Epson Stylus C86 Ink Jet Printer (C11C574001) Review

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(More customer reviews)First, let me say that the Epson C86 (and C84, the earlier version) produces beautiful prints, especially considering the fact it uses pigment inks (DuraBrite) rather than the dye based inks that HP and Canon use. As a rule, dye based inks have a wider color gamut and are more vivid, particularly on glossy paper, than pigment inks, but I also have an HP deskjet 9650 (A3) Photo printer and the Epson prints are very close in quality to those from the HP, especially when I use the DuraBrite Glossy Photo paper.
Now for the bad news. First, everyone should realize when you buy an inkjet printer, you are actually buying a profit generating machine for the company that builds it. A very large percentage of the corporate profits of Epson and HP come from the sale of, you guessed it.....ink. They sell the printers at or close to cost, but make a killing on those tiny ink cartridges, and this is where the Epson will get you. Epson printers have a permanent, built-in printhead and it will sooner or later start to clog (do a Google search for Epson clogged nozzles.....you'll get over 6000 hits). When this happens, your prints will look really bad (banding and missing colors), and the "Epson solution" for this is to run cleaning cycles, which will burn through those high dollar cartridges even faster. I have had two Epson's to clogg almost completely, both within a week after the warranty had run out. Also, if the cartridge is low on ink, the printer will refuse to run a cleaning cycle until you replace the cartridge with a new one, then it will waste the ink in your new cartridge attempting to clear the nozzles. Epson cartridges have a microchip built in supposedly to monitor the ink remaining in the cartridge, but I have my suspicions that it may be responsible for the previous problems I mentioned as well as making it difficult (but not impossible) to refill the cartridges.
If you do not use your printer regularly, I would recommend that you steer clear of Epson, the clogging problem is worse if you let the printer set for long periods of time without using it. In this case I would suggest HP or Canon, my HP printers set for several months at a time and very rarely get a clogged nozzle, one cleaning cycle usually clears it up. Also, the HP printers have the printhead built into the cartridge, so every time you replace the cartridge you get a brand new printhead. However, the HP cartridges are tiny with very little ink (thanks Carly.....glad you got the ax), if you do a lot of printing you had better have some cash.
Finally, if you are having clogging problems, my solution might work for you and save some of your money from flowing into Epson's pockets. First, try to print something every day, even if it's just one small 4 x 6 photo. You want to keep the ink (all four colors) flowing in the printheads, letting the printer set will definitely cause you problems. Sooner or later, the printhead will clog and the nozzle test will show a clogged nozzle (broken lines). DO NOT run a cleaning cycle (this is exactly what Epson wants you to do.....it's money in their pocket). Instead, and there are a number of ways to do this (Google it), move the cartridge/printhead assembly to the center or left of the printer and immediately pull the plug, this will leave the area where the printhead is normally "parked" accessible. I take an eyedropper and soak the two small sponges that normally cover the printhead with Radio Shack tape head cleaner (alcohol), plug the printer back in, wait for the printhead to park itself and then cut the printer off with the switch. You want to do this as quickly as possible, don't ever leave the printhead "unparked" for any length of time. I usually let the printer set overnight, turn it on the next day and my nozzle check is perfect.....all without wasting any of that high dollar ink. Some people use Windex or distilled water, some people say not to use any of them including the alcohol.....that it will destroy the printhead, but I've had good luck with the tape head cleaner. Just remember, do this at your own risk....this will probably void your warranty if Epson finds out. If the printer is under warranty and you are unable to get the printhead nozzles restored, I would just ship it back to Epson, they'll probably send you a "refurbished" replacement. If it's out of warranty, I figure there is really nothing to lose.
The Epson C86 is basically disposable (made in Indonesia) junk. It is often cheaper to buy a new printer and use the cartridges in your old printer rather than buy replacement cartridges alone. This way you will have a backup printer when the nozzles become hopelessly clogged in your original printer. The reason I continue to use the Epson is because it produces really nice prints (when it's working) that have excellent fade resistance. I frame a lot of my artwork and photographs and don't won't them to fade after a few months. I would like to have an Epson A3 printer (2200 or the new R1800) but refuse to purchase one because of the clogging problems, it's one thing to trash an $80 printer.....quite a different matter to throw a $600 one in the dumpster.

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5760x1440 optimized dpi. Water, smudge and fade resistant photos. USB and parallel interfaces (cables not incl.). Up to 22 ppm black, 12 ppm color. Manufacturer's one-year limited warranty. Prints with remarkable speed and precision, delivering sharp vivid results on everyday projects in tiny ink droplets (as small as 3 picoliters). Features borderless printing in several popular sizes. 17-1/5"Wx18-1/10"Dx12-1/10"H.

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