Cheaper than buying a new cartridge!
Written: May 21 '01
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Pros: Inexpensive, good quality print, generic cartridges are cheap.
Cons: Requires USB support, no USB cable supplied.
The Bottom Line: If you want something cheap that is inexpensive to print with, it's a good deal. For high end quality print, try a better Epson printer.
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| dkreskai's Full Review: Epson Stylus Color 480SXU InkJet Printer |
I was looking to replace my aging Canon 610. It was on it's last leg and was watching for a good deal on a printer. I wanted to find an inexpensive printer for my kids to use that was inexpensive for ink replacement. I was happy with my Epson 440 and had decided the Epson 480SXU would be a good deal.
I knew Staples carried the printer for $49.99, but figured I could get a better deal than $50. This weekend Staples had a flyer that listed the printer at $29.99 after a $20 rebate. After carefully checking their website, I found a $30 dollar coupon good until this weekend, bringing the price to $19.99. When I went to the store they gave me a $10 off of $30 purchase, so the printer cost me only $9.99.
The printer comes with everything you need, printer, ink and software, except a USB cable. The 480SXU only uses a USB cable for connecting to your computer. This means it will only work with Windows 98, 2000 or ME. Staples had 6 foot USB cables for $20, but who wants to pay more for a cable then for a printer. I found a 13 foot cable at Big Lots for $4.99. The instructions say not to use more than a 6 foot cable, but it worked okay for me.
Installation was pretty easy. Epson gives you a poster size instruction sheet on each step of how to unpack, connect the printer, install the software and install the ink cartridges. I followed the instructions step by step and had only one problem. When you install the ink cartridges, it moves the ink holders over and you install the black ink first and after it recognizes the black, it will move the cartridges over again to install the color. I had a problem getting it to recoqnize the black cartridge, so I disconnected the USB cable and then replugged it into the computer. After this it recognized both cartridges and installed properly. Other than that problem the printer worked fine.
There are no buttons on the printer, so all printer options are software driven. If you want to check the nozzles, clean the heads or align the heads you do it through the status monitor program. The status monitor runs in the background and watches if your printer is working, if it has ink and how your printing is progressing. The program also handles all printer settings. The printer settings are as follows:
Media Type - The type of paper you are printing on choose from 23 types or make a custom type
Ink Select - Choose either color printing or black only
Mode - Automatic - Normal printing
- Photo Enhance - Increase image brightness & contrast
- Custom - Change your own color settings
Select High Quality print, Normal or faster print
Choose from Portrait, Landscape or Rotate 180 degree orientation
Also choose normal print, print to fit or custom (I find print to fit works best)
There is a Multi-page setting for Posters.
You can also make your own custom watermark to print on all your documents.
The software comes with tow software packages:
ArcSoft Photo Printer 200 - A photo layout program that lets you make create projects with your photos. Using a variety of templates, you can print your photos any way you like.
ArcSoft PhotoFantasy 2000 - Lets you create fantasies by combining your personal photos with hilarious backgrounds.
They did not include a good editing program, but you may already have one if you have a scanner or a digital camera. If you need a good editing program, you can find plenty of shareware programs online.
Printing in normal quality looks nice on normal paper. But be careful because the ink comes out wet. The fast mode isn't even worth using, because you can't even see the picture. High quality looks nice for a low price printer.
The printer comes with one black and one color ink cartridge. I plan on buying my replacement cartridges from an online vendor who sells generic cartridges. I've already priced the set at less than $9.
Over all I would say a good printer for under $50. If you want to print photo quality and want a really good software package, try a high end Epson. If you want something cheap for your family to print on, try the Epson 480SXU.
Happy printing!
David
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 9.99
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
dkreskai
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Member: David Kreskai
Reviews written: 70
Trusted by: 7 members
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