Annie

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I am someone, while online a lot and you would think technologically advanced, am quite the opposite really. I keep things in the ‘forever’ category. In fact, my laptop has had a broken screen no less then 8 months and I refuse to get a new one because it still works.

Sorta.

When I had an opportunity to test out and give away an Epson Artisan 810 All in One printer I knew it was a good fit for the blog and for my business. If you are like me, you take a ton of pictures, but if you are also like me, they go into your computer for no other purchase then blog posts and the occasional family emails. I am horrendous at printing them and my last printer, while an ink jet, couldn’t print a photo to save its life.

My first impression on the Epson was that it was big. It has to be in that it is a copy machine, fax, scanner, and printer all in one. I happen to have an executive large desk, but for some with smaller desks, I can see how this wouldn’t necessarily be a great fit. Having an all in one is really a good purchase however because it prevents that last minute faxes that need to hit someones desk and you never know when you need to copy something quickly. I would rather have it in my home for the one time a month I need it, then be running around looking for a Kinkos.

So that entire paragraph was to show you that while its big, its a necessary evil.

The first thing I did, after begging my husband to unpack it and put it on the desk, was ignore the instructions. I figured it I am going to run this review like a normal person would, I would act like I would if I bought it. I did the plug, install software, and play thing.

Then I winged it.

The front of the printer has a beautiful touch screen that is relatively easy to use and navigate through. If you can type, if you can blog, you can use it. But so can my 4 year old. The screen goes dormant when not in use and you start up by pressing the “start” button (duh) and going through the screen, but Charlotte also figured that out in 2.2 seconds.

It could do with some sort of sequence of codes to keep your above 3+ child from printing out every web page they come across, scanning, and distributing it to their kindergarten counterparts.You have to be stealth with these young ones.

From maintenance to ink levels, printer set up, fax, and coping (black and white or color) reading is about the only requirement for using this printer. I also love that it has a direct slot USB ports and SD cards, so instead of uploading every picture on your computer for just one, you can insert, select, and even make a greeting card right from your memory stick.

The SD portion is pretty nice because you can pop in your card, scroll through the photos on the LCD screen, select, pick your size, color correction, and even some fancy layouts, and print and Voila. I would love to show that to you but the irony is that I need my SD card to take a picture of it AND to show you while its in the printer. Therefore…I cant. I’m not Jesus.

Its a cool feature though.

The printer also carries Wi-Fi capabilities, which is fabulous for those that have a working laptop and want to send something from the other room. I didn’t actually set that up, so I cannot tell you if that was difficult or not. It wasn’t necessary for our home. From past experience, I think anything that requires Wi-Fi tends to be a pain in the rear to set up though.

Ink

Like most photo printers it has ink in separate cartridges, I am assuming for easy color distribution. The one good thing is you most likely will use more black then anything else and can replace that one without the rest of the ink needing a sweep. The downside is each Epson Artison 810 printer cartridge is about $16 a piece. Unfortunately I haven’t had the printer long enough to tell you how long these on average last, but I also imagine it depends on how many full color photos you are pumping out on average.

Paper

Paper is another one of those things that you really need to pay attention to. Being that I am the plug and play kinda girl, I printed quite a few photos on high quality paper without changing the settings on the print preview.

If you don’t have it set properly, it wont distribute the ink properly.

• My first attempt had lines where the ink was done in a line. My fault.

• My second attempt was where i didn’t set the right paper and right color settings. Again, my fault.

• My third attempt produced a flawless photo that can be framed. Woo Hoo! (Third times a charm?)

The print panel is easy to follow- just make sure you go into the properties to set this up BEFORE printing or you will waist a lot of unnecessary paper trying to set up the best quality.

One thing that I think is a pretty cool feature for moms is that it has a slot for CDs and will print RIGHT ON

Cool feature roundup

• Prints your photos from the printer, not just from the computer, via memory sticks. Full scroll through and even greeting card creator on the fly
• All in one is fabulous to have quick access to scanner, printer, and fax. All work just as good as the last.
• Photo developing quality prints-provided you have the right paper and settings on of course.
• Tray carries a ton of sizes-but I haven’t figured out how to change the paper from the bottom tray to the top.
• Ability to print on both sides of the paper-save some trees.
• Photos print quickly!

Things to improve:

• Its loud. Maybe its just me, but its pretty loud.
• For some odd reason, it will only work on my front USB port on my computer and not the back. I am admitting this could be user error, but I am throwing it out there.
• With this many cartridges, could use a lower price on them. $15.99 and up for each one can get quite pricey.
• I’m having a hard time getting it to grab the 4×6 paper from the tray.
• The LCD screen folds up so you can see it better and has an unlock release button. I can already tell that Charlotte will push it back without the release button at some point. I think having it where its a gentle push other then a button release, would be a smarter decision.

From the Epson Site:

Overall

My overall thoughts is that its a beautiful and classy printer with a ton of capabilities. Just like a fancy new camera, you need to learn all the settings and have all the accessories straight before the moment you really need it. It will save a lot of time and frustration to keep the manual on your desk before it becomes second nature.

But the photos are worth the learning curve and maybe I can put some of these beautiful shots of Charlotte to good use.

Purchase

Right now you can get the Epson Artisan 810 All in One for $100 off and FREE Ground shipping here on Epsons site!

Take advantage of this offer asap!

GIVEAWAY

Would you like to win your very own Epson Artisan 810 All in one Printer? All you have to do is answer the following question:

Regardless of cost or location, tell me something you would LOVE to take a picture of (and get home and print off, ha!). Great wall of china? Leonardo DiCaprio?

This is the main entry requirement.

Extra Entries

You may enter unlimited entries if you share a picture on your blog of the strangest or funniest shot you have taken of your child  or pet and link back to our contest. Then you may enter as often as you want as long as the topic stays on epson or photography.

Contest ends January 1st and winner will be notified via email after the New Year. US only.

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this post was sponsored