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Epson Stylus Photo 2200 Inkjet Printer

Epson Stylus Photo 2200 Inkjet Printer

List Price: $749.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not Pleased
Review: I bought the Epson 2200 because I wanted a large format printer that would produce quality prints from digital images. Unfortunately the 2200 isn't the answer. Live and learn.
I have tried every paper that I can find including Epson's Premium papers. Nothing works to my satisfaction.
Every picture I print is dull and appears to have a thin film over top of the photo. I have tried everything I know to get rid of it. If I increase the brightness of a picture that helps somewhat to rid the film but then the picture itself suffers.
I wouldn't buy another Epson product after reading and believing what was written on this product. Give me an HP or Canon any old day.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: VERY Convincing, but NOT the REAL thing.
Review: I bought this printer only to test the "archival" quality paper and inks. I must admit, I was quite impressed with the Luster photo paper surface; it resembled the true photographic luster surface that I am used to, but with a tighter texture. I was also quite impressed with the level of color control sliders and methods of color matching in the printer's software. (A side note, anyone who is truly concerned with accurate color will want to invest in a colorimeter and software to properly balance their monitor from a company such as Monaco; do not waste your time fighting with color matching.)

For starters, I first noticed that exterior of this printer was rather flimsy and some parts are quite breakable. The printer tray in the front simply folds down, however when folding up, it only "clicks" on the left side. On one of my pritners, the tray falls at the slightest bump. Additionally, the extendable paper tray is a bit cheap and can be a little cumbersome to extend. Also, the cover is easily scratched; even wiping it with a paper towel can cause abrasions in the opaque black cover. With use, over time it will loose it's cosmetic appearance quite quickly. I have always thought Epson printers were of lower contruction standards when compared to HP.

As a very experienced user (with proper monitor balancing tools and tons of "profile" experience) I was not able to get color results that I was happy with, mainly in regards to magenta levels. I was forced to tweak the magenta settings down by -2 for every print, regardless of which profile I used. Furthermore, when compared to traditional photographic images, I have had difficulty with a push/pull between magenta and green. While on one hand a portion of any given image appeared too magenta, another portion of the same image was obviously too green, particularly anyone with blonde hair. Obviouslly, there is no way to do an overall color correction for this. Every print I have printed has this issue, and I have used two different printers. Overall, the prints just did not look right to me. When comparing the Epson 2200 prints to a PROFESSIONALLY operated Fuji Frontier system, after the Epson prints are completely dry they seemed to have a "fog" to them, almost like looking through a pane of thin non-glare glass.

The most notable disappointment with these prints is any areas that either are white or black, or fade to white or black. The slightest angle in the light reveals a myriad of reflection patterns, which I find completely unacceptable. These reflections are highly noticeable when the prints are viewed on a wall from any angle. They can be quite ugly and destroy the image, especially images with high contrast.

More recently, I took an image that I was mostly happy with and professionally framed it. We used conservation quality mats and conservation glass, which blocks 98% of the UV rays. Within two weeks, I noticed something curious and have yet to take the frame apart to investigate further. When viewing through the glass at an angle, the parts of the image that are the darkest seem to be transferring to the glass. The image is 1/8 inch away from touching the glass. While this has created an interesting pattern on the glass, obviously this is not desired and leads me to question the "archival" claims made by Epson. Since we are in a dry climate, it is not humidity; and since we are in a rural area, it is not an effect of ozone or pollution, both of which environmental conditions are mentioned in the paper packaging regarding proper print storage and display. The only thing I can figure is that static electricity is somehow pulling a very thin layer of the darker inks off the print towards the glass. We'll see. ......

I simply cannot recommend this printer to anyone who is greatly concerned with accurate color. I have tried two different printers, and getting accurate color has been a big hassle. Don't get me wrong, the average consumer will be happy I'm sure, but anyone who desires accuracy will not be pleased, especially if they are a professional. I impolore any professional user to be just as critical of this printer, as any print they would receive from a lab; there is quite a big difference. Again, for an ink-jet "photo" printer, the Epson 2200 is a huge leap forward and at first glance it is quite impressive; but after closer inspection, to say the printer is of true "photographic quality" simply is not true.

I'll stick to creating my own work, while leaving the printing to the professionals down the street. At least I know for a fact that my prints will still be around for the rest of my life, and beyond; and who needs the push/pull between green and magenta! In the long run, getting accurate color is cheaper when going to the lab, rather than wasting two or more attempts on the printer.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Read the label
Review: I am a photographer and needed an ink-jet printer that would do justice to my high resolution photos. What's more I needed a printer that would do an impressive job on my black and whites.
When Epson announced the Stylus 2200, reviewers went wild with their praises. I had to try it to believe it. Yes, it does an impressive job on color photos and magnificent rendering of all the gray values in a black and white, but it also boasts ink that will outlast the photographer. The price is more than most consumers would pay to print out flyers or documents, but like the paperwork says, this is a photo printer. Something the documentation should be more clear on is the type of paper to use. No, you can't go to a department store and buy [just any] glossy paper and get a useable print. The special inks will not work with a lot of non-Epson paper, or even some of Epson's own paper. This is a special printer with a dedicated purpose. You have to use it as Epson intended and not as your every use printer. I also reccomend using it on the 2880 dpi setting for prints worthy of gallery display.I use the Epson Stylus Photo 820 for everything else.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Spectacular
Review: I own an HP1220 and an Epson 1280. I love the 1220 for its speed and general quality, but purchased the Epson 1280 for its image image quality. Question ... how do you get the speed of the HP1220 with the print quality of the Epson 1280? Simple, buy the Epson 2200. Hooked-up to firewire, this unit delivers respectable print times with absolutely spectacular image quality. The machine is rugged, well built, and uses ink responsibly. Several reviews underscore the problems with "setup." I have no idea why. Using Windows XP, setup took just a few minutes and worked perfectly out of the box. Bottom-line: the Epson 2200 is the benchmark others will have to beat.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nice prints, but ink wastage is a major problem
Review: First, the prints are gorgeous and they say they'll last for decades. Fine.
The downside is that the ink is very expensive and this printer seems to be designed to waste an awful lot of it.

Ink cartridges have chips on them so they can't be refilled. When they say they're empty, you can't use them anymore, even though there's an awful lot of ink left inside them at that point.

When one nozzle clogs, you have to clean all the nozzles, wasting ink.
When you get a clogged nozzle, and you will get lots of them, sometimes right in the middle of printing a page, you have to clean the heads.

BUT, if any of the ink cartridges are low (not out, LOW) it won't let you clean the nozzles unless you change that low cartridge. There may be enough ink in there for 10 more prints but you can't run the cleaning routine until you change it out for a full one! If you choose to just keep printing to use up the rest of the expensive ink, you'll get streaks from the clogged nozzle. You're stuck wasting several grams of the precious ink either way.

And the nozzles clog at least every seven or eight pages or so, or if you leave the printer on overnight, or if you use any ink other than the expensive Epson ink, or if you look at it funny.

Look up the price of the ink cartridges before you buy this thing, and be sure you're prepared to replace at least a few of them during every print session. If money's no object, it's a lovely printer.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 5 STARS, but with one HUGE caveat for XP users!!
Review: At the outset, I will say, this is a wonderful printer. Quality, versatility, performance, the Epson Stylus Photo 2200 Inkjet Printer has it all.

So you are asking yourself, what is my "PROBLEM" with Winows XP? If you have tried to install this printer in XP you already know what I'm talking about. If you are about to, please read on, I have good news for you.

There is a solution to the "System Lock Up" problem after installing the Epson Printer Driver supplied with this unit.

THE FIX:

Install the driver as instructed in the installation booklet that comes with the printer. When the installation is complete, DO NOT reboot your system. Instead first go to the "Start" button at the bottom left corner of your screen, go to the applications folder and then to the EPSON folder. There you will find a utility that deletes the printer ports that EPSON's driver has installed. Run this utility, follow the prompts, when it is complete you may then reboot your system. When WINDOWS XP has restarted all will be well. This works for the Printer Parallel connector as well as Firewire. Yes even Firewire!!

Have fun with your Epson Stylus Photo 2200 Inkjet Printer. I know I am.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great quality, hard to find compatible paper!
Review: Epson includes a list of approved paper to use with this Epson printer. They're dead serious. I've tried Kodak Ultima paper and other high quality papers - they don't work. You'll be greatly disappointed if you try other papers, and waste expensive ink in the process.

I recommend Epson Premium Luster Photo Paper (Luster E, 10 mil). However, I can only find this paper at speciality camera shops and through the web. The average store doesn't carry the Epson paper you need - as not even all Epson papers work on this printer!

Despite the compatibility concern - the prints are extreme. I'm using a Nikon CoolScan to scan my slides - and my Epson 2200 to print off every last detail.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Love the product, but...
Review: Overall, I really like this printer. The colors print out quick and sharp even on ordinary paper, and the option of printing on Super A3 is a huge bonus. There is one huge caveat, though. Ordinarily, having the ink split into 7 different colors would be a good thing, as you only have to replace that particular color when it does go out, and individual cartridges for the Epson 2200 are fairly inexpensive. But the colors do run out, and fairly rapidly at that. Within a day after getting the printer I was forced to start looking for cartridges, with none to be found at any place I went to in the Los Angeles area, even at the place where the printer was originally purchased. I found a few of the cartridges offered through Amazon.com, but I am still frantically searching for Light Cyan. Even Epson itself seems to not be supporting this product, as you cannot get the most of the cartridges from their own web site. Perhaps the product is just too new, but I find the lack of support disheartening.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful printer!
Review: I've had the 2200 for a few months and have spent a lot of time getting to know it well. It is wonderful! The inks are extremely durable and hold up to water great. The role paper feature allows me to print up to 12.5"X44" to make photos that are stunning. Admittedly, since I'm a Mac X user, I have to deal with using OS 9 to access these features but it's worth the effort (unlike some reports, you can switch out black cartridges in OS X-when you switch, just delete the printer from the print center and add it again).

I stick with Epson's paper designed for this printer and the color accuracy has been great (I'm using a calibrated monitor and Epson's color profiles and get great results 95% of the time). It is the first printer where the characteristics of reflective color from the paper so closely match the projected color of the screen (which is quite an accomplishment). With the Matte Black ink, printing on the Watercolor paper, the inks are so rich it look like velvet. For me, it was the missing link in the digital workflow. From digital camera to computer to paper, I have full control and predictability of what my output is going to look like without any rude surprises at the end-saving me time and money. And it will last longer than a traditional print! But like all things, do your homework with Photoshop to understand what you need to do to assure wide gamut, accurate prints.

A few surprises: I have yet to see the need for printing at 2880dpi - 1440dpi has done just fine (saving you ink and time). Also, I was suprised to find that for large prints that start out as small digital photos, I didn't need to upsample them in Photoshop to the recommended 300-360dpi. I was able to output a photo at 1440dpi, 12"X44" that only had 118dpi in the file and the results were amazing. No pixelation or jaggies. Epson's print driver does as good a job at interpolation as Photoshop would do and I was able to work with a 20Meg file rather than a 200Meg file!

I would strongly recommend this printer to anyone serious about their photography. Of course the 'garbage in-garbage out' rule applies. Do your homework in Photoshop, understand the rules of color and color matching, and this printer won't disappoint you. Keep in mind, all my work is done on a Mac which has excellent color control so I can't speak for PC users.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: TWICE AS EXPENSIVE - FOUR TIMES THE QUALITY
Review: I have had my Epson 2200 for two weeks now and it is worth the hype. The reviews found in this area strongly suggesting the use of Epson paper and anticipated heavy ink usage are right on the mark. However, if you want prints superior to those provided by a photo store, this is your printer. If you don't plan to do photos, then buy a cheaper printer. This is too much machine for you. If you do buy it, there is a learning curve. Expect to eat up a quantity of paper and ink in identifying the best settings for your needs. But when you get there - wow - what a printer.


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