, costing about $9 per cartridge if you buy all the colors together, and $18 per cartridge for the high capacity black.

Warranty and Support

The warranty for the Artisan 810 is simply a two year warranty that covers parts and labor for manufacturer defects. In my opinion this is a mediocre warranty. I would like to see longer warranties for all products, but since I am not in charge I don’t get to make that decision.

My experience with support has been positive. I accidentally broke the lock release for the screen on my Artisan 800 (I pushed it down instead of using the release button) and Epson was very easy to deal with. They sent a new 800 and even paid for return shipping for the old one. No I did not tell them I was writing a review. I spoke to them like a normal customer.

Conclusion

I am really impressed with the speed, quality, and how quiet the Artisan 810 is. I don’t think I found a single problem with this printer other than the text quality, but that is a tough area for all inkjets. The MSRP of $299.99 is not too expensive, but it very easy to find it for a bit cheaper. It is especially nice that the printer comes with a full set of standard color ink cartridges and two high capacity black cartridges, this is about $90 (MSRP) worth of ink. If you are looking for a multifunction printer that can scan, copy, print, and fax then I can highly recommend this printer. If you don’t need faxing or a document feeder you may want to check out the Artisan 710. This printer has clearly taken the top position away from the Artisan 800 and I am giving this printer my Editors Choice award. This is a must have printer and the best printer of the year.

Epson Expands its Award-Winning Compact Photo Printer Line with PictureMate Charm

Ryan McLaughlin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:49:44 +0000

LONG BEACH, Calif., Oct. 13, 2009 – The ultimate companion in photo printing has arrived with the release of the affordable, portable Epson PictureMate® Charm. Offering the same impressive features and results as previous models in the renowned PictureMate line, including superior photo quality, economical print costs, long-lasting prints, and powerful image enhancement tools, PictureMate Charm is the ideal solution for printing and sharing cherished memories at home or on the go.

“Photo labs can be inconvenient and don’t always produce great results because they often sacrifice image quality in order to cut costs,” said Stacey Tieu, associate product manager, Consumer Ink Jets, Epson America Inc. “Epson’s PictureMate Charm is the best alternative because it delivers the features that are important to consumers – uncompromised quality and ultimate convenience – allowing them to print superior 4″x6″ photos with true-to-life skin tones, amazing detail and sharpness in as fast as 37 seconds1 whenever and where ever they want.”

Whether at home, at a party or traveling on vacation, PictureMate Charm consistently delivers durable, better-than-lab-quality prints that are smudge, scratch and water resistant. The beautiful, true-to-life prints last up to four times longer than traditional, film-processed photos, resisting fading up to 96 years under glass and over 200 years in dark album storage2.

In addition, PictureMate Charm offers easy, one-touch printing with or without a computer. It features a 2.5” LCD screen to view, crop and print photos, as well as remove red eye and select popular photo layouts and color tones such as black and white, sepia or color. PictureMate Charm also prints from all popular memory cards with built-in card slots3, and prints wirelessly from PDAs and digital camera cell phones with an optional Bluetooth® adapter4.

PictureMate Charm delivers affordable prints on glossy and matte paper with Epson’s PictureMate Print Packs, which include ink and either 150 sheets of 4″x6″ glossy paper or 100 sheets of 4″x6″ matte paper. In addition, an optional, rechargeable battery is available for maximum portability to print photos outdoors or on the road.

With its extreme versatility, PictureMate Charm is also a smart tool for many professional industries, including wedding photographers and medical or dental offices. Its high-quality photo output, long-lasting, durable ink, and ultimate portability allow photographers to instantly provide images to clients at events, while medical professionals can conveniently track a patient’s recovery through before-and-after photos without having to wait for them to be processed at a lab.

Epson PictureMate Charm

Pricing and Availability

PictureMate Charm ($149.99*) will be available on Oct. 20 through a variety of online retail stores and Epson’s retail site, www.epsonstore.com. For more information, please see the PictureMate Charm fact sheet or visit www.Epson.com.

About Epson America Inc.

Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Seiko Epson Corporation and a leading provider of digital imaging products that exceed the vision of its customers. The company’s extensive range of printers, scanners and 3 LCD projectors are renowned for their superior quality, functionality, compactness, and energy efficiency. The Seiko Epson organization is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and for the second year in a row, been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, an indicator for leading companies in economic, environmental and social criteria.

# # #

Specifications are subject to change without notice. Epson and PictureMate are registered trademarks, Epson Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark, and Exceed Your Vision is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks.

1Color photo without a PC in borderless layout measured from start of paper feed. Actual print time will vary based on system configuration, software, and page complexity. See www.epson.com/printspeed for details.

2Based on accelerated testing of prints displayed under glass in indoor display conditions. Actual print stability will vary according to media, printed image, display conditions, light intensity, temperature, humidity and atmospheric conditions. Epson does not guarantee the longevity of prints. For maximum print life, display all prints under glass or UV filter or properly store them.

3Prints from CompactFlash® (Type I/II), Secure Digital (SD™), SDHC™ MMC, xD-Picture Card™ (Type M/H), Microdrive® and Memory Stick®.

4Bluetooth adapter sold separately; please visit www.MyPictureMate.com for ordering information.

* Estimated street price

Epson Inspires Creativity with New Artisan All-in-Ones

Ryan McLaughlin — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:12:39 +0000

Sleek Artisan 710 and 810 Complement Today’s Busy Lifestyles with Number-One Photo Quality1 and Innovative Features for One-of-a-Kind Projects and Everyday Printing Needs

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Aug. 19, 2009 – Epson America continues to drive printing innovation with its new line of Artisan® all-in-ones – the Artisan 710 and Artisan 810 – designed for everything from creative projects to afterhours work from home. Delivering photos that are preferred by consumers 3-to-1 over the competition1, built-in Wi-Fi® and Ethernet networking, automatic two-sided printing, blazing fast performance, and a host of unique features, the sleek models are a perfect match for any room in today’s households.

“These new all-in-ones offer the premium performance that the Epson Artisan family has become known for, plus a host of new capabilities designed specifically for today’s busy home,” said Steve Semos, product manager, Consumer Ink Jets, Epson America Inc. “With features such as printing wirelessly from an Apple® iPhone, charging a cell phone or MP3 player from the front USB port2, and saving 50 percent more paper with automatic two-sided printing, the Artisan 710 and 810 offer the entire family all the features expected from an all-in-one. Moreover, the Artisan 810 offers built-in color fax with an Auto Document Feeder and a smart 7.8-inch touch screen for added convenience and productivity.”

Artisan Innovation

The Artisan 710 and 810 provide a range of unique features for everyday printing needs. Using the convenient front panel features, consumers can easily preview, select, enhance, and print photos without a computer. The flagship Artisan 810 boasts a 7.8-inch smart touch panel and 3.5-inch color LCD that lights up only the buttons needed, while the Artisan 710 has an easy-to-use control panel with 2.5-inch LCD.

For one-of-a-kind projects and creative needs, the Artisan 710 and 810 can turn photos or drawings into personalized coloring book pages or note paper, or print college-ruled, wide-ruled and graph school paper. They also allow consumers to create and print custom designs directly onto ink jet printable CDs and DVDs. In addition, Epson’s six-color Ultra Hi-Definition Claria® ink and exclusive MicroPiezo® print head with DX5™ technology, deliver vivid, true-to-life photos with smudge, scratch and water resistance3, as well as fade resistance up to four times longer than photo lab prints.4

Artisan Performance

The Artisan 710 and 810 offer full-featured scanning and copying and distinctive standalone photo capabilities to print photos with or without a computer, supporting all popular memory card types and USB Flash drives.5 Both models offer built-in Automatic Photo Correction that can be previewed before printing, as well as automatic red eye removal and the ability to restore color to old, faded photos. In addition, using the front USB port, Artisan users can charge cell phones, GPS devices or MP3 players. The Artisan 710 and 810 also print photos and documents wirelessly from an Apple iPhone.

Both Artisan models blaze through printing tasks faster than competitors, printing a lab-quality 4”x6” photo in as fast as 10 seconds.6 They also deliver maximum print and copy speeds of up to 38 pages per minute (ppm) in black and color, and laser-quality speeds of up to 9.5 ppm black and 9.1 ppm color.6

For more information on additional features, please see the Artisan 710 and Artisan 810 fact sheets or visit www.Epson.com.

Better Products for a Better Future™

Epson knows that planning for the future requires a strong commitment to the environment and strives to create innovative products that are reliable, recyclable and energy efficient. The Artisan 710 and 810 are designed to be recycled7, ENERGY STAR® qualified and RoHS compliant. In addition to supporting printing on recycled paper, the estimated power consumption of the Artisan all-in-ones for one year is less than two dollars.8 And, automatic, two-sided printing enables consumers to save up to 50 percent on paper, while printing multiple photos on a single sheet and PC-Fax capabilities9 help reduce paper use. For more information on Epson’s environmental programs, go to www.Epson.com/environment.

Pricing and Availability

The Artisan 710 ($179.99*) and Artisan 810 ($299.99*) are currently available through major computer, office and electronic superstores, a variety of retail stores nationwide, mail order, PC manufacturers, the Internet, and Epson’s retail site, www.epsonstore.com. Both all-in-ones come with Epson’s PreferredSM program, a special two-year limited warranty with exclusive assistance benefits, and registered Artisan owners also receive free, lifetime phone support.10

Artisan 810

Artisan 710

About Epson America Inc.

Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation (SEC) and is a leading provider of digital imaging products that exceed the vision of its customers. The company’s extensive range of printers, 3LCD projectors and small- and medium-sized LCDs are renowned for their superior quality, functionality, compactness, and energy efficiency. The Seiko-Epson organization is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and was recently added to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, an indicator for selective leading companies who meet a rigorous standard of economic, environmental and social criteria.

# # #

Specifications are subject to change without notice. Epson and Claria are registered trademarks, Epson Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark, and Better Products for a Better Future is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. Artisan is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks.

1Compared to photo All-In-Ones priced $300 or less as of 11/1/08 in testing by Newman-Stein Inc.

2User supplied cable required to fully or partially charge USB devices that comply with USB 2.0 standards, rated 500mA or less.

3Water resistance on Epson Glossy Papers.

4Based on accelerated testing of prints displayed under glass in indoor display or in album conditions. Actual print stability will vary according to media, printed image, display conditions, light intensity, temperature, humidity and atmospheric conditions. Epson does not guarantee the longevity of prints. For maximum print life, display all prints under glass or UV filter or properly store them.

5Some functions may not be supported by Mac®, like accessing memory cards when the all-in-one is networked.

6Maximum pages (PPM) are measured after first page with text patterns in Draft mode on plain paper. Laser quality black and color print speeds are determined in default, single-side mode in accordance with ISO/IEC 24734. Actual print times will vary based on system configuration, software, and page complexity. See www.epson.com/printspeed for details, including complete ISO reports. Color photo in Draft Mode on Premium Photo Paper Glossy measured from start of paper feed. Actual print time will vary based on system configuration, software, and page complexity. Laser quality color speed for the Artisan 710 is 9.0 PPM

7See Epson’s Web site for convenient and reasonable recycling options at www.epson.com/recycle.

8Calculated printing/copying five sheets of letter-size color documents per day, one day defined as eight hours with the power on and 16 hours with the power off. Power consumption will vary according to the customer’s printer usage. Based on a 2008 national average electricity cost of 11.47 cents per kWh.

9For sending faxes, on Windows® only; available on the Artisan 810 only.

10One-year limited warranty to all purchasers; toll-free support and second-year warranty require registration within 60 days of purchase. With registration, Epson provides phone support without charge for the life of the product. Telephone toll charges may apply. Offer valid only in the United States.

* Estimated street price

Epson Announces a New Addition to Its Award-Winning Artisan Line

Ryan McLaughlin — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:56:14 +0000

Epson Artisan 50 Single Function Printer Combines Imagination with Innovation

LONG BEACH, Calif. – May 20, 2009 – Epson America Inc. today introduced the Artisan® 50, an affordable high-performance single function ink jet printer that’s ideal for printing digital photos and everyday projects. Priced at $99.99 (estimated street price), this compact and stylish printer enables users to create Ultra Hi-Definition photos with amazing richness, depth and clarity. The Epson Artisan 50 also lets users print their own images and text onto ink jet printable CDs and DVDs. It can also print documents, e-mails and itineraries quickly and easily at print speeds up to 38 ppm color, and laser-quality speeds of 5 ppm black and 4.8 ppm color1.

“This Artisan 50 is an extremely easy-to-use, yet powerful single-function printer with a unique set of features designed to ignite your creative inspirations,” said Steve Semos, product manager, consumer ink jets, Epson America Inc. “In today’s world of single-function printers, this product is arguably the best value out there.”

Key Features and Benefits:

Professional looking CDs/DVDs – print right onto ink jet printable CDs/DVDs (software included)
Perfect photos made easy – includes Auto Photo Correction and red-eye removal
Ideal for printing everything from creative projects to everyday documents and e-mail
Save paper with two-sided printing2
Superior image quality without compromising speed with advanced MicroPiezo® ink jet technology, exclusively from Epson
Better than lab quality photos – photos are smudge, scratch, water3 and fade4 resistant
Fast print speeds1 – maximum print speeds up to 38 ppm color, photos as fast as 11 seconds, laser-quality print speeds of 5 ppm black and 4.8 ppm color
Individual ink cartridges – replace only the color you need

The Epson Artisan 50 will be available in June through major computer, office and electronic superstores, a variety of retail stores nationwide, mail order, PC manufacturers, the Internet, and Epson’s own retail site,
www.epsonstore.com.

Epson_Artisan_50_Front.jpg

Epson_Artisan_50_Right_Profile.jpg

Better Products for a Better Future™
The Epson Artisan 50 delivers the following eco-friendly benefits:

Save up to 50 percent of your paper supply with manual, two-sided printing2
Designed to be recycled5
ENERGY STAR® qualified
RoHS compliant

Epson knows that planning for the future requires a strong commitment to the environment. That is why the company strives to create innovative products that are reliable, recyclable and energy efficient. Better products that use fewer resources help ensure a better future for us all. For more information on Epson’s environmental programs, go to: www.Epson.com/environment.

About Epson America Inc.
Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation (SEC) and is a leading provider of digital imaging products that exceed the vision of its customers. The company’s extensive range of printers, 3LCD projectors and small- and medium-sized LCDs are renowned for their superior quality, functionality, compactness, and energy efficiency. The Seiko-Epson organization is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and was recently added to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, an indicator for selective leading companies who meet a rigorous standard of economic, environmental and social criteria.

# # #

Specifications are subject to change without notice. Epson, MicroPiezo and Claria are registered trademarks, Epson Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark, and Better Products for a Better Future is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. Artisan are registered trademarks of Epson America Inc. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks.

1Maximum pages (PPM) are measured after first page with text patterns in Draft mode on plain paper. Laser quality black and color print speeds are determined in default, single-side mode in accordance with ISO/IEC 24734. Actual print times will vary based on system configuration, software, and page complexity. See www.epson.com/printspeedfor details, including complete ISO reports.

2Some applications and/or functions, like two-sided printing, may not be supported by Macintosh.
3Water resistant only on glossy photo papers
4Ink fade resistance ratings based on accelerated testing of unframed color prints on plain paper in indoor display conditions; claim that documents resist fading up to four times longer is based on accelerated testing of unframed color prints on plain paper in indoor display conditions. Actual print stability will vary according to light intensity, temperature, humidity, and other factors. Epson does not guarantee the longevity of prints. See www.wilhelm-research.com.
5See the Epson Web site for convenient and reasonable recycling options at www.epson.com/recycle.

Epson Unveils Four New and Affordable All-in-Ones

Ryan McLaughlin — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:02:10 +0000

EPSON UNVEILS FOUR NEW AND AFFORDABLE ALL-IN-ONES

DESIGNED TO GIVE YOU MORE FOR YOUR MONEY

LONG BEACH, Calif. – May 19, 2009 – Epson America Inc. today introduced four ink jet printers to its Stylus NX series that are designed to deliver rich feature sets at an affordable price, including the entry-level Epson Stylus NX115 ($69.99*), Epson Stylus NX215 ($89.99*), Epson Stylus NX415 ($99.99*), and the flagship of the series, the Epson Stylus NX515 (149.99*).

“Each product in the Epson Stylus NX family gives you more for your money by delivering a better combination of features and print quality than competitive products at the same price point,” said Kristi Lanzit, product manager, consumer ink jets, Epson America Inc. “Products range from the entry-level Epson Stylus NX115 all-in-one to the extremely fast flagship Epson Stylus NX515, which is up to two times faster than any comparable printer in its price range1, with built-in Wi-Fi® and Ethernet.”

The Epson Stylus NX all-in-ones are designed to meet a wide range of printing, copying and scanning needs. The Epson Stylus NX215 is the industry’s first all-in-one at its price point with memory card slots and a 1.5-inch color LCD screen for standalone photo printing. The Epson Stylus NX415 boasts a 2.5-inch color LCD, the largest at its price point, as well as card slots and PictBridge® support, rendering it the perfect solution for printing both high-quality documents and stunning photos. The Epson Stylus NX515 is the fastest printer in its class1 and offers Wi-Fi printing with a simple four-step setup process so users can print wirelessly, making it a great solution for multiple users within a household.

All four Epson Stylus NX models are simple to setup and use, and offer smart features. They also produce output that is smudge-, fade- and water-resistant with Epson’s exclusive DURABrite® Ultra all-pigment inks for printing recipes that won’t run when spilled on, invitations that will maintain their outstanding print quality through the mail, and long-lasting, durable photos. In addition, the series utilizes Epson’s award-winning MicroPiezo® print technology and is ideal for consumers looking to get more in a home printer at an affordable price.

Additional Features and Benefits of the Epson Stylus NX Series:

BorderFree® photo printing
Two-sided printing to save paper2
Quick, high-quality scanning up to 2400 dpi
Image enhancement tools such as photo restoration
Automatic photo correction to quickly fix digital images
One-touch red eye removal
Photos and documents with instant-drying ink
Standard and high capacity black cartridges available to match print volume needs

In 2009, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) – the world’s largest developer and publisher of international standards – introduced an official standard used to measure print speeds on ink jet printers. The flagship Epson Stylus NX515 offers a black ISO speed of 15 PPM and color ISO speed of 9.3 PPM. More information about ISO is available at www.iso.org, and details regarding Epson print speed measurements, including complete ISO reports, are available at www.epson.com/printspeed.

The Epson Stylus NX515 is currently available for “pre-order” for a limited time through Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Fry’s Electronics and Epson’s retail site. All of the Epson Stylus NX series printers will be available in June through major retailers.

Better Products for a Better Future™

The products in the Epson Stylus NX series deliver the following eco-friendly features:

Save up to 50 percent of paper supply with manual, two-sided printing2
Designed to be recycled3
ENERGY STAR® qualified
RoHS Compliant

For more information, please see the individual fact sheets for the Epson Stylus NX115, Epson Stylus NX215, Epson Stylus NX415, and Epson Stylus NX515.
NX115

Epson_Stylus_NX115_Front.jpg

Epson_Stylus_NX115_Right_Profile.jpg

NX215

Epson_Stylus_NX215_Front.jpg

Epson_Stylus_NX215_Right_Profile.jpg

NX415

Epson_Stylus_NX415_Front.jpg

Epson_Stylus_NX415_Right_Profile.jpg

NX515

Epson_Stylus_NX515_Front.jpg

Epson_Stylus_NX515_Right_Profile.jpg

About Epson America Inc.

# # #

Specifications are subject to change without notice. Epson, Epson Stylus and MicroPiezo are registered trademarks, Epson Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark, and Exceed Your Vision and Better Products for a Better Future are trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. DURABrite and BorderFree are registered trademarks of Epson America, Inc. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks.

1Printing black text in default mode compared to ink jet all-in-ones priced at $149 or less as of January 2009

2Some applications and/or functions, like two-sided printing, may not be supported by Mac®

3See our website for convenient and reasonable recycling options at www.epson.com/recycle

*Estimated street prices

Review: Epson Artisan 800 All-In-One Photo Printer

Ryan McLaughlin — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:38:14 +0000

It seems no matter how many printers I test, they always seem to get better. Each year more features are added and each year the print quality gets better. This year Epson has come out with a couple of new, top of the line, Artisan all-in-one printers. Today I am looking at the Artisan 800 — a multifunction printer that can print photos, CDs and DVDs, scan, copy, and fax.

Features

5 in 1 with Wi-Fi: Print / Copy / Scan / Fax / Ultra HD Photo
Up to 38 ppm, photos in as fast as 10 sec¹
Built-in fax and Automatic Document Feeder
Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking
7.8-inch touch panel, 3.5-inch LCD
Professional quality CD/DVD printing
Two-sided printing saves paper
Create coloring books and personal note paper
Two-year limited warranty with registration¹
Ultra Hi-Definition photos last 4x longer than photo lab prints
Two paper trays always ready to print photos and documents

When it comes to printing options, the Artisan 800 has a pluthera. This printer can print on just about any type of surface meant for printing, from photo paper, to printable DVDs. With the optional duplexer, two-sided printing is a snap. Even without the duplexer you can still print on two sides, it just takes a little more effort.

This printer also uses Claria Hi-Definition Ink which is currently one of the best and longest lasting inks you can get. Because of this, the photos that this printer prints will last 4x longer than photos that are printed in a photo lab.

The Artisan 800 has at least five ways to connect it to a computer. First, you can connect it directly to the computer with a USB cable, this is good if you only have one computer. If you have more than one computer and a network, then you can use the second way which is WiFi, or if you have a wired network then you can use the third way which is an Ethernet cable. The fourth way is using the built-in Bluetooth adapter, so if you have a phone or camera with Bluetooth then you can print directly from those devices. Finally, the last way is to plug in a memory card or USB stick into one of the memory slots or the PictBridge port.

Not only can you print directly from a memory card or a USB stick, but the printer can enhance and fix those photos if they have problems like red eye or are too light or dark.

Printing photos and text is not the only thing this printer can print. The Artisan 800 is also able to print lined, grid, and coloring pages. All of these things worked out really great. I would only make one comment. The coloring pages can only be printed from a scanned source and not from a picture on a PC, memory card, or USB stick.

Lined Paper

Grid Paper

Coloring page

Design

The printer is very compact. On top is an Automatic Document Feeder and the scanner. The ADF can hold up to 30 pages and the maximum size that can be scanned is an A4 document.

Document Feeder

Top

The controls for the Artisan 800 are very unique. On the front is a very large 7.8″ touch panel with a 3.5″ LCD right in the middle. This is a very high resolution screen, and is great for not only displaying the menus and options, but also for showing photos that will be printed. If you are printing from a memory card or USB stick then you can use the screen to preview the images and see what they will look like before they are printed. The screen is not large enough to see a lot of details, but you will get a good idea about the results.

Main Screen

To the left of the screen are six touch panel buttons. Those buttons are Display/Crop, Menu, Home, Left arrow, Auto, and Back. The Display/Crop button is for printing buttons from a flash card. With this button you can choose how to display the pictures (full, thumbnails, or full with details) and you can also crop the images for printing on photo paper. The menu button will display the menu for whatever screen you are currently viewing. The Home button will always take you back to the main screen. The left arrow is used to scroll through each menu’s screen. The Auto button turns on and off Fax auto answer. The back button takes you back one screen.

Left Menu

To the right are another 7 buttons. The buttons are plus and minus, Clear Settings, right arrow, Start, OK, and View Auto Correct. The plus and minus buttons are increasing and decreasing the number of copies of each picture you print. Clear settings is self explanatory. The right arrow is just like the left arrow in that it moves through screens. The Start button will start a copy, or fax. The OK button accepts any setting changes. View Auto Correct turns on the auto correction and displays it on the screen.

Right Menu

The whole control console lifts up freely. This serves two purposes that I have found so far. The first is to give you a better viewing angle, and the second is to open up a space so you can get to the CD/DVD tray. As you lift the controls up they will lock into place. To get the console to go back down you need to press the unlock button, which is at the top left of the controls, above the power button. Pressing the Unlock button will lower the display automatically, do not press it down or it will damage the controls.

Below the control console is the CD tray, paper output, and input trays. The first one closest to the top is the CD tray. Pressing the CD tray button causes this tray to come out, but before you can put a CD on it you must lift the controls up. This opens up a space so you can reach in and place the CD on the tray.

CD Tray

Below that is the paper output tray. It pulls out and can support anything from 4″x6″ all the way up to 8.5″ x 14″.

Paper output tray

Paper Tray

Paper tray

Paper in tray

The back of the printer has a spot for power, USB, Ethernet, and phone cables.

Connectors

If you open up the top and take a look inside there are really only two spots of interest and one is the ink cartridge holders. Almost all of the previous printers that I have reviewed have had the ink located right on top of the print head, but not with this printer. On this printer they are located off to the side. The small green tab that you see is a kind of lock. It is used to lock the print head into place while being transported. It must be moved before you can print. The Printer has a special place for it just above so it does not get lost.

Ink slots	Print head locked	Print head unlocked
Inside	Cartridge holders	Cartridges installed

Performance

Testing the printer is the fun part. It is where I get to print off tons of different things and see how well it does. The printer comes with a full set of standard ink cartridges and I planned on using it all. The first thing I always like doing is printing out lots of pictures. Printing with the 800 is extremely quick, the Artisan 800 can print up to 38 pages per minute and a single photo can be printed in as little as 10 seconds.

The photos that printed are fantastic. As you can see from the images below. I printed off several photos from different printers to compared the quality of each. I printed photos from the Artisan 800 and the R280, both printers from Epson. The first picture is the original from my camera, the second one is from the R280 and the third one is from the Artisan 800. As you can clearly see for yourself they are very similar, but in my opinion the Artisan 800 does a slightly better job.

Original Men

Artisan 800 Men

Epson R280 Men

One of the features of the Artisan is that it will auto correct photos that are printed from a memory card or USB stick. It can also automatically remove red eye. The first image is the original from my camera, the second one is an auto corrected photo and the third has red eye turned on. As you can see the auto correction works ok, it made some changes, but I am not sure they were necessary. The red eye reduction, also worked reasonably well, except that it was a little aggressive when identifying eyes. As you can see it thought part of the girls mouth was a red eye and it turned it black.

Artisan 800 family

Artisan 800 red eye reduction

Printing documents is also very fast. I was able to print 7 full color pages in 55 seconds. The only complaint I have is that the pages printed in order, which means the first page was at the bottom of the stack and I had to reorder the pages by hand.

Printing DVD is a lot of fun. I bought my last printer, the R280, just because it could print on CDs and DVDs. The Artisan 800 makes the process even better because it is all built-in. The quality is also superb, As you can see from the image it is very easy to see even the smallest detail.

CD on Tray

CD printed

Next, I wanted to test the printing of text. This is where most inkjet printers have the hardest time. I compared the Artisan 800 against my HP 5L laserjet printer. The first image is the 5L and the second one is the Artisan. As you can see the 5L does a much better job with text. I think you will find that no matter what inkjet you buy, a laserjet is always going to do better with text, that is why I have one of each.

Artisan 800 text

HP 5L text

Chart Scans

Last, but not least, is faxing. To test this I sent a 7 page document to myself. I was very happy to see that the fax did not actually dial until all the pages had been scanned into memory. The scanning was quick, taking about 5 seconds per page. Once they were all scanned the fax dialed the number and sent them to the destination. I was sending black and white pages so it was fairly quick. The whole process took about 5 minutes. I don’t have a second color fax, but I imagine that it would take quite a bit longer, because it takes longer to scan color and color document would also have more data to send to the destination.

One additional plus is that the ink is a bit cheaper than with my current R280. For my R280 it costs about $20 for each high capacity cartridge and for the Artisan 800 it is about $16. However, I could not find any information about capacity so I don’t know if I am also getting less ink.

Warranty and Support

The warranty for the Artisan 800 is simply a two year warranty that covers parts and labor for manufacturer defects. In my opinion this is a mediocre warranty. I would like to see longer warranties for all products, but since I am not in charge I don’t get to make that decision.

Conclusion

I am really impressed with the speed, quality, and how quiet the Artisan 800 is. I don’t think I found a single problem with this printer other than the text quality, but that is a tough area for all inkjets. The MSRP of $419.99 is quite expensive, but it very easy to find it for a lot cheaper. It is especially nice that the printer comes with a full set of standard color ink cartridges and two high capacity black cartridges, this is about $90 worth of ink. If you are looking for a multifunction printer that can scan, copy, print, and fax then I can highly recommend this printer. If you don’t need a faxing or a document feeder you may want to check out the Artisan 700. I am giving this printer my Editors Choice award because of how great it is. I am impressed with it and you will be too. As always compare prices before purchasing.

Review: Epson Artisan 700 printer

Ryan McLaughlin — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 05:24:49 +0000

It seems no matter how many printers I test, they always seem to get better. Each year more features are added and each year the print quality gets better. This year Epson has come out with a couple of new, top of the line, Artisan all-in-one printers. Today I am looking at the Artisan 700 — a multifunction printer that can print photos, CDs and DVDs, scan and copy.

Features

4 in 1 with WiFi: Print / Copy / Scan / Ultra Hi-Def Photo
Auto Photo Correction; preview on LCD
Professional quality CD/DVD printing
Two-sided printing saves paper
Ultra Hi-Definition photos last 4x longer than photo lab prints
Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking
Two paper trays always ready to print photos and documents
Print personal note paper & greeting cards

What would a printer be without the ability to print? Well this printer can print on just about any type of surface meant for printing, from photo paper, to printable DVDs. With the optional duplexer two-sided printing is a snap.

This printer also uses Claria Hi-Definition Ink which is currently one of the best and longest lasting inks you can buy. Because of this the photos that this printer prints will last 4x longer than photos that are printed in a photo lab.

Being able to print doesn’t do you a lot of good unless you can connect to the computer that has your documents and photos. Have no fear, there are at least 5 ways to get your photos and documents to the printer. First, you can connect it directly to the computer with a USB cable, this is good if you only have one computer. If you have more than one computer and a network, then you can connect to the network with either an Ethernet cable or via WiFi. The printer also supports a Bluetooth adapter, so if you have a phone or camera with Bluetooth then you can print directly from those devices. Finally, the last way is to plug in a memory card or USB stick into one of the many memory slots.

Not only can you print directly from a memory card or a USB stick, but the printer can enhance and fix those photos if they have problems like red eye or are too light or dark.

Design

The printer is very compact. On top is simply the scanner, the maximum size that can be scanned is an A4 document.

Scanner

In front are the main controls for controlling the printer. In the center of the controls is a 2.5” color LCD screen. This is a very high resolution screen, and is great for not only displaying the menus and options, but also for showing photos that will be printed. If you are printing from a memory card or USB stick then you can use the screen to preview the images and see what they will look like before they are printed. However, the screen is small enough that you will have a hard time seeing any details.

Control Panel

Copy

Print Preview

To the left of the screen are 5 buttons. The top left button is the power button and obviously used for turning on and off the printer. Below that is the CD tray button, and it is used for ejecting the CD tray so a CD can be placed on it. The top right button has two purposes, and both of them are for use when displaying photos from a memory card. One of the functions is for setting the crop on a picture. You can use this to select the part of the picture that you want to print. The second function is to change how the photos are displayed. By default the photos are shown one at a time, but if you press this button twice it will change to a thumbnail view so you can see many of them at the same time.

Crop

Thumbnail

Below that button is another, and this one is used for setting auto correct on and off. This will instruct the printer to choose the best settings for your photo and use them when the photo is printed. If however, it does not choose the best settings, you can always override them by choosing your own settings. These settings can be found by pressing the menu button and scrolling over to the photo settings.

Auto Correct Off

Auto Correct On

In the middle of these four buttons is another larger button. This button when pressed will move through the 4 main options that this printer has, photo, copy, scan and setup. As you press the button each item is highlighted by a small graphic on each corner of the button. At first glance it looks like you should be able to press each of the corners and go directly to each item, but that is not the case, pressing the button just moves to the next item in order.

Photos	Copy	Scan
Setup

On the right side of the screen is another bunch of buttons. The first set of buttons are for accessing and navigating the menus, except for the two in the top corners. Those two are for increasing and decreasing the number of copies made when you use the copy functionality. The next button is a large one and it is simply labeled start, and is for starting the copy process. The last button is a stop and reset button.

The whole control console lifts up. This serves two purposes that I have found so far. The first is to give you a better viewing angle, and the second is to open up a space so you can get to the CD/DVD tray. As you lift the controls up they will lock into place. To get them to go back down you need to press a button which is at the top right of the controls.

Below the buttons is the CD tray, paper output, and input trays. The first one and closest to the top is the CD tray. Pressing the CD tray button causes this tray to come out, but before you can put a CD on it you must lift the controls up. This opens up a space so you can reach in and place the CD on the tray.

DVD tray

Below that is the paper output tray. It pulls out so that it can support anything from 4″x6″ all the way up to 8.5″ x 14″.

Output tray

At the very bottom is the paper input tray. Actually it is two paper trays built into one. There is an upper and lower section, the upper section is for large paper, up to 8.5″x14″ and the lower section is for smaller photo paper, up to 5″x7″.

Paper Tray

The back of the printer has a spot for a power, USB, and Ethernet cables.

Network and Phone plugs

Power plug

If you open up the top and take a look inside there are really only two spots of interest and one is the ink cartridge holders. Almost all of the previous printers that I have reviewed have had the ink located right on top of the print head, but not with this printer. On this printer they are located off to the side. The small green tab that you see is a kind of lock. It is used to lock the print head into place while being transported. It must be moved before you can print. The Printer has a special place for it just above so it does not get lost.

Ink tray

Lid open

Print Head unlocked

Performance

Testing the printer is the fun part. It is where I get to print off tons of different things and see how well it does. Epson sent a full set of standard ink cartridges and I planned on using it all. The first thing I always like doing is printing out lots of pictures. Printing with the 700 is extremely quick, the Artisan 700 can print up to 38 pages per minute and a single photo can be printed in as little as 10 seconds.

The photos that printed are fantastic. As you can see from the images below. I printed off several photos from different printers to compared the quality of each. I printed photos from the Artisan 700 and the R280, both printers from Epson. The first picture is the original from my camera, the second one is from the R280 and the third one is from the Artisan 700. As you can clearly see for yourself they are very similar, but in my opinion the Artisan 700 does a slightly better job.

Kids	R280 kids	Artisan 700 kids
Siblings	R280 siblings	Artisan 700 siblings

One of the features of the Artisan is that it will auto correct photos that are printed from a memory card or USB stick. It can also automatically remove red eye. The first image is the original from my camera, the second one is an auto corrected photo and the third has red eye turned on. As you can see the auto correction works ok, it made some changes, but I am not sure they were necessary. The red eye reduction, also worked reasonably well, except that it was a little aggressive when identifying eyes. As you can see it thought part of the girls mouth was a red eye and it turned it black.

R280 family

Artisan 700 family

Artisan 700 redeye family

Printing DVD is a lot of fun. I bought my last printer, the R280, just because it could print on CDs and DVDs. The Artisan 700 makes the process even better because it is all built-in. The quality is also superb, As you can see from the image it is very easy to see even the smallest detail.

Printed DVD

Next, I wanted to test text. This is where most inkjet printers have the hardest time. I compared the Artisan 700 against my HP 5L laserjet printer. The first image is the 5L and the second one is the Artisan. As you can see the 5L does a much better job with text. I think you will find that no matter what inkjet you buy, a laserjet is always going to do better with text, that is why I have both.

HP 5L text

Artisan 700 text

Last, but not least, is scanning. I have some professional color charts that I like to scan to see how well the scanner performs. As you can see it did a decent job, the colors are not perfect, but they are really good.

Chart Scan

All during these tests the printer was really quiet. Sometimes I had to watch the printer just to make sure it was printing. To emphasize this fact I have recorded a short video of the printer printing a 4″x6″ photo, pay attention to how quiet it is. The scanner is also really quiet and fast, so if you are not paying attention you will miss it.

One additional plus is that the ink is a bit cheaper than with my current R280. For my R280 it costs about $20 for each high capacity cartridge and for the Artisan 700 it is about $16. However, I could not find any information about capacity so I don’t know if I am also getting less ink.

Warranty and Support

The warranty for the Artisan 700 is simply a two year warranty that covers parts and labor for manufacturer defects. In my opinion this is a mediocre warranty. I would like to see longer warranties for all products, but since I am not in charge I don’t get to make that decision.

Conclusion

I am really impressed with the speed, quality, and how quiet the Artisan 700 is. I don’t think I found a single problem with this printer other than the text quality, but that is a tough area for all inkjets. The price is also very reasonable. It is especially nice that the printer comes with a full set of standard color ink cartridges and two high capacity black cartridges, this is about $90 worth of ink. If you are looking for a multifunction printer that can scan, copy, and print then I can highly recommend this printer. If you need a little more, like faxing and a document feeder you may want to check out the Artisan 800. I am giving this printer my 5 star gold award because of how great it is. I am impressed with it and you will be too. As always compare prices before purchasing. The Artisan 700 can also be purchased from Newegg or Amazon.

Gold Award

Review: Epson Stylus Photo R280 printer

Ryan McLaughlin — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 05:52:54 +0000

Many of us enjoy printing our own photos at home. It is a hobby that is convenient and not very expensive. The big question is what kind of printer do I need and how much should I spend. Today I will be examining the Epson Stylus Photo R280. This printer claims it can produce Ultra Hi-Definition photos and costs as little as $50.

Features

Text up to 38 ppm and 4″ x 6″ photo in as fast as 11 sec
Print directly onto ink jet printable CDs/DVDs
Six individual ink cartridges
Smudge, scratch, water and fade resistant photos
Claria Hi-Definition Ink for photos that last up to 200 years

Epson has been making printers for a long time and I have owned several. During all that time I have never had anything to complain about except ink prices, but that is a complaint for all printer makers.

The R280 touts a Maximum Resolution of 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi and a print speed of 11 seconds for
4″ x 6″ photos. Text prints are quite a bit faster with speeds of up to 37 ppm for Black text and up to 38 ppm for Color text. Keep in mind these are the speeds that Epson claims the printer is capable of.

The feature I was most interested in when I got this printer is the ability to print directly onto printable CDs/DVDs. I buy all my DVDs from Costco and lately they have been the printable type so I am excited to try this out.

The R280 uses on cartridge for each of its six colors. The colors are Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan and Light Magenta. I personally like having separate cartridges, when you have multiple colors in the same cartridge and one color runs out you have to throw away whats left of the other colors just to replace the one that is empty.

The printer claims it also has the ability to clean up photos as it is printing. The printer will analyze your photos and, if necessary, adjusts the brightness, contrast, and saturation. Auto Photo Correction (called PhotoEnhance) uses a sophisticated face recognition technology to optimize photos that include faces. For this to work, both eyes and the nose must be visible in the subject’s face.

Design

The printer itself is fairly large for a standalone printer. The dimension are 17.7″ x 11.1″ x 7.4″ when
the printer is all closed up, and 17.7″ x 22.5″ x 11.3″ when it is open for printing.

Paper Output

The front of the printer has the paper output tray and 3 buttons which are, power, ink, and paper. Each of these buttons can be used for several purposes. For example, in addition to turning on and off the printer the power buttons also can be used with the paper button to print a test page that checks the print heads.

Paper Input

The back of the printer is where the paper input tray is and also the power and USB plugs. The power plug does not stick straight out. This means you can put it right up against a wall without the power cord bending and getting damaged. There is also an unmarked door on the left of the back. When I open it, all I see is a small tube that has a bit of red on it. I cannot tell if it is an ink tube or what. It doesn’t make a lot of sense for an ink tube to be back here.

Back

Power plug

Strange opening

The R280 even comes with a set of ink cartridges. These aren’t half full cartridges, Epson provides a complete set of standard capacity cartridges. If you were to buy these from the Epson website it would cost you $81.

The one thing that the R280 does not include is a USB cable. You are going to need one to use the printer, so if you don’t already have one you will need to buy one.

Performance

Testing the performance of a printer is a bit subjective. I don’t have any special equipment to analyze the prints or to calculate the speed, so I have to rely on my own eyes to compare prints from different printers. This means my conclusions may not be the same as yours if you were to compare the same prints.

Like all printers that I have tested recently, printing is a snap. The R280 comes with a disk that contains the drivers. All you need to do is install the drivers, ink, plug it in and start printing. Because there are six cartridges you do need to make sure you get them in the correct order. Luckily, they are clearly marked with colors that match the colors on the cartridge. All you need to do is snap them in place and close the lid.

Lid open

Ink cartridge docked

Ink holder

Ink holder open

Install yellow ink

Install all Ink

There are lots of different features and settings that you can change in the printing software. Most of the settings are fairly standard. Things like boardless printing, choosing the quality, paper size, and paper type. Others are not so common, these settings include poster printing, auto correction, watermarking, and reducing or enlarging the prints.

Settings main

Settings paper

Settings borderless

Settings advanced

Settings page layout

Settings maintenance

I printed off a couple of pictures to try out the different features. The first set I printed came out really bad. As you can see from the pictures below the ink did not soak in fast enough so it bubbled and made the picture look bad. The only thing I could think of is that I used some old photo paper that I had from over a year ago. Because of the age of the paper it was probably dried out. I next opened up a new package of photo paper and I am happy to say that it printed fine.

Bad

Good

Once I got the paper situation worked out I started testing the different features. The first feature I wanted to test is the Auto Correction. Auto Correction is suppose to adjust certain aspects of the photo so that it looks better. In my tests I did not see any major improvement with any of the photos I tried.

Even though the Auto Correction did not seem to make a large difference, that does not mean the photos didn’t look great. When I compared the photos with other printers they were by far the best of the bunch. I printed a 4″ x 6″ and it took about 12 seconds. I also printed an 8.5″ x 11″ and it took 4 minutes and 45 seconds.

When I was at CES in January one of the booths was showing off its new $25,000 photo printer. As part of the demonstration they would print a picture that you provided. I took one of my pictures to the booth and had it printed. Then as I was reviewing this printer, I got the crazy idea that I could compare an 8.5″ x 11″ picture from the R280 to the 8″ x 10″ that the professional printer output. I was really expecting that the professional one would look a lot better. So when I compared them I was really surprised when the R280 picture came out looking much better. I included 3 closeups below to show the difference in the quality, the first one is the original, then the professional and finally the R280 picture. As you can see the picture from the professional printer is really grainey and the one from the R280 is a lot more smooth. You will notice some vertical lines in the R280 picture, I think these are from the scanner because when I look at the photo itself I do not see any lines.

Original

R280

Professional

Next I tested the DVD printing. The reason I bought this printer was because it could print on DVDs, so I was very interested in trying this out. Luckily, I was not disappointed. To print on DVDs and CDs you have to install a separate holder. This holder is installed by removing the paper output tray and moving it up a notch. Then you take the CD/DVD holder and place it in the area on the left of the output tray, put the CD or DVD in its spot, and then push the tray in until the arrows line up. I printed on a couple of movies that I had backed up and as you can see from my pictures, they turned out really good. As long as the picture I was printing was detailed, the DVD also turned out detailed. This feature by its self was worth the price of the printer. If you have trouble getting the CDs and DVDs to line up correctly you can run a quick alignment test. This test prints some guides on a disk and then you measure the distance from the inside hole on the disk to each line. After you have those measurements you enter them into the software and it will use those numbers to make sure the printing is aligned.

Paper tray down

Disk printing

Arrows aligned

Calibration

Calibration disk

Printed disk

I did run into one strange behavior. I was getting ready to print on a DVD and the printer was off. So I moved the output tray to the top slot and I put in the DVD tray and lined up the arrows. When I turned on the printer the DVD tray was pushed out and the lights on the printer started blinking. The blinking indicated an internal error. After playing around a bit I found out that when the printer is turned on you can have the tray out or in the bottom slot, but not in the top slot. As soon as I took the tray out of the top slot the printer recovered and started the warm up process. Once the warm up process was done I was able to put the tray back in the top slot and print DVDs. This is really a bummer for me because I bought this mainly for printing on DVDs, and now I cannot leave it in that mode when I turn off the printer because I will have to switch it back when I turn it on.

Warranty and Support

Epson provides a one year warranty for this printer. If you buy the printer directly from Epson you have the option of adding a 2-Year Extended Service Plan for $19.95 or a 2-Year Extended Service Plan for $29.95.

Conclusion

I am very happy with this printer. It is not very expensive, the retail price is $99, but it is very easy to find for less. I bought mine just before Christmas from the Epson website and I got $50 off. In addition, it came with free photo book software and an album to make a photo album. If you look around I am sure you can also find similar deals. I just checked the Epson website, and right now they have $20 off the printer. If you are in the market for a basic photo printer I can highly recommend this one. As always compare prices before purchasing.

JusTech'n » Epson

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