Solid Multifunction Printer Value

Author's Rating:

Pros: Great Value, Fast high-quality printing, convenient PC-less copying

Cons: Quiet printing, but noisy paper handling, no fax, short USB cable.

The Bottom Line: 
This is a good printer, copier, and scanner for a reasonable price. If you don't need a Fax machine, give this serious consideration.

Author's Review
I needed to replace an old ink jet printer. I decided to look for a multifunction printer so I could get rid of my scanner and regain some space on the desk at home. I researched a number of brands including HP, Lexmark, and Brother before settling on the Epson Stylus CX3200.

Epson's new line of multifunction printers seem to be a great value. The CX3200 has better specs than similar priced competitors. The only function missing is the ability to send and receive faxes.

Everything needed to set-up the printer and connect it to a computer was in the box and the set-up instructions were clear. Out of the box, everything is secured with blue tape. Make sure you take it all off, including the tape on the paper rack on the back. The included CD supports both MS Windows and Apple's Macintosh OS. On the Internet I saw drivers for Linux. The CD contains an Epson application called "Smart Panel" (TM) to scan from the printer, but my other applications worked with the TWAIN driver directly. Also included is ArcSoft's PhotoImpression imaging application.

Unlike some printers, a 6' USB cable is included. However, I wish the cable was longer than 6' long so I could put the printer in an open space. This printer will get used by the wife to copy bills, and my son for school projects, so I don't want everyone climbing over me to use it.

The print quality is superb and the ability to print borderless photo-quality prints means less trimming for me. I have had no problems while printing about fifty pages of text and ten or so high-resolution photo prints. I was hoping to use the printer at night while my son is sleeping in the next room, but while the printing is quiet, the paper handling is a bit noisy on a quiet night. The paper input is a near vertical feed from the back and not a flat. That should mean a simpler paper path and less paper feeding problems.

My old scanner was not this good. For example, I scanned a photo at a high resolution and noticed some white specs on the scanned picture. The dust on the scanner's glass was also being scanned onto the picture. Cleaned off the photo and the glass and the next scan was just fine.

Detailed instructions and information are provided in an online manual. Following these I was able to easily connect my son's PC to the printer across the home network. However, the instructions omitted any directions to deal with Firewalls that should be running on all networks with internet.

Another nice feature is that you can make B&W or Color copies directly from the printer without the PC. The controls and LCD display allow you to specify paper type and copy text and graphics or photos.