The ideal addition to any home or office, the Epson Stylus CX5400 all-in-one delivers long-lasting Photo Quality printing; one touch, standalone color copying; plus powerful, full featured scanning.This versatile unit provides a fast, simple way to restore faded photos to their original brilliance with exclusive Epson Easy Photo Fix technology.The Epson Stylus CX5400 can quickly turn these color-restored images into bright, vivid reprints made to last. Epson DURABrite inks ensure each photo has vibrant color that can be enjoyed for years to come. 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi provides remarkable image quality, while BorderFree printing and copying offers popular photo sizes to frame or place in albums. The Epson Stylus CX5400 also produces amazing results when printing everyday text and documents.This innovative all-in-one even offers convenient full-color copying, without using a computer. Whether it delivers enlargements or multiple copies on a page, the Epson Stylus CX5400 ensures each copy is as sharp as the original. Fully automatic scanning makes it easier than ever, while two advanced scanning modes offer greater flexibility and control.
The Epson Stylus CX5400 is an all-in-one color printer, color copier, and color scanner. This versatile machine is perfect for the home office or small business where space is at a premium. Print resolutions are as high as 5,760 x 1,440 optimized dpi, while the CMYK drop-on-demand Micro Piezo inkjet technology and Epson DURABrite inks provide bright, vivid, and true-to-life images. Print speeds clock in at 22 ppm for black text and 11 ppm for color text (maximum, draft mode), while a 4-by-6-inch photo takes approximately 72 seconds.
The CX5400 has a standard input capacity of 150 sheets and up to 15 envelopes.It accepts a wide variety of originals, including paper (plain; bond; Epson premium bright white paper, Epson matte paper heavyweight, Epson glossy photo paper), cards, transparencies, and banner paper. Supported sizes include letter, legal, half-letter, executive, and user definable from 3.5 by 3.5 up to 8.5 by 44 inches.
The flatbed scanner provides up to 1,200 x 2,400 dpi hardware resolution and 48-bit color, with a maximum interpolated resolution of 9,600 x 9,600 dpi. It accepts originals up to 8.5 by 11.7 inches. Copy speeds are as fast as 15 cpm for black and 12 cpm for color, while up to 99 copies can be made at once, freeing up your time for other tasks. The included software bundle helps you get the most out of your scans with a variety of image editing tools. Epson's Easy Photo Fix technology helps restore old, faded photos into bright, high-quality reprints.
The CX5400 connects via a high-speed USB 1.1 port. The AC 100-120 V, 50 - 60 Hz, 0.5A (max) power supply consumes around 23 W during normal operation and around 6 W during stand-by. Compatible with both Mac and PC, the CX5400 also comes backed by a one-year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
Epson Stylus CX5400 All-In-One, one cyan ink cartridge (T044220), one magenta ink cartridge (T044320), one yellow ink cartridge (T044420), one black ink cartridge (T043120), one USB cable, all-in-one documentation, CD-ROM containing all-in-one drivers and software (Windows and Macintosh)
1 Great, but have had a recurring problem with the CX5200
I currently own the Epson Stylus CX5200. I love the print quality and the all-in-one functions, however I continue to have the same problem over and over. The clear ink purge tube on the cap assembly continues to pop off therefore not allowing the black ink to get to the printer. This is my second CX5200 because Epson replaced the first one, which did the same thing. I was told that this is a design problem. I am so frustrated at this point that I am considering another brand, which is a shame b/c except for this problem, I really like the printer.
2 I have no problems
I love my printer. I have more than a year with this printer and I am very happy with it. If you need a PSC printer and you have the space in your desk, you'll probably love it too-
3 Great Photo Printing
I've had my CX5400 for about a year now and have had no problems with it. I've found a definite savings in the fact that each ink color (black, magenta, cyan, and yellow) is its own cartridge. While the cartridges are small, they do have more ink in them than those all-in-one jobs. Plus, if you print something that uses, say, a lot of yellow, you only have to replace the yellow when it runs dry instead of having to replace it along with cyan and magenta which may still be half full or better.
Whenever I print photos that I want to look excellent, I use photo paper (some cheap stuff from WalMart). I set the printer itself to Photo Paper via its onboard controls and the LCD panel. Then, I set the printer settings on the computer to Best Photo (Quality Option), PhotoEnhance (Print Options), and Glossy Photo Paper (Paper Options - Type). I've had compliments on how good the photos look and even had one person who thought an 8X10 printout was done by a regular photo lab. She was surprised to learn that an inkjet was capable of such quality. Epson's DURABrite inks are great. I even ran a regular printout under the faucet to see if the ink would run. For the most part, it did not.
Before buying this printer, I owned a Lexmark. I spent twice as much on ink in the first six months than I did on the printer itself. With the CX5400, this is not the case. I have to admit that I've switched to third-party (non-Epson) ink to save even more. I still end up with remarkable results. (Before doing this, consult your warranty to make sure it won't be an issue.)
4 On Second Unit & It Died
This unit is loud when the paper is feeding, but when working the prints are very good but the ink jets clog easly. My first unit ink nozels quit working under warranty and EPSON sent a replacement and this unit lasted about 6 months and not that unit is not printing so I will not purchase another 5200.
5 Happy Inkjet User
We have used this printer for over a year with good results. I use third party ink cartridges (cheaper the OEM) and have changed them over 10 times without getting any clogs. It is slow to print color photos but they look good.
I did have one problem with the printer. I use heavier card stock and the paper feed had problems. I did get a re-furbished unit that has worke great.
6 Useless after 14 months
The CX5400 that I originally purchased worked for about three months before it developed a problem with the scanner. Anything I tried to scan or copy would show up as large random black dots. Epson sent me a replacement free of charge.
The replacement worked well for a little over a year. Now, it's 14 months old and will only print a few horizontal lines when I try to print or copy something. I've never used anything but epson ink. The current cartridges are only a few months old and have plenty of ink. I've tried cleaning and aligning the print heads several times with no results.
When it was working, the performance of the CX5400 was not bad. The quality of the scans and copies were pretty good and the print quality was adequate. Photos that I printed with this unit had a light red tint to them. I would have given this all-in-one four stars based on its performance but the lack of longevity earns it an automatic one star rating. I used to think that Epson made high quality products. Based on my experience and the other reviews here, I no longer believe that.
7 I really give it a ZERO
This is a joke, right? This printer doesn't do anything well--print quality is weak, copies aren't good...I only used it for 6 months before i decided to pitch it, and I really might just pitch it right out the window, becuase I haven't gotten to the most frustrating part: The Great Epson Printer Cartridge Scam. For the uninitiated, this means that ANY TIME YOUR PRINTER IS OUT OF ONE COLOR CARTRIDGE, YOU CANNOT PRINT AT ALL; the cartridges are REALLY SMALL, so you'll be very familiar with your friends at the office supply store; the cartrdiges are REALLY EXPENSIVE, so Epson will owe you stock holdings after a few months. If you need a printer that works and is cheap to run, THIS IS THE OPPOSITE. It's patently unreliable because it's always out of ink, and I will never buy another epson product as long as I live, because this product is PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE IN ACTION.
8 You WILL get bit in the butt...
Ignore the Epson reps who've posted shill ratings on this board. This stuff is best avoided.
Some things which WILL happen with this printer:
1. Your print heads will clog. Each time you clean the nozzles you'll use about *1/8th* to *1/4th* of all your ink. Seriously.
2. Cleaning the print heads eventually won't work, and you'll have horrible banding which won't go away.
3. The ink goes SO fast it will make your head spin. Oh, BTW, that cleaning above (which will only work when the printer is brand new) costs you about $10 in ink EACH TIME you do it.
4. Even though the inks are seperate, if you run out of even one color you won't be able to print in black. Period.
5. When it tells you your ink is out and you go to replace it, you're horrified to find that there is still a decent amount of ink in the cartridge, but the cartridge has a computer chip which won't let you refill or re-use it no matter how much ink is still left.
6. Epson tech supports, well, SUCKS. Be forewarned.
7. If you get a bad paper jam, you may be done-for. This thing seems to stop feeding right after that happens. This happened to me while it was still under warranty, but this has happened to other people I know as well, and I hope it doesn't happen to this one.
I had a C82, which seemed decent at the time, but it gobbled up ink, and began to have paper feeding problems which refused to go away. I though the All-in-One would be better. Nope. Worse.
The actual ink "fix" is to clean the nozzles with the printer in Photo mode. It produces smaller droplets of ink at this setting. Epson will charge you $10 to tell you this over the phone. For real. You get that info here for free. You actually have to set the quality to photo in the "printer properties", restart your computer, THEN spend $12 in ink to (sort-of) clean the print heads with a nozzle cleaning operation. Have fun. If you're low on ink, this will kill it, and you won't be able to print anything 'til you've fed this beast again (and wasted even more ink when the system charges.)
I just bought a Canon PIXMA. AMAZING photo quality - their 4 (and 5) ink systems rival the 6-8 ink systems from Epson. Seriously. And the ink lasts WAAAAAAAAAYYYYY longer.
You've been warned...
9 Same problems with Epson CX5400
I have owned other Epson printers in the past and have had no problems. I decided to replace my old scanner and printer with an all-in-one. I loved this printer when I first bought it in January, 2004 and used it extensively the past year. But, shortly after the warranty expired this year, I began having problems with horizontal banding and skipping. I, too, have changed the cartridges and cleaned the heads repeatedly with no luck. The magenta has completely stopped printing and the blue and yellow still have banding. I have only used genuine Epson inks. THIS IS THE WORST PRINTER I HAVE EVER OWNED. I guess after reading other reviews, I will just have to trash it and buy another printer. I will definitely be looking for another brand!
10 Uncanny
I had just changed each of the ink cartridges at a total cost of around $55. And then, not one color worked at all. Just blank pages. I went through all the diagnostics and maintenance. No luck. So, I called a service rep. She walked me through all the same steps outlined in the instructions and offered not a single bit of instruction more. She then offered to replace the unit through the warranty. I was suprised she gave up so easily. After reading these reviews here and on other websites, I have found that the nozzle head clogging is the likely problem. This probem does not at appear to be at all uncommon. And it seems there is no sure fix. Truthfully, I do not know if I will go through the hassle of the replacement even though it is under warranty. Who wants the hassle of being home to take delivery of a REFURBISHED (READ: it already broke at least once before) printer that might go out just as quickly as this one. Who wants to lug the old one to the post office. I just wish I didn't spend $55 bucks on cartridges when I could've spent it towards the next printer. I am going to try their customer service one more time to see if they can resolve this problem at my convenience, not theirs. If not, the next printer is certianly not going to be an Epson. If you buy this printer, you will be back here in 11 months posting a very similar review. See you then.
Update: After a little more digging around on the internet, I found that the problem is actually a disconnected ink tube. It is a common problem on the CX models. I am in the process of reconnecting the tube. Its in a tight space. So, its not exactly easy. Hopefully this fixes the problem. After the tube is reconnected the site advises that it be secured with a certain type of apoxy. Too bad Epson skipped that step.
Second update: I was able to reconnect the tube. The printer works fine again. One thing though. My new ink cartridges are now 1/3 empty after all the attempted nozzle cleanings and test pages after the repairs.
11 I wish we could rate on a scale of 0 to 5...
...because I would definitely give it a 0. Please, please, do NOT buy this printer. It has been way more trouble than it is worth and after reading all of the other testimonies I'm even more frustrated. I too have had my Epson CX 5400 for a year and started having problems with it when I changed 3 of the ink cartridges. I've tried countless head cleanings and nozzle checks and have been repeatedly left with essentially blank pages (the little black dots that do appear are such a tease). I guess I'm another victim of clogged nozzle heads. Not even going to bother with the technical support...everyone else's reviews have me convinced that it is a complete waste of time and money. Curse you Epson!
12 Good machine, but that darned ink clog problem
I, too, raved about this printer's performance. And unlike other reviewers, I thought the ink cost very reasonable. (Much, much less than my HP). But less than a month BEFORE the warranty period was up, my redline documents were "yellow-lined" or complete gaps in them. I ran the recommended diagnostic sequence several times on my own, and then I e-mailed Epson through their technical support page -- TWICE. The second time I stated that I considered a warranty claim as filed. They responded with try this diagnostic (clean, clean, clean, nozzle check), and gave me a phone number and directions to tell the support team that I was not to be charged for the call. With the tech on the phone, I went through another another couple iterations of cleaning and nozzle checks. No improvement. The tech advised me that they would ship me a replacement unit, with directions for the (free) return ship.
If the next unit lasts as long as this one did, than I figure 2 years of service for under $150.00 is about as good a value as I can find. (I have consistently used EPSON cartridges, as they can be found on the amazon and elsewhere for very reasonable, especially if you order three or more cartridges at a time.)
I am embarrassed for Epson, though. The number of reviewers referencing the clogged nozzles as a problem and that merely changing cartridges will cause a problem seems is really no recommendation at all. Let us know if you find a feature comparable, but better performing printer.
13 After 12 months it is a lemon
Like so many other people on this site, my Epson CXS400 just stopped printing after the first cartidge change. There's too many reports like this. C'mon Epson - what are you going to do about it?
14 Epson CX5400 Miss-function Printer
See all the others... lasted 1 year until the first cartridge change.. then died.. so you pay $130 or so for maybe 30 color prints... run.. run fast....
15 great for 1st year, then cloggs and can't unclogg it
my experience was the same as many people here - the printer only works for a year. then junk
16 this is the worst printer on the planet
after about 1 year this printer completely stopped printing. brand new cartridges, head cleaning, nozzle checks...all to no avail. DO NOT BUY THIS PRINTER!
17 New Printer Head, Anyone?
We've had our Epson CX5400 for maybe a year and a half, and it has been a great piece of equipment for certain things. Most of the time it had very high resolution printing quality, but I tried to print some pictures on non-Epson brand paper and they came out sticky and the darker parts of the pictures had cracks running through them. Also, I JUST REPLACED all of the toner cartridges and found out nothing would print. I tried all the diagnostic tests to figure out the problem, then took it into a printer repair shop. They only charged $30 for a diagnostic, which was nice, but they tried and failed to make it work. They said it would need a new printer head which costs about $300. Since we only paid $120 for the printer, that is more than not worth it. Now we'll have to junk this nice, fairly new printer and buy a new one. Why does Epson make printers that are basically disposable after a year? What does it want, bigger landfills? We're not happy, to say the least. If you buy this model, expect to spend around $600 total (including all printer costs and repair diagnostics) for a year, then plan to throw it out.
18 Great printer while it lasted...
I've really enjoyed this printer the first year. But just after that I've had the same problems that the other negative reviewers have mentioned. Apparently the ink dries and clogs up the heads and then you're out of luck. I've gone through the self clean steps several times and it hasn't helped at all. I could probably take it to get repaired but it would cost $100. That's just about what I spent for this piece of junk. I'd like to hear from the positive reviewers after they've owned this for 12 months. Bottom line - I know these are priced to sell but DO NOT BUY.
19 Don't expect it to work beyond 1 year
This printer worked great within the first year. The photos were good quality, the scanner produced good images, basically, I was very pleased. Recently, I replaced the ink cartridges and nothing. I went through the "cleaning" process about 15 times, still nothing. I did some research on the web and it seems this printer has problems with the print heads clogging/drying up. I've ordered a 3rd party cleaning kit to try to unclog the heads, but I could damage them in the process, but the printer doesn't print right now anyway, so what's the difference? The bottom line here is that I do not recommend this printer....stay away from this printer like the plague.
20 Add me to the list
blue clogged after 14 months. Is anyone working on a class action suit?
21 Beware of Epson's Multifunction Printers
About 18 months ago, I purchased an Epson CX5200. About 10 months into the purchase, I needed to change the black ink cartridge and upon doing so, the printer stopped printing in black. I used genuine Epson cartridges, went through all of the diagnostics and couldn't get the machine to work. I called Epson, they ran me through the same diagnostics and ended up sending me a replacement CX5400 since they felt the problem was a fluke and couldn't be corrected. Well today, 6 months into my second Epson multifunction printer, I changed the black ink cartridge with a genuine Epson cartrdge and again the machine is no longer capable of printing in black. I called Epson who wanted to charge me $ 10 for supporting an out of warranty machine. Once I paid the money, the only support they gave me was to run the diagnostics and confirm that there was something wrong with the machine and to call their repair center for an estimate. When I called their repair center to see how much the repair would run - I found out it was $ 115 - almost the same cost that I paid for my original printer. Bottom line - I am now looking for a new multifunction inkjet that is not made by Epson.
22 Horrible printer after 1 year; OK until then, but not great
I got some good photo prints out of this printer, and I used 3rd party ink, which was pretty cheap. But the yellow print head clogged after 1 year and I could not get it working again, and I'm pretty good at fixing printers in general. I tried everything.
Do yourself favor and buy a Canon; I got the 870 all in one, and everybody on Amazon just raves about it. Hard to find a bad review, and it even prints double-sided! FAX too! Great printer.
23 Headache In A Box
Although there are plenty of good things we can say about the Epson Stylus CX 5400, it is crucial that the reader understand that the specific problems detailed here completely outweigh them in every way. Within the review we tell you where to find out more about the attributes from the same source we did, and what we found to be wrong about that review.
HIGH COST PER PAGE: Startlingly expensive to operate, as the ink cartridges are small and expensive. Plan on buying both a four pack of black cartridges AND a four pack with Cyan, Magenta, Yellow & Black EACH time, or you will spend all your time running out of ink and then running to the store.
UNFAVORABLE FUNCTIONALITY FACTORS: Very slow in all functions, printing, scanning, and especially copying. Also, it's quite a bit louder than we would prefer.
TAKES UP TOO MUCH SPACE: Compared to competing models with comparable or superior performance, this Epson hogs up considerably more desktop real estate. First, the paper-in tray stands out from the rear of the unit. Second, the paper-out tray stands out from the face of the unit. You can easily find another brand that takes up far less space. As if that weren't bad enough (and it is) the unit stands too tall too be kept on any under the desktop shelf or even a large drawer, so you've got to have the huge thing right there on the desktop. But it's enormous, so that's a nightmare. But even without those factors, it's just plain BIGGER than comparable models from competitors. The reason we don't NAME any specific competitors is because we don't get any financial incentive to do so.
FLUNKS HEAD-TO-HEAD TESTING IN REAL-WORLD USE: We were at first very pleasantly surprised to find that this Epson displays low ink alerts both on it's LED display AND on any attached computer, UNTIL it soon became clear that it is just about ALWAYS alerting because one or more of the four cartridges will be empty at nearly any given time. This is even more shocking because we have this Epson attached to a wireless network which includes only two computers -- one PC and one Macintosh -- but four printers, including a laserprinter, a large scale (up to 11" X 17") ink-jet, a regular scale ink-jet (up to 8.5" X 11") and a high-speed printer-scanner, plus this Epson. Each of the other three printers is used for many more pages than the Epson, but this Epson goes through more than sixteen cartridges for every two that the others do. When it's working at all.
UNRELIABLE - BREAKS DOWN: Unlike this four month old Epson, each of the other three printers in the network is at least SIX years old and have never broken down on us (knock on wood). In the short time we've had this Epson, it's been down as many days as it's been up and running. Now NONE of those other printers in our network are made by Epson. They come from two of the top manufacturers in the home-office / small-office category. We chose not to name them because we're not trying to sell anything here.
LACK OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT: Woefully inadequate troubleshooting information both written and online -- which is a real shame because we have had all kinds of TROUBLE with the three we bought. We exchanged the first one for a second, then that one for a third, which only worked long enough so that the returns period has expired, leaving us stuck with the piece of cardboard box-filler.
You may be wondering why we selected the Epson Stylus CX 5400 in the first place: THIS MODEL CAME VERY HIGHLY RATED AND RECOMMENDED BY CNET.COM WHICH EVIDENTLY IS MUCH MORE OF AN ADVERTISING MEDIUM AND NOT A RELIABLE REVIEWER. WE WILL NOT AGAIN FACTOR CNET.COM "REVIEWS" INTO OUR PURCHASING DECISIONS.
The only reason this wasn't a complete waste of money for us is that we learned never to trust "reviews" from cnet.com for a very small price (about $150) so our future decisions, especially on big-dollar purchases won't be fouled up by their sales ads disguised as objective information.
24 Stay away from these models!
I purchased a similar all- in one model cx5200 last year. I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE SINCE THE FIRST MONTH I BOUGHT THIS PRINTER! I am truly convinced
it is by far THE WORST PRINTER I HAVE EVER USED. I have run all the diagonostics, changed the cartridges over and over AND STILL IT NEVER PRINTS CORRECTLY! There are no instructions on the website or manual that addresses the problem besides " run nozzle check- clean print head" after 9 times it still doesn't print without lines. I have been using epson printers since the early 90's. I use one at work so I am famililar with all the quirks of these printers. I have tried EVERYTHING to get this to work. After I clean the heads, run a nozzle check 6-7-8 times MAYBE i'll get a week that it prints. Then, it stops printing again OR it tells me I need a new cartridge ( which are hard to find, by the way). I am getting the feeling I am the only person who bought this printer. I know my one year parts guarantee has run out.I have spent to much money on cartridges I could have bought another printer by now. And actually, I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER EPSON PRODUCT AGAIN.
25 Value for Money
Bought this all-in-one at a local retailer first. Loved it. So bought anotherone as a gift thru amazon.com. Amazon.com price is low by $55. Though shipping is kinda expensive but when compared with 8.25% tax, it equals it out. Amazon price was including tax.
It prints good quality photos. Had an old faded photo which I scanned. Using the software gave it a touch and it printed out excellent. Text printing is good.
Unlike other printers it comes with USB cable which saved me another $28.
Epson allinone printer for under $150. Can't go wrong with it.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants to use it at home. Take photo printouts and to give touch to old faded photos. Quality!
No doubt in giving this printer 9 out of 10 points.
26 LOW QUALITY PRINTR AND UNFRIENDLY CUST. SERVICE
I bought this printer for my daughter and she loved it at first.
After we changed the cartiges the first time it stoped working.
I colled Epson customer service and since I was one month pass the 1 year warrenty the asked me to give them my Credit Card number so they will charge me $6.00/min for technical suport.
I thought it was the jocke untill they hang up on me!!
It works fine for the first and only year and that is it!!!
Good luck with this junk!
27 Ink on my face
Broken record of a review. The print heads hopelessly clogged after about a year. Not only that, when i disassembled as much as i could, i found the ink tube/straw feed to the heads had popped off, which is why nothing at all was coming out. You need to be a surgeon with unattainable instruments to put the tubes back into one another (they're both about the same diameter).
Lexmark=junk, Epson=junk, now i have to try a Hewlett-Packard.
This problem is unfixable as my ink stained hand and high blood pressure will attest. Screw you, Epson.
28 >: (
I read online reviews before I buy products and I thought those negative ones were just a one time flaw or that person who doesn't know how to take care of their machinary. After 13 months of owning this printer, it went to crap on me. I am throughly discouraged and i'm on the verge of throwing it out the window. Do not buy this printer.
29 Epson should not be allowed to conduct business this way
My Epson printer died a month ago, even though I have always used Epson ink etc. It is apparently an unfixable problem, and I can only dump the printer. I cannot believe they keep on producing junks like this and take no responsibility for it. I am never going to buy an Epson again, and I hope other people will learn to do the same.
30 Head Clog Blues
I add my voice to the chorus of woes. This is my second Epson printer to die in 3 years due to fatal head clogs. I only had the CX-5400 for a little over a year and suddenly it won't print from the yellow head. No amount of cleaning or patience would rescue it. I don't think this technology is ready for primetime.
31 I'll never buy Epson again.
Well I bought this printer (CX5400) about 11 months ago and up to this point have been pretty happy with it. The software is easy to use, it prints well, and is pretty sturdy. The only thing I didn't like about it is that it drinks ink. I just bought replacement cartridges for the black ink and none of them work, not a single one out of the six. Why you might ask? The same problem that others have noted here, clogged ink heads. The cleaner for it costs around $50 so I guess I'm going to just buy a new printer instead. I'm completely shocked that this has happened and Epson's support has been no help.
32 Was naive to believe this was a good product
I purchased this product and was then told of the reputation that EPSON products had, so I came here to read the reviews. At that time I thought that most of the postings on here were a vocal minority. However, to my utter dismay my printer simply stopped working after 11 months of use. I changed the black cartridge and shortly thereafter the print quality began to fail. Changing the three colour cartridges simply made the problem worse, and cleaning the print heads left the machine so hopelessly clogged up that it was rendered useless. Luckily the store I purchased it from gave me a complete refund for this hunk of junk. Shame on EPSON for making such poor quality machines - please stay away from any of their products until they learn to put products on the market that actually last longer than one ink cartridge.
33 Get Ready for Ink Clogs to End Your Love For this Machine
I have just gone through my 2nd Epson Stylus Scanner/Copier/Printer in 2 years. I use it almost every day. However, my 1st one died for the same reason my 2nd one did. The ink jets get clogged and no amount of running cleaning/adjustments/alignments can start it printing again. I've always used Epson inks and bought them from reputable office supply stores. I hear this is a problem with these Epson products. I was fortunate that Epson replaced my 1st one before my warrantee was up...they are aware of these problems. Now my third purchase is up to me.
(Wouldn't you know that I just bought more ink this morning.)
34 Have to have color ink to print black and white files?!
I was trying to print a black and white document, but an error message kept popping up -- out of yellow ink. the black ink was full, and that document has nothing to do with yellow color. but it wont let me print unless i replace the yellow ink cartridge. (i picked the "black ink only" option too.)
it makes you purchase color ink even though you're printing black and white.
35 Nice Features BUT DOES NOT LAST LONG!
Do not purchase the CX series of Epson all-in-one units without an extended warranty (better yet, purchase another brand such as HP that has a better design) as it will not last long after initial warranty.
When first purchased, I thought this was a great all-in-one and was happy with its initial performance. However, soon after (around warranty expiration time) the print cartridges get clogged and due to its design (unlike HP and other printers) it cannot be fixed (would cost more than original price of printer) so it then becomes only useful for scanning but cannot use printer or photocopier. It is basically useless to me now.
I will think twice before purchasing another printer from Epson, and would definitely not purchase anything from the CX series of Epson All-in-One units.
36 Great until the ink ran out
Had no problems with the CX5400 until the ink ran out after a half year of use. I decided to try a generic brand ink from a high volume ink outfit. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea! That's the end of my printer. Tried an Epson brand black ink tank after the bad experience with a generic (nothing... no printing at all... the generic at least showed something). I admit that I could have damaged my printer with generic ink, but look at all the reviews from people who used Epson brand ink and still had problems. I used generics on my old Canon printer with no problem.
Regardless, whenever YOU have a problem with your print head Epson has made sure you either pay hefty service fees for a fix or trash the thing. I'm now going to purchase a printer where the print head can easily be replaced by ME if it goes bad.
37 Unreliable after one year
If you're expecting this printer to last you for at least 1 year, don't count on it. I started having problems with mine after less than a year. THe printer gets worse with each nozzle check and eventually, I couldn't print anything at all.
38 Mine Stopped Working
I had the CX5200. Like the other reviewers - mine "clogged up" and stopped working. Because it was out of warranty, it's in this week's trash bag. Yes, I called Epson and all of that.
It's in a Hefty bag as I write this. That should sum it up pretty good.
39 Clogged Heads! Updated
Well I'm on my second CX5200 - I had my original replaced in Jan. 2004 after the heads clogged and would not print anymore - luckily I was able to take it to a local service center and it was replaced under warranty. However, its now December 2004 and I'm having the same problem so I'll have to take it in again. BTW - I only used Epson cartridges since I've had bad experiences using anything else in Epson printers. Next time I'll be looking at Canon or HP.
Well I tried to work with Epson Customer Service on this - basically the unit was considered out of warranty since I orginally purchased it in 2003 - however, since they replaced it with a new one in Jan. 2004 - I think its absurd to classify it as out of warranty - the printer was less than a year old. In any event, they were willing to fix it/refurbish it for free but I would have to send it to one of their service centers and that could take many weeks. They also offered to sell me a comparable model at a discount (how convenient for them). It appears that the whole CX line has print head problems which cannot be corrected without replacing the entire printer, so I decided to buy the Canon Pixma 4000 for $119 at CircuitCity. At least the print head can be replaced and the ink is less expensive than Epson ink. Goodbye Epson - you've lost me forever.
40 Clogged up yellow and magenta heads in less than 2 months
I had great luck with my previous Epson Color Stylus 640. When my older printer finally met its days (5 years old) I decided to buy an Epson MFP, and I bought a CX5400. It was GREAT for the first month. In the second month I had to do a LOT of head cleanings and nozzle checks. I replaced the color ink cartridges when my CX5400 was about 1.5 months old, and every since then the yellow and magenta inkjets are so clogged they will not print. I even purchased solvent from someone that had a similiar situation so that I could unclog the inkjets, but I have not had any sucess. So, now I have an Epson MFP that prints only in black and blue. Epson support staff has also been unhelpful. They can only recommend that I ship in the unit to Epson for repair at my expense.
Now I'm looking at HP and Canon MFPs.
41 Black and yellow stopped printing
I've had a CX5200 for about a year and a half. It worked fine until recently when I changed the black and yellow cartridges. The printer no longer prints black and yellow inspite of repeated head cleanings. I have changed cartridges previously with no problem.
42 Great Buy!!
Just like what the other reviewer said, the only thing missing is a fax. However, I am one of those people who recently bought a fax so this was perfect. What I love about this all in one is that the copier is so convenient to use. It operates like a regular copier as I put the original on the flat bed and it copies in seconds. The scanner also produces high resolution copies and the software is easy to use. The set up is simple. I am not a whiz in computer set up. The software easily loads even if I am using a windows ME operating system. The whole thing was set up in half an hour (after I unpack them). Overall, a great buy!!
43 Turned to a piece of crap in less than a year
This printer likes to print page after page after page of &%$@. You have to uninstall it to stop it.
Now it's taken to printing lines of text on top of each other.
The colors are terrible. You can't print photos with it.
It eats ink, and the cartridges are expensive.
Scanning is impossibly difficult.
The only good thing about this piece of crap is that it works OK with ink from non epson companies. Well, works as good as the Epson ink anyway, which is to say, badly.
Don't buy this printer!
44 CLOGGED PRINTER
Don't buy this CX5400. It worked great at first then the yellow clogged which was an ORIGINAL EPSON CARTRIDGE!. I wish I had seen these reviews before buying. I wouldn't have bought it! I'll stick with CANON which I also have - which has been printing excellent for over a year now. No problems with the CANON at all.
45 Don't waste your money
I'm having the same problem with my CX5400 that many of the other reviewers are having. After replacing all of the original cartridges, only black and magenta work. Cyan and yellow no longer print. I just bought another cyan cartridge, but that didn't fix it. I'm not even going to bother talking to Epson b/c I don't want the hassle. I'll just replace it with a Canon or HP instead.
My other beef is the scanning software, which is confusing and frustrating to use. Each time I scan something I have to re-learn how to use it.
46 Don't even think about printing photos on this thing!
This printer is awful for printing photos! The reddish/pinkish tone to the photos is overwhelming. If you go in to the color controls and lower the amount of magenta ink used, then the other colors look distorted. Also, on most photo settings, where there is black on your photo, it turns out looking cracked or spotty. The ink is of very poor quality, and I always buy my replacement cartridges from Epson, using the correct numbers. A total waste of money, unless you only need it for scanning and printing documents.
47 Be warned
I purchased this printer in January. Since then Epson has sent me 5 replacement printers. 3 had clogged ink heads, one had a problem with communication between the computer and the printer and one had a scanner issue. They only send out refurbished printers if you have a problem. They finally decided to upgrade my printer to the CX6400, but neglected to send the ink, paper support and feeder guard. I called and they then sent the WRONG ink and no feeder guard. It has been very frustrating.
48 Poorly engineered hardware - Avoid!
If you're considering this printer, or any other candidates in the EPSON CX line, there's something you should know: they all suffer from the same fatal flaw: clogging print heads. Unlike HP or Canon printers, the print heads in the Epson are embedded within the printer itself (not the print cartridge). This means that, irrespective of use, sometime within 1-2 years after you purchase this printer, you WILL have a print head failure which will cost you more to fix than the original purchase price of the printer.
Happened to me after 16th months of occasional (2x per month, about 10 pages per month) use. As with the other reviews below, I changed the ink cartridges, and found the machine simply henceforth spit out blank pages. I cleaned the heads 15 times (incidentally, each time you clean it uses about 2.5% of the ink in the cartridge)...no change.
49 same problem as everyone else
I'm chiming in because I too had an Epson CX 5200 crap out after about 1 year of use. I wish I'd read the reviews here before now because I would have contacted Epson tech support long ago if I knew this was a common complaint. As someone else mentioned, Epson will replace the 5200 with a 5400 for free (and send shipping labels, etc., with the replacement so you can send the old unit back). I don't know how well the 5400 does, but it's better than a printer that prints blank pages. And if it's a dud too, I'll gripe to Epson immediately for another replacement or a refund. So folks, don't get stuck with this lemon -- call Epson support and get the free replacement that is your due!
50 THIS PRINTER HAS A FATAL FLAW - DON'T BUY IT!
I bought a CX5200 (almost identical to the CX5400) in Sept 2003. My family has used it regularly over the past 13 months. Everything was fine until I had to change both the yellow cartridge and the cyan cartridge for the second time (Sept/04). After that cartridge change, neither colour would print any more. Recently I changed the black cartridge (third time) and now the black will not print either. The only colour that prints now is magenta and I would bet that the next time I replace that cartridge (it's only been replaced once before), it won't print either. What's the story here? I have only ever used expensive Epson cartridges, the printer is used every day or two, and we have performed regular head cleanings on it. This should not happen to an expensive all-in-one printer like this. Based on the similar experiences of other CX5200 and CX5400 owners, I suspect that this printer has a fatal flaw that Epson refuses to own up to. If you presently own one that is still working, enjoy it while it lasts because it won't last long. If you are thinking of purchasing an Epson CX5400 or any other Epson all-in-one, save your money and buy a Canon or a Hewlett-Packard. The Epson all-in-one printers are designed for failure after a year or so - just as the warranty runs out. If Epson had a backbone and some integrity they would replace or fix the printers of the many customers who have had their CX5200/5400's fail just outside the warranty period. Yes, and maybe some day the sun will rise in the west!
51 Great Printer
This printer really gets beat on by: revision after revision of college term papers, photocopying multiple pages of lecture notes from metal spiral-bound notebooks,and of course scanning, copying, and printing photos with great resolution! I absolutely love this printer!!
I noticed some people saying their printer wasn't working "even after I cleaned the print heads." Well, I'll tell you what,..it's not this printer,...it's just about every printer! After I had my last 2 printers for quite awhile, I thought I should clean the print heads....wrong!! My printers both stopped printing and began spitting out blank pages each time, hence what many other reviewers are saying specifically about this printer. So feel confident (and don't clean the print heads!), and know that this printer is a great investment!!
52 BAD PRINTER - STAY AWAY
I have the Epson CX5200 and loved it at first. But after finish with the original set of inks (which comes with the new printer), I replace all the cartridges with the genuine EPSON cartridges...it prints only blank pages no matter what I have tried... cleaning the print heads, aligning the heads, nozzle check, etc...nothing works. It seems like this series of printers only work with the original set of inks and then stop working. I am now buying an HP printer and will never buy any printer from Epson.
53 Will never buy another Epson!
I have the Epson CX5200 and loved it at first. But everyone is right...it starts to clog and then you have serious problems. I can print black and blue but no yellow or magenta, which means you can't print anything in color. I have tried everything...new cartridges, cleaning the print heads, aligning the heads, etc...nothing works. It seems like several other people have had the same issues with this series. Epson needs to correct this issue before putting other printers on the market! I am now looking for a new printer but you can bet it won't be an Epson!
54 Great in the short run - updated!!!
I want to properly update my Epson experience. My cx5200 has died - as reviewed below. I'm sure it was exactly on the date the warranty expired. Anyway, I purchased a cheap C66 STYLUS only to find out it's not Mac compatible. Well, I blew it on that! I called Epson to voice a complaint and to make a long story short- even though I am 3 weeks past my warranty, they are replacing my cx5200 with a cx5400. There is absolutely no charge and they are throwing in extra ink because I changed ink so much in the last month. Even though I don't expect greatness from the printer, I am impressed with Epson customer service. They listened and rectified the situation. Good luck to everyone else!
I'm thinking of going into the printer business - what a racket! This printer (like so many others) was great for maybe 6-8 months. The ink gets clogged and makes the printer useless. I have changed cartridges - nice expense that was. And that didn't work. The black ink has been out for a month and I'm getting tired. This is my third printer in a year and a half. I print mostly photos and I'm a teacher so lots of school stuff.
I'm now going to buy the cheapest printer I can find and consider it a disposable item like my razor!
It's too bad, because this was great for a while.
55 Problems with clogs
I have to agree with the many people who have complained about the head clog problems. This printer worked great for a couple months and we really liked it. Then the ink heads started getting clogged. We have spent more money on ink trying to fix the problem than the printer originally cost. We never have been able to get the yellow to work again. It's been out for months. The black has a lot of problems off and on. It currently is not working. It seems that putting in a new ink cartridge helps it work for a short while--but this is, of course, expensive. I guess we're going to have to eat it and buy another printer after owning this one for only 8 months. Live and learn. I like the suggestion of a previous reader to buy the HP 2175 (or something similar) that has new cartridge heads with each ink cartridge. Then this problem would be avoided.
56 Some-in-One
The unit functions very well as a printer and copier but I've been unable to get it to perform as a scanner/fax for my straight-stick Dell machine operating WindowsXP. Repeated consultations with Epson customer service have not resolved the problem, which is evidently resident in their software package. Getting Epson to respond intelligently and consistently was almost impossible. Nearly all commands to the printer now have to be entered manually: the smart-scan and control panel functions simply won't launch. You'll also find you go through ink cartridges quite quickly; they are remarkably expensive but readily available on-line or at office supply stores. Too much money for what amounts to an average color printer. I plan to purchase a machine from a different manufacturer when this round of ink is exhausted.
57 Head clogging, argh! Printer from hell
After just a few months, I had to replace the ink cartridges. It was down hill from there. Nothing but clogs. Endless nozzle cleanings. What a waste. I wish my old Xerox had not died. What a good printer. Left it on all of the time. Used it once in a while. It always printed.
58 ink problems
This printer is a major ink rip-off. Epson must have decided to sell printers near cost, then gouge its customers big time on ink cartridges. Ink cartridges are expensive, and this printer goes through ink like crazy. The ink clogs often, leaving unprinted streaks through my print jobs. I have to run the head-cleaning routine every week or so, which uses even more ink. For the past month I have printed all my documents using the "black ink only" setting, and it still runs down the color cartridges as well as the black. It must use some during its warmup every time I turn it on and off, or maybe it just evaporates. Now my magenta cartridge is running out, and the printer won't let me run the head-cleaning option while the cartridge needs replacing, so I can't even continue using black only! I don't know if any other companies are any better, but I hate how bad Epson has screwed me on this one.
59 Beware of Clogging Heads
The product produces good scans, text print, and pictures. The software is simple but adequate. The unit is relatively quiet and conveniently holds more paper than earlier models. The buttons and menu on the unit are easily understood. They have great customer service. If only . . .
I started with the 3200 that Epson soon replaced, under warranty, with a 5200 and eventually a 5400. I am on my fifth printer in a year and three months! On three (including the current one), the printheads clogged and would not clear out. With this one I've tried the cleaning solution that some sell and it has been to no avail. On three earlier models I received a scanner error very frequently that had to be cleared out at least twice a week and it happened whether I used the scanner or not. I returned two of those so quickly that they didn't have time for the heads to clog. It may help to use Epson ink, but twice the heads clogged for me while using the Epson ink they sent with each of the refurbished units they sent me.
I hardly ever left the printer on for more than five minutes after a print job and I always shut it off with it's own power button, so I don't believe it was my error. I print about twice a week for a total of about ten pages (That is as much as Epson says is required to keep the heads clear. I didn't always print in color, but I it usually used color ink anyway since I didn't usually turn on the black ink only option.) I suspicion that if one uses Epson ink and prints more frequently then the unit is fine, but beware if you don't print often. I don't think it's possible to have new heads put in much cheaper than the cost of a new printer.
With all that in mind, I am buying a Hewlett Packard 2175 and am taking advantage of the currently offered rebate. The color ink may cost me more in the short run because the colors are all bundled into one cartridge, but if the heads get clogged and won't clean I can just go out and buy a new cartridge and have the printer up and running since there are new heads on each cartridge. Also, I can refill my cartridges or buy remanufactured cartridges for less cost than genuine Epson ink and won't have to worry about ruining my printer if the heads clog.
60 A great all-in-one for the Mac
Scanner works great in OS X using Photoshop. Prints are clear and Word documents print very quickly. I bought this for school since my last printer just died on me. This is my third Epson printer and second scanner. The copier will be useful especially during tax season. I got this printer at a local computer store for about the same price. So far there are no problems. I gave it 5 out of 5 for actually including a USB cable.
61 So far . . . . . so good :)
I just got this new Epson CX 5400 yesterday. I had been using a Lexmark X83 all-in-one until the dang scanner kept locking up. Asking the advice of a computer whiz friend of mine, he said he'd recommend an Epson because Lexmark will get tons of money out of you with their ink cartridges. Heck yah, I said. I spent about $50 a month on ink cartridges, yikes! The thought of less money spent on cartridges led me to research Epson models. I really wanted the 6400 model, but the local Office Max didn't have one and I needed a scanner/printer mmediately. (They had tons of HP models, but I have researched lots of reviews stating that HP customer service absolutely sucks, so why bother with them if the company won't stand behind their products?). Anyway, so far, so good with this new Epson. It was fairly easy to install. I liked the big print and diagrams on the written "start up" page. (Don't expect to just plug it in and go, though. It probably took me about 45 minutes to install.) I followed the directions to the letter, including ignoring my Windows XP automatic discovery of new hardware feature. I used the install CD that came with the machine and everything has gone smoothly. I waited to plug in the USB cable until the directions said to. I scanned in a dozen photos last night and printed out about 50 pages of text in the last 24 hours. What I've noticed is that this machine is TONS faster than my old Lexmark. And it's also louder. Ha. It's given me a couple of jumps as it stutters and spits and does its thing. No big deal, just an observation. It's gonna work great for my needs, I think, and I'm happy so far with the crispness of text and speed of output. The scanner scanned great photos, I thought. (I'm not looking for detail, they're just family photos and the colors were better than my old Lexmark.) Anyway, hope I'm still happy in a year, I'll keep posted. :)
62 Great printer for a Mac
Those of us with Macs don't have a lot of options when it comes to printers. HPs don't work well, and the good Canon ones aren't necessarily compatible. So I was glad to see that the CX5400 was compatible with my iBook OS 9.2. And I'm happy to report that it's been perfect so far. Installation was easy, with only two small glitches. After putting in the ink cartridges, there was an error message, so I had to turn the machine off and turn it back on and the error message went away. And the poster/manual said if you have a Mac, to plug in the USB first, but there's a huge sticker on the printer's USB port that said don't plug in the USB first, so I didn't.
Print quality is excellent. When I print color documents, the colors are even truer than the ones I print on the expensive fiery machine at the office. (Haven't tried photo printing yet, as I'd rather do that online or at Costco.) Photocopying is easy. And I just tried the scanner today and it was so easy it was scary. I have Photoshop, so I import the document from there and save it to my hard drive.
I'm sorry that a few other people have had negative experiences, but I'm extremely happy with this all-in-one.
63 MOST HORRIFIC EXPERIENCE EVER!
Purchased this all-in-one BRAND NEW IN BOX through Amazon in June, 2004. Item once installed had perpetual scanner error due to various DEBRIS under scanner glass.
Upon reporting this to Epson, they proceed to ship me a REFURB to replace a NEW PRODUCT. The REFURB did not come with a USB cable, also had DEBRIS under scanner glass, and the print head was OLD thus producing AWFUL print jobs.
I have been a fan of the HP printer for over a decade, and tried another manufacturer at my partner's request. I will not pay two cents for an Epson printer, EVER.
64 Great Printer, Lousy Scanning Software
This is a great printer. It's fast, it does a good job, and the ink cartridges go the distance. The biggest flaw is the scanning software. IT IS TERRIBLE! You scan your image and you can get to it one time, after that it is GONE unless you save it on your hard drive. If you want to change image type (e.g. from .tif to .jpeg,) forget it. You have to start the scan all over again. If you are interested in a printer, this one is great, but if you scan often or are a beginner I would look elsewhere.
65 No Mac OS X fast user switching; poor ink flow; poor photo
Problem 1: Although Apple endorses and sells this product, it does not fully support Mac OS X. After many frustrating problems with error messages about scanning that would not go away, instructions from Epson support to unistall and reinstall drivers, quit processes, delete files, etc., I finally found someone in Epson support who admitted that the CX5400 does not support the excellent fast user switching feature of Mac OS X, and that he had no idea if/when a fix was planned.
Problem 2: I have had more problems with blocked ink flow on this Epson than on previous Epson printers. (This is the first I've had with three separate color cartridges.)
Problem 3: Despite its better specs, the photo print quality of this printer is (subjectively) poorer than on my last two Epson printers.
Minor quibble: This printer's start-up sequence is noisy, as is the "klunk" that acompanies the feeding of each new sheet. (This may not be a problem in the office, but is annoying in an open-plan home.)
I have seen several other reports of problems with the CX5400 and would NOT recommend it. After many years of Epson printers, I will be switching to H-P next time; Epson quality seems to me to have fallen off. The extra cost of H-P is trivial compared to the cost of the time I have wasted with the CX5400.
66 A junk
I just bought one on sale. The color print came out in mostly green, and I found out that the red and the yellow inks were not coming out properly. I tried to clean the nozzles as per instruction. After about 10 tries, the nozzles cleared somewhat, but the print came out with many lines and spotty places. Furthermore, cleaning consumed a lot of ink! The cartridges were only about 65% full after cleaning, even though I have not had a single acceptable print since I bought the machine!!!
Avoid this junk.
67 Works great!
I needed a replacement for a very overworked and clogging C80 and came across the CX5400 and its generous rebates. I didn't really need a new scanner but the combination of a coordinated scanner/printer/copier is hard to pass up.
Most important: This unit DOES WORK with Mac OS X Panther although you may need to download the updates for the driver and utilities. Bravo and well done, Epson.
68 Love to hate this printer/scanner/everything but works
The CX5400 I have is a replacement for the CX5200 which had the same problems I'm having now.
It works great until I need to change the ink cartridges. The ink will NOT flow from 3 of the 4 colors. I've spent too much time on the phone with tech support (not toll free) as they instruct me how to do a "head cleaning" a minimum of 9 times.
I am now stuck with another huge paper weight and I'm about to call to request a refund.
69 Great features, but flawed...
Overall I have found this printer to have great features and the print quality is excellent. It is so easy to use that even my 7 year old can use it to photocopy, print, and scan.
With that said, I cannot believe how frequently the paper jams. I waste a lot of ink and paper due to this problem.
70 !!!!!!Please VOTE for this as others needs to know!!!!!!!
Epson Stylus (collective: ink-jet printer) are both 1 stars and 5 stars at the same time.
This is about the BEST printer I have ever had aside from my dye-sub photo printer(true-black). But there is a serious design problem associated with their printer assembly - particularly the thinner-then-human-hair nozzle head which gets clog way too easily.
I have had the CX5200 for 14 months now (C80, C82, CX5200, CX5400 all share the same printer block assembly, hence they use the same ink), the nozzles got clog 10 months into it, and Epson was kind enough to ship me a replacement with a set of spare ink inside. However, just 4 months afterwards (today), my new printer's nozzles are clog again! If you would just run a google search with words like "cx5200 + clog" you would see hundreds of forum with ppl complain about their clogged nozzles and angry consumer wanting a class action suit. I'm rather fused not in the fact that I paid $199 for the CX5200 months ago, but the fact that I have purchased 2+ sets of spare inks costing over $100 which I can't use, unless I buy another epson with the same "defective" printer block - and that, evidently, might not even out last my 2+ sets of ink as both of my other CX5200 didn't!
Please spend your hard earn money on a better product that would last more then 13 months.
Update 6/1/04. I got a refurb. CX last week from their website for a very good price. The nozzles went out again after 2 weeks. New record! Good luck for the person who disagree with me. I bet you either sale or work for Epson.
71 Great for everything but photo printing
I purchased my CX5400 having read many reviews. The only concern I had was one or two reports of poor photo quality. To my great dissapointment I found the same. The scan quality is very good as the picture viewed in Photoshop testifies, but on printing (on Epson photo paper)a pink tinge causes green to appear dull and some blues turn purple. I have tried every setting (default and custom)and having used up the supplied color catriges I give up and hope Epson will come up with a fix soon.
On the positive side it is an excellent text printer and copier(Oddly the pink tinge problem is more apparent when choosing high quality print options).
72 First impressions
Home System:
Dell Dimension 8100. 1.2Ghz. 784MB RAM. WinXP Pro - SP2-build 2120 (beta}
Ordered on Sunday $130 w/ SS (free) shipping. Delivered the following Thursday.
Setup via the "Do this first" easy setup sheet & CD. (Follow the directions and do NOT attach the USB until you've installed the software.) - Up and running in 10 min.
Before I bought, I read all reviews on this site, and all at epinions.com. So far, I agree with all the "Pro"s and none of the "Con"s - It is NOT loud, a backlight would be a waste(unless you like to print in total darkness)
(...)Being able to display the individual ink levels is great!
I'll add more after a month or so.
73 Almost Perfect
I have an HP that I use at the office and the problem with it is that it has one cartridge for all 3 colors. The CX5400 has tanks for each color. I like that. I like borderless photo printing and the ink isn't too expensive.
My only qualms are that the CX5400 doesn't have a backlight on the lcd screen and it doesn't have EnergyStar to shut off when not in use.
Other than that...it's a great product.
74 Buy Epson not HP
I first purchased a HP Officejet 5510 All-In-One. It did a bad job on scanning, feeding documents and reading legal documents when scanning. The scan quality for photos was poor also. I was a fan of HP until I tried the Epson CX5400. I was easy to install. It read the legal documents and I was about to edit them. The scan quality was excellent.
75 What an awesome buy!!!
I was pulled between a Canon printer and this Epson CX5400. I am so glad to have gone with the Epson. I have not own an Epson for over 15 years. I have had Lexmarks, Canons and HP printers in the meantime. Not very happy with any of them. So far I am truly impressed with this product. Installation was a breeze. Documentation is great! Speed and print quality is good. I have yet to try printing photographs however. But the scanner, copier and basic printer are wonderful. With the rebate this was an incredible buy. Give Epson a try you will not be disappointed.
76 I BOUGHT FIVE!
Many people turn to me to ask what printer/scanner I recommend. Based on personal experience and on three months of feedback from others, my recommendation at the time of writing this review is the Epson Stylus CX54000. There are a few reasons:
The quality and longevity of Epson products has kept me a loyal fan of Epson in the arena of scanning and printing for seven years. This printer/scanner features Epson's efficient and innovative use of multiple individual ink cartridges. If you print a ton of yellow, you no longer have to throw out the entire cartridge even though the other colors are half full. The print quality is as good as any of the other Epson printers that are equivalent in cost (without the added freebie scanner). The scanner is as good as the other Epson scanners that are of similar cost (without the added freebie printer). No matter how you look at this unit, you save. It has the same footprint (space it takes on the desk) as a printer or scanner, but you get both. And it is only a little bit more expensive than either alone.
Therefore, based on these features and my seven-year use of Epson printers and scanners, I recommended five of these units to friends who have come to me asking what to buy. All of them ended up buying the units. I do have to say that I have noticed the same thing as the other reviewers, that the photo prints come out a little browner than the screen. That is my only complaint. Besides that, I am even happier with the performance of this unit than I expected to be. If you are in the market for a printer/scanner, as of March 2004, I strongly recommend buying this unit over all others available on this market.
77 Photo printing is substandard.
I have only one complaint about this printer. Photos printed with it come out with a brownish-pinkish tinge to them. The manual (and tech support) says to check the calibration of the monitor because the colors may be off, but after extensive testing both with the printer connected to the PC and in standalone mode, I stand by my assessment. I've tried every setting under the sun on the printer itself and in the software to try to fix it. I've also cleaned the print cartridges and primed them (even though it was brand new at the time). And as a comparison, I printed the exact same at the same time with my HP Photosmart P1100. It came out nearly perfect, with matching colors, etc., and matching what was on the screen.
A coworker of mine also bought the same printer and is having exactly the same problem (by the way, we both work on computers in our jobs so we know how to troubleshoot problems). When he finally gave up and called tech support, he found out from the reluctant technician that there were a lot of calls coming in regarding this issue, and that they knew about it and were looking into it.
I hope Epson can come out with a newer driver or maybe updated firmware that can correct this problem. Otherwise, I can't use it as a photo printer. They have such a good reputation for their photo printing that I can't believe they'd let this happen.
Otherwise, this has proven to be a great printer in many other respects. It does an awesome job of scanning, printing both black and white and color documents, and copying. It's quick, quiet, and is easy to use. I also like the separate ink cartridges--nothings worse than throwing out a $50 multicolor cartridge that feels pretty full, just because it ran out of one color.
Epson, fix your problem!!!
78 Epson cx 5400 Printer- A Lemon
My old Epson printer gave up the ghost. Since I'm an author, I definitely need a printer.
We purchased an Epson cx5400 printer on 3/2/04. My husband tried to install it for 8 hours, without success. On 3/3/04, he called Epson Technical Support,which by the way is toll number because Epson has no 800 number for technical support. He was on the line with a tech. support specialist for well over an hour and the installation problem was still unresolved.
I called Epson back, told them the problem again and stated that I would never purchase another one of their products again.
Today (3/4/04), we purchased a Canon i475d. It's a dream!
Mrs. E. Haywood
79 Very Disappointed
After reading the mostly favorable reviews of the Epson Stylus CX5400, It seemed like a slam-dunk purchase. The setup wasn't difficult and the CD walked you through installation. There is a printed manual for scanning and copying; the manual for printing is on the CD which is not noted anywhere. Took a few minutes for me to locate it on my desktop. In comparison to my HP Photosmart P1100 - for which I cannot find a repair service - the Epson CX5400 was slow. Printing in draft mode, which I usually use, was extremely light and difficult to read. Normal mode printing was slow and the print irregular and uneven. There was no need to go beyond that, I packed it up and arranged to return it to Amazon. I gave it two stars because I am basically a charitable person. Setup was fairly easy and it did print, however poorly.
80 great affordable printer
did weeks of research between the hp's printers and this one, this is great printer for the money, have printed out great photos from the printer, some come out better than others, but for the money you won't be disappointed with the print quality. the photo restorer is great does an awesome job. I admit I bought cheaper jet brand matt photo paper, I can't wait to see the picture quality on glossier more expensive paper. I was going to get the hp 2410, but they were to expensive and they salesman at best buy said he would never pay over $200 for a printer and the results from the more expensive printers to this one were the same, I don't need a fax machine, so this was the perfect buy. If you want really, really great photo prints, then you need to get a straight photo printer, this printer does a awesaome job, but if your really picky then get the photo printer. This was very easy to install and it prints really fast,
I bought a lexmark b-4 this one and took it back it was the lexmark printtrio, it was very slow and the print quality was horible. I did my reasearch and tried out alot of printers and this was the best buy for the money and quality. I hope this helps anyone that is a little skeptable like I was. You wont regret it
81 Great Value!! Good job Epson!!
Purchased for home use after weeks of research. I have had mine 3 weeks with no issues, output quality for text and pictures is great! Photos paper prints do have a matte look to them as another review of the CX6400 pointed out. Epson told me the 6400 and 5400 have the same print engine. My photos are matte finish even on Epson Durabright Glossy paper. They still look awesome but don't expect high gloss prints. Remember this is not a photo printer and it still much cheaper to got to Costco for true lab quality prints for half the cost. No install issues on my Win98SE PC and it came with a USB cable!! I tested this printer against the HP 2410 and Canon MP 730, Epson was as good or better in all areas but the glossy photo issue. If that's important, look at the HP 2410, however you will spend $200 more for it and then there is the HP Ink cartridge cost issue and you have to buy a USB cable. I could not deal with tossing a color cartridge because one color ran dry. This printer is a SCREAMING DEAL for what it does at it's cost point. Buy one you will not regret it unless you want a true photo printer but the HP 2410 is not one either.
82 Good bang for the buck.
The CX5400 has scanning, copying and printing (but not fax) capability. The lack of faxability was initially a concern the four or five times a year I really need it.
Setup was painless -- the large poster walks you through all the bits of packing tape to remove. The cartridges were a little tricky to insert at first, but now that I see how it fits, it's not a big deal. Driver installation worked well provided you use the supplied CD rather than letting let Windows auto-install. There could be a better explanation on what the four or five components are, though these appear to be related to the scanning option.
Profile: The CX5400 is a larger than I'd like. In particular, the input and output trays project such that I need a 20" x 3' deep spot to situate the printer. The USB port plugs in the parallel to the back, requiring some clearance to avoid jiggling it out. It's kind of unfortunate they didn't have the input and output trays stacked up (like my HP990C) as this was more space efficient.
Capacity: The printer holds about 30-40 sheets. This is disappointing, especially on longer documents. There's wiggle room in the feeder and my first few tries resulted in jams. Two sided printing is available only by feeding the output back into the tray. The driver's smart enough to handle this, though I sorta miss the auto-feeding option of the HP990.
Software: As mentioned, there are a few components installed, and no explanation on whether you really need them. The software monitor is rather chirpy and comes up whenever you print. It occasionally tries to be a bit too helpful -- a la Windows XP -- by popping up the Epson help menu on various topics. On the other hand, the cartridge ink monitor is really cool, a feature I always wanted.
Speed: Pretty good, however the printer will stall on complicated graphs. I have an heart rate monitor chart (2 color, line graph) that took 30 minutes for it to chomp through. When the printer paused, I thought it may have lost its connection or Windows torpedoed itself, however it eventually resumed.
Noise: As other reviewers have noted, the printer is quiet in standby and has a reasonable noise level during printing. It would be cool if they implemented a standby mode where it would power itself on and off between print jobs. I suppose I could manually turn it on and off myself.
Output: Printouts are relatively sharp, as are pictures. They're not laser-sharp, e.g., I can still see jaggies if I hold it close, but the quality is as expected.
Based on personal experience, a black cartridge lasts about 800-900 pages. Color longevity is going to vary on application.
Overall: great bang for the buck. I'd like a more efficient profile with a higher input capacity. I'm not sure why my HRM graphs are taking so long to print -- this is certainly an area for further investigation.
83 Only thing missing is a fax.
As a computer nerd, I've used a lot of various machines - printers, scanners, copiers, multifunctions...I've tested inkjet, bubblejet, dot matrix (remember those?), laser, photo, just about every type of printer ever thought of. And truthfully, when I bought this, I just needed a printer. I didn't need a scanner or copier, but this one got my purchase for two reasons. First, it's faster than a lot of standard inkjets in its same price range - up to 22PPM black. That's key for me, because I sometimes print out long news articles and am impatient. Second, the quality was on par with a lot of the photo and laser printers I tested. It has its flaws, but what machine doesn't? For the price they're offering this at, it's a great buy.
One thing I don't like is the shaking. And I guess I have to expect that from an inkjet seeing as it goes side to side, or maybe it's a setting that's too high or something. But it's just annoying.
Another thing I don't like is the lack of a manual feed tray. For copies or envelope printing this is like, mandatory. And I was sad to see it not here. But it's not too big of a deal.
Lastly, the warmup is rather noisy. I guess that's also to be expected from an inkjet.
However...if you're looking for a printer for its QUALITY prints..this one will do you just fine.
Oh, and to the other person that complained about the photos? You have to use EPSON photo paper. You can't just pick a random photo paper because it's cheap - the EPSON photo paper is treated with chemicals that merge with the ink to get the superior quality.
84 Great Printer!!
After an exhaustive search I setteled on the CX5400. Very satisfied with the quality of the machine. Easy to install and produces exceptionally clear copies and prints. I replaced my Lexmark X73 with the CX5400, and the CX5400 is head and sholders above the Lexmark. Highly recommend!!
85 everything is good except for photo printing
I have a 3 years old Epson 740 and this printer is no where near it when printing photos. Everything else is ok. I returned it because I just need one printer.
86 Did NOT come with ink cartridges !!!
Well it scans nicely.... this function requires NO ink. I dont know how it prints yet until I go buy ink. I am so dissapointed. I just now pulled the machine out of the "sealed" box and I noticed that the cord is already plugged into the back of the printer... which I thought seemed odd and there are NO ink cartridges... this printer, in my opinion, is obviously a sales "return" from a customer. I should have paid a few dollars more and bought at my local store --- this way I could have marched back there and got my ink or a new printer all together. Of course i could just pack this large box up and pay for shipping to send it back. It will be cheaper for me to just buy the ink. I will never buy anything online this large again. I did not get a fair deal. and like i said, i dont believe my printer is brand new. box was not sealed properly, and other clues too. Oh well, I made many purchases online thru the holidays and this was my only misshap. Nothing against Amazon.... the product actually came from J and R electronics.
I called J and R on the phone.... what can they do ? NOTHING.
thanks alot.
march 2004... i am using the printer and it is very nice and the scanner software is one of the best i have used. (used for scrap booking ) great printer.... however i would buy from a reputable dealer and preferably one you can drive to rather than ship it back if you werent satisfied.
87 Pretty good, but didn't fit my needs perfectly
I like this printer/scanner/fax, but maybe I expect too much out of the all-in-ones at this point. My primary use for this unit is to scan printed materials for archive and reprinting (video game covers). When you scan something like that, you need to be able to descreen it, or the scan won't look right. The highest resolution I can scan and descreen at is 1024x768, which is terrible. I've used other scanners and been able to descreen at higher resolutions. Perhaps this printer is just meant for the soccer moms of the world?
Also, as good as this printer is on ink, it's still ludicrous as is any printer manufacturer's cartridge replacement price. I refill these carts as I have with every other printer I've ever owned (and will continue to unless they wake up). The only downside of this policy is that I've gotten the chance to see what Epson's DuraBrite ink is capable of, and in contrast I'm very disappointed in what 3rd party ink produces.
I'm not shocked by this realization, and I credit Epson with coming up with a new gimmick. However, if anyone hears of a 3rd party DuraBrite ink clone, post it here, ok?
Anywho, good printer, good scanner (though not perfect for my purpose)
88 Not Compatible with Mac OS 10.3.2
I purchased the unit as a gift with a laptop (iBook G4, 933, OS 10.3.2).
It will print.
It will not scan!
It will copy.
Epson should release the scanner update by December 22, 2003.
89 Best printer I have ever owned
The Epson CX5400 is by far the best printer I have ever owned. Its fast, reliable, durable and the printing quality is excellent! It is perfect for home, work and school. When I first started looking at the printers on Amazon.com I was looking at big name brands such as Hp and Cannon. I loooked at HP and the reviews, the printing cartrige's prices and the actual prices and they all scared me. Then I looked at Cannon but I descided not to get one of those because of past problems with the brand. Then I looked at this printer. The reviews were amazing, the price was low, and its also a printer, scanner and copier. I thought to mysef why not this one and desided to get it. From the moment I made that desision there was no turning back. The installation was a breeze (and I'm 13 years old too!), the printing is excellent and there was even a $40 dollar rebate when I got it! This is an awesome printer that everyone should have the opportunity to have. I also reccommend that you take the advice of all of the 5-star reviewers here.
90 A Great Product
I just upgraded from my HP 1215 (which was unreliable, slow, and difficult to use) and I have been very impressed the the CX5400. It prints very quickly with high quality results.
I also love being able to create b&w or color copies without turning the computer on.
Best of all this printer is easy to setup and use. The controls are intuitive and the software works well.
I highly recommend this product.
91 Ink Consuming... buyers beware!
Had this printer since Monday... just printed about 10 pages, of black text. Only about half a page filled just to test the speed. As I was checking the ink status.. 80% of the black ink has already been used! As for the color ones.. I printed 1 index picture, about 2 inch by 2 inch.. and it used 10% of all my color ink! I will never get an Epson printer again!!
92 IT WORKS
Love it!! works GREAT -- Even the fast setup and you are printing, scanning and copying intell the ink runs out...
93 Success with non-Epson ink cartridges for CX5400?
Hi! Has ANYONE had success using non-Epson replacement cartridges or ink refill kits for the CX5400 or CX5200? On this model, the printhead is attached to the printer rather than the (replaceable) ink cartridge, which makes it much more prone to clogging and damage if one uses non-Epson ink. Still, I am willing to take the chance on non-Epson ink if someone out there has had a positive experience with a particular company?
94 Wish I would have known
I agree with the other reviewers in every aspect, the only problem is, I purchased this product with the intention of scanning directly to my Email, which if you have AOL as your ISP it WILL NOT WORK. Had I known this prior to purchasing, I might have held off. I guess I didn't do "my homework" as well as I thought. Other than not being able to do this, it's a great product, setup was a breeze, copies are great, and yes I would still recommend this product.
95 Very impressed
I can say that without a doubt this is the best printer or scanner I've ever owned. It prints very quietly and quickly.
Black and white text printing is flawless without any smudges. Borderless photo printing (which it's predecessor the CX5200 lacked) is an excellent feature. We will get a ton of use out of this for scrapbooking. Epson's Durabrite inks also have a longer life than other brands (70+ years) so that is an added bonus.
The scanner produces excellent results as well. It scans at high enough resolutions that it will easily copy a photo that is scanned in. You can't tell the difference between the copied photo and the original from the photomat.
I didn't buy it for its photocopying capabilities but it works as well as the giant copier in my office at work plus it has very accurate color copying.
For the price, you currently can't ask for more in an inkjet. Very happy with the purchase so far.
96 I Agreeeeeee with the other dude
I can only agree with the other reviewer as to the qualities of this all-in-one unit. I had the CX 5200 but had software problems with it and returned it to Amazon with no problem. This one is working great, output quality is unsurpassed and software is great, noise is low. I am scanning and enlarging a lot of B/W and color photos for a documentary and am amazed at the final product. The color photo copies are enhanced and sometimes are better than the original, no kidding!!! The ink cartridges are individual so replacement is economical. You can't beat the price for the quality. Buy one and you'll want to thank us reviewers for giving you the straight story on this well kept secret. Stan
97 Epson CX5400 Rocks!
The CX5400 currently sells for $..., maybe less with rebates and other incentives. is it worth it? YUP!!
This badboy copies,prints and scans just like the older CX5200 model that was discontinued by Epson but it also does borderless printing and its quiet!!!
See http://www.epson.com/ for full specs.
SETUP - a breeze, open up the box, remove all that funky tape, plug it in, insert the 4 cartridges, flip that scanner lock switch, install the software, plug in the usb port. Took me 5 minutes, no problems at all.
NOISE - Only noise this unit makes is when its first turned on, it initalizes and does all kinds of stuff, takes 2 mins, when its idle, its whisper quiet. When it prints, there is only the humm of paper being printed, not loud at all, the CX5200 made a horrible sound when it printed, they fixed it in this unit.
SPEED - print speed is very fast, b&w or color - no waiting for it to catch up. i printed 20 pages that came out before my coffee was even cold. Best photo printing is the slowest mode as expected, so be patient.
OUTPUT - paper comes out dry, text is rich and clean, looks like a laser printer. color is very sharp and crisp, no problems here. this unit does 8 1/2x11 borderless printing too, amazing. 5700x1440 dpi is very nice and durabrite ink comes out dry.
SCANNING - it scans 1200x2400 dpi @ 48bit which in english means your color or b&w scans will come out exactly as the original, i scanned a magazine page and my keys, no blurs or distortion at all, job well done epson.
COPYING - you dont need the pc to do copying, it does color and b&w copying just like a real copier would, enlargments/reductions/lighten or darken the image and zoom and # of copies, its all there. the scanning are is too small to handle legal size paper, but i dont think any of the multifunction printers can.
CONCLUSION - i give it a 5 stars, the CX5200 had paper loading problems-fixed here, it also had slow photo printing-fixed here. This unit also displays the ink levels in printer config or control panel and ink is a **lot** cheaper and lasts longer than any of the HP mfc's.
DISLIKES - only things for epson to work on, makes the power cord removeable to the unit so its easier to feed under a desk, put the usb port in back of the unit so the cable doesn't get bent, make the control panel on the printer a little bigger, and maybe add a sleep mode so it will use less electricity when idle for 10 mins or more.
There are tons of options to set in printer config, too many to explain here. Epson came out with this CX5400 model and the CX6400 model, personally, the CX6400 looked huge to me, 23" wide and wouldn't fit on my desk.
Still waiting for a review from zdnet or pcworld, wonder whats taking them so long ?
CX5200 and CX5400 uses the same ink carts...epson says black will last 1000 pages, and color around 300 pages give or take a few. I can tell you from experience, the HP2210 lasted 35 color pages and about 70 black.
Good job Epson... HP should be ashamed for charging twice the price for the same features and way overcharging for ink cartridges.
I dont work for Epson, Amazon or HP, so you know this review is honest!!
