Epson Stylus Photo 260 Inkjet Printer

While Epson printers have outstanding print resuts when used properly, I had a very negative experience when one of mine broke within 3 months of purchase. Epson would not back their product or even give telephone support without a hefty fee. I also learned at that time that their print head is not on the ink cartridge as most printers are but on the printer: this means that you do not get a new print head each time you change ink and when the quality of the prints declines you must purchase and install a new print head. I much prefer HP products, despite the potential for great results possible with Epson printers.

The printer "uses" ink even though the muzzle did not let a single drip through. I hoped to clean the black nozzle by printing large black boxes. Well, the paper stayed nicely white but the ink was "out" after a few pages and the printer refused to continue without having the cartridge replaced. [...]

I bought this a few years ago because I thought it had decent reviews, but little did I know! The photo printing leaves something to be desired, it was grainy and ugly, I've seen better on cheaper printers (this was around $200 when I bought it). The absolute worst part that just embitters me is the fact that the ink comes in the normal 6-color separation, and they run out at different times, even in grayscale!!! I have to buy new ink cartridges ($20 EACH COLOR) every other month or so. I never print in color! Ugh, don't waste your money on this horrible printer.

On my way to the trash to throw this printer away, I thought to myself "I should write an amazon review to warn people about this thing."

Please only consider buying this printer if you enjoy printing 25 pages of black text only to have the printer halt mid-job and demand you replace the Cyan ink cartridge before continuing.

This is the 3rd budget Epson printer I have owned, and fool me once, twice, three times... now I'm just going to buy an HP Laser jet. Spending $250 on a printer to then spend $100/month on ink just doesn't work out in a recession economy.

Got a Tivo recently and archive my shows to DVD so generate a STACK of DVDs regularly. Tried all the standard transfer labels but just wasn't happy with the results; the white ones were "ok" but very pedestrian. The clear ones were the best looking but invariably trapped air bubbles. Solution: printable DVDs and the Epson.

Bought a used Epson 260 after reading all the reviews and have been VERY happy with it. True, the ink cartridges are expensive but the labeling has been just primo! Sharp, clear and very professional looking so it's been worth it IMHO. The included labeling software is easy to use and even my first printing attempt was right-on!

I use the Epson solely for printing labels on DVDs so can't evaluate how economical it is for regular printing, but if you need something to print on DVDs the Photo 260 is the cheapest of the Epsons and does the job!

And you want "printable" DVDs to print on, not "Lightscribe" cuz I almost made that mistake. I use the Verbatim DataLife Plus Printable DVDs and recommend them highly for several reasons: 1) they dry almost immediately and IMHO the glossy white surface looks the best. 2) My MacBook Pro's Superdrive refused to burn some other brands but the Verbatims were recommended by the Apple store's techs and burn reliably.

Labeling DVDs with magic marker or the regular CD-style labels works just fine, but if you want a finished DVD that looks professional, look no further than a Photo 260!