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Reviewed by UK Guest, 25th Apr 2006. |
| Review Summary: Epson Stylus Photo R1800, a great printer! |
Overall Score: 4/5
 
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Review: My 5 year old Epson Photo 1200 began ejecting half-completed prints and adding magenta lines to my pictures. I discovered is was a hardware problem and not really fixable (or worth fixing). I needed a replacement printer that I could use for A3/A4 photos and general use and decided on this model after reading positive reviews on other websites, as well as being a fairly loyal Epson user.
At the time of writing I've had it for 3 months. I'm not a heavy user nor a photographical genius, but I've printed A3/A4 photos and regular text documents and personally I'm satisfied with the results. The disc printing capability is a bonus for me and I've used it a few times, but the bundled disc printing software is pretty basic. You get a paper roll adapter, but as I don't use that function I can't rate it. Same goes for the specialty paper adapter. It's nice to have those 2 options though.
One thing you learn when using Epson printers is that for best results, use genuine Epson ink and media. It can't be stressed how important this is. For ink, 3rd party WILL clog the print head nozzles no matter how magicallly superior or identical to the real deal their formula claims to be. Paperwise, for text prints, regular inkjet printer paper is fine (you can get away with photocopier paper). If you want to print anything better than web print or text (matt/gloss photos) use Epson paper. I've used only Epson paper for the better prints and I've had no problems at all. Other brands will absorb the ink funny or not at all (as I found out with my Photo 1200) or leave residue on the print rollers, and you'll be left with a whole load of mess to clean up/sort out. Be prepared to pay for Epson brand supplies (shop around!) or expect less than below average results. In my printing experience, you get what you pay for.
Overall I'm happy with the printer. I give it 4 1/2 but I withhold 1/2 star as Epson didn't supply a USB cable. For the price you're paying you'd expect one but it's a minor quibble, and you can pick one up on Amazon for cheap anyway. This was definitely a great upgrade from the Photo 1200 and combined with the right media, prints the things I need it to without any major hassles. |
Ratings
| Value For Money: |
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4 |
| Review Score: |
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4 |
| Recommended? | |
Yes |
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Computer Hardware