Epson Stylus C88 Inkjet Printer - fairly inexpensive with high quality printing, but slow

Background
After moving into my new house and setting up my new office area, I discovered that my old Epson C42UX printer was no longer working. I’m not sure if it was damaged in the move, or if it had malfunctioned prior to the move and I just hadn’t realized it. I didn’t have any way to prove that it was working prior to the move, so I was forced to purchase a new one. Since I don’t do a whole lot of printing, and I don’t have any real need for an all-in-one printer / scanner / copier / fax unit, I decided to stick with an Epson inkjet model. Based on my positive experience with previous Epson’s, and the relatively low cost I was able to find online, I chose the Epson Stylus C88 Inkjet. I have been using it for approximately 3 months now.

Basic information on Inkjet Technology
Part of the purchase decision is deciding what type of printing technology you want in your printer. The two dominant types of printers available in the market today are inkjet and laser. Inkjet is the most common type used today by consumers, as it is ideal for most people who plan to use their printer for photos, text documents and the occasional slideshow / presentation.

Here are some of the basic advantages that make inkjet printers are so popular:

- Inexpensive --- Inkjet printers are almost always less expensive than laser printers.
- Color --- Almost all new inkjets offer the capability to print photos, presentations or other pictures in full color.
- Easy to use --- Almost all new inkjets are easy to setup and easy to use. With a CD-ROM drive and an available parallel or USB port, it should only take a few minutes to be up and running with an inkjet printer.

However, there are some disadvantages associated with inkjet printers:

- Quality --- Inkjet printers are closing the gap in quality, but laser printers still cannot be beat for crisp, crystal-clear text and images.
- Slower than laser --- Laser printers are typically used in office settings by multiple people, so their printing speed is almost always faster than what you will find with inkjet printers.
- Shorter life cycle --- Again, laser printers are typically used by multiple people and therefore need to be more heavy-duty. Laser printers will usually have a longer life cycle to accommodate the thousands of documents they are expected to print.
- Fewer printing options --- Laser printers often offer advanced features that are sometimes not found in inkjet printers. Examples of these features would be duplexing (printing on both sides of the page), additional paper drawers and capability to run in a networked environment.

Basic information on the Epson C88
The C88 is fairly small (18.11" x 17.2" x 12.2" (W x D x H) with paper trays extended) and offers both USB 2.0 and parallel port interfaces. It is rated at a speed of up to 22ppm for black and white printing, and up to 12ppm for color. Maximum resolution, in dots per inch, is rated at 5760 x 1440. It can print on all the various types of paper (Letter, legal, A4, A5, etc.) and can print border-free photos with sizes of 4" x 6", 5" x 7" and 8" x 10". The input paper tray holds approximately 100 sheets of plain paper, and about 20-25 envelopes or thick sheets of photo quality paper. The output paper tray holds approximately 30 sheets of plain paper. The output paper tray can be flipped back up to a closed position when it is not in use. The buttons available on the printer are the On / Off button, the Cancel Print Job button and the Change Ink Cartridges button. It is compatible with both Windows (98, ME, 2000 or XP) and Mac (OS X 10.2 or later). It offers 5 print quality options: draft, text, text and image, photo and best photo. It includes a 1-year limited warranty.

Included in the box
1) C88 Printer with power cord and paper tray
2) 1 Durabrite Black ink cartridge
3) 1 Durabrite Cyan ink cartridge
4) 1 Durabrite Magenta ink cartridge
5) 1 Durabrite Yellow ink cartridge
6) Installation instructions and quick reference guide
7) CD-ROM with printer software

Note that everything you need to get started is included in the box EXCEPT the cable. You will need either a USB cable or a parallel cable to connect the printer to your computer.

Installation
Installation of the C88 was a breeze. In only a few minutes time I had unpacked the printer, installed the software, installed the ink cartridges in the printer, connected the printer to my PC with a USB cable and was ready to print. I did not refer to the included installation instructions since there is no “tricky part” to installing a printer for just one PC. If I was going to try to use the printer as a network printer, then I would suggest reading through the installation instructions.

My Use of the C88 for Printing Text
I have printed a number of text documents using the black ink and have found the results to be excellent. Printing in “text” and “text and picture” modes, the letters were a solid black color without any inconsistencies in the level of blackness. The letters were clearly readable and I did not see any jaggedness in the lettering. Printing in “draft” mode resulted in a lighter black color that appeared almost gray. This will help save ink if you are printing something that does not need to look great, but it certainly makes it more difficult to read.

One disappointment I have experienced is the speed in printing. In my usage, I’ve found that it only prints about 5 pages per minute. While this is comparable to other inkjet printers, I was hoping that this printer would perform faster.

After about 3 months of use, the software shows that the black cartridge is a little less than half full. This is helpful for knowing when to re-order ink cartridges. From my estimation on the number of pages I’ve printed, I would say that the black ink is lasting longer than it did with my previous Epson. I have not yet had to replace any of the ink cartridges.

The noise level when printing text is comparable to my old printer, and to other inkjet printers that I have used. Epson rates the noise level at 42 dB, which is typical for consumer inkjet printers. It is by no means quiet, but it is not so loud that it distracts you from continuing to do other work on your computer.

My Use of the C88 for Printing Slides and Photos
I’ve printed a few documents with PowerPoint slides and a half-dozen or so pictures on the C88. So far I am satisfied, although not thrilled, with the results. Slides and small pictures with text printed on plain paper in “text and picture” mode resulted in clear images that did not appear to have washed-out colors. The images did not appear grainy or include any other artifacts that would distract from the appearance of the image. However, when I printed larger photos (4” x 6” or larger) on plain paper, I did notice that the images were not as clear and the colors sometimes started to look washed-out. The level of detail when printing larger photos on plain paper was just not there – the edges were not completely smooth and I found the images to look grainy.

Printing larger photos on glossy photo-quality paper produced much better results. The images looked clearer and I did not notice any graininess. The colors were consistently vivid and natural looking, and I am happy with the results. I would be much happier, however, if I could get the same level of quality using plain paper.

I found the “border-free” print option to be useful for printing photos. This option allows you to print pictures in typical frame sizes - 4" x 6", 5" x 7" and 8" x 10". Once you finish printing, the pictures can be easily framed or added to your photo album.

The noise level when printing slides and photos is essentially the same as when printing text.

Again, I was disappointed with the speed of the C88. It took over 3 minutes to print just one of my 5” x 7” photos! Once you start the print job you can take a bathroom break, go get a snack and give your mom a call – and still make it back to the computer in plenty of time to see your photo print job finishing. Sheesh!

Conclusion
Overall, I am satisfied with the Epson C88 Inkjet. At a reasonable cost, it provides high quality text and photo printing with useful print options. Separate ink cartridges allow you to purchase replacement ink only as needed. The major drawback I would cite is the slow print speed, although this is not a big issue for me since I don’t do a whole lot of printing. It has performed reliably so far, and based on my positive experiences with Epson, I am hopeful that it will continue to print reliably in the future.

My other inkjet printer reviews:
- Canon PIXMA iP4200 Inkjet Printer
- Canon PIXMA iP6210D Inkjet Printer