Customer Reviews

Epson Stylus C88+ Ink Jet Printer (C11C617121)

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

I purchased this to replace an Epson C82 that worked great for several years before finally clogging beyond repair. This newer model prints borderless on all media and with great visual results. It is also a bit smaller than the previous model which is great because I actually keep it in a drawer out of sight, and just pull it out and turn it on to print. Epson improved the ink overspray by putting foam under the entire print path. Previous models had only a few spots to soak up extra ink, and borderless prints often left ink places that could soak into future prints. So this is another improvement. Over all a good printer for the price. I expect this one will also last several years.

I have always been a big Epson fan. However, I have been extremely disappointed with this printer. First of all, it burns through ink cartridges, which gets expensive. Secondly, I am constantly having to clean the nozzle heads to prevent gaps (which uses even more ink) so that the text on my documents is legible. It's so bad I have to clean them before almost every print job, and even then I rarely get a page to print out cleanly. Also, the printer has major problems with the paper feed - mostly when trying to print double-sided. After *every* page I have to push the paper feed button. Very annoying for large documents. Finally, when printing photos or anything that has a lot of ink coverage the colors are terrible. It's been so frustrating I am thinking of forking over for a laser printer. Avoid buying this printer!

I originally purchased this printer for our phone server at work. I was hoping a newer design would install without making me reboot the system (it didn't) . The picture quality is typical Epson ,and I'm very happy with it.
I just print an occasional color graph or chart ,and it rocks. It's quiet ,it's small ,and it takes readily available ink. The cartridges are the newer sepperate component type cartridge . It doesn't like cheap copy paper ,and will jam eventually. It was easy to unjam and clear however ,i was able to slip my ape like hands down into the printer ,without having to curse ,scream or apply a band-aid.

I bough my first Epson printer in 1995 and it lasted for 10 years. So when it came time to replace it, I went with Epson again.

I bought the Epson C88 based on the recommendations here and it stopped working after one year: The print heads just stopped working and I tried everything to get them working again: cleaning, replacing the ink cartridges, etc. Another reviewer stated that this printer wasted ink and that is also true. I have never seen a printer go through so much ink in my life.

I absolutely HATE this printer.

Once again, the ink has run out. Why does this make me so mad? Because I just bought all 4 new cartridges (costing me over $35) less than 6 weeks ago and I haven't made very many prints. I've printed 0 photos. All my prints are mostly B&W, and I set the printer to "economy" setting on the ink. I turn the printer off when not in use (as the manual recommends to avoid drying out the cartridges). I shake the cartridges, and they're still half full.

But for some reason, this monster wants MORE INK.

For the amount of money I spend constantly refilling the ink, I might as well just but a brand new printer each time instead of buying new ink!

The MOST annoying thing about this printer is that it "locks up" if even one of the cartridges goes "empty". I want to print a B&W document, but it won't let me because the Yellow cartridge is "empty". ARGH!

If you are a casual printer, this is not the machine for you.

If you plan to print alot of B&W documents, color documents, or even (gasp!) an occasional photo, this printer may cause you to become Amish.

If you want a really shiny paperweight, this printer is just what you're looking for!

Be aware that Epson engineers its ink-jet printers to use small amounts of the color inks even when you only print in black and white. Eventually one or more of the color cartridges will run out and the printer WILL NOT WORK until you buy new cartridges - even if you have never used color.

I have personally used this printer in three different configurations. First, I used it as it arrived with the usual Epson cartridges. Secondly, I used is with a CISS (continuous ink supply system) which you can easily find on eBay. And third, I used it with refillable cartridges, again which can easily be found in many places on the web. Some simply truths about Epson or printers in general. Leave the power on, do not shut them off, because if you do they are constantly cleaning the print heads (wasted ink big time). The Epson print heads are separate and are cleaned easily if you do a web search and learn how to clean them. Next, because you leave the printer on, you must print at least one page every other day to keep the print head from drying, and yes you can do it automatically if you get the right software. The best choice after using a CISS for 4 years on the printer is the refillable cartridges, because when they get down to about 70 per cent empty you can fill them up while still in the printer. Ink cost per fill up is pennies, but you must do your homework and purchase good ink (Durabrite or similar). The Japanese also have some very good Epson quality inks. I also tore this printer apart, re-routed the waste-ink tube to the outside of the printer and let it empty into a empty plastic squeeze bottle. I also at the same time removed the over saturated ink blotter pads on the inside bottom of the printer, and used the Epson Utility to reset the ink counter to zero. The printer will have both paper and ink lights flashing alternately which is their error indicator for maximum ink saturation of the internal ink pads which Epson sets at about 47,000 pages of print. Once this is done, you have a new printer good for another 5 year of good to heavy use. With the external waste ink bottle on the outside of the printer you will really appreciate how must ink these or any printers with the exception of the Kodak use, and if you were using Epson inks, just how much that lovely printer is really costing you. Don't play their game, switch to refillable cartridges and save a ton of money. Good Luck, gwooster@comcast.net

Pros: If you are looking to replace an old printer this one is fast, and gives excellent picture results - First thing I printed, out of the box, was good enough to hang on the living room wall. Easy to use. setup time 5 min.
I got the super saver free delivery expecting it to come in 2 weeks but I received it in 1 day!
Cons: Black cartridge could be bigger & it's the same size as the colored cartridges but it's more expensive.

This printer is definitely not a good buy if you have a windows 7 64-bit system. It installed just fine on my desktop XP computer, but will not install on my laptop. It gets to the point where the wizard expects an inf file, then it can't find one anywhere. I looked on the Epson site and there is no download for windows 7 drivers. You can get a software package that would theoretically allow you to control the printer, but no inf file. I contacted Epson support and they claim that this is not a current model (so why is it for sale on their site?) and they do not have Windows 7 drivers and do not intend to provide them. I have been buying Epson printers very happily since the first Stylus printers came out, but this one really tears it. Nowhere on either the Epson site nor on the Amazon site does it say that Windows 7 is not supported. Needless to say I am really unhappy about this.

This is my third Epson printer. They have all been very good but do wear out after heavy use for about three years. I haven't found any printer brand that lasts for a longer period of time for me and some other brands have lasted only a year or two.