What fun printing CD/DVDs is!
Pros:
6 individual ink cartridges, great for CD printing
Cons:
slow for large documents compared to laser, tricky to figure out cd printing
The Bottom Line:
If you're in the market for a printer and want one that can print CDs, this printer is for you!
|
|
Overall Rating:
|
 |
|
Author's Review
In olden times, to print CDs or DVDs you had to use those annoying labels that never went on quite straight. They took up a ton of ink and usually the quality was so-so on an ink jet. Then came the thermal printer. Great quality but huge price, especially when you consider that you can only print one thing with it! So when I got the Epson R200 for my birthday, I was excited. I can finally print my own CDs and DVDs.
The quality of CDs printed is amazing! It looks professionally done and only takes a few seconds. I've never tried to print more than one at a time, but who would? The best part is, the media is very affordable. I got a 50 pack of CD-Rs at Sam's for under $12. One word of advice, you must get inkjet printable CDs/DVDs. I tried printing on a DVD someone gave me and it all rubbed off. Turns out it was thermal printable.
The actual process of printing the CDs is fairly simple, but not self explanatory. Basically you have to put the CD in this tray and then slide it into the printer and line up these arrows. I've managed to line them up everytime, but it would be easier to use if you could just slide the tray in without the fuss.
I've only printed one picture and it turned out great. I couldn't find how much it costs as far as ink and paper to print your own pictures but I've yet to find any printer that can beat the prices of getting it done professionally. But for last minute prints (or maybe an occasionally embarrassing photo you don't want anyone to see), this still gives you great quality.
Documents I've printed are flawless. In fact, they almost look like they were done on a laser printer. Of all the printers I've owned (and there have been a few), this is the best quality for the money!
A huge advantage this printer has is that it has 6 different ink cartridges. That makes it a lot more economical to replace only what you need. Full price you may pay $12 per cartridge, but if you shop around, you can probably get as low as $5. This may seem like a lot, but when you do the math, it's about the same ($5 x 6 cartridges = $30).
Disadvantages might include speed. But it's really fast enough for any kind of personal printing you may have to do. If you want to print a LOT of CDs/DVDs, it may be worth your while to get a thermal printer because the media is a bit cheaper. But if you're only going to print a few a week, this will do quite well.
If you're like me and want a printer that can print everything - pictures, CDs/DVDs, and regular documents, this is a great printer. I wouldn't recommend this for a business simply because to print multiple CDs or photos, you might do better to have separate printers. But for the rest of us, this is an incredible printer for the price!
