This isn't really a review of this printer as much as a review of what it can do. If you want a reviews:
PC World:
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/product/ ... inter.html
Steves Digicams:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_rev ... mp830.html
In it's own right, it's a great printer/copier/fax/scanner. It's fast at both scanning & printing in my experience. I love the sheet fed scanner (so when I have a stack of papers to scan, I don't have to keep swapping them out). I also like the looks of the printer. Oh & did I mention that it has either front or rear paper loading, which was pretty big for me, because the shelf I use doesn't allow rear access very well & so being able to put the paper in the front tray was a real bonus. It has a USB slot & memory card slots, but I personally don't use those features, but I'm sure someone does. Oh, and another feature I do like is the boarderless printing. It bugs me when a printer has limits.
So, anyhow, what is nice about this printer is it's convertability.
PART 1
First off, if you are anything like me, you are a cheapskate. Thus, you buy all your ink from 3rd parties & fill the cartridges yourself. However, if you're really like me, you're as lazy as can be & can't be bothered to replace your ink at your printers will (like a recent cartoon so humerously presented). So, what to do? Well, fortunately, there are readymade kits to convert this printer to CISS (Continuous Ink System & no I don't know why there are 2 S's). Here's the one I have:
There are other kits, & all claim to be the best, there is one that I feel better about (THIS ONE), but couldn't find for a reasonable price when looking, so I settled for this one.
It was fairly easy to install. Or to me it was. It took nearly an hour & most of the time was swapping the chips from the original cartridges to the new cartridges connected to the tanks. You need to have a razor blade (to remove the old mounting tabs) & a soldering iron (or something that you could melt plastic with) to melt the new mounting tabs onto the chip. After the chips are mounted, the hardest part is routing the ribbon hoses (that's what I'm gonna call them). This is where the instructions that were provided to me were vague. The picture they gave me was of a printer of a different model & after doing it myself, I can say that they need to change the instructions or the lines will be pinched. There is a ridge that they need to go over to run along the top of the panel & it is raised all around about 1/16 of an inch (presumably to keep dust out). Well, that pinches the hoses. I trimmed it down with the razor & ran the lines the rest of the way out (they are just thin enough to fit through the crack where the lid closes). Oh, also a hint, keep the remote cartridge below the printer while installing the cartridges to keep the ink from gushing from them. Lesson learned the hard way (with red hands to prove it).
Anyhow, after the first 10 or so uses, you'll see the ink draw completely into the lines (as shipped the lines are about half filled with air). I can't tell any difference in quality from the original cartridges yet.
PART 2
OK, now that was nice, now the other awsome thing about this printer is that it can print on printable CDs & DVDs. I find this to be awsome for my perfectionist ways. I always felt like a hick writing on my CDs & DVDs with a sharpie. Unfortunately, the powers that be believe that Americans don't have the right to do such things & so the option isn't even mentioned for this printer. However, those freedom lovin guys over in Europe have been printing on their CDs & DVDs for years now & laughing at us. Well, we'll have the last laugh. Just purchase a CD print tray on ebay & you'll be in business... or will you?
You get it & find that there's nowhere to put it. But wait, there's a panel that's the same size as the tray all covered up, hmmmm. Let's pry that out & stick it in there anyhow. Fits just fine. OK, lets do some printing.... there's not option to print on CDs & DVDs. Oh wait, theres' a way to hack it is there? Of course. Everything is hackable. Apparently, the firmware has to be changed to EUR instead of USA. Through a series of seemingly random button presses, suddenly my printer takes on a European flare & likes to print on discs. All I need is some software to print & I'm golden.
