Epson Stylus DX4050

...have always gone for the Epson printers for some unknown reason and when my latest printer, an Epson Stylus PHOTO RX425 started playing up i thought it about time i upgraded, also the playing up of the printer was causing a problem with the childrens homework so needed to be sorted ASAP.
So off i went to my local PC World on the hunt for a bargin, not that you ever get any of those in PC World!! But i was in luck there was an offer on the ...
...the European version of the Epson Stylus DX4000 which is the UK model, however you can buy the European model cheaper - typical that is for UK.
So i marched off down to the check-out as quick as possible without trying to attract any attention to myself, just in case they'd priced it wrong and they'd realise before i got to the checkout - lol!!

~~~~ In the box ~~~~

On getting the printer home i opened the box ... more

I have always gone for the Epson printers for some unknown reason and when my latest printer, an Epson Stylus PHOTO RX425 started playing up i thought it about time i upgraded, also the playing up of the printer was causing a problem with the childrens homework so needed to be sorted ASAP.
So off i went to my local PC World on the hunt for a bargin, not that you ever get any of those in PC World!! But i was in luck there was an offer on the Epson Stylus DX4050 at only £39.99 for an all in one printer. I was chuffed as i'd expected to be spending around £70 - £80 for a new one. Apparently this model is the European version of the Epson Stylus DX4000 which is the UK model, however you can buy the European model cheaper - typical that is for UK.
So i marched off down to the check-out as quick as possible without trying to attract any attention to myself, just in case they'd priced it wrong and they'd realise before i got to the checkout - lol!!

~~~~ In the box ~~~~

On getting the printer home i opened the box to find:

1. The printer
2. Power lead
3. 4 ink cartridges
4. Installation CD
5. Info sticker
6. Instructions

The printer was well protected in the box from any damage by polystyreen ends and as usual i removed the printer from the box and kept the box and ends, putting it all in the loft for what? Why don't i ever throw them away as i'm never going to need them again.

~~~~ Installation ~~~~

This was a simple task, but to ensure that i didn't encounter any problems i uninstalled my last printer first and re-started my computer just to be on the safe side.

The first thing to do on removing the printer from the box is to removed the end polystyreen panels and the plastic bag. Then you need to ensure you remove all of the blue plastic sellotape transit strips, which the locations are clearly shown on the "Start Here" instructions.

Next you need to plug the power lead into the back of the printer first and then connect to your power wall socket. NOTE: do not connect the printer to the computer at this stage!!!! Now turn the printer on and allow it to start up and we are now in a position to add the ink cartridges. There are 4 ink cartridges and are black (T0711) , cyan (T0712), magenta (T0713) and yellow (T0714).

First you need to give the cartridges a shake and then remove them from the vacuum packed bags. Open the top of the printer, and then open the cover on the ink cartridge holder inside the printer. Next remove the yellow tape that is covering the ink hole on the bottom of the cartridge and then place the cartridges in the holder one by one, ensuring you push them fully home until you hear them click in to place. It is easy to ensure you get them in the right place as the holder is colour coded to show which colour goes where. Once all are in and clicked home, close the holder cover, the top printer cover.

Now press the ink button on top of the printer and this then loads the ink so it is ready for printing. This can take a few minutes so please be patient.

Now we install the drivers for the printer (still do not connect to your computer yet). This is done by placing the enclosed cd in to your computer and closing the tray, most atuo run so when the screen comes up just press the "Easy Install" tab and follow any on screen instructions. It's as easy as that. During the driver install it will tell you to connect your printer to your computer. Please not the only connection on this printer is via a USB cable, there is NO printer cable connection.
At the end of the driver installation you will be asked to re-start your computer which is done automatically for you when you press the tab on screen.

Finally, stick the sticker on the printer in the position shown on the instructions and your hot to trot.

~~~~ Technical Specification ~~~~

~ Print Technology ~

Printing method EPSON Advanced MicroPiezoTM head
Nozzle configuration 90 nozzles Black / 29x3 nozzles Colour
Droplet size 4pl
Print Resolution 5760 x 1440 optimised dpi

~ Print Speed ~

Black text A4 23ppm
Colour text A4 12ppm
Photo 10x15 approx. 94 secs

~ Copy Speed ~

Black text A4 approx. 5.3 secs
Colour text A4 approx. 12.1 secs
Scanning Technology CIS with CCD sensor
Scan Resolution 600x1200 DPI

~ Scan Speed ~

Black A4 A4 600dpi 5msec/line
Colour A4 A4 600dpi 15msec/line

~ Standalone Functions ~

LCD screen no
Supported memory cards no
PictBridge no
Bluetooth no
USB direct print no
Interface USB 1.1

~ Paper Handling ~

Capacity 100 sheets A4
Media size A4 , Letter , Legal , 10x15cm , 9x13cm , 13x20cm, 20x25cm, A6 , A5 , B5
Print margin 0mm top, left, right, bottom via custom settings in printer driver

~ Electrical Specification ~

Power consumption Approx. 10W (Standalone copying, ISO10561 letter pattern) Approx. 3W (Sleep mode)
Voltage AC 220-240V
Operating Systems Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP/XP x64 Edition, Mac OS 10.2.8 or later

~ Warranty ~

1-year standard warranty

~ General ~

Dimensions (WxDxH) 430(W) x 345(D) x 172(H) mm
Weight 5.7 kg

Ok you can wake up now, the tech specs are over with. Hope they helped and didn't make you want to jump from a tall building - lol.

~~~~~ In Use ~~~~~

This printer was designed with the small business and for in the home. I personnaly love these all - in - one printers as it means you have everything you want in one small neat little package rather than several machines all over, escecially if space is a premium. This printer is fantastic for my kids and doing there school home work, as they can print, scan and copy (not other peoples homework - i hope!!) and it so easy to use.

~~~~ Photo Printing ~~~~

The printer appears to print photo's without very much fuss, and although this isn't the primary aim of the printer. Because of the 4 colours used it can't quite match up to the quality of dedicated photo printers, but it will still do a good enough job that most people will never notice a problem.
One issue is the ink type, and the fact that it doesn't appreciate being used on gloss paper. It doesn't appear to smear under standard use, but there is an indication of bronzing, which can make an image look very strange when viewed from an angle.
For this printer I would recommend using a good quality Matt paper for the best results.

~~~~ Document Printing ~~~~

The printer is basically aimed at this type of use. Where the text is concerned there isn't much problem as far as I can see. The text is accurate, with no missfires, and there is very little in the way of bleeding due to the ink type used. This also goes for graphics printing. The printer seems to handle any charts or graphs with ease, and with the accuracy of the machine it seems to be very good for this function. Again the ink type helps as this sort of printing is generally done on matt paper.

~~~~ Scanning and Photocopying ~~~~

Again the printer performs admirably in this role. The scanner is easy to use and is quick.
Also the copying settings are quick and intuitive so after very little use you can knock out copies without any issues. You can also choose to vary the quality and colour settings direct on the unit, so overall it does its job very well in this department.

~~~~ Overall ~~~~

Again Epson have done a good job with the DX4050 printer. It's scans and prints relatively quickly as well. The quality is good and it is clear and simple to use.
Unfortunately it has the same achilles heel as its large brother the DX6000, and that is the heavy ink use. After scanning and printing a few full A4 pages the ink was already beginning to shoot down, and very quickly you seem to have run out of ink. Now this wouldn't be too bad if I was using compatible cartridges, but with Epson originals you are looking at £7 per cartridge this can mount up.
Although it is slower than a lot of printers, it is quite a cheap printer and makes an excellent entry level multi-function printer.
Therefore it worth it at the price it is currently being offered at, so if you're after a new printer and want an all - in - one and you don't want to print lots of photographs then this printers the one for you.

~~~~ After Note ~~~~

Sorry forgot to add in that if you are using the Vista operating System then you will need to download your drivers from the Epson support websight and you must not use the cd that comes with the printer.

The web address is http://esupport.epson-europe.com/en-GB 

...less