I have an Epson Stylus Photo R220 - that one will let you print a black and white document if one of the colors is out. I actually did speak to someone who works for Epson once and they admitted to me that several of their models have their, er..."little faults," as it were.

Hmm, I can download stuff off torrents with Vista just fine. I can't speak for the rest, though.

I can understand the frustraiton abot the printers,

I use to work in Field Service for HP. and one of My specialties is Printer hardware.

I would think the main reason the printer fails when a single color is out is due to the model being made for graphics. it is very common for Color printers to be completly paperweights if one color is out. this was also common with HP color lazors 45xx and 85xx series.

as for the print quality you would be surprised how settings affect your quality. as well as file formats and software used to print through. for instance high end qraphic programs have settings to calibrate your image file to be rpg or mcy. also postscript versions somtimes play large issues in image quality it all depends on who is doing the RIPing of the image to print. Is it the printer or is it your software. either way, I HATE PLAYING WITH GRAPHICS and I feel your pain. I am actually having severe quality issues with both my Cell Phone and Home Phone. yes it is not a printer, however it is an electronic device that one expects to work properly with decent quality and it is frustrating when they do not do what need to do.


Good luck on your next printer purchase, remember some manufacturers as well as stores have unconditional return policies in the first 90 days of the purchase allowing you to exchange for either a different model or money back.

MOnty :-/

Unfortunately I've had it too long to get a refund. No, I'm going to get a new printer as soon as my finances permit, and then I'm going to either hurl this worthless hunk of junk off the roof of my building or go after it with a sledgehammer. This machine has put me through a living hell and I will not suffer it's existance any longer. :terrence:

Yay! I see an Office Space scene re-enactment on the horizon! :bloocross:

You know, I think a better question here is "whose printer doesn't tick them off"? If you raise your hand now, you're clearly some kind of freak. :P The office printer is proof that the idea of technology created to aid mankind is a load of guff. My personal favourites were the ones at my old school; when I tried to print off an important project, it decided it would instead print me out an advertisement for itself. Useful. ::)

Mine will be hard to find a substitute for. The R1800 had a lot of things that I want in a printer:

It could print on larger than normal paper, up to 13" x 19".
It could create iron-ons.
It could print directly to printable DVD's.

More accurately, it was supposed to do these things. It printed one DVD with the Foster's logo, and the colors were a little on the pale side. I never got a chance to use it's other alleged capabilities. What a waste of money.

If anyone would care to recommend a replacement that can (and will) do all that and more, I'm listening. Do not mention the Epson brand to me; if Epson were a Forum member, I'd have it banned. >:(

I am a HUGE HP fan for printers, look at there web site, or call them. I hate going to stores to purchase because they usually do not have the best tech knowledge. and they are usually tying to fill quotas on particular models instead of trying to best fit the person with budget, quality and feachures. remember if you have particular needs talking to technical sales is worth your time that way you know what your getting instead of (like at stores) being told what the label says.

With HP you sacrifice the best dot per inch but reliability is great on models that cost OVER $800 usd. (also the more expensive models are repairable and would usually last an individual over 5 years)
With that said, I currently use the hp officejet 7400 but for BW Laser I still use my LaserJet 2. its slow but great with professional standard fonts, and no smears ever. I also have a handfull of other models that collect dust. Rule of thumb with all printers have at least one extra of each consumable this includes all inks, toners, drum, rollers. naturally consumables vary with model but always have 2 of each color (just in case)

Monty :-/

Yeah that's why I have 2 printers. I only use the Epson to print DVDs and occasionally to print on photo paper/transfer paper when I need a high quality image. Then I use a Canon for regular printing. (I also have a separate scanner rather than one of those printer/scanner combos). I don't trust one single machine to do everything I want. I don't even use only one computer for everything anymore.

how about when you email a chick and two days later...no reply :(