frankrmooney's Full Review: Epson Stylus Photo 1200
It seems as though I'm upgrading my printer every year. My prior printer was a MD-2010 and before that a HP inkjet to name the latest. The MD-2010 couldn't print envelopes and the HP inkjet print quality was below the quality I wanted.
Since it was an upgrade, I took my time and checked out as many printers as I could. Not only reading reviews but by going to the computer super store and trying each product. I took samples of my work output and compared this to the print output at the store. The Epson Stylus Photo 1200 (ESP1200) produced what I was looking for.
My small home business prints mostly black ink on bond paper. The ESP1200 wasn't the fastest but I felt it was fast enough for me. Printing my photos was a little slower but a lot faster than the MD-2010 and I thought the output was as close to a photograph as I could get for the price.
Setup and connection was very easy and straight forward (I use a PC.) I used the USB connection (you will need to purchase a USB cable separately) and the software was a typical install with no problems.
The on screen ink indicator while printing is a very nice touch. I haven't noticed a high ink usage while printing typical business letters (my letters contain colors and a few colored graphics.) I did notice that while printing large color photographs it tends to suck up the ink. I've printed up to 13X19 prints and loved the output but it did use a lot of ink, which I think should be acceptable since the print is so large and you get such a great output.
I haven't had any problems with the printer. Sometimes I leave the printer on for days and sometimes I remember to turn it off at night, either way it hasn't caused me any problems with ink drying or nozzles clogging. I've used cheap bond paper and very expensive photo paper. There have been no paper jams and I think all the prints have printed evenly with no wet spots or rippling of the paper.
I solved my ink cost problem by buying ink over the internet. I can buy ink cartridges for a third or less compared to a local store.
Overall, it is the best printer I've owned so far. It's fast enough for my small business and yet still gives me the capability to produce superior output when needed. Epson does a very good job with the manuals.
The Stylus Photo 1200 is a high quality A3+ printer ideal as a dedicated Photo Printer or for the everyday over size printing requirements of photogra...More at eBay
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