How good is the epson all-in-one print/copy/scan ?

Question

cx7450

Answer 1

As someone who was in the computer hardware business for years (though I rarely sold printers since I couldn't compete with the crazy rebates) I have always recommended Epson. The print quality is excellent, even on plain paper. I have photos I printed on a 640 about ten years ago hanging in my office which still look good, though not as good as the ones from the CX8400 on glossy paper. The warranty is excellent. For a year, Epson will express-ship a replacement and pick up the old one. I had one customer who needed this. He called one afternoon and had the replacement two days later. Another client bought a Canon. It needed two repairs within a few months. Each time it was taken to the repair center, then picked up a few days later. This client runs a specialty printing business and this really hurt. They have since bought an Epson CX5000 and have had no down time since.

All name brand ink is expensive, but you can get cheap new replacement cartridges for Epson (not refills which I never recommend) for under $5 at http://ccs-digital.com/ink.asp  They will work even on the newest Epsons. I have been using these for years and they work great on my CX8400, my uncles CX7450, etc.

Answer 2

Go on the internet and type Epson and your model # in.  I had one but not that model.  Everybody was having problems and it could not be repaired.

Answer 3

I have the CX7400, which is basically the same printer, just different manufacture dates. I love my printer. I print EVERYTHING with my printer. Iron-on T-shirts, bumper stickers, labels, business cards, reports, you imagine it I can print it. The DuraBrite ink used by this printer is pigment ink rather than dye ink, so it is waterproof on plain paper. I can print my reports, go out into the rain and my text is still there, unlike with dye ink, where you end up with a runny mess of colors. It also lasts up to 4 times longer than dye ink. Pigment ink is recommended for printing on media that requires long use, such as T-shirt transfers. Since it is waterproof and last longer than dye ink, it is the perfect choice for this type of project. It also has a electronic thermal pulse printhead, so the ink is placed on your paper in a precisely measured dose. Three ink droplet sizes- 3, 4, 5 picoliters (red blood cell is 3 picoliters) increase speed and graduation of colors. You can print text and photos (via memory card slot) up to 81/2X11. It also copies and scans. The scanning software is great. I have 3 different scan modes available. Auto-Mode is just what it says. Home-Mode allows me to choose text, photos or a combination, increase DPI, restore faded photos, etc. Professional-Mode, is for pros. I do not even get into it. All the RGB, densometer, histogram stuff, confuses me. The 4 individual ink cartridges saves me money, since I am only throwing away the color that I am out of. Love this printer and highly recommend it to everyone.

Things I have learned about Epson:

1. Leave the printer on:

It is recommended that you leave your printer turned on. The printer is Energy Star compliant. Every time you turn your printer off and then back on, it recharges the ink cartridges and actually uses ink. This is true for all printers. If you print often you should not have any problems with your printheads. If you do not print very often, it is recommended that you perform a nozzle check every couple of days to keep the printheads from drying out and becoming clogged. If this does happen, all you need to do is a printhead cleaning. This maintenance operation varies from printer to printer and will be explained in your user’s manual.

2. When you run out of ink, you will have to manually tell the printer that you want to change the ink cartridge:

This is due to a safety feature that is on all Epson printers. It is very easy for children to open the lid of the printer. If your child opens the lid and the printhead carriage begins cycling (moving back and forth), your child’s fingers can easily get hurt. Therefore you need to tell the printer you want to change the cartridge. This information is in your user’s manual as well.

3. If you run out of a color, you cannot use the printer until it is replaced:

The reason for this is yet another safety feature for your printer. There are actually two reasons for this feature. First, if you are allowed to print with an empty ink cartridge, when you finally do replace the ink cartridge, your printhead maybe clogged. This is due to the fact that there is an ink reservoir in the printhead. If there is not any ink to keep the reservoir moist, it will dry out and become clogged. I use this illustration; it is the difference between new glue and dried glue. The glue will flow freely when it is liquid, but when it dries out it is set and hard. Now imagine this example in your printhead. Secondly, some printers allow you to print if a ink cartridge is empty. They do this by combining the remaining colors to produce the desired color. The only problem with this theory is that you will not get accurate, true colors, especially if you are printing photos.