Epson, How Do I Love Thee?

Let me count the ways. Well, you've heard of the term "smart phones", now you'll hear "smart printer"! Thanks to One2One Network and SVMoms, I am so excited that I got picked to do a review on the new Epson Artisan 800 All-in-One printer. Okay, I admit - anything “techy” gets me excited!
I actually already own 2 printers that I love and use all the time, so needless to say that I am quite familiar with the networking features on printers and great color printing like what my Minolta QMS 2300 Laser Printer 's Scanner/Copier/Fax/Printer All-In-One feature capabilities and what my trusty HP Office Jet G85 can do.

After reading more about the Epson Artisan 800, I couldn’t wait to give it a try. So as soon as I received it, I went ahead to hook it all up without waiting for my husband (which is what I normally do when it comes to any installations). It was surprisingly very easy to install and using it is quite simple.

First of all, the printer itself looked SO sleek! It has a beautiful 7.8” touch panel that lights only the buttons you need to get the job done, and it has a 3.5 inch LCD for viewing. With 4 computers in this household, we love the WIFI idea and any of us in the family can just simply touch a button and print without having to hook it up to our laptops. Much to my son's excitement, all photo enhancements can be done on the printer LCD itself.  And much to my excitement, besides the Print / Copy / Scan / Fax features, it does everything else but makes a venti cappuccino. I can only hope.

Here are some other cool features:

"• Full-Featured Scanning and Copying: The Artisan 800 features 4800 dpi resolution (48-bit color) and the Artisan 700 features 2400 dpi resolution (48-bit color), for high quality scanning of images and documents with brilliant clarity and accuracy. Both all-in-ones also offer standalone, one-touch color and black and white copying with a wide range of easy-to-use options such as the ability to scan to a computer, memory card or USB flash drive, easy photo reprints and enlargements up to 400 percent, and a convenient fit-to-page printing feature. They even offer background removal for crisp, clean copies of text documents. Both models include OCR software for converting documents into text users can edit.

Standalone Photo Capabilities: Both Artisan models have card slots that are compatible with all popular memory card types5 for printing photos without a computer or transferring files to or from a computer. Plus, users can print directly from a digital camera or mobile phone with the PictBridge® connection. Additional photo printing options include print-by-date, custom picture packages, photo index sheets, and passport and photo IDs.
Restore Faded Photos: Artisan all-in-ones can easily restore color to old, faded photos with or without using a computer.
Creativity Made Simple: Included software allows users to create and print personalized CDs/DVDs, greeting cards, elegant invitations, beautiful photo calendars, photo books, and more.
Shared Use at Home: Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking are built in for sharing with all users in the home. An optional Bluetooth® photo print adapter is also available for printing from cell phones and other mobile devices.
Flexible Paper Handling: Both models print borderless photos in popular sizes, including 4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", and letter. They also feature a paper cassette with two paper trays that eliminate the need to switch between plain and photo paper. In addition, two-sided printing is built-in and can be automated with an optional duplexer6.
Smart Ink System: The Artisan series feature convenient individual ink cartridges that can be changed in as little as five seconds and replace only the color needed. In addition, innovative technology conveniently combines color inks to produce black when black ink is low to extend printing. Cartridges are available in two sizes to match users' printing needs."
But more importantly, the printing is beautiful. The color prints vividly and definitely a higher quality of any other inkjet printers that I’ve tried. And one smart thing about the ink cartridges too is that you can buy the colors in separate packs unlike most inkjets that all colors comes in one cartridge. So no kore purchasing or replacing a whole cartridge for one color.  And did you read about creating and personalizing your own CD/DVD! Didn't I tell you this is one smart printer?!

The Artisan 800 exceeded my expectation and I can't wait to play with it some more. It seems as though I’ll be chucking both of my printers for this one!

Ok want a chance to win one? Go to Silicon Valley Moms and win your very own Epson Artisan 800 starting Tuesday, Nov. 18th!

Comments

Mom2Amara said…
It's funny - the first thing I thought is how slick the printer looks. And then I see it's one of the first things you said! See, great minds think alike :)
Crooked Eyebrow said…
After reading all these great reviews and seeing it for myself at the one2one party, I want one!