Konica Minolta Magicolor 1690MF colour laser multifunction 
RRP: $799.00
RRP: $799.00
Wed, 10/06/2009 - 22:46
Epson Printer TX800FW
Epson Printer TX800FW
Since owning the above printer for the last couple of months I've used about $400 bucks worth of genuine ink and I'm only a moderate user. Settings are on low for basic printing. The print heads continualy need cleaning. Print quality is average whilst pictures are of poor quality. I wrote a letter of complaint to the CEO of Epson Australia. All they did was send an automated response refering me to a web help page. Now thats service at its best. The printer is a heap of S**T.
6%
10%
EPSON TX700W
I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY. The EPSON TX range is a nightmare
Make the best of it
Unfortunately, you'll find this issue with alot of inkjet printers. Many printers come with "starter cartridges" which have less ink, but even after you get past this, subsequent cartridges will often last a fairly short time. The best thing to do is make common sense decisions to make sure that you get the most of your cartridges, like picking grayscale for text documents and printing at lower quality settings when possible.
Epson imitation printers
I agree, also they tell lies about the product. The blurb on my TX700W talks about scan to email and scan to PC whereas the printer will only perform these functions using USB. The printer will not perform these functions via any network. I purchased the thing for just that option, scan to email via wireless. Now I have to put the printer on my desk again instead of the top of my filing cabinet and working via wireless.
I agree with the print cart use, the specs says it will print up to 800 pages using the 81N cart however unless I somehow managed to get over 1000 pages in my last pack of A4 (normally 500 sheets) the epson estimate is somewhat exaggerated.
What printer will I buy next?? They are all garbage really. My old 4200 went through many litres of every colour ink before I had to finally send it to where the good printers go.
Why cant they make something that works and works well without breaking ones bank for carts?
Pooley
TX700FW
The Scan To feature is something I will have to recheck as I honestly can't remember. I will get back to you on this, but I wouldn't be surprised if a direct to PC scan option isn't available over wireless, either on this or on more capable multifunctions. The tendency for network scanning across most multifunctions is to either offer an internal hard drive (which the TX700FW doesn't have) or a Scan to Email feature. The latter is most likely, so check to see if the TX700FW has this. If so, you should just need to input the SMTP and authentication details for your email address and should be good to go. I will clarify this, however, and get back to you.
Re scan to email.
After contacting epson via email the following arrived the next day.
************************
Thank you for contacting Epson Support.
The Scan to Email and Scan to PC options are only compatible with a USB connection and do not work across a network.
************************************
Ok so now we know epson also tells lies with both the scanning capabilities as well as the number of pages one can print from the gold plated cartridges.
Where can I get cheap carts ?
Then again I may take it back to Joyce Mayne for a refund.
Pooley
That sucks to hear - I
That sucks to hear - I understand not being able to scan directly to a PC over a network but scanning to email would definitely be handy. I hope you're able to find an alternative solution without hassle.
If you do stick with the TX700FW, I recommended continuing to use genuine ink cartridges, but you can opt for high yield cartridges (81N) instead of the low yield (82N) as the former are generally better value and higher capacity. Use staticice.com.au to find the best cartridge pricing - this search showed a computer store in WA sold them for nearly $10 than Officeworks.
Try a continuous inking system
I don't have this brand / model, but I put a continuous inking system onto my Canon IP 4200 inkjet - made it as cheap to run as my laser. This won't help the quality issue but will reduce running costs. Google Rihac for an Aust supplier I have found to be helpful
Ken