I can't speak to the latest models, but I have an Epson Stylus Photo R-200 and for scanning an Epson Perfection 4490 Photo, also a lcd projector. The printer works with my linux pc which is one of the reasons for purchasing epson. I bought all as refurbished, through whatever is the refurbished link on the website. Zero problems with any.

The scanner comes with rigs for scanning transparencies and negatives up to 6x7cm. I jerryrigged a system to scan my old 4x5" negatives and transparencies, then assembled in GIMP.

-B

Gene Heskett wrote:

Greetings;

My old and very faithful Epson C82 has apparently lost its printhead, it has plenty of ink according to mtink, but every time I clean the heads, fewer nozzles work, and the amanda backup report was printed without ink this morning.

So, I brought up from its storage in the basement, a 5 year old C88 I had bought to use when I was on the road, but its out of yellow ink after about 10 passes at cleaning its well dried nozzles. So I'm going to town, ostensibly to get some ink, taking nearly a two pack of all 4 inks for the C82 with me to see if a tradein might be arraigned, either for some inks for the C88, or a whole new printer.

I will not consider a lexmark due to their attitide vis-a-vis linux and their corporate structure being very top heavy with lawyers.

I've always been fond of Epsons, so which of the current models on the shelf can do good photo quality work at a reasonable cost for expendables? By reasonable, that is in comparison to the about $80 USD for a full set of tanks for the old C82, and probably very similar pricing for the C88's inks.

Is there some other favorite Golden Boy that also claims archival inks that I should also look at while I'm at Staples later this afternoon?

On Fri, Oct 23, 2009 at 1:09 PM, Gene Heskett wrote:

I've always been fond of Epsons, so which of the current models on the shelf can do good photo quality work at a reasonable cost for expendables?  By reasonable, that is in comparison to the about $80 USD for a full set of tanks for the old C82, and probably very similar pricing for the C88's inks.

Not an Espon, but I have a Canon Pixma somewhere around here that is very nice in one regard: the ink tanks are clear plastic and have liquid reservoirs (no cotton). The printer shines a light through a prism at the bottom to determine ink level - therefore refilling them is painless. It prints a decent photo also, if you buy nice paper. I quit buying Epson after they decided that a cartridge had to be replaced after X number of prints.

My 0.02 Chris

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that it is cheaper to have my photos printed by one of the on-line organisations than to pay the exorbitant prices charged for inks. A set of inks for my Epson Stylus Photo R300 is over £50 which is a lot of commercially printed photos and that's without the cost of paper.

Norman