Epson Stylus Photo R200
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"GREAT PRINTER FOR DVD's & CD's" on by agent0
Pros: The best and lowest priced printer for DVD's and CD's
Cons: Slow with Disc labels, Disc Tray has some tricks
Summary: I own 2 of these printers and have made hundreds of DVD and CD labels without a single problem. Those who rate this printer low need to learn how to use it, or take another look at all it offers! DVD's and CD's are printed courtesy of a plastic tray that holds the disc and then feed's itself into the printer. The tray can be a little tricky at times, and can need a gentle push of the hand to get it to feed. If you're having this problem, take a look at the clear plastic tabs on the end of the tray (the end that feeds into the printer). These tabs can become a little bent from use, and once bent, the tray doesn't feed automatically. To remedy this, simply straighten the tabs by hand, and it works like new again! Ink economy isn't bad at all, and well over 100 discs can be printed before you'll need to swap ink carts. On the photo side of things, I get fantastic looking covers for my DVD's, just be sure to select the right paper and quality type. How well does it print photos from your cam? I've no idea, I've not used it for that, but for printing covers and other art, it does the job and does it well. For $99 (or less) you simply can't go wrong. In fact, it's the cheapest and only commercial printer out there that does DVD and CD labels, but if you'd prefer, you can spend hundreds more for a dedicated model that does the same. Me? I'd not switch. At this price, you simply can't go wrong!
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"Great Printer for Under $100" on by jeffweho
Pros: LOVE the CD Printing Capability
Cons: None so far
Summary: I have no complaints about this printer. Color prints are vibrant and crisp. Text is sharp. Unlike my past Epson Photo 820, the Ink Jet Heads NEVER clog. The CD printing capability was a function I didn't really think I needed, but now I can't live without it. It's not too bad on ink usage either, having 5 different cartridges. Now I just need to find a space in my trash can for my Photo 820.
Updated
One more thing I like is it works perfectly with generic Ink Cartiridges, unlike the photo 820. -
"Is the word PHOTO in the printer's name not clear to CNET?" on by CyberGreek
Pros: Prints PHOTO's very well. Prints CD's and DVD's very well. Prints Photographs very well. Prints text very legibly (providing you aren't trying to use a magnifying glass or microscope to read it.)
Cons: Following CNET's logic, it doesn't make very good coffee.
Summary: I bought the Epson R200 primarily to print full-color graphics and photographs, a task it performs very, very well.
Using separate software, it also prints photo "contact sheets" as a label directly onto the discs, obviating any further need of older peel-and-stick paper labels, a dated technology.
The contact sheet image of each photo is typically less than 1/4-inch on a side, yet they are ALL perfectly viewable and, at a glance, tell me what images (or data) are stored on the disc.
I have also printed pages upon pages of text, with no problem either reading it myself or having recipients read it.
I'm not quite sure exactly what the reviewer at CNET was expecting, but the many of us "shutterbugs" have no problem with this printer at all.
For those crying about the cost of ink, and yes, it sucks.... A little perspective might help you; consider how amateur photography used to work (no desktop-based image editing, or photo-printers) just send out, wait, and pay $15.00 per roll for 3-4 usable images of 36).
It is a good thing to now be able to choose what images are worth the cost of printing, and which ones to dump.
Having said that, let me add that whoever thought up the current "give away the printer, gouge on the ink" scheme is going straight to a very hot and dark place.
This printer makes very good prints, great CD-imprinted labels, and turns out very clear and easily read text pages. -
"Great little photo printer!" on by jcddwilliams
Pros: Great photo printer for the price and speed
Cons: Ink is kinda expensive. It's always best to use Epson inks so stay away from the generic's. I rated it only as a 9 because it uses so much ink. Sams club has the ink for much lower price.
Summary: I purchased this printer mainly to handle the household printing, certainly not anything as serious as a photo printer. While looking through some recent vacation photo’s my wife asked me to print some out to send to some of her family. I thought, why not?
Before I continue let me say up front that I’m a working professional photographer who’s accustomed to spending high dollar to get high quality prints from my custom prolab. About 2 years ago I started introducing digital images to my customers who have been very pleased with the results that came from the same prolab.
Anyway, I thought I'd give the R200 a try to see what it could do with a high quality image filled with lots of colors. Keep in mind that I also use a colorimeter to keep my CRT monitor calibrated so I don’t get any surprises from the lab. I used Epson 4x6 photo paper with fresh Epson ink and I was shocked at the quality of the prints that cheaply priced printer produced. I just could not believe what I was looking at. Extremely vivid colors, wonderful contrast and a smooth photo finish. Wow! I showed one of the prints to another professional photograper who shoots digital and he said "what did you expect from an Epson?" He knew all along that Epson produces great images even in their smaller units.
I just don’t know what the “experts” are doing to test these printers for their reviews but I have to say, as a professional who’s very particular I am more than pleased with the results from my R200. Perhaps the reviewers are not putting in good solid, properly exposed images. I just don’t know. Maybe I’m just one of the lucky ones to get an exceptional product but you know that old adage...garbage in, garbage out. Quality in, quality out.
Great job Epson! -
"Perfect CD/DVD printing" on by mapledragon
Pros: cheapest CD DVD printing you can find
Cons: Too many cartridges potentially a $$$ waster
Summary: I read with amusement the various complaints on printing CDs and DVDs. I bought this printer specifically only for printing DVDs and CDs and had zero problems. Of course, I knew that you can't just use ANY blanks but special blanks that have a printable white surface that explicitly says they can be printed on. IE: not all white cd dvd blanks will work.
I must say that I printed some CDs and the printout quality was so good, my friends had no idea they were done from my laptop.
I expected the epson cartridges will be expensive, but having put up with the epson 1270 with 11x17 printout for years and enjoing it, I'm used to this. However, I am not prepared to use this printer for normal photo-paper printing until I understand the cartridge cost --- and I'm still happy with the 1270.
