Print quality was mixed. The text in our test document was adequately dark and looked pretty sharp at a glance. A closer look revealed feathering around the edges of letters but none of the horizontal striping we saw in the CX4800's text. In our graphics test document, dithering was plainly visible no matter how high we bumped up the quality setting (5,760x1,440 optimized dpi is the maximum print resolution), meaning that we could plainly see the individual cyan, magenta, and yellow dots that made up the document. In the photo elements of our document, we noticed patches where yellow droplets predominated, giving areas that should have more contrast, such as facial features, a flat look. The photo test document was marginally more smoothly blended than that of the CX4800, but still too dithered to earn high marks from our jury.
The CX7800's speed when printing photos is about average: It churned out our 8x10 test photo in about 2.08 minutes. Its text speeds were downright sluggish. Like the CX4800, it toiled through our 10-page test document at 1.57 pages per minute.
At this time, Epson is not making its ink consumption data public, but given that the CX7800 uses individual ink tanks, which cost $12.34 each for colors and $18.99 for black ink, the ink costs should be reasonable over time.
(Longer bars indicate better performance; numbers represent pages per minute)
 |
Copy speed | |
Color scan speed | |
Grayscale scan speed | |
Photo speed | |
Text speed |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
|
Color scan | |
Grayscale scan | |
Photo | |
Graphics on inkjet paper | |
Text on inkjet paper |
The Epson CX7800 comes with a one-year warranty, which is standard for an all-in-one inkjet printer. The company offers phone tech support via a toll call; hours are Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT. There are several free tech support options, including toll-free fax-back or audio recording support which is available 24/7. In addition, Epson's Web site has driver downloads, manuals, FAQs, and an e-mail support form. There's also a link to Epson's recycling program, whereby you pay $10 for the privilege of helping the environment and get a $5 coupon towards your next Epson purchase. Epson's on-printer options include a quick-start poster that helps you set up the CX7800 and troubleshoot basic problems, a slightly longer pamphlet that deals with all the basic printer functions, and a more complete user guide on the installation CD.
What You'll Pay
- Set Price Alert
