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Update #2 Almost nine months after my original review and Epson STILL hasn't released the ICC profile for their Ultra Premium Luster paper. If you are using anything other than their Ultra Premium line you really aren't getting your money's worth on this printer. And as a photographer I can't give my clients work printed on glossy! Unfortunately, Epson doesn't seem to even have a timeline for giving their consumers proper ICC profiles. I just cannot understand why they have profiles for every other paper besides their most popular?
Update I am adding a few stars onto my original review for a couple of reasons. One, because Epson customer service is actually one of the better customer service experiences I've had to deal with. They are very quick and courteous with their responses. And two, because after a month the banding problem I was having has randomly fixed itself. I'm hoping it was only a problem with the printer being so new, and will not happen again. But I will certainly update my review if this is not the case.
Original Review
Let me start off by saying that if you can get this printer working correctly, it will produce some incredible prints. Epson's Ultra Premium photo paper, combined with the amazing Claria Hi-Def ink is sure to exceed your expectations on print quality. That is IF your printer decides to work properly.
Out of the box the initial installation (Mac OSX 10.6) was quite easy, and everything worked smoothly. I then tried to connect my printer to wi-fi which is when my problems began. Although I followed the instructions to a T, wi-fi just would not install on my printer, despite the fact that this printer advertises a wi-fi connection in "seconds". A few days, countless hours, and a couple phone calls to Epson did not solve the problem, I was basically told they didn't know what the issue was. Having to connect my computer and printer with a cable every time I needed to print something was a bit of a pain, but certainly not something that was worth the hassle of returning the product. I then started printing some images to complete client orders I had lined up, and I noticed banding on every single image. I followed all of the steps listed on Epson's website, as well as took the advice of a printing instructor at my school, taking every step to rectify this problem. Nothing worked. And weeks later my printer is still banding. I have changed the ink and lost a full pack of Epson Ultra Premium Photo Paper, wasting a ridiculous amount of money in the process. Now my printer will no longer even respond to the "clean the print heads" command.
Another big problem with this printer is that Epson has not completed the ICC profiles for some of their own paper, most notably the Ultra Premium Luster. This paper of course being the favorite of photographers. And if you can't print on Ultra Premium paper there's not much purpose in purchasing the overpriced Claria inks, as their full potential will not be reached using mediocre paper. I contacted Epson and they said they don't know when the ICC profile will be available.
Epson's paper is, in my opinion, the best on the market and as a photographer I hate giving my clients work printed on anything less. But nothing is worth this much hassle. Epson should invest some more time into producing quality printers that are worthy of the paper and ink they use.
*Just a note, this printer does not come with a USB cord, so if you are thinking of purchasing this product and don't have an extra one laying around, I suggest buying a USB cord along with it since your wi-fi may end up not working. Otherwise, you'll still need access to one for initial set-up.
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