With the recent $100 rebate there's been a lot of renewed interest in this printer, despite the fact that it's "over a year old" by now. And for good reason.

The print quality is, indeed, photo quality. While I'm certain it's possible to produce photo prints that are better, that's just not going to happen from the typical local photo lab where price is almost always more important than quality... and few people will be able to tell (or even more imporantly, care) that it was printed from a computer printer.

I've done direct comparisons with their latest model, and I can't see any difference in print quality. I also never use the 2880x720 mode, as it doesn't look to be any different than the 1440x720 mode--it just uses more ink.

I've done color and B&W photo prints for years, and I think the digital print is a revolution in the field. It gives much better control over the final output, and removes a number of variables that can interfere with the process. And, it's a lot more reachable to the average user--setting up a color darkroom is expensive and requires a lot of space.

(BTW, I'm not going to write a lot of stuff you can find elsewhere, so I'll just summarize my own experiences.)

If you don't plan on making 13" or borderless prints on a regular basis, you might look for something a bit cheaper. Obviously it's hard to say "I'll *never* ever make a wide print", but those two features are the things that distinguish the 1280 from its siblings. Make sure you'll really make use of them before spending the extra money.

Don't forget the USB or parallel cable 'cause they don't include one. And after having problems with parallel printing (a single dropout leading to wasting $25 in roll paper) I'd suggest using USB instead, which has been 100% reliable for me.

I also suggest staying away from CFS and other alternative inking systems, or at least not until you're certain you need some extra pain in your life. They work great until you run into repeated headclogs and related problems, then you'll be wondering why you wasted so much money and time trying to get the printer to just print. And never, ever, ever try to refill cartridges. I absolutely agree that the whole ink cartridge situation is a ripoff from Epson, but there simply aren't any *reliable* alternatives. If you think the ink costs are too high or you're going to be using the printer on a high-volume basis, you'll be better off looking at a more expensive printer. (One of the advantages of the latest model is that it has 7 separate ink cartridges, so that unlike the 1280 where you have to throw out the whole cartridge when just one of the colors runs dry you can change them on an individual basis.)

The printer controls suck. Not only did they use incomprehensible heiroglyphics on the buttons, but the buttons have different functions depending on when, how long and how many times they're pressed. There's no readable writing anywhere on the printer; I ended up taping a set of instructions to the front of the printer (and why they couldn't have done something similar is a mystery). And double ditto with the two blinking LEDs and comprehensibility. There's also no formfeed button, which is annoying when you're using roll paper. I always end up printing with large bottom margins so enough paper will feed to make it easy to cut the printout off. (There's a button that causes 3-4 inches of paper to feed after the printout is finished, but IMO it's not enough--it's really awkward to cut off the printout.)

Loading roll paper can be problematic. It has to be decurled before it'll load, which is an exciting adventure if you're trying to not mangle the end of the paper.

I've had problems with weird black splotches all over the printout in draft modes. It's as if the black printhead were spurting out way too much ink, as they are clearly visibly wet spots after the printout is completed (and this is printing on Premium Luster paper, so it's not related to using glossy paper). I thought at first it was a headclog, but repeated cleanings and other remedies haven't helped, and I have seen other reports of similar problems so it's not just my printer. It hasn't been a problem in 1440x720 mode so I actually don't see it as a huge concern, but it is definitely annoying at times.

Finally, there are permanency issues. I think they're grossly overmagnified but they do need to be taken into consideration. To put it simply: the prints simply are not going to last a long time, and depending on how they're presented and stored they may fade in a matter of weeks or months. It's possible to keep them around for a long time (as in 20 years or more), but it will require careful storage and rather infrequent viewing.

My own feeling on this issue is that it's mostly a non-issue. Why are you making prints? Hopefully they're to look at. (I hang all of my prints on the walls of my house, and I change them on a regular basis.) If you really want to keep the print around for a long time, a far more permanent way is to preserve the original image datafile, and reprint it as necessary. (In 20 years printer quality will be lightyears ahead of what we have now.)

Overall I think this printer is a bargain for someone who wants to do high-quality color prints at home, but not for someone who prints on a volume or commercial basis or for the user looking for 100% permanent prints that will last 50 years. I know a lot of people use it as a high-volume permanent printer, but there are better alternatives that are ultimately more cost-effective. I'd also hate to gamble with customers as to how long the prints are *really* going to last.

Recommended: Yes