Epson Stylus D92, it does what it says on the box! (Epson Stylus D92)

Member Name: brittle1906

Product:	Epson Stylus D92
Date:	13/08/09 (94 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap to buy, good quality printing

Disadvantages: Frustrating to set up!

Review of Epsom Stylus D92 printer

Epsom Exceed Your Vision is the encouraging slogan on the box, but did this printer exceed my vision? Read on!


The Product

I purchased this printer from Tesco in October 2008. I had not owned an Epsom printer before, my previous printer was a Lexmark, which, although I was quite happy with, the cost of replacement ink was very expensive. Having looked around and read a few articles in computer magazines, I settled on Epsom as the company has a good reputation and more importantly the ink seemed far more reasonable than Lexmark's.

A quick price check on a comparison site showed that Tesco had the best deal around at that time, so I hot footed it to the store clutching my slip of paper with model names and numbers.

I was in luck, the model I had earmarked as my first choice was in stock so I parted with my £29.99 and hurried home to try out my new printer.

The printer comes packed in a sturdy box, attractively displaying the printer disgorging a very nice document with a crystal sharp picture and wonderfully clear text. The 'Exceed your vision' slogan is eye catching and the printer looks nice and modern. The printer inside looks sturdy and although not pretty, it is chunky and businesslike in appearance. The over all manufacturing material is of course plastic, as with most printers!


It was fortunate that my partner was at home that day as I am not known for my patience. After unpacking the printer I settled down to try to set the thing up. And I tried and I tried and I lost it completely and swore foully.....Bits of tape that I wasn't sure if I was supposed to remove, tacky ink gadgets which awkward to install and the assembly of the paper tray and other irritants pushed my nerves to the limit. My other half took over at this point, I think he was afraid I'd throw the whole thing through the window.
I would have hoped that simply plugging into a spare USB port and installing the hardwear via disc was easy, but I am afraid it beat me!

I have to say that the manufacturer's handbook was next to useless, although once we'd got the thing connected I did spot a web address and phone number for Epson's troubleshooter guide hidden among the other information in the handbook!

Finally, my brand new printer was ready for action! And act it did! Crystal clear printing and easily understandable instructions once the initial installation process was completed. I have been very pleased with the results of both text and image printing from the Epsom Stylus D92 printer. For a budget priced item, the results are very encouraging. I'm particularly pleased with the non smudge inks, as smudgy prints were a problem that my previous model had.


As stated earlier in this review, I purchased the printer last autumn, so I feel I have been able to give it a good testing period before writing this review. The ink usage, is as I hoped much better than my previous printer as the Epsom seems to not only use less ink, but the replacements are cheaper to buy. I have tried using 'own brand' inks in the machine too, but I won't go into lengthy details on that subject as I do not feel it is altogether relevant in a review on the actual printer, suffice to say that they work!

In the box

The Printer
Software
Ink
Paper guide
User instructions
12 month Manufacturer Guarantee
N.B. Not all the necessary cables were provided but luckily I was able to use cables I already owned from my previous printer. I understand that this is often the case with cheaper printers, I suppose it is a way of keeping down the initial purchase price.


Availability and pricing

Epsom products are available from most major electrical and computer stores. My printer came from Tesco and was priced at £29.99. With this type of product is worth shopping around and I'd recommend a price comparison web search to find the best deals currently.


My Thoughts and Conclusion


For a budget priced printer, this is hard to beat, good quality printing is what it is all about and that is exactly what I got. I am not overly interested in the technicalities of this type of product and to be fair, do not always understand the technical specs anyway, hence the very basic coverage in this review!
To sum up the Epsom Stylus D92 printer in one sentence- 'It does what it says on the box'.

I'd recommend to others requiring a basic printer.

Thank you for reading.


©brittle1906 August 2009

NB Also posted on ciao.co.uk

Summary: A good priced printer that produces pleasing results.

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