Customer Reviews

Epson Stylus CX4800 All-in-One Printer, Copier, Scanner

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

I am very pleased with this printer and I think it offers tremendous value.

One of the first things I liked about this printer is that it prints at a normal speed with decent quality, which is sometimes hard to get when you are buying an entry level printer. The printer offers 5 levels of quality, although the draft mode is useless because the printouts are too light and dotty.

The next level of printout (2nd out of 5 levels) is an enormous improvement from the draft mode and is actually quite good. In fact, I will probably use this mode exclusively other than when making photos. To print a full color web page on this mode takes less than 25 seconds, which is not bad.

The highest quality mode on matte photo paper still prints at a decent speed with very good, bright, brilliant quality. I showed some people at work some tulip photos I took and they were really impressed with the quality and could not believe an entry level printer could do that.

The manufacturer claims their ink is smudge resistant and resists water. Based on some crude tests I did, I would say that they have accomplished that goal in spades. I ran some color printouts under running water and the paper gave way without the ink running. This is important for those of you who want to make mailing labels and are concerned about exposure to the weather and also about the durability of the photos you print.

I also like the fact that this printer comes with 4 separate ink cartridges (the full version) and that I can replace the colors as they run out. The HP inkjet I had before this used an all in one color cartridge and I always felt that I was wasting money because I am sure that 2 of the 3 colors still had life in them. With this printer, that is not an issue.

This printer comes with software that has some excellent features. I've always had a problem in printing web pages because the right side always gets cut off, and I end up using landscape. This printer comes with the Epson Web-to-Page toolbar that will compress the image so that the web page fits in the portrait format. I have noticed that at times that a character might get cut off from the right, but overall this tool is very handy.

The printer also allows you to make copies (color or black & white) without requiring you to turn on the computer.

The printer comes with two memory card slots that can accommodate most types of camera memory cards. I was somewhat disappointed with this feature because you can not import the information on the card into your computer. In fact, the memory card feature is a stand alone device that doesn't use your computer. I was hoping to be able to import the images into my computer from the printer, but that is not possible.

The way the card slot works is that it will print an index of all the images on that card, 30 thumbnails to a page. Below each thumbnail is a scantron type bubble form with (1)(2)(3) as your choices. You fill in each bubble that you want images of by choosing whether you want 1 to 3 copies of that image (hence the (1)(2)(3) choice). If you don't want a thumbnail, you don't feel in any bubbles. You then scan in the form, put some photo paper into the machine, and it will print the images you want.

I personally feel this violates the whole reason why I use digital photos, I want to edit them first on the computer before printing them, so I probably will not use the card feature. For this reason, I lowered my rating on the printer to 4 stars instead of 5.

Another thing I did not like is the photo software that came with the printer. It was stripped down and of little use (better off using whatever software that came with your digital camera of some other device).

I have a basic gripe with all manufacturers who label their machines all in ones when they do not have a fax function. I agree with other people in that there needs to be an industry standard definition for an all in one device. The problem is that a fax machine requires a document feeder, which most machines do not have. On the downside, without a document feeder, you will be limited to letter sized scans (A4 is the largest). This printer will not scan legal size documents. I did not lower my rating for this because it is an entry level machine.

Just so that you know, this printer replaced my high end HP D-135 all-in-one. I decided in the future to purchase entry level machines because you will end up with print heads needing replacement that are so costly that it's worth buying a new machine. With an entry level printer, I am not too worried if I have to replace it every 18 months to 2 years. I also use an HP LaserJet 4si for major print jobs too keep costs down (inkjets in general are expensive).

I purchased this printer to replace an aging printer and seperate (equally aging) scanner. I am impressed up to this point, setup was extremely simple and the basic printing functions produce good-quality documents with no detectable problems.

My only real frustration so far is the lack of documentation on setup and orientation for glossy 4X6 printing, I had to waste about 4 sheets in order to get the settings correct.

The "Arcsoft Photoimpression 5" software is next to useless, it made horrible prints. Stick with whatever picture software you normally use, I printed directly from Windows XP and it looked fantastic in comparison.

I have scanned some papers as well, and I like the software-based auto-detection, it saves me quite a bit of time when I an scanning multiple pages.

All in all I would say getting a decent quality printer with card readers (SD/XD/SM,CF) and pictbridge support for this kind of price really is a good deal. We generally are light users and don't require a great deal of "finesse" from our printer, so I would say if you are a light-duty user and looking for a decent budget multifunction unit, this could be a good fit.

There are two problems with this printer and the other Epson CX models. First, the printer will not operate if any ink cartridge is empty. If the black cartridge is full, and any other cartridge is empty it will not operate even if you want to print in black only.

Second, these models have a tendency to clog from ink residue if you don't run cleaning cycles after each use, which exhaust your ink supply. This is a complete waste of ink and an expensive maintenance issue.

We were a little disappointed when we bought this because it was a good deal slower than our old hp, but it seemed all right for awhile. Then it ran out of ink. Ever since, it has been one huge headache. After we replaced the black cartridge, it has periodically left white streaks that make the page unreadable. Troubleshooter said to clean the printheads, so we did. Repeatedly. We still had the problem, and head cleaning uses up all your ink.

Speaking of ink, that is the biggest ripoff of this printer. The separate cartridges supposedly save you money, since you only replace the one that's out, but our colors ALL ran out on the same print job. Can you say IMPOSSIBLE???? We have discovered that these cartridges have a "smart" chip that tells the computer when the ink is low. It was still printing very blackly, and we weren't using ANY colored ink, but suddenly the whole thing shuts down, and you can't print at all, because the "smart" chip has decided it's out of color. We couldn't print until we got new cartridges.

I am really disappointed that a company like Epson would stoop so low as to purposely engineer a product that costs its customers money, time, and frustration, but that's exactly what it's looking like to me.

Today we went and bought three color cartridges so that we could complete our _black and white print_ job, and now it won't print readably at all--just streaks. We have spent a good bit of time with tech support, but it doesn't sound as if we're ever going to get any satisfaction. None of them have a clue.

We are wishing like crazy we'd bought another hp, and not given in to the siren song of separate ink cartridges and wasted our money on this one!

Take my advice and DON'T buy one. We've heard that there's been a lawsuit over this printer, and I believe it was appropriate!

I have had this printer for about a year now. It was wonderful at first. Not fast, but good enough quality for what I needed. Then I started buying Ink cartridges. The ink doesn't last long at all. I got real irritated at how quickly the ink seemed to magically drain. It has a black ink cartridge, but unless you dig deep in the preferences, you find out that it uses all the ink cartridges, including black, to make a black and white page. So, even if you using only black your color cartridges will drain also. It turns out that there is a class-action lawsuit regarding this printer. The ink cartridges actually never run out. Once they get below a certain percentage, they will stop your print job until you replace whatever ink cartridge it thinks is empty. The problem was bad enough that Epson lost the suit. (or at least settled) I got a whopping $45.00 certificate at the Epson Store. I bought ink, but it, of course, did not last long. This printer has been a monumental money drain. I tried refilling the cartridges. I paid a $100 for a kit specifically for this printer. But the ink drains quicker and I am constantly having to "clean" the heads. Everytime I do a print job, I have to clean the heads two or three times then it works for a while and then runs out of ink again. I have never been more frustrated with a printer in all my life. It has cost me more time and money than any printer I have ever owned. I normally like Epson, but this printer is forcing me to think twice about a company that would build a monster such as this one.

I saw this printer and liked it. I know that Epsons have a reputation for high print quality, and I wanted a good printer and scanner. I didn't have problems with it at first, not until now. My first black ink cartridge ran out. Not surprising; I like to use B&W only to save color ink. But, after a few printouts of the second B& W cartridge I have a big problem: this printer will not print unless ALL cartridges have ink in them. One of the reasons I wanted an epson is that I liked the idea of separate cartridges. I thought this would SAVE me money and ink by only requiring me to replace empty cartridges. But, when the printer runs, every time, even if only black ink is used, it uses color ink. And, it subtracts it on a counter which is attached to the chip attached to the cartridge. This means I cannot trick the printer into thinking I replaced the ink, because the ink level is stored on the cartridge itself. This means with my new, second, almost entirely full black cartridge, I cannot print, PERIOD, until ALL colored ink cartridges are replaced. Not only does it make me mad that I can't use my black ink unless I spend [...](US) on color cartridges, the last time I printed in color, my cartridges were nearly half full. Not to mention, I have also had problems with ink clogs, which seem to be common with the CX line. This thing is a [...] Save your money, or buy an HP or other product. :-P

The scanner does work well, and can go straight to PDF; I wouldn't recommend it for large documents, though, as there is no way to add a new page after the PDF is compiled without rescanning all pages of the document.

I got this printer free from Epson after my cx4600 (slightly older version) developed print head issues. [Note to any users/reviewers that are commenting on the cx4600 - the 4600 has an issue with the print heads stopping to recognize new ink. Though Epson wouldn't tell me straight out that it's known and all over, they offered me either a discount on a new one or to ship mine back to be fixed. (My warranty was long over) Turns out they took my printer (at their expense!) and shipped me a brand new cx4800. This one does NOT seem to have any of the ink issues, and I'm thrilled with it.]

We love the scanner, the printer, the copier, the four inks... all of it! To fax, I scan to my computer and use Windows fax software to send. It's an extra step, but I knew I was getting into that when I chose this line over the others. I don't regret it, because I love the rest of this printer. The card slot is great - I don't use it much because my camera connects easily to my computer, but my sister's been using the slot a lot when she wanted to print pictures off a camera that's not installed in my computer. I'm pretty sure she got them through the printer and into the computer, edited etc, and then printed - but don't take my word for it becauase I didn't watch closely enough.

All in all... despite a rough patch with the CX4600, I'm very very happy with this machine.

This is my second Epson printer. My first was the CX4600, which I "broke" myself. I chose this one because 1) I was familiar with the product, 2) I got a great deal! 3)A good product for basic use- I use it once or twice daily.
Pros: This is a great product for anyone who prints, scans or copys on a daily or weekly basis. You can set the settings for your own use. I use this mainly for school/office purposes. Black and white or color charts are great! If you don't need to purchase the Epson Dura Brite cart.-made for photo use, then you can get some great prices at other places- I do this - 75% off!!
Cons: The ink cartriges can get very expensive if you use this for a photo printer- but it does produces great pictures with the Dura ink frim Epson-Dura does not run! But, I think going to the local photo kiosk is cheaper.
If you are considering this for a photo printer, please keep looking- it is not for you! If you want a good printer with the option of photo printing occasionally, this might be for you!!

This is the second Epson all in one printer we've owned. We owned HP deskjets until purchasing our first Epson. We needed the scan feature, and thought it would be cool to have a new printer so we opted for our first all in one from Epson. Well it worked fine out of the box, then the ink ran out. We replaced the cartridges and the printer wouldn't print. We cleaned the heads several times only to use up the ink, and it still wouldn't print. So we bought more ink, and had the same problem.

Finally in desperation, I searched the net to find out Epson is known for having clogged ink nozzles. So I contacted Epson, and after dealing with the run around and telling them how we bought 3 sets of their ink and nothing fixed our problem, they finally gave in a agreed to send us a new CX4800.

Well it worked until we replaced the ink, and now we are faced with the same scenario as the first printer. I'm so MAD, I will NEVER BUY ANOTHER Epson printer, NEVER! Consider yourself warned.

I was in the middle of looking at inexpensive printers and my curiosity was piqued by the poor reviews for the cx4800.
I am on my second cx4800 as my husband's office assistant "borrowed" my first one last summer and I never saw it again. Right after Thanksgiving I bought a new one which I use inside my home with my laptop. I also have a cx5400 that is over 3 years old. As well as a refurbished Epson Photo 1280 I was lucky enough to find on this very site last summer. Both the latter live out in my studio space.
I LOVE all of my Epson products. I never use Epson ink with any of them(BIG ripoff)and I put both the 2 cx's through a daily pounding. I have been through other name brand printers and scanners, but nothing I have used could hold up under the work load. So what is the deal with this NEW inability to use only black if one becomes low on 1 or all 3 colors? Is this something that the '06 models are doing? I had to ask because I do the very thing others have been unable to do all the time. Only with my 2 all-in-ones, of course.
I also run every imaginable type of paper and canvas through even the 4800 when I need to print finished artwork "tests" before I make the final run(s) on the 1280.
Both my original cx's came bundled with other pc products. And even though I had to buy the replacement 4800 and the 1280, in my absolutely techno-phobic opinion, the ease of use, wonderful saturation of color(even with the 4800!)and when "all else fails"... easy to read instructions; the prices on all of their products remain very reasonable.
I hope I didn't just happen to acquire the last 3 that actually work!