Epson Stylus CX4200 Inkjet Printer

Just got one of these puppies, and have been using it to print my tax forms, and copy my Tax software/printer rebate parapernalia. Very pleased so far with the quality of the output and the ease of use. The b/w and color single sheet copy features are very easy to use - just put your item on the scanner glass and hit either the b/w or color copy button - it is that easy. One issue I should mention, on my WinXP machine, after I installed the drivers and other software and when my computer came back up after I was instructed to reboot, it didnt recognize the new USB printer device at first... I ended up powering down my system, unplugging the USB connection, and then after I rebooted my system, I plugged in the printers USB connection, and the system recognized the new USB device, and the rest of the printer install went smoothly.

I purchased this printer 3 years ago. It is the biggest ink-sucker Ive ever known! I finally switched to non-OEM cartridges because I went through them so quickly. Ever time you turn it on, go to print, end a print job, turn it off--it would just use up ink. The sponge at the bottom was always completely soaked with ink no matter how often I cleaned it off and dried it up. I barely printed anything before it was time to change at least one of the cartridges, and, once one was due for a change, the other 3 werent far behind. Ive experience numerous paper jams with this machine. And who knows where its going to print on the page?!? The colors would also come out funny, ESPECIALLY if you used the scanner. I would scan an image and the colors would be completely different shades! And the quality really wasnt good for all the photo-printing features it boasts. Finally, my printer started making a funny noise last week--like a grinding. Nothing was dropped in there and the troubleshooter was a waste of time. After the noise, Id go to print and it acted like it would, but then itd start to feed the paper and itd just jam up on the right-hand side. I finally called tech support because I couldnt figure out what to do by fiddling around or using the internet. The guy finally said he couldnt help me and gave me the number and address for a computer repair place in town (at least I wouldnt have to drive too far). He told me to ask for an estimate and, if that was more (hint hint!), then he asked if Id consider looking at the Epson website. I promptly informed him that, if it cost anything, then Id definitely be purchasing a Canon and Id already been researching in the week I havent been able to print. So I called the number he gave me and was informed there was an upfront $50 diagnostic fee, which would kindly be applied to whatever charges thered be after the guy was done looking at it. For $50 I can purchase a well-reviewed Canon Pixma iP2600. For a little more, Im looking at the Canon Pixma MP470 (currently on sale at BestBuy for $79.99). So, after 3 years of hating my printer, it rebels for the last time less than 2 months before I start medical school and have all these other stresses going on. This was just what I needed to finally warn the world about this terrible, horrible piece of equipment!!! Time to go buy the Canon I should have purchased last time...

This is my second one. The first one lasted about 10 years, but it is not used everyday.

It didnt have a USB cable in the package. That was the only thing that was a moderate inconvenience. However, its not worth getting worked up about. The printer is wonderful and the best part is that as soon as I hooked it to my computer, Linux recognized the printer and I was looking at a test page in seconds. As with any printer, I know all of those mechanical parts will eventually go bad, but Im looking forward to a year or two of really fine-quality prints.

If one color of ink is out, it prevents all printing. Even if you have a full black cartridge. Thats ok if you want a printer that doesnt print I guess. The cartridges run out quick. The color cartridges get used up even when printing in black only. The scanner is good enough, but does not scan 35 mm negatives.

Hi guys, I just got one of these printers for juts a few bucks. There are a few workarounds to the black and white printing issue. This may be helpful for those who have this printer. Heres a free program that will trick the printer into thinking it has a never-ending supply of ink: [...] Theres also an extensive blog post with solutions here: [...]

I cannot recommend this printer. I second the reviews where one is not allowed to print B&W without 3 other functioning cartridges. My most serious problem is that after about a year of routine use, replacing cartridges when empty, etc, the heads on our printer are now clogged. They do not unclog with the head cleaning procedure because the darn thing is convinced its cartridges are empty. They are most certainly NOT empty, as we had just purchased a whole new set of cartridges. Arrrrgh! If I cannot get this printer to work pretty soon Im gonna unplug it and put it in the trash.

The printing only works when ALL the ink cartridges have ink - including pages that only require black ink. Here is how I found out: I just got a great deal on black ink for the Epson CX5400 that was clearence priced at Staples. I even bought an extra cartridge. After installing the black ink and then trying to print out a text document, I found out that the Epson company wasnt going to let me print text (black ink only) documents unless I also buy the cyan and magenta ink cartridges too. What a screw over! So I threw the Epson Stylus CX5400 in the garbage and will NEVER buy from Epson again.

I dont know what to say - but Ive bought Epson printers in the past and have good fortune with them. This one however - as other reviewers stated needs all 4 colors to be filled for it to work at all. You can only buy the cartridges from Epson now since they sued all the after marketers. A typcial price for all four colors cost over $50 now. I would not even by this printer dirt cheap - I plan to throw mine away and get another brand.

I have owned this printer for approximately 7 years. It has been very dependable and makes great copies. The only draw back is that it will not print black and white copies if any of the color cartridges are empty. This is because each time it prints, even in black and white, a tiny amount of color ink is used to prevent the nozzles from becoming clogged. Just a minor problem; I made sure I had replacement cartridges on hand. I would recommend this printer for the home office.