... I was looking to spend around £100 and I particularly wanted an Epson printer, having had several in the past and always been pleased with their quality and build. Together with that, compatible cartridges are available for most Epson printers that are certainly good enough to give the originals ... Read review
Advantages: Photo Quality is Excellent, Prints on variety of media, Prints CD's and DVD's, Good Software bundle with sleek design Disadvantages: Text print not fantastic, Cannot print direct from digital cameras, camcorders or memory cards. No LCD Display
...and I particularly wanted an Epson printer, having had several in the past and always been pleased with their quality and build. Together with that, compatible cartridges are available for most Epson printers that are certainly good enough to give the originals a run for their money.
After wandering aimlessly around the shop for some 20 minutes or more my eyes finally settled on the Epson Stylus Photo R220. With its sleek design and ... ...for me was that the Epson Stylus Photo R220 can print on nearly any type of media you can imagine, in particular CD's and DVD's. I fancy myself as a bit of a singer and have recorded a few CD's in the past, and so I thought it would be ideal if I was able to print CD covers directly onto the discs to make a professional looking CD.
After weighing up the pros and cons I decided to buy the R220 and paid around £140 for it at the time, ... more
I had been wanting a new printer for some time and was unsure of what I should buy. These days the range of printers available on the market is extensive, ranging from inkjets, to bubblejets, laser printers and multi function devices. I already had three printers here but none of them worked anymore and although it may have been worth repairing them, the price of printers these days is so reasonable that it made sense to buy a new one rather than spend a similar amount of money on repairs.
And so without much research it was with a feeling of an authorative air that I strolled into PC World to persuse the rather large selection of printers on offer. Lets make one thing clear, I didnt have pots of money to go spending on some hi tech piece of equipment that was only just onto the market, although that said, neither did I want to buy some piece of scrap that wasnt fit for purpose.
If you know nothing about computers or printers or the like and take a walk round PC World I guess it could seem quite daunting, so if you dont have a clue about printers I suggest you seek advice from family and friends, from a review site such as this, or simply ask someone in store for assistance.
I do a lot of graphic work on my computer, as I generate a series of online reports for work. So it was important that my new printer would have exceptional print quality for graphics and photos. I was looking to spend around £100 and I particularly wanted an Epson printer, having had several in the past and always been pleased with their quality and build. Together with that, compatible cartridges are available for most Epson printers that are certainly good enough to give the originals a run for their money.
After wandering aimlessly around the shop for some 20 minutes or more my eyes finally settled on the Epson Stylus Photo R220. With its sleek design and fantastic silver/grey finish I fell in love with it immediately. I stood there for a while, picturing it on my desk at home and decided that it was the perfect accompaniment to my other gadgets, and a vast improvement on my old, white coloured printer.
The main selling point for me was that the Epson Stylus Photo R220 can print on nearly any type of media you can imagine, in particular CD's and DVD's. I fancy myself as a bit of a singer and have recorded a few CD's in the past, and so I thought it would be ideal if I was able to print CD covers directly onto the discs to make a professional looking CD.
After weighing up the pros and cons I decided to buy the R220 and paid around £140 for it at the time, although it is now available for a much more reasonable approx £40.
Lugging it home on the bus was a laugh as it came in quite a big box which was heavy and awkward to carry, but eventualy I made it home and proceeded in unpacking the printer with much glee. The printer was packaged very well and came complete with 6 cartridges in the box as well.
The ideal thing with having a printer with 6 cartridges is that if one colour runs out you dont have to replace all the colours as is the case with 2 cartridge printers. Although the cartridges are pretty expensive (approx £20 each) you can buy compatible cartridges both in shops and online for around £3-4 per cartridge and you can also get significant discounts when buying in bulk.
And so, with the printer out of the box, I set about connecting it to my computer. It was at this point that I realised there was a bit of a snag!
The printer is not supplied with a USB cable, and not having a spare one at home I had to go back out down the shop and spend another £17 on a USB cable before I could connect the printer up. Having finally got back from fetching the USB cable, it was time for the fun to begin. In fact the R220 is extremely easy to set up and install. Just plug the USB cable into the printer and PC and bung in the supplied driver software and follow the on screen instructions.
Another remarkable idea that Epson have come up with for this printer is a USB socket on the front of the printer, in addition to the standard one on the back. This makes it quick and simple to also plug a laptop into the printer as well from the front.
The first thing I attempted to print on my new printer was a CD. I followed all the instructions, designed my CD using the software supplied with the printer and sent it to the printer.
Disappointment!
The CD had printed but the ink wouldnt stay on the CD and kept coming off all over my bed and clothes and paperwork. I left it on the side but even after a couple of days the ink had not dried. I since discovered that the CD's must be printable media. i.e. have a kind of Matte finish on the surface to enable the ink to settle and dry. So to put this to the test I bought a sppol of printable CD's. Having gone to all this trouble, I was astounded at the results. The CD's looked so professional it could have been one I bought from the shop pre-printed. It was amazing. The graphics quality is excellent and far superior to any print quality I have seen before. The only downside to the print quality is if you are printing just plain text. Although the quality is good I wouldnt have said it was amazing or exceptional.
If you want to print professional looking documents I would always recommend that you use genuine cartridges and photo quality media. Unfortunately photo quality media tends to be expensive but if you are looking for professionalism then it is definitely worth it.
The paper input tray goes up the back of the printer and has a handy little dust cover which folds down when the printer is not in use. They tray can hold up to 120 sheets of plain paper or 20 sheets of photo paper.
The output tray is pretty standard and comes out of the front of the printer,a gain with a handy dust cover that folds up when the printer is not in use. This can hold around 30 sheets of plain paper.
Borderless printing is something which has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, and this is the ability to print right up to the edge of the paper. The Epson Stylus R220 does this with ease in sizes from 4x6 inches to 8x10 inches.
The print resolution of the R220 is up to 5,760 x 1,440 dpi and in general the output quality is excellent to exceptional apart from when printing text where I would describe the quality as average to excellent, dependent on the document.
The only added extra that I think this printer would have benefited from is an LCD display. I think this would have finished off the look of the printer superbly.
Included in the box are six ink cartridges, which are black, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan and light magenta. A CD printing tray, documentation for the printer and a CD-ROM. The CD contains a user guide for the printer, the printer drivers, Epson PrintCD software for printing on CD's and DVD's, and ArcSoft PhotoImpression 5, a basic image editing tool that can also create photo calendars, albums, and slideshows.
Overall I would absolutely definitely recommend this printer to anyone who is looking for a professional look to there documents with very little hassle and relatively cheap. But do remember that you will need to buy a separate USB cable for the printer.
Advantages: High quality images Disadvantages: No USB provided. Hard to find.
...shop charges on images. The Epson Stylus Photo R220 was recommended to us and so being the trusting people that we are decided to give it a go, this of course was several years ago now when Christopher was still a wriggling, gurgling baby, he's 3 now so you can certainly say we've had a fair amount of experience with the printer.
Epson R220-
The Epson R220 is designed to give a high quality of print, suitable for printing out highly detailed photographic ... ...that is common in all Epson printers, meaning that you either have to dig out a spare or purchase a new one. With the added software provided with the printer you can also add effects and designs to the prints, change layouts and add frames to your photos…..there is an amazing amount of options for your entertainment via this software.
Price & Availability-
We've had this printer for a while now but it can still be picked up occasionally, however ...
piggypine 11.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Epson Stylus Photo R220
...printing covers such as the Epson Print CD. The software installed has proven extremely useful since installation.
Quality
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When wanting to print a photo I alter the settings to best and when it prints the quality is amazing making it almost if I had paid to have it produced at photo shop. Other reviews that I have read have suggested that is not as good as what my opinion is but I think it really is good.
Speed
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The speeds ... ...of the print really does make up for the amount of time taken up. Sound
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This printer does not make much sound. The printer heads on most inkjet printer do some times make a lot of noise but this printer does not.
Look and Feel
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The printer does take up a lot of room meaning that if you need desk space this printer may not be the best. On the up side it is silver and grey making it look quiet professional and it weighs ...
burns2007 22.05.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Epson Stylus Photo R220
...printing covers such as the Epson Print CD. The software installed has proven extremely useful since installation.
Quality
********
When wanting to print a photo I alter the settings to best and when it prints the quality is amazing making it almost if I had paid to have it produced at photo shop. Other reviews that I have read have suggested that is not as good as what my opinion is but I think it really is good.
Speed
********
The speeds ... ...of the print really does make up for the amount of time taken up. Sound
********
This printer does not make much sound. The printer heads on most inkjet printer do some times make a lot of noise but this printer does not.
Look and Feel
****************
The printer does take up a lot of room meaning that if you need desk space this printer may not be the best. On the up side it is silver and grey making it look quiet professional and it weighs ...
burns2007 03.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Epson Stylus Photo R220
Advantages: Cheap photo printer. Excellent photo quality. Prints CDs Disadvantages: Cartridges are pricey and you need 6 but you only need to replace one at a time
...was the turn of the Epson C44 to bite the dust. I was never all that happy with the C44 it had niggling faults so off I surfed on to Amazon for a replacement. As usual I was buying on price as my income is not as generous as I would like, so I was pleased to find the Epson R220 at a very good £54.50 plus carriage. My friend has an Epson R200 and rates it very highly. The printer itself is quite large and does need clearance to insert the CD tray ... ...out from the desk. This Epson is very easy to install, the hardest part was fitting the six ink cartridges which are supplied. It came without a USB cable but just about every home has one or more these days so that was not a problem. It was supplied with a power lead which is only two core as opposed to the more normal three prong cable connector commonly in use. The printer has no detailed intruction manual included in the box but this is available ...
carbraxas 09.02.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Epson Stylus Photo R220
Advantages: Good budget printer for everyday use with extra features Disadvantages: A bit slow on a cold startup, but that's about it
...older ones won't, then the Epson R220 Stylus Photo is a very good buy, especially if you are on a budget. I usually find something to moan about with everything I buy, but except for the startup speed I have had a headache-free time and would thoroughly recommend this printer for everyday printing with the added advantage of being able to do cd's (& dvd's) and photo's with ease when the need should arise. ...
replinco 10.07.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Epson Stylus Photo R220
Picture quality
Printing speed
Colour sensitivity
Ease of use
Value For Money
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Reviews which might be of interest for "Epson Stylus Photo R220"
Advantages: excellent quality - perfect printing on most media including glossy Disadvantages: too expensive (priced the same as individuals) no savings for buying bulk
Compatible with the following printers
All-in-Ones
EpsonStylusPhoto RX500
EpsonStylusPhoto RX600
EpsonStylusPhoto RX620
EpsonStylusPhoto RX640
Photo Inkjet Printers
EpsonStylusPhotoR200
EpsonStylusPhotoR220EpsonStylusPhotoR300
EpsonStylusPhotoR320
EpsonStylusPhotoR340
Individually Epson inks cost approximately:
£15.00
T0481 - Black
£7.99
T0482 - Cyan
T0483 - Magenta
T0484 - Yellow
T0485 - Light Cyan
T0486 - Light Magenta
Around £55.00
The complete set of 6 ink cartridges in boxed T0487 costs around £55 in many stores on the internet, Tesco direct offer £54.97 plus you get 54 club points
So naughty epson you could make this pack at least £5-£10 cheaper than individual cartridges available by doing some costing changes
If you just want to do basic printing ...
ANSI A (Letter) (216 x 279 mm), Legal (216 x 356 mm), Executive (184 x 267 mm), A4 (210 x 297 mm), A5 (148 x 210 mm), B5 (176 x 250 mm), A6 (105 x 148 mm), 100 x 150 mm, 130 x 180 mm, 203 x 254 mm, 90 x 130 mm, 200 x 300 mm, 88.9 x 127 mm
Envelope Sizes
US No 10 (104.7 x 241.3 mm), International DL (110 x 220 mm), International C6 (114 x 162 mm), 132 x 220 mm
Max Printing Width
216 mm
Max Printing Length
1117.6 mm
Media Weight
45 g/m2 - 75 g/m2
Total Media Capacity
120 sheets
Media Feeder(s)
1 x autoload - 120 sheets
Expansion / connectivity
Connections
2 x USB
Miscellaneous
Certified for Windows Vista
Certified for Windows Vista software and devices have undergone compatibility tests for ease-of-use, better performance and enhanced security.
Power
Power Device
Power supply - internal
Power Consumption Operational
12 Watt
Software / system requirements
OS Required
Apple MacOS 9.1 or later, Apple MacOS X 10.2 or later, Microsoft Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
System Requirements Details
Windows 98/2000/ME/XP - 1 GHz - RAM 256 MB - HD 550 MB
MacOS 9.1 or later - PowerPC G4 - 500 MHz - RAM 256 MB - HD 500 MB
MacOS X 10.2 or later - PowerPC G4 - 700 MHz - RAM 256 MB - HD 2.1 GB
Manufacturer warranty
Service & Support
1 year warranty
Service & Support Details
Limited warranty - 1 year
Environmental parameters
Sound Emission (Operating)
42 dBA
Manufacturer's product description
A compact and stylish premium quality photo printer, the Epson Stylus Photo R220 provides home users with a cost-effective solution that will print photographs up to A4 and also personalize printable CDs and DVDs. The Epson Stylus Photo R220 is designed to meet the needs of those who want to obtain premium quality photos, up to A4, from the comfort of their own home. Using six separate ink cartridges, it is a cost effective photo printing solution, you only need to replace the ink that you have used. Additional features include a direct CD and DVD printing function and easy-to use photo software. To personalize a CD or DVD, the Stylus Photo R220 comes complete with simple-to-use Epson Print CD software. You can print your own designs directly onto compatible printable CD and DVD media, ensuring you can manage and identify your photo-CDs, home music and movie collections. Also included with the Stylus Photo R220 is Epson Creativity Suite, a software package that allows you to easily manage and manipulate all of your digital images. Using Epson Easy Photo Print you can select and edit your images to then print in your preferred format, for example, A4, 10x15cm or 2 photos per A4 page. At the heart of the Stylus Photo R220 is Epson's MicroPiezo technology delivering a resolution of up to 5760x1440 dpi, which, when coupled with Variable Size Droplet technology, produces photos that are brighter, sharper and more vivid than those from the photo lab.
