Customer Reviews

Epson Stylus C86 Ink Jet Printer (C11C574001)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(77)

 

 

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.

The Epson Stylus C86 is an ideal personal desktop printer that can produce outstanding photographic prints when used with care.

I needed a personal printer to sit beside my computer that could handle moderate volume. I still use the networked office printer down the hall for occasional bulk jobs, but the Stylus C86 is perfect for most day-to-day work. Ordinary text printing is fast and sharp. I've used it with perforated postcard sheets very successfully, and the 'fine' setting produces truly excellent typographic resolution.

Printing high quality digital photos on any printer is a skill that takes a good deal of practice, and the nature of the output depends as much on details of the input file as it does on the quality of the printer. With carefully prepared CMYK digital images, and good photo paper such as Epson's Enhanced Matte paper (a must for quality work), I've been able to produce amazing digital prints with the Stylus C86. Co-workers couldn't believe they had been output from an inexpensive desktop printer.

Epson recommends the DuraBrite inks with this printer, and that is what I use. There's no doubt they are expensive, and the cost of replacement cartridges is a drawback of all inkjet printers. The claimed advantage of these specific inks is that they are pigment based and so do not fade as dye-based inks do. I haven't done a thorough test of this, but there is no question that the inks are more durable than the dye-based inks used in an older Canon printer I had: prints from that machine would be noticeably faded after only a few months. It is hardly worth making digital photo prints at all if the colors won't last, and the DuraBrite inks used in the Stylus C86 are certainly superior to many others. Further, the cartridges are individually replaceable so if you use a lot of cyan (say), you can replace only the cyan cartridge without having to discard the remaining yellow and magenta. The software that comes with the printer is adequate (if inelegant), and it lets you check the amount of ink remaining in each color and clean the print nozzles when needed.

It's important not to judge this printer by the wrong standards. It isn't meant to be a rugged, high-volume, multi-user office printer. It's a personal printer that will perform very well for an individual user, and it can produce stunning photo prints with good paper and a good input file. Are there more durable, heavy-duty printers available? Of course. They cost much more. Are there printers that will produce commercial-quality photo prints quickly and in high volume? Of course. They cost much more, too. It is the combination of both quality and price that make the Epson Stylus C86 a truly remarkable personal printer. I use mine every day.

This is the upgrade to the C84. This isn't a huge advancement, and if you have the C84, don't bother. If however, you're looking for a new printer for home use, consider this one. It's marginally faster than it's predecessor (by 2-3 ppgs/minute), the print cost run the same (It uses the same catridges), and the resolution is the same (very high resolution).


It uses individual color cartridges rather than the tricolor cartridge of HP's, which I find helps cut down on ink cost. The printer is fairly effeicient with it's ink, and I don't have to replace cartridges often.

The input tray really doesn't hold many sheets; I find I have problems with feeding if more than 50-60 sheets are in it, but again, it's not meant as a high volume printer, so that's not a big deal.

Like the C84, it prints very good photos and graphics, and excellent text. It's meant as an affordable all around, low through medium volume use (less than 500 sheets/month) printer. It excels in this role. If you, like me, print a fair amount of text (100 pages a month give or take) and some photos, but need high quality all around, this is a great printer for you, espically at the price. For your average home user, it's an excellent choice.

I recently bought this printer and I am very satisfied with the performance. The installation was easy, it was hooked and ready in 5 min.
The regualr text prints are of excellent clarity and good speed.
The ink cartridges are used very efficiently and the colors are in individual cartridges, I printed around 30 4x6 prints the first day and I hardly noticed any change in the levels of ink.
But it takes around 3 - 5 min to print a 4x6. I have not used other printers so, I cannot compare. But it is slower than what I expected the speed to be.
Also, I had to increase the brightness of the image by 20 - 30 % using the photo editing software to get a good print. My camera is Nikon 3200 and the editing software I used was ACDsee view.
Overall, I am very satisfied with the performance of the printer. I would recommend this to anybody I know for their home.

For the large amount of ink this printer seems to go through, it is gratifying that at least the print quality is more than acceptable.

This is the printer I use in my home office, where I seldom print even five pages a day. I am not a novice at using printers, so it is a little bit of a surprise that the machine so frequently refuses to load a page for printing. I stand up, ruffle the paper AGAIN, reload, and usually it prints -- at least by the second or third time of going through these motions.

Although my printing volume is very low, it is nice that the machine dependably produces "client worthy" documents, even when these include line drawings. Without question this is the best inexpensive printer I have used in that respect. The cost seems to be the speed at which ink cartridges run out. And it would be nice not to have to fuss so much about the paper.

I have owned two C82 printers and folks have owned two C84 printers (two of each because one of each failed during the warranty period.) Know that every 18 months or so Epson releases a new model number of the same printer, and has historically failed to address the issues of the previous version. Search the web for "clogged nozzles" and "C82 and C84" and you'll find a lot of info from users with problems (you may not find such feedback YET on the C86 because the model number is relatively new and not enough time has elapsed to allow the printheads, etc to clog up. If past experience is any indicator, it'll only be a matter of time until you experience the same issues.

As one of the previous reviewers mentioned, after a while of use, the printheads, etc clog and none of the routine diagnostics and remedies work. You are left with the option of either sending the item to a service center, or buying a new printer (if out of warranty.) Since repair costs exceed the cost of a new unit (after rebates), it is generally not worth the cost of repair. Seiko/Epson customer service won't stand behind the product after the warranty has lapsed and are very quick to point out the customer is on their own or has to foot the bill for a repair.

For those of you interested in a disposable printer (which works great for the first year or first few cartridge changes) the print quality is very good. Though the printer is VERY thirsty (it goes through a lot of ink quickly), the cost of printing per page is reported to be among the lowest going.

I suggest owners who want this short-term operational printer, I suggest you consider purchasing some extra inks (so as not to run dry unexpectedly soon.)

Unfortunately, Epson quality is no longer what it was in the 80s and 90s (it WAS the gold standard.) I may look to go back to HP to replace mine (which will be going to dump this weekend.)

Don't let the low initial purchase price fool you...this item uses the Gilette razor approach: the base item is very cheap, but the refills are where the company makes their living.

Bottom line, it's a DISPOSABLE PRINTER and is not worth the frustration.

I have used the Epson C86 through one cartridge change. The printer has performed well, no cause for concern. I should eventually get it for free after a mail in rebate on a camera+printer bundle.

What I'm writing to report is something I haven't seen reported much - its printer dialog interface, and ease (or lack thereof) of ink refill. There are 2 important features missing on this printer: 1. The ability to print banners. I was looking forward to printing out some panoramas since it prints photo quality. 2. It lacks the ability to set auto-on from printer preferences. The Canon bubblejet I had before this one that I used for almost 3 yrs had a checkbox in its dialog so I didn't need to turn on the printer for jobs. It would turn itself on upon receiving a feed, print, then turn off in 5 min or so. The Epson C86 does not have that feature. Either I must leave it on all the time or must turn it on and off manually all the time.

Now about ink refill. I've gradually become a believer in refills. Although this printer has separate color cartridges, each cart is 5-10ml which is quite little, and the cartridge "looks" pretty thin. Now at 10 bux plus for each new, I REALLY want to refill the ones I have. Well, I learned that Epson cartridges host a chip that counts the number of droplets used and signals to the printer to stop using it after certain number of droplets.
[...]
It totally seems like Epson would like to extort the money from its customers to buy new, thin, low -capacity cartridges all the time. Just no consideration for user's money and the environment. OK so now you can buy resetters (a device the size of a mini-snickers bar) that will reset the chip count. Great, so I get one for about 8 dollars. The woes don't end here. It turns out the fill hole also points to the ground so if you fill it, you better have a great way to seal, which I haven't discovered yet.

So for now, I'm going to try refilling its cartridges. And I think I will be doing some research into refilling potential for each printer I buy from here on out.

Epson is facing a class action suit in LA Superior Court. Seriously, check it out. You may be due some money. I recently got notice of this by mail from a law firm. Good!! this product stinks! The civil suit revolves around fraudulant ink cartridge performance. Ive owned two of these turkeys. They do guzzle ink, half full cartridges "inform" the printer that they are dry, causing the printer to quit working until you replace the cartridge! If a color cartridge is sending an "empty" message, you cannot print a BLACK/WHITE document! It will not let you! Until you replace the color cartridge unnecessarily. Another beef, when printing a b/w photo, it uses some color ink for some reason, I often get a greenish black image! I called Epson help, and they were worthless. I finally got a decent b/w photo by setting the printer for mat paper while actually using glossy paper (Epson paper). Both printers had the same flaws! Don't waste your money on Epson.

This is my third Epson, and with its untimely death I've finally accepted the painful truth: Epson printers produce wonderful results... WHILE THEY WORK. And, unfortunately, they don't work for long. There's a reason Epson is no longer the #1 printer maker. This is the third Epson that died on me after about a year of use. All of them died of the Clog From Hell disease, but whilst the first two at least continued printing something (so I could use it to print throwaway drafts and such), this one just keeps spitting out blank pages at me. Replacing the cartridges doesn't work, running nozzle cleaning cycles doesn't work, NOTHING works. And did I mention that Epson printers downright refuse to print if one of the color inks is low, even if you're only looking to print black-and-white? I see no point in having to replace a cartridge if I'm not going to use it. Except, perhaps, to suck more money out of your customers.

So, after $120-worth of wasted ink and paper and enough stress to last me for the next decade, I'm finally saying goodbye to Epson. Its printers can make wonderful prints, but they just aren't reliable. If you don't mind having to replace your printer every year or so, AND spend a fortune on cartridges in the meantime, then by all means buy an Epson. Otherwise, RUN AWAY and don't look back!

This printer is the biggest waste of money. This machine not only has spotty performance, it runs through ink like an SUV runs through gas. Think it costs a lot to fill your tank? Try this printer. Even if you DON'T use your printer, it will need new cartridges every 3-4 months because, according to the technician, they dry out. I know, because it ended up costing me 3 color cartridges and a black cartridge even though I only printed 2 pages in 3 months on new cartridges. At $13 each color and $24 for black, that's $60 every 3 months. Print frequently, and those little cartridges won't last a month. It also won't print if any of the cartridges are out, meaning that if you just want to print black and white text, it won't.

Bottom line: don't waste your money.