Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)(Update. Sept 30, 2007): Almost 3 years old, it's been a real workhorse printing DVDs, and I still rate it a 5-star printer. It did recently have a clogged nozzle. My fault. I read inkjets work best when exercised regularly -- print at least one page a week -- but the printer sat idle for about a month while I was on an extended roadtrip. Upon my return, black did not print. Status Monitor indicated more than 1/2 tank of black, but the Nozzle Check pattern printed all colors except black. So, for the first time ever, I ran the Head Cleaner. (You don't want to do this unless ABSOLUTELY necessary because it uses up a LOT of ink from all 6 tanks. You cannot select just one color.) Still no black ink flowing.
This site has the best information I was able to find about how to clear a clogged Epson printer nozzle:
http://www.inkjetreview.ca/Articles/clogged_epson_nozzles.htm.
The first suggestion listed -- putting distilled water on the printhead sponges -- is what worked for me.
By the way, except for the tanks that came with R200, I never used Epson ink, and the printer ran just fine. Unfortunately, apparently the newer Epson inkjets use only Epson ink. The difference is that a complete set of generic R200 inks cost about as much as a single tank of Epson ink. So, I sure hope this R200 lives for at least another 3 years.
Here's my original review: Excellent printer. I purchased it only for the CD/DVD printing feature. However, I decided it'll also replace my Epson Stylus Photo 870 which, after 4 years of heavy use, continues to produce excellent results even with off-brand ink. By comparison, the R200 print quality is even better.
Here's some info that might be useful if you're about to buy the R200, or are still shopping:
It takes about 3 minutes to print 100% of the disk surface. Printing less, like one line of text on the top half of the disk, and one line of text on the bottom half - and no background graphic - takes about 1.5 minutes.
If you do a price check on a complete set of Epson brand ink cartridges for this printer, you'll see the cost is more than half the price of the printer. But, each color ink has a separate cartridge - so only the color that runs out has to be replaced, not the whole set.
The R200 does not include a USB cable, so you'll need to either buy a cable or use a spare if you have one.
It's important to read the section in the manual about printing disks before you try to print your first one. The steps are simple, but if you don't select the right settings for Printer Setup, the printhead might miss part of the disk.
I read some reviews here and at other sites which mentioned having problems using this printer with a Mac. So far I've printed on disks using both Epson Print CD and another CD printing app called Discus, and printed to letter-sized paper from programs including Word, Exel, Photoshop, QuarkXPress, TextEdit, Mail, and printed web pages without a single problem.
If you prefer to use Photoshop, Illustrator, or similar programs to create original designs, no problem. Both Epson Print CD and Discus import graphics files.
I've seen some comments on how quiet this printer is. It is very quiet printing, but it does make noticeable noise when it starts the job, especially when pulling in a sheet of paper to print. So, it's not totally quiet.
The R200 is the same as the R300 as far as quality and speed; it just lacks some extra features the R300 has that, in my case, I didn't think were worth the extra cost.
(Update) I'll add that I'm a wedding videographer, and print about 15 - 20 dvds plus dvd case covers, a week. I've lost count of exactly how many I've done with this printer, but I can say after 3 years the disk feeder tray and the whole unit still works perfectly.
(Update) I read one review here about a problem printing shipping labels. After connecting online with their sites, I regularly print both USPS Priority Mail and UPS shipping labels with the R200, and it's quick.
[Update) I have replaced the original ink cartridges several times already, but, because I'm using this printer for all my printing, it's difficult to estimate the average ink cost per disk -- maybe $.30 at most. I can state the R200 is by no means an ink hog. The Epson Photo 870, which this replaced, seemed to use (evaporate?) ink even when idle. Not so with this R200. Considering everything my R200 has printed so far, it was well worth the purchase price. If this machine ever decides to die, I'll definitely replace it with another Epson.
(Update) Well, altho I've had very good luck with this printer, I'm not sure about replacing it with with another Epson, because supposedly the new ones work ONLY with Epson ink. That would increase my printing costs 5-fold. I've read Canon inkjets are better, but none print directly on disks.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Epson Stylus Photo R200 Ink Jet Printer (C11C546011)
With so many exciting features, the Epson Stylus Photo R200 makes it easy to print frame-ready photos, CDs and more. This impressive 6-color printer brings quality and convenience home a at a truly remarkable value. Compatible with both Windows and Macintosh systems, it quickly delivers brilliant scrapbook pages, homework assignments, and more. In fact, it's the ideal solution a whatever the task at hand.Its resolution of up to 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi and ultra fine 3-picoliter ink droplets ensure photo quality color and detail, while its innovative Micro Piezo? ink jet technology offers added precision. With cost-saving individual ink cartridges, it's an easy, economical home printing solution.Epson Software Film Factory, included with the Epson Stylus Photo R200, enables anyone to create eye-catching projects using all their favorite photos. It even prints customized designs directly on ink jet printable CDs and DVDs. And because this printer supports PRINT Image Matching (P.I.M.) and Exif Print technology, this full-featured performer makes it easy to get great prints from P.I.M. or Exif-enabled devices.This powerful ink jet provides an incredible feature set, and creates vivid, long-lasting results. With its fast print speeds, exceptional paper handling capabilities, and convenient connectivity, the Epson Stylus Photo R200 offers a remarkable choice for versatile, high-quality home printing.Superior 6-color Photo Inks and 5760 x 1440 optimized dpiPrints directly on ink jet printable CDs/DVDsConvenient individual ink cartridgesFast text and photo print speedsBorderFree printing in popular frame-ready sizesPremium photo software bundle
Click here for more information about Epson Stylus Photo R200 Ink Jet Printer (C11C546011)
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