Epson Stylus Photo RX420 Review
Epson Stylus Photo RX420
Epson Stylus Photo RX420 5760x1440dpi A4
Very quickly set up the Epson Stylus Photo RX420 had it connected to the computer and software installed in 10 minutes. I was very eager to try the print quality, so I stuffed in a CF card a followed the very easy instructions. Basically, you print a reference sheet with thumbnail images of whats on the card, mark off the pictures you want printed, place the sheet on the scan bed, and press the print button; The printer will then scan the sheet and print those pictures marked - Excellently easy.
All in all, I am very impressed with the Epson Stylus Photo RX420 so far, it can be a bit fussy loading the paper, but I've found that by curling the print side towards the print side slightly, it loads fine.
I have printed about 50 10x15 photos on the Stylus Photo RX420, and 4 A4 full colour prints along with several normal prints and reference sheets etc; the printer has used about a third of the ink. The ink cartridges btw are surprisingly cheap for once, around £7 per cartridge for Epson, or about £4 for compatibles.
If you want a good all rounder that can copy without the computer on, and want excellent photos, then the Epson Stylus Photo RX420 is all you need.
Your Comments/Opinions
A very good all-rounder composite. Software installed with ease and is intelligently compiled. Great value for money. Anthony J
Does anyone know how to get instructions in English? Mine (in Spain) are in every language BUT! Novice, so need hand holding. Thanks bartus bartus
does anyone know how to scan to your computer (ad picture to ebay selling site for example)not very clear on the guide thanks beatrice
I have been useing my RX420 for almost a year now and the print quality is the same as the first day i bought it. I have printed numerous amounts of photo's useing my 5.2meg camera XD card and found the colour and quality amazing.
Ink cartridges:- I can get six compatible ink cartridges one extra yellow as this seems to go first for £7.50 surf the web you will be surprised what you will find. Tony
I would not buy this printer again. I have had one and the actual print quality is fine but it drinks ink like a fish with water! It says the ink is out when it is not and suddenly drops the ink levels on screen when you change a cartridge. Using Epson compatible cartridges reduces the cost a bit but not the frustration. max
Has anyone used this printer with a Belkin wireless print server? I am tying to set it up and having problems. Help files not found when trying to install the port monitor. This doesn't seem to fit with the printer being the problem as the belkin port should setup properly what ever printer I am connecting to. Chris
RX420 - you can keep it. What a nightmare. Says the ink is out when there is still ink in the cartridges. Wont print using the black cartridge even though you've asked it to print 'black ink only' as it decides it wont work unless you have full colour cartridges too! Drinks ink like its gone out of fashion. Wish we'd never got rid of our old HP and just bought a scanner. Jacky
I've has the RX420 3 months from Staples and it won't print at all now as it says there is paper stuck in the printer. Taken it apart, can't find any paper. it still doesn't work. Helpline hopeless so back to Staples to swop or get it fixed. ken
Set up my RX420 this morning run a photo print program, came out lousy, reason found after reading through the reams of tec instructions.The blue ink cartridge was u/s, and this on a brand new printer, NOT GOOD>? PJAY
Ink drinker, in fact guzzeller. I cant even print it with jsut the black cartridge. Never again! Sam
'I am not surprised to read all the bad comments regarding this printer, Ho! yes it`s quality is without doubt impressive but that`s it.
I purchased the RX420 last year just after it hit the market and I can understand the frustrations of the users, regarding the ink cartridges, yes you can use compatible cartridges and the reason you get a false reading from you ink monitor is because when the printer was purchased in most cases you where supplied with Microsoft software on the CD and not Epson's, go to Epson's website and download the original drivers and that problem will be solved.
Next, when you have put your RX420 through it`s paces within 12 months you will start to get a small screen popping up as you print telling you are due for a service, it is a pain in the arse, you have got two options, 1 get the damn thing serviced if you can afford it, 2 find a piece of software to reset the protection counter and that's difficult in itself.
I agree with Tony, it`s time to look for another printer. ' frederick_franklin
Agree with everyone. TERRIBLE PRINT quality with 'DRAFT' function and as a result, forced to print on 'normal' thereby increasing the speed at which ink is consumed. have only printed 5-6 black pages on A4 and ink already dry sc
I ALSO HAVE THE SAME PRINTER EPSON RX 420. IT IS A REAL DISASTER. IT SWALLOWS TOO MUCH INK. IT IS IMPOSIBLE TO PRINT IN PLAIN BLACK COLOR.IT DOESN“T FUNCTION ONCE YOU RUN OUT OF ANY SINGLE COLOR . THE WORST OF ALL I HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR MORE THAN SIX MONTHS TO USE THE SCANNER, BUT NO WAY. THE RESULT : I WILL THROW IT AWAY AND GO FOR ANY OTHER BRAND BUT NOT FOR EPSON. BECAUSE I REALLY FEEL BEING CHEATED (HAVING SPENT LOT OF MONEY FOR SOMETHING THAT IS NOT WORTH IT) TONI
Very clever Epson. Price your printer for those on a budget, but make sure it drinks ink like its going out of fashion. If I want to print in BLACK INK ONLY then I should be able to do so, without having to go out and pay a fortune to make sure there is ink in the three colour ports that I wont be using. Oh - and I've noticed that the colour ink goes down even when printing in black ink only mode, so either your printers dont work or its a big scam. I think I know which - wont be buying Epson again. Dan L
What a lousey scam of a printer. Epson you have disgraced yourself with your Stylus Photo RX420. For the past 6 years I have happily used the brand name Epson. I told everyone that your photo printers were great. So when I needed my last one, I purchased an RX420. Within three days it clapped out. Since I had about £300 worth of ink cartridges already purchased, the cheapest route for me to go was to buy another Epson RX420. My second one lasted approximately three months, then I was told it needed a service. Within 2-hours of this message popping up on my screen the printer clapped out entirely. Gwaaad! What a fiasco ... I've entirely lost my faith in the name Epson Photo. This dreaded RX420 printer has been an absolute money loss for me.
Regards
Robert Robert McCoy
Inside of 4 weeks my Epson RX420 was smudging black ink on printing and it took and it took half a reem of paper before the problem was resolved.
Then my RX420 decided to cease workingas a scanner despite working as a copier. Obviously a software issue you would think, but a replacement cured it. However, the new one tends to dribble ink and the scan quality is not very good at all. Diane
Epson seem to be taking anyone who makes compatible cartridges for this system to court, if you are buying an Epson be prepared to buy Epson cartridges because there may be no compatibles available soon. Paul Waterhouse
Has anyone managed to find a wireless print server that works with this printer? Seems there's an Epson one, but its in the £400-£500 region...there must be compatible ones that are cheaper. J Herron
'Drinks ink. terrible. can't use scanner if out of ink! must replace cartridges first! because it uses so much ink i thought i'd use it just for scanning. some hope. chucked.' iain
I painfully recognise much of the adverse comment posted here. Has anyone asked Epson to respond to these very critical remarks? Jon P
I painfully relate to many of these adverse comments. Has anyone asked Epson to comment on the critical remarks?
Jon Pcomments
This printer has all the right gadgets but gets through ink very quickly. You have to use the printer almost on a commercial / industrial scale; ie printing every day or the print heads clog up as the ink dries in them. You can only clean them using the maintenance function 3 or 4 times and then that's it. Very disapointing. Woody
We have had 2 Epson printers in the past both ended up in the bin due to new cartridges every 2 weeks even though printer was not used.
We thought that maybe Epson had sorted this out by now and tried the RX420 as we were looking at an all in one and guess what we were wrong 3 months old and 3 sets of replaced inks and all we did was print 16 photos 4 to an A4 page thats 4 A4 pages then blue would not print had to clean heads 3 times guess what red ran out new set of cartridges at £29.00 and now wont work at all its now in the bin wont send back under warrenty its just not worth it.
Now got my trusty HP 930c which I have had for 6 years back out and bought a scanner.
pat
Agree with all of these negative comments...I've been having a nightmare with the RX 420...took out what the rpinter was saying were used cartridges and replaced them. When I looked inside the cartridges there was still a load of ink inside them! What a disaster and totoal and utter waste of money.
J F
Cant seem to find any instructions on how to use it. Every time I try to scan a photoI get lines over it - can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong please! Viv
Can anyone tell me how to do copying on the RX420
I can only get it to scan a document. rayhorn@telefonica.n
Can only agree with so many negative comments posted...I just wanted a simple printer for the wife but after being told to buy new colour cartridges when we only needed to print out black-and-white we decided to cut our losses and we will go for another brand. Not to mention after a few months it decided to only print 2/3 of the page (even test page). simpletron
Agree with all negative comments. My first and last Epson. Why can't you print a black and white doc if you have run out of blue?
A load of bollocks. simpletron
I recognise all these problems with my RX 420. I just thought I had picked the runt of the litter. Reading these comments I think I have just picked up litter. Vic Lockley
Unfortunately, I bought two RX425's (same as 420)
both have the printing and ink drinking problems, bu worse of all both print only about 2 inches width of a page. Ali