Epson Artisan 800 Wireless Photo All-in-One Printer
I recently had the fortune of obtaining the very sleek Epson Artisan 800 printer to add to my technology arsenal. After a few days of use it has really shown that it can shine in a variety of ways.
Initial Setup
This was not the very easiest printer setup I have encountered. In addition to the normal hardware drivers and software utility installation it took a bit more work to connect to the Wi-Fi than some other Wireless networked printers that I have set up. It was necessary to actually connect via hard line initially. From there the wireless security settings are set from a networked PC. Once the initial connection is made the printer can be moved to it's new, wireless, location. It now works like a dream!
Black and White Text Printing
Nothing beats my laser multi-function printer for basic black and white printing and copying but I was happy with the quality of the ink jet pages that were produced. The speed of this type of print job is definitely a plus.
Color Printing
On regular multi-purpose paper the color printing is mediocre but I'd blame that more on the paper than the printer. For jobs where quality is not important but having color is, it will be very useful. Printing on higher quality paper would solve this problem for when quality is necessary.
Photo Printing
Using the sample 4×6 photo paper I printed a couple of quick photos and was extremely impressed by the quality of the prints. I can honestly say that if I were to mix the photos in with a stack of photos printed from a professional photo print shop I don't think I'd know the difference. The colors were crisp and the quality of the Epson photo paper was excellent. I did find that my initial instinct to place the photo paper right side up was wrong. The paper needs to be placed face down to avoid a big wet ink mess.
Scanning
A couple of scans of drawings my 4 year old had made showed that the scanner is quite fast and very easy to use with the provided "Epson Scan" software. It took me a few minutes to determine that the scan didn't need to be initiated from the printer.
Copying
I love the document feeder, this is really a must have for me when I need to copy several pages at once. The out-of-the-box settings produced copies that were a little on the light side compared to the originals. Adjusting the darkness and the copy quality settings helped to correct this.
CD Printing
Gone are the days of Labeling CDs and DVDs with a Sharpie. I love having the ability to print full color labels for my CDs directly onto the CD/DVD!
Conclusion
This printer will not be replacing my laser multi-function for most of my day to day duties but I love the fact that I can produce my own photographs and creative pieces. The quality of the prints have come along way from my last Epson photo printer, which I loved, and I'm proud to call myself an Epson Artisan Owner.
It happens that the wonderful people of One2One Network have teamed up with Epson and have a special offer for the Epson Artisan 800 printer along with extra Ink. I encourage everyone to check it out, it's a great piece of equipment and the price is very reasonable considering all the features that are packed into this gem.
