Review: Epson Artisan 800 All-in-One Printer

Having a really good printer is almost a necessity in any scrapbooker’s home. The ability to alter images and get different photo sizes instantly is just one of the benefits.

One of the newest entries into the home printer market is the Epson Artisan 800 All-in-one printer. The Artisan 800 has the ability to scan, fax, copy and print color and black-and-white CDs, documents and photos in various sizes. It is also Wi-Fi enabled and can do two-sided paper printing.

I was pretty excited to try out the wi-fi feature. Unfortunately, the process proved complicated, and in the end, unsuccessful. I tried all the methods suggested in the manual, but somehow it just wouldn’t connect wirelessly. I was able to get it on my home network by simply plugging it into my router, and it has worked very well since.

I used the Artisan 800 to make our family photos to go with our Christmas letter, and the photos came out looking professionally developed. I have printed out preschool Valentine cards using cardstock. The cardstock was fed through smoothly and evenly. There are also no problems using thinner papers like regular bond paper. The dual paper tray comes in handy for those of us who like to print on different sizes. It can hold both 4×6 (or 5×7) and 8×10 (or 8.5 x 11).

For scrapbookers, the scan and print features would prove useful. Photos can be printed directly from memory cards. Finished paper layouts (up to 8.5 x 11) can be copied as gifts. Digital layouts can be easily printed out. The CD printer also helps to organize and file digital photos and pages.

The feature that makes the Artisan 800 aces in my book is the quality of its ink and the ease and speed of printing. It just works wonderfully, for whatever use a scrapbooker may have around the house.