Cheap and cheerful but good quality (Epson Stylus C40)

Member Name: andycharger

Product:	Epson Stylus C40
Date:	18/06/02 (629 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, print quality

Disadvantages: Speed, cleaning

Do you have the need for a new printer? Perhaps you are considering purchasing one for printing out photographs but unsure about parting with huge amounts of money to get a phot quality printer?
Well fear no more. You dont need to pay a big whack for decent photographs as long as you are not in any hurry.

One of the big names in Printers is Epson. They know printers and have been in the business for years. In fact, I think they make the BEST inkjet printers around.

One of the lowest ranking models in their range is also one of the best value for what you are getting. The C40UX.
What this printer brings you is a stylish 2 cartridge printer at photo quality for under £100 and a long way under too.

Looks.
------
Great. Typical Epson design here. Using sleek PC coloured plastics and the now all too common Translucent Blue lid that covers the working components, the C40 looks like many of the other printers in the range.
Its rounded shape makes it look very pleasing on the eye rather than dated linear shape that so many modern printers still continue to work with.
The retractable letter tray and paper rest mean that it can also be stored in a very small contained space if it is required.

Performance.
------------
Superb. The print quality in Black and colour is fantastic. Using separate Black and Colour cartridges really makes you realise the benefits over single cartridges. Luckily, Epson supply this printer with both cartidges included. The 1440 x 720dpi resolution means you are garaunteed terrific details for High Quality Black and Colour Printed images.

Installation.
-------------
Could not be easier. It comes with the benefit of a USB connection interface to make installation quick and simple. Simply plug your USB cable in and your system should detect that you have a new evice on restart. You then install the step by step drivers from the CD provided.
***HOWEVER
***
The USB cable is not included with the printer. As with all printers of yesteryear, you never got a Parrallel cable with your printer and always had to spend £10 more on the cable. Nothing has changed in the 21st Century. Expect to buy a USB cable as it is not supplied.

Speed.
------
A major drawback. It claims to pump out Black Pages at 8 Pages Per Minute (PPM) and colour at 3.9PPM. However, in the real world it is nothing like this. Trust me.
These are manufacturers optimum with possibly one line of printin on each page.
If you want a fast printer then this is not for you. Still, the best things come to those who wait.

Functions.
----------
Kept to a mimimum on this printer. There is a power button and a cancel button. The other options are quite confusing so reading the manual is a good idea if you need to do any changes in paper feeds and cleaning of the cartridges.

Software.
---------
Included with the Epson printers are their own photo printing software and art pack. Very basic but does the job if you have nothing else. I suggest using something decent instead such as photoshop.

Cleaning/ink consumption.
-------------------------
The Cartridges on this model do tend to get clogged up with old ink and become "gunged". The auto cleaning mechanism does not do a tremendously good job and can lead to the cartridges leaving random ink marks on the first few pages after cleaning. Not goo and a waste of paper and ink.
The Ink usage is not huge on this printer which means less visits to PC world to splash out £20 on new ones.

Overall.
--------
Good value and a good printer. Lets itself down on speed and cleaning but more than flatters itself at its print quality and price. Holds its own with much more expensive units.

***I know its in the C60 section but waiting for DOOYOO to create the C40 section so It can be moved! Andy***

Summary: