Not quite the bargain I first thought (Epson Stylus SX200)

Member Name: rabidbadger

Product:	Epson Stylus SX200
Date:	15/09/09 (427 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Printing and scanning are fine

Disadvantages: I have had loads of trouble getting it to print after replacing the ink

If you had asked me to review the Epson Stylus SX200 when I first got it, I may well have agreed with some of the other reviewers who rant about what good value for money it is. However, after owning one for about a year, my opinion has changed somewhat.

The scanning and copying are first rate, I don't have a bad thing to say about them and, for the first six months, I would have said the print quality is ok for the price (you have to use the Best Photo setting to eliminate all banding but this does produce excellent prints).

My problems started when I came to change the cartridges for about the 5th time. You could say it is my fault for not using genuine Epson inks but I am not one of the priveledged few that can afford to buy the genuine article every time they need replacing. Anyway, changing the cartridges very often resulted in prints with a purple or orange tint - so logically you clean the print-head. Unfortunately, cleaning the print head consumes ink and, by the time you have cleaned the print-head enough to remove any colour bias, the cartridges are being flagged as empty again (despite still having plenty of ink sloshing around in them) and the whole farcical cycle starts again.

I have tried several different makes of cartridge from several different sources and the results are the same - although I have got it to work today and only wasted one set of cartridges in the process.

Of course, with some printers, if one cartridge runs out, you can soldier on with the others - not a problem if you are printing draft text. However, the SX200 doesn't allow this and won't let you use the printer at all if one cartridge is empty.

Maybe I have been unlucky with my purchase but, unfortunately, you don't get to learn everything about a printer in the first few days of usage.

Summary: Personally, I wouldn't buy another one