Who is this Ep fellow and why am I raising his son?
Written: Apr 16 '00 (Updated Apr 16 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Spectacular photo quality output potential
Cons: Tremendous ink consumption, frequent paper jams
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| taurusmoon's Full Review: Epson Stylus® Color 740 InkJet Printer |
My son was born 15 years ago. As with any child ever born, I had no choice of features from which to select, no indication of future performance and no manufacturer's warranty. I had to be prepared to accept and cherish whatever it was that would develop out of the genetic soup that his father and I had ladled out.
Like most parents, I was absolutely delighted that my baby was born healthy and awaited all the joys and challenges that parenthood would bring. The experience of watching this complex mass of nucleic acids grow into manhood has been unparalleled. There have been times when my heart has swelled with incredible pride and others when I simply wanted to throttle the kid (especially now that testosterone has consumed most of his brain cells.) But no matter what, if I were to write a review of my son I would have to give him a 5-star rating. Of course, he hasn't done anything to set me off today. Yet.
So what has this got to do with the Epson Stylus Color 740? If you have your hand poised over your mouse, just itching to click the "Not Recommend" button because I'm way off topic, please bear with me a just little while longer.
A year-and-a-half ago I needed to replace an ailing ink jet printer. I did a ton of research to find the features that fit my requirements at a price that fit my budget. I don't do a great amount of printing but, since much of what I print is used as finished sales and presentation material, it had better look good. Epson's reputation for superior print quality led me to choose amongst their models. I selected the 740 for its 1440 dpi photo quality output and its - then reasonable - price below $300. (It can now sometimes be found for less than $100).
I brought the printer home and installed it, all the time figuring that I would either be satisfied with my purchase or not. I never once foresaw what was actually happening. Through some bizarre twist of fate, cosmic joke, or what have you, I did not, in fact, purchase a piece of hardware. Nope. I adopted a child. This machine had a personality all its own and enough quirks to rival those of any adolescent. I don't know if it was taking lessons from my son or not, but it was beginning to exhibit some of his behaviors. I now realized that not only was I raising my own son, I was raising Ep's son too.
Oh, Mom, do I really have to get up?
A few years ago something very strange happened to my son. I'm not quite sure why or how it happened (perhaps it's from being bombarded with all those rays from the various video game screens he's spent hours in front of) but he experienced some sort of genetic mutation. He has been transformed from a human into some sort of nocturnal creature. He can't get to bed before 12… 1… 2 o'clock? I really can't even say what time, because I've passed out long before, but suffice it to say it's an ungodly hour. As a result, when it's time for him to get up and fulfill his responsibilities as a member of society, he can't haul his butt out of bed without a litany of moaning and complaining.
Well, the Epson 740 has mastered this same behavior. The moment you turn it on, it begins complaining bitterly. It grumbles and moans then finally settles down. When you send it a document to work on, the complaints start up all over again. Whine. Grumble. Grind. Kachunk. The noises this thing makes during its prolonged warm up are startling at first, then you learn to tune them out. Eventually the 740 gives up on its vocal rebellion, simmers down and tends to the task at hand, which it finally does with a level of noise that is much more reasonable.
Ow, I jammed my finger!
My son's single greatest passion is playing basketball. And, based on the amount of time he spends on the court, he sustains quite a few injuries. Ankle sprains are fairly common (the freezer is well outfitted with ice packs) but the calamity I deal with the most are the "finger jams". For those who have not had the pleasure of this particular experience, these are nasty sprains that occur when somebody hacks you (it's never your fault) and the ball comes down on your finger the wrong way (notice, the ball came down wrong - it's not that the finger was incorrectly positioned.) Regardless of how the injury occurred, it can be quite disabling and, if not allowed to heal properly, can continue to recur.
I wish I could say the jams in this household are limited to fingers. Alas, the printer is also frequently disabled by this problem. Now the printer will probably tell you it's not its fault. And, in this case, it may be right. Like my son and his vulnerable finger, I often put the printer in situations that may be a little too taxing. I do quite a bit of printing on special media, including card stock, which the Epson has some difficultly processing. So, my print jobs, though high-scoring are often plagued by a number of turnovers caused by poor ball, er, paper handling. It seems that once injured, the 740 develops a weakness in this area. I have learned to feed one sheet at a time to avoid having the printer drop the ball. I have also learned never to pull the jammed sheet out backwards. Such action may require an Emergency Room visit.
Mom, I'm hungry.
Have you ever watched a teenaged boy eat? It's like watching an episode of National Geographic. Somewhere in the animal kingdom there may be a creature that consumes a greater percentage of its own body weight than does the adolescent male of the human species, but I sincerely doubt it.
There are many mornings I wake up and head into the kitchen to witness the devastation from the night before. (Remember, this is a nocturnal creature that does the majority of his hunting while the normal segment of the population is fast asleep.) The trash is filled with bottles, wrappers, containers and carcasses. That's on a good day. Usually, the debris is spread all over the countertops. The refrigerator and cupboards are completely devoid of anything fit for consumption, unless of course it has a degree of nutritional value (for some reason these items are exempt from the feeding frenzy.) The spectacle is rather horrifying. But, not quite as horrifying as the weekly food bill.
It seems that teenage boys are not alone in their propensity for outrageous consumption. The Epson Stylus Color 740 can go toe to toe with the best of them. The cost of keeping my two boys (one liveware, one hardware) well fed rivals the National Debt. The adolescent is an avid athlete who requires a great deal of food to keep his machine running properly. The printer, with all the photo-quality demands placed on it, also requires an unreasonable amount of food to keep it going. The 740 goes through ink like my son goes through Gatorade. Gatorade costs a dollar and change a bottle. Ink cartridges for this model run close to $30 a piece (and you need both black and color). Ka-ching.
Hey, Ma. I got an A on my paper.
There is nothing more rewarding for a parent than when their child performs well. Whether it's an A on a paper, a lead in a school play, a demonstration of grace under pressure, or a fabulous fade away jumper, nothing beats the feeling of witnessing your child's achievement. Granted, there is such a thing as natural talent, but every child needs to be given the proper tools to work with, to be given support and nurturing and to be helped along on the path to success.
The Epson 740 has natural talent indeed. But, you can't just push a button and expect it to perform to its maximum potential. You have to give it the proper tools with which to work. I was rather disappointed with the quality of the output when I first began using this printer. It was okay. Just okay. It certainly was not going to make the honor roll and it was not going to be picked for the All-Star team. I realized that maybe it just needed some parental involvement.
I tried playing with the software settings. Better. Still not there, but better. Then I decided to feed it a higher grade of paper. Wow! The combination of the right media with the right settings allowed the printer to excel. When given the proper tools and guidance, the quality of the output is truly outstanding. It does take quite a bit of time to process the job, but the end result is worth it. I've always noticed that when my son spends more time and effort on his work - whether it's a term paper, a math problem or trying to rid himself of all the bad habits he's developed playing too much street ball - he performs at a much higher level. Should I expect less of the Epson?
My son is a great kid. Yet, he does have enormous potential that he sometimes doesn't meet. He is, after all, human. I think. The Epson Stylus Color 740, despite its shortcomings, has great potential as well. It is, after all, human. Or, so it's led me to believe.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
taurusmoon
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Location: New York City
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 184 members
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