Epson vs Canon - CD Printing

[dataport]

Need to buy a CD/DVD printer - occasional general use, non-professional. Old posts showed Epson heads clogged if you don't use it regularly., and prob's with Canon that ink dries up and costly. I rarely print color paper for anything - looking for suggestions for solid CD printer.

 

[popatim]

Are you looking for on-disk printing or printing to disk labels ?

 

[dataport]

On-disk. Biggest concern w / previous color printers is nozzle-clogging and ink drying out if not used on a regular basis. Wondering if technology is any better.....looking to spend ~$100 for something decent.

 

[HardwareJay]

Did you ever end up doing more research and making a decision? I'm in the market for the same thing for the same general uses as what you described.

Or does anyone else have any advice on this?

I have used the Epson Artisan 50 for a few years but it hiccups and needs to be reset too often. Canon has apparently got a lot of recommendations but the current model, the MX922, has a lot of negative reviews on Amazon, so I'm thinking of getting the Canon IP7220 if i go with Canon. All-in-one isn't needed. Cost is not critcal. Speed and reliability are.

Thanks!

 

[dataport]

Did you ever end up doing more research and making a decision? I'm in the market for the same thing for the same general uses as what you described.

Or does anyone else have any advice on this?

I have used the Epson Artisan 50 for a few years but it hiccups and needs to be reset too often. Canon has apparently got a lot of recommendations but the current model, the MX922, has a lot of negative reviews on Amazon, so I'm thinking of getting the Canon IP7220 if i go with Canon. All-in-one isn't needed. Cost is not critcal. Speed and reliability are.

Thanks!

 

[dataport]

Like you, I didn't need an All-IO, and had hoped to find a small unit designed specifically for inkjet printing on CD/DVD's. Only thing out there at a 'reasonable' price were the AIO's........narrowed down to Epson & Canon. I finally decided on the EP -EX630. Only had it for a couple of months, but so far: PROS: It's wireless, so can set it anywhere. Fast - prints each disk in 3-5 sec. CONS: It has a flat tray you remove/insert for each disk....as opposed to a tray that ejects out to place the disk in. Since it's wireless, I can place it on a table without having to plug it into my tower - and can print 20-30 disks in a few minutes. Print quality is great, and I haven't noticed any smudging. So far have printed about 200 disks - very little drop in the cartridge volume, and again, so far no nozzle sticking etc. One of the deciding factors to go with this model is it uses individual color cartridges as opposed to other models/mfg's where you have to buy a single cartridge that includes all colors if one color gets low.

 

[HardwareJay]

I can't find an Epson with that model number. Can you please check it and clarify for me? (If you're referring to the XP-630, the Amazon reviews are really horrible -- actually more 1 star than 5 star, which I don't think I've ever seen on Amazon for any item before now.)

And those are remarkably fast speeds you're talking about. Can you please clarify that for me as well? The Epson Artisan 50 I've been using takes a few minutes to print just some basic black text with minimal color graphics on just one disk. It would be awesome if this has changed to so much faster speed since then.

Thanks.

 

[dataport]

Yep - It's the XP-630.....and you're right - the Amazon comments are troubling, but looks like most of them refer to the ink cartridges. I've only had it a couple of months and only use it for disk printing. So far have done about 200 disks - some with both background and forefront color images - and the built-in utility shows over 85% left of all colors. I just did some today - lots of graphics - and it took about 8 sec to print each disk. You have to pull the disk tray out each time - but otherwise I'm happy with both the speed and color quality. I need to look into replacement cartridge cost further - but right now it looks like I should be able to print 1000+ disks before I have to buy more cartridges. I'll post an update later if I have any smudging or nozzle issues - but right now I'm pleased with it.

 

[HardwareJay]

Thanks very much. I've done some research and ended up going with a Canon MX922, which is their current model. The reviews on Amazon are about equal for both (new model of Epson is XP-640), and Best Buy and B&H have pretty good reviews on the Canon. All of them have many "more" reviews for the Canon, making it a "best seller" for each. And I called Office Depot and asked the salesman his opinion, and he said that overall for an inkjet he finds Canon seems to be more reliable based on customer satisfaction.

If this works out well, I know my employee who prints the discs will be very happy I moved up from the Epson Artisan 50, which prints good on discs but spends a lot more time adjusting and maintaining itself -- or needing to be restarted so it can adjust and maintain itself -- than it spends actually printing.

Wish me luck.

Thanks again!